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BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS OF 2021!

 

We have passed another year in slow motion land and while camera releases were more plenty than expected considering the chip shortage and teh COVID disruption, it’s time to take a look back through the year’s camera releases, and see which delivered on the price/performance scale when it comes to slow motion frame rates.  Phones are stagnationg while high end cameras are getting more frame rate options in higher resolution. Our Best Slow Motion Cameras Of 2021 have been selected and ordered by recommendation! → Continue Reading Full Post ←

OnePlus 9 Slow Motion mode gains 4k 120fps!

OnePlus has finally released its new flagship 2021 phones. And they have built a new 3 year partnership with medium format camera maker Hasselblad to build their phone camera modules.  On this first iteration, we get Ultra Wide 50MP, Wide 48MP or standard and a 3.3x telephoto with 8MP which is the lower quality of the bunch.

OnePlus has respected its own heritage when it comes to frame rates as the new 9 handsets retain the 240fps in Full HD 1080p and 480fps in HD 720p mode for somewhat super slow motion and a new mode of 120fps in full 4k which is exciting. OnePlus had the edge in recording duration in previous phones and this new variant might keep that edge. However, we feel disappointed the resolution did not go up to full HD at 480fps and allow for a 960fps HD mode like many other phones out there. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Galaxy S21 Slow Motion Feature is Retained!

Galaxy S21 Slow Motion

This week we had the announcement by Samsung of the Galaxy S21 phone line which is the de-facto Android handset in most of the world.  The Galaxy S21 Slow Motion has essentially the same feature set as the Galaxy S20 of 2020 when it comes to high-speed video. The Galaxy brand went serious with Slow Motion since the Galaxy S9 with the 960fps mode at 720p which we can still see here with somewhat improved resolution and recording time.

The S21 line is by almost any standard a refinement of the line with very subtle but important updates on the previous S20 phones. We get the Snapdragon 888 which is the brightest and fastest SoC in non-Apple land. We get 120Hz adaptive screen refresh rate and 108MP telephoto camera on the Ultra version with 10x hybrid zoom, and half that at 64MP on the regular S21 and S21+ which only offer 3x hybrid zoom. We also get 8k video recording on all of the phones at 24p which we will have to test if it is really delivering on the promise.

Galaxy S21 Slow Motion Video Features:

Resolution

  • 8K video recording at 24 fps (7680×4320)
  • 4K UHD video recording at 60 fps (3840×2160)
  • 1080p FHD video recording at 60 fps (1920×1080)
  • 720p HD video recording at 30 fps (1280×720)

Shooting speed

  • Super Steady 1080p video support at 60 fps
  • Super Slow-mo 720p video support at 960 fps
  • Slow motion 1080p video support at 240 fps & 120fps
  • Hyperlapse 4K video support at 30 fps

Other

  • HDR10+ recording
  • VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilization)
  • Digital zoom up to 12x
  • High CRI LED Flash
  • Tracking AF
  • Take 33MP still photos while playing 8K video
  • Playback zoom
  • Video location tags
  • *HDR10+ recording is currently in beta and only available on the rear camera. Quality may vary based on sharing platform and playback environment; HDR10+ color is only available on supported devices or platforms.
  • *Super Steady is only available when shooting in FHD resolution.
  • *Super Smooth 60fps Video supports FHD resolution in Auto mode only.
  • *Super Slow-mo only supports HD resolution. On Galaxy S21 5G and S21+ 5G, users can record approximately 0.5 seconds of video captured at 960 fps with approximately 16 seconds of playback. On Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, users can record approximately 1 second of video captured at 480 fps and digitally enhance the video to 960 fps with approximately 32 seconds of playback. Playback time can be edited in Super Slow-mo player.

Samsung Galaxy S21 event in 12 minutes by The Verge:

Same feature, mildly upgraded results!

