Tag Archives: fake

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Slow Motion Mode 1920fps Fake?

Xiaomi has surprised this year with now the Mi 11 Ultra phone which is a big step up from the Mi 11 released earlier this year. The huge difference lies in the size of the sensor which is close to a 1″ camera sensor like those found on the Sony RX camera series for example. The phone has two 48MP sensors and a main 50MP sensor for the main camera with a highly protruding camera bump that really screams for a case to be able to balance well on a flat surface.

The slow motion modes on the phone are rumored to be the garden variety with 120fps/240fps 1080p, 60fps 4k, and also a selfie camera that does 720p 120fps which is becoming commonplace. What is really peaking our interest is the 1920fps slow motion mode that is touted by some reviews. It is unclear what the phone is capable time-wise as the specs are still not all there. The samples we have seen show detail loss and the clear signs of interpolation. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Slow Motion Phones and the Youtube Fakes!

Slow Motion Phones

Believable slow motion video samples on Youtube for phones and cameras are so confusing nowadays that you simply cannot rely on them unless it comes from a reputable source.  The avalanche of fakes is so big that it makes it next to impossible to find the real ones out there.  It also makes it extremely hard to choose a slow motion capable phone when the supposed videos you are looking at are faked from other devices or even professional slow motion cameras.

There is also the big problem of stealing real quality slow motion footage from other channels and using it in compilations that claim to be from a phone or camera in order to get clicks and views for quick revenue.  The problem goes even deeper when these fakes overtake most other real videos due to the viral nature of their compilations as they usually look much better than anything these cheap devices they claim to represent can do.   We examine a few cases that can educate you on how to spot these fakes!

Slow Motion Phones Sample fakes:

The Xiaomi Mi 10 pro, for example, is a phone that boasts the following specs in frame rates:

960fps 720P/1080P
240fps 720P/1080P
120fps 720P/1080P

Xiaomi is not very forthcoming with the specs of the slow motion as it does not specify duration or method of capture. The samples below show us the problem of fakes head-on:

Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro Slow Motion camera test. by Pro Mind Tech:(FAKE)

Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 960FPS slow motion video sample by myphone.gr: (REAL) → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Nubia Red Magic 3 Slow Motion 1920fps and Its Not A Typo!

Nubia Red Magic 3 Slow Motion

The Nubia Red Magic 3 phone is something of a hyper-customized piece of gear for the performance-oriented gamer with crazy high-quality 3D specs and even fan cooling inside the case which is a first for a phone and a testament to the engineering to get it to fit in such a slim case.  The specs that really caught our attention are that the phone does 8k video recording and 480fps 1080p with a beta mode to bring that all the way up to 1920fps.

We had no indication that the 1920fps mode is indeed real for a few days until we found out it is actually an option on the phone and not a typo which many including us thought up as 1920pixels for 1080p not frames. But yes it is frames which makes it confusing but in our estimation also allows for decoding the truth behind this spec and if it is actually all that it claims to be.

Nubia Red Magic 3 Camera Specs: 

Software Settings Exposure compensation
Camera Features Digital Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus
Image Resolution 8000 x 6000 Pixels

48 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide)

Sensor Exmor-RS CMOS Sensor IMX 586
Autofocus Yes
Shooting Modes Continuous Shooting, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR)
Resolution 16 MP Front Camera
Physical Aperture F2.0
Flash Yes Dual LED Flash

Video Recording:

  • 4320p 8k – 30fps
  • 2160p 4k 30fps & 60fps
  • Slow Motion 480fps Full HD and 1920fps Full HD

Looking at the specs it seems the phone can do no wrong but the first clue in discovering the truth about frame rates comes from the IMX 586 sensor that the phone uses.

Sony IMX 586 Frame Rate Specs:
Frame rate Full 30fps
Movie
4K(4096×2160)
90fps
1080p
240fps
720p
480fps(w/crop)

The 48 Megapixel IMX 586 is a marvel of sensor design by allowing a 4k capture at 90fps but there is a limit as to the power of their stacked design. It can only deliver 480fps 720p video in a severe crop of the sensor area which shows just how misleading the 1920fps spec. You can see the full Sony IMX 586 specs here!

