Now that Apple’s latest and greatest phone the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro Max have been out in the wild for a few weeks, it is time to revisit the performance of the slow motion video mode of this all-encompassing handset. The iPhone has always been a good slow mo performer but the new cameras and bigger lenses with more advanced processing gave us high hopes for increases in video quality and fewer artifacts.
The slow motion quality should be better across both the 11 and 11 Max since they share essentially the same system of optics and bionic chip. Quality must be identical except for the two or three camera configurations. One thing that separates the iPhone is that you can shoot slow motion in all cameras and not just in the standard wide like Samsung or other Android phones. This is one thing Apple wins in spades and we hope to see other manufacturers adopt as standard.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Ok let’s get the bad news out of the way which is that the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro all have essentially the same 120fps and 240fps of the previous iPhones on their main cameras which depending on the phone is two or three. All at 12MP and all capable of 4k UHD at 60fps and all slow motion capable at 120p and 240p at 1080p. So no new frame rates but a consistent capture across all cameras which seems unique compared to the competition.
The real new thing is the availability of 120fps at 1080p in the TrueDepth or Selfie front camera which allows for “Slofies” as Apple calls them. It would have been more impressive to have the full 240fps on the selfie camera too but they will save it for a future model. 120p is good and lets you shoot funny and compelling content. It is probably the best looking selfie camera image we have seen yet so Apple has an easy head start there.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
There has been a lot of work put it developing software that can interpolate frames for video editing and compositing applications. Twixtor in the late 90’s was perhaps the first time the technology could make something worthwhile and really produce acceptable results in a computationally acceptable timeframe.
Today the most used algorithm is Adobe’s Optical Flow in Premiere or Time Warp in After Effects which use vector directional plus acceleration of pixel values to derive in between frame data to generate new frame information from the preceding frame as point A and the next frame as point B. The results can do some wonders to really slow down things above the frame rate ceiling of the camera.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The new Samsung Exynos 9 Series 8895 Chipset for smartphones has impressive new specs. It claims the most advanced 3D and general processing performance for use in flagship smartphones. What interests us a lot is the direct claim that the chip can handle both recording and playback of 4k video at 120fps.
The UHD 4k resolution is 3,840 by 2,160 pixels or 8,294,400 pixels rounded up to 8.3MP per frame. At 120fps this equates to 995 Megapixels /sec or near one Gigapixel. This translates exactly to 480fps at 1080p full HD resolution or 1080fps at 720p. This is quite astounding for bandwidth specs for a phone and opens the door wide open for real super slow motion on Samsung Tablets and Smartphones.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The Casio EX-FR200 is a weird camera in many respects. It’s 180 degree fish eye lens makes spherical imaging and the entire lens and sensor assembly detaches for remote operation. With the aid of a second lens and sensor module you can take 360 degree images and footage for a VR wrapper compatible with YouTube 360.
The camera modules can be bought separate and controlled from the main body unit without the need to buy two full pieces of kit. If you were trying to get into the Youtube 360 and VR video panoramic craze this is an easy way to do it. Price is not yet specified but we expect it to be competitive with high end GoPros or USD $450 and below. The camera is not dive proof see below…→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Lytro started in the consumer space a few year’s back by enabling light field camera sensor technology in a portable package. Back then it allowed the user to select the focus point in the image to control depth of filed after the shot had been taken. This is emulated by Panasonic on the GX8 and GH4 with Post Focus but that is a feature that does some tricks with multiple images and lens focus points to select final depth of field.
Lytro does this by capturing all the rays of light entering the sensor at different angles and times to create a light field or three dimensional map of a real subject or scene. The consumer cameras sold in less than stellar numbers due in part to low resolution and while they tried with the Lytro Ilum to bring a more SLR like camera with 40 mega-rays or down-converted to 4 traditional megapixels. It also bombed as the post focus feature was not enough pull to get consumers to adopt the platform; along with claims of low dynamic range and artifacts in bright spots. The Ilum camera is still available for purchase at under $370 USD from the 1299 introductory price; quite a drop!→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