So we get 960fps recording in 720p only in the S21 and S21+ phones and not in the Ultra. The Ultra version is capped at 480fps 720p and then AI deep learning interpolates to 960fps slow motion for the final result on the highest spec phone.

It is the same as last year’s S20 which also featured that limitation on the Ultra version of the handset.  It is not a matter of processing power but it is based on the choice of sensors. The Ultra seems to be capped at 480fps while the non-Ultra can scan at 960fps in 720p.

When it comes to slow motion the cheaper phones are actually more capable which may be ideal if this feature is important to you.

On the S21 and S21+ you get 0.5 seconds of 1/2 a second recording time at 960fps which translates to 16 seconds playback at 30p.  On The Ultra you get 480fps for 1 second recording time and interpolated to 960p for a 32 second playback time at 30p.  This is exactly the same as last year’s S20 line.

We have to test the feature fully but we estimate slightly better color, dynamic range, and artifact control on the S21 but nothing that would make you upgrade your S20.

Galaxy S21 Slow Motion Early Samples:

We will be testing the Galaxy S21 in the coming weeks as we are receiving a test unit. In the meantime, we found some samples online that could be legitimate. They certainly look real in resolution and speed for the most part but it is so early that we cannot confirm their validity.  We will re-examine the slow motion samples in a later post at HSC including our own tests.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Camera Slow Motion Test by MKP Captain: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS OF 2020!

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS OF 2020

As the end of 2020 nears, it’s time to take a look back through the year’s camera releases amid the COVID 19 chaos, and see which delivered on the price/performance bracket with slow motion frame rates as the primary goal.  Phone slow motion took a back seat this year as the interest of the feature in phones was subdued or even eliminated. Our Best Slow Motion Cameras Of 2020 have been selected and ordered by recommendation!

We saw some surprises including a mostly affordable 4k slow motion solution and the adoption of 4k 120fps on many cameras which makes us think 240fps at UHD should be something to think about in the coming years as a regular option once 8k video is commonplace on consumer recording devices and TVs. The increase in resolution should theoretically allow for a lot of 4k frame rates to be offered as 8k delivers 4x the pixel count of 4k for any given frame rate. Keep on reading for our 2020 picks!

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS of 2020:

Without further ado here are what we believe are the best value slow motion cameras in their respective categories for the year 2020:

Best Slow Motion Phone Category:

3rd Place) Sony Xperia 5 II:

The Sony Xperia 5 II is all about capturing the best video possible on a smartphone and in HDR. The kick here is that the phone is capable of 4k 120fps in full HDR which is pretty much class-leading.

The footage below will give you a taste of what the phone can do. In good light, it will let you capture excellent quality 4k 120p footage with the possibility to grade as it records a gradable flat profile.  In low light, it will be a pretty unremarkable image with grain and artifacts as could be expected from the light requirements when shooting at high speed.

Sony Xperia 5 II: 4K 120fps video footage by CNET Highlights:

Sony Xperia 5 II Slow Motion Specs:

  • 120fps 4k
  • 60fps 1080p

This is one of the first phones to offer 120fps in 4k which will probably become a standard spec in 2021 for flagships. However absent is the slow motion at 1080p which considering the 4k oomph, it should have been capable of 480fps at 1080p or similar. It is a shame that the spec was completely avoided considering HDR in 120fps 4k requires 240fps full pixel readout before merging.  In theory, 240fps non-HDR is possible on this phone but not available for unspecified reasons. Phones are becoming more powerful by the day and this is one that has our attention. The just under $1k price tag is not ideal but some of the best phones are going to cost you.

2nd Place) OnePlus 8T:

One Plus continues to offer compelling slow motion features on their phones with 480fps 1080p and up to 480fps at 720p.  It gives you a quad 48MP camera module which is literally insane considering the phone sells for under $750USD and has 120hz refresh rate. Feature-wise it has probably everything under the sun and then some and will not disappoint in the performance realm.

