Tag Archives: Electronic

Leica TL2 Slow Motion Mode Included!

Leica TL2 Slow Motion

Leica has announced the TL2. It is an APS-C camera with a milti-touch capable LCD screen, 4k video at 30fps and interfaces like USB 3 and HDMI for monitoring or playback to TV.  It caught our interest because it also offers 1080p 60fps and 1280 * 720p HD at 120fps which is a real slow motion spec.

The camera is spartan but in the Leica Style, elegant and sharp. It is built to use Leica L Mount lenses but can also use the enormous array of Leica glass out there in the M and R mounts using optional adapters. As to why you would buy a $1,950 Leica pocket camera and then attach a lens that is as expensive or several times the cost of the TL2 for a less than ideal combination, is left for further discussion. However, if you are a Leica M owner with the craving of a smaller body; the TL2 may just fit your needs. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Metabones Updates Adapter Firmware!

Metabones speedbooster m43 Ultra

Metabones the company that brought you the speed booster and one of the first to offer electronic lens compatibility including AF for Canon lenses on mounts like Sony E Mount and Panasonic/Olympus micro 4/3rds has updated the firmware on these to have better overall compatibility with AF modes on newer cameras.

Slow motion shooters on Sony, Panasonic and other slow motion capable cameras are big fans of these adapters and speed boosters because it allows compatibility with their Canon EF glass collection. Furthermore the speed boosters enable wider field of view and an extra stop of light which is always needed when shooting high speed footage. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony FS5 Firmware Improves High Speed Capture!

FS5Sony

NAB 2016 has turned out to be subdued in product announcements when it comes to cameras. Sure there are a few of not but nothing earth shattering for price conscious video enthusiasts.  The Sony FS5 is still a great camera and the new firmware to be released in May-June 2016 will give it more features and power.

The New firmware update v2.0 will be free but if you want the high frame rate capabilities you will need an external recorder and $600 USD or $500 Euros. Also you will need an external recorder to handle the RAW output. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Stiller Studios Uses Bolt Robot With Phantom 4k!

BoltRobot

Stiller Studios a motion control specialist based in Sweden has used the robot Bolt Cinebot computer controlled arm created by Mark Roberts Motion Control alongside the Vision Research Phantom Flex 4k camera to create some amazing slow motion footage.

While the equipment is daunting to the common man and probably the rental price is equivalent to the price of a mid size sedan; it should not deter you from taking a look.  High speed is especially suited to this kind of robot as the quick and rock solid movements are ideal to control every angle during a slow motion shot that lasts a few hundreds of a second to few secs. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Ambarella H2 Promises 4k at 120fps!

Ambarella-H2

Regardless of what the GoPro and Ambarella marriage can provide in tandem hardware it is clear the company wants to branch out of the fledgling sales of GoPro which have tanked in recent quarters and the stock price from a high near a $100 USD is now trading at a mere $12 which is half the IPO price.   By branching out it seems they want their chips in many more imaging devices and be less affected by the GoPro product cycle.

The announced H2 and H12 chips are able to provide beefy 4k specs at high frame rates for mobile devices at a mere 2 Watts of power. As to 1080p frame rates it will remain to be seen how this powerful new chip can handle that in a camera design and how it is implemented to squeeze that performance.  120fps at 4k from the H2 in theory should be able to yield 480fps at 1080p just counting the Pixel processing.  This however can be limited by the rest of the components like imaging sensor. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony FS5 Slow Motion Takes 2nd Spot!

FS5Sony

It’s been an impressive year for Sony camera releases when it comes to slow motion capabilities.  We saw a resurgence of real innovation in the space with the Sony RX10 II and the Sony RX100 IV which have amazing quality for the price even when the limitations are there when it comes to quality vs time recorded which when it comes to getting the utmost frame resolution the higher frame rates are limited to just 2 seconds.  The PXW-FS5 camera has Slow motion of 8 second bursts at full HD quality at 240fps and the same at reduced resolutions but higher frame rates. → Continue Reading Full Post ←