Fireworks in Slow motion – OnePlus 8T 480fps in dark by sternking: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Cyber Monday Slow Motion Camera Deals!

Cyber Monday Slow Motion Camera Deals

We have gathered a few deals that may or may not peak your interest in a slow motion capable camera. Some of these are too good to pass up and some are just middle of the road. We have taken advantage of some of these over the years and it may be just what you were waiting for to pull the trigger.  If you have some cash saved and have been waiting for a good opportunity, some of the discounts are large enough to beat any past deals on these cameras.

If you have not bought any new cameras this year we feel it is time to take a look at these and make a choice for that high frame rate cam you have had in your sights.  Also, camera memory is on sale as are some lights, it is probably the right time for both as well.  If you find any more slow motion deals that we passed up, please let us know.

Cyber Monday Slow Motion Camera Deals:

  1. GoPro Hero 9 Black with $50 Amazon Gift card for free. All for just $399 after saving a combined $100! –240fps Full HD Capture!

2. GoPro Hero 8 Black Bundle + Extra Floating Handle, Includes Hero8 Black Camera, Shorty Handle, Headstrap, 32gb SD Card, 2 Batteries, and a Floating Handle For Just $299 – 14% off-240p FHD

3. Sony ZV-1 Camera for Content Creators, Vlogging and YouTube with Flip Screen and Microphone just $698 after $100 off. 240fps at full HD and Up to 1,000fps at reduced resolutions. 

4. Sony a7 III (ILCE7M3K/B) Full-frame Mirrorless Interchangeable-Lens Camera with 28-70mm Lens with 3-Inch LCD, Black120fps full HD with tracking excellent quality!  14% off from $2198 to just $1,898.00!

5. Sony RX100 VII Premium Compact Camera with 1.0-type stacked CMOS sensor (DSCRX100M7) $1,198.00 save $100  – Up to 1000fps slow motion with excellent 1080p 240fps slow motion video.

6. Panasonic LUMIX GH5 4K Digital Camera, 20.3 Megapixel Mirrorless Camera with Digital Live MOS Sensor, 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2.0, 4K 4:2:2 10-Bit Video, Full-Size HDMI Out, 3.2-Inch LCD, DC-GH5 (Black) Save $700 USD or 35% off!

120fps and 180fps Full HD slow motion with no time limit!

7.Sony RX100VA (NEWEST VERSION) 20.1MP Digital Camera: RX100 V Cyber-shot Camera with Hybrid 0.05 AF, 24fps Shooting Speed & Wide 315 Phase Detection – 3” OLED Viewfinder & 24-70mm Zoom Lens – Wi-Fi   Up to 1000fps slow motion with excellent 1080p 240fps mode!

8. Sony Cyber‑Shot RX10 IV with 0.03 Second Auto-Focus & 25x Optical Zoom (DSC-RX10M4)  Save $100Up to 1000fps slow motion with excellent 1080p 240fps mode!

Special Slow Motion Deals:

1) Krontech.ca the makers of the Chronos slow motion camera are having a 10% off sale until November 30th for any product in their site including the Chronos 1.4c and Chronos 2.1 HD cameras.  The savings here are very substantial. Use Promo code at checkout:

Promo Code At Checkout!
HAPPYCHRONOSBF2020

 

2) Prolost.com store is having a 50% off on all its software bundles including the excellent Prolost Speedramp to edit your high frame rate video professionally.  Code to use is “CYBER” at checkout!

 

3) Topaz Labs suite of software products.

Topaz Suite for 68% off

The folks at Topaz labs makers of Video Enhance AI are having a huge price reduction for their entire suite of products.  You can increase the resolution of your slow motion video incredibly well – up to 8k resolution with breathtaking results.  Go to the site link here for details. The savings are 68% off which is pretty remarkable. https://topazlabs.com/black-friday/

4) Camera SD Card memory deals for Cyber Monday: savings on dozens of cards from every brand at Amazon!

There you go, many excellent deals for you to ponder. We thank you for your visit and support by visiting our Amazon Product links for your purchase at no extra cost to you! -HSC

 

 

iPhone 12 Pro Slow Motion is best yet for Apple!

iPhone 12 Pro Slow Motion

The iPhone 12 line is a continuation of what Apple has been hinting at since it got serious about video recording on their phones.  However, there is no increment in the maximum frames per second the phone is able to record with the 120p and 240p at 1080p as the maximum the phone is able to record. There is also what could be a feature that is missing that of 120fps 4k considering the phone is already recording 120fps at 4k for HDR video and then delivering it in a 60p wrapper.

With all that said the phone has impressive video and photo specs that will have rivals trying to compete in outlandish features like super zooms or more than 3 cameras to be able to get the spotlight off the iPhone.  There is no question the iPhone 12 is the best camera phone Apple has ever delivered but isn’t this the same result every year when a new device from the company is released? Yes and there lies the problem of yearly upgrades only getting incremental updates and not leapfrog features.

Video Recording iPhone 12 Pro:

  • HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 60 fps
  • 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
  • 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps
  • 720p HD video recording at 30 fps
  • Optical image stabilization for video (Wide)
  • 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range (iPhone 12 Pro)
  • Digital zoom up to 6x (iPhone 12 Pro)
  • 2.5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 5x optical zoom range (iPhone 12 Pro Max)
  • Digital zoom up to 7x (iPhone 12 Pro Max)
  • Audio zoom
  • Brighter True Tone flash
  • QuickTake video
  • Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
  • Time‑lapse video with stabilization
  • Night mode Time-lapse
  • Extended dynamic range for video up to 60 fps
  • Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
  • Continuous autofocus video
  • Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
  • Playback zoom
  • Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264
  • Stereo recording

Video Recording iPhone 12 (NON PRO):

  • HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 30 fps
  • 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
  • 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps
  • 720p HD video recording at 30 fps
  • Optical image stabilization for video (Wide)
  • 2x optical zoom out
  • Digital zoom up to 3x
  • Audio zoom
  • Brighter True Tone flash
  • QuickTake video
  • Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
  • Time‑lapse video with stabilization
  • Night mode Time‑lapse
  • Extended dynamic range for video up to 60 fps
  • Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
  • Continuous autofocus video
  • Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
  • Playback zoom
  • Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264
  • Stereo recording

IPhone 12 Pro Slow Motion Samples are pending:

We received some so-called slow motion samples from the iPhone 12 but we have determined that they are fake and not from the phone themselves.  The iPhone 12 ships on October 23rd so any samples you might see online could only be from review units and there was no real video quality review that was authenticated. We will have to wait some time for the iPhone 12 video samples to start coming out.  We expect increased dynamic range and better overall noise profile on the iPhone 12 vs the 11, hopefully, we will see a real improvement in the way the phone captures slow motion in 1080p without much in the way of artifacts and aliasing.

Dolby Vision Recording on iPhone 12:

Dolby Vision | Demo | Dolby by Dolby:

In the video above you can see that Dolby Vision is basically a set of technologies that encode video in HDR with high precision color and brightness values that try to mimic reality. The new iPhone 12s record in Dolby Vision which probably use the high frame rate recording (60p for 30p) and 120p for 60p) HDR.

It is of note that slow motion video at 120fps or 240fps in 1080p will not use Dolby Vision as you would need those frame rates doubled to record it. It is a technology best used by 4k recording up to 60fps.

Of course, you will not get Hollywood production quality footage on the phone but it is still going to deliver a better image than your average camera due to the color science behind it.  Also of note is that you will need a TV, monitor or projector that has Dolby Vision compatibility to experience this high dynamic range video footage recording feature.

If you have such a TV we can recommend the clip below to test it:

Perfect Black HDR 8k Dolby Vision by Eugene Belsky: → Continue Reading Full Post ←