The phone is upconverting the 480fps 720p to 1080p which is also a misleading spec then it is in our estimation doing interpolation or just slowing down the playback by 4x to give exactly 1920ps. 480fps * 4 = 1920fps.  It is not uncommon for Chinese phones to tout crazy specs and that is why you have to take them with a big grain of salt since the beginning.  Reviewers that have the phone from China as an import also have the trouble of having nearly no Google Play store app support so it is a dicey proposition until Google approves it as a supported device.

The video below by Tech/NickBrazer shows the frame rate interface on the Red Magic 3!

Nubia Red Magic 3 Unboxing & Initial Review – The Everything Smartphone by Tech/NickBrazer:

The phone could, in theory, do the 90fps 4k feature of the IMX 586 some justice but the current 60p at that frame size is probably the limit of the frame buffer. However, being able to shoot 8k means that it should easily pump that many frames to a file. There is also the horrible rolling shutter performance when shooting 8k, any slight motion creates a wobble effect that ruins the 8k video feature.  You are much better of recording in 4k and getting usable video.

The Video below claims to be a real sample from the 1920fps feature of the Red Magic 3.  It looks like 480fps slowed down by 4x which would make sense but we are unable to authenticate the veracity of the footage.

Nubia Red Magic Mars 3 1920FPS Super Slow motion and 8k Support by Sparrows News → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Fake Slow Motion Is It Worth It?

Fake Slow Motion

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.

Pros of Software Slow Motion:

  • You will get slower footage from any frame rate.
  • You can save from buying or renting a high-speed camera.
  • Very inexpensive, already bundled on many editing applications.
  • Free to experiment without re-shooting.
  • The audience may not see the difference between this and the real thing.
  • Can extend a shot to fit an edit better or extend real slow motion above and beyond what is possible in camera.
  • Results achieved can be good to great.

Cons of Software Slow Motion:

  • Frame information derived from interpolation is not producing a real event. Not scientifically usable or of value in the lab.
  • Artifacts will be created that may deform the image in unforeseen ways. Can make footage look weird or unusable at certain speeds.
  • Works better on footage with simple backgrounds i.e. Blue Sy, Single color Background or black/white backdrops.
  • You may need to shoot at 60fps or above to get better results.
  • Computation/rendering can take a long time, especially in 4k.
  • No substitute for shooting real high frame rates.
  • Results may be terrible or bad depending on subject matter, initial frame rate or shot composition.

How to FAKE Slow Motion with ANY camera!! by Peter McKinnon:

In the video above you can see a good rundown of the Optical Flow feature in Premiere Pro from Adobe software.  You may get excellent results if you can tame the urge to go overboard and go for the slowest frame rate possible.

Our Take:

We at HSC are no fans of Optical Flow, Twixtor or similar algorithms because what makes real slow motion shine is peering into time frames that are too fast for regular cameras to see. Interpolation the dreaded “i” word in high-speed imaging circles is simply making up information that is not captured in the first place.  In order to study a real physical event, you need true slow motion, that only high-speed cameras can achieve. There is no substitute for hardware dedicated to recording microsecond events.

Scientific labs, industrial manufacturing lines, car crash testing, nature phenomena, biological study of the animal world, fluid dynamics, electricity propagation, engineering tests, sports analysis, material failure and many more fields cannot be studied with frame interpolation. You need a real high-speed camera for these markets.

That doesn’t mean the technique is useless. The real power of the interpolation can be used on slow motion shots that are already captured at frame rates above 500fps for example.  Interpolation then can create a breathtaking result for video editors and artists that can translate to derived frame rates in the thousands of apparent frames with little distortion. For example, a video shot at 1000fps can be easily transformed to a 5000fps video with interpolation while maintaining most of the apparent esthetics with minimal artifacts.  Human motion, nature, simple backgrounds, animation and other footage can make high-speed footage shine even more.

Interpolation has been used in Hollywood within movies for decades by shooting high-speed first and then interpolating the result for even slower frame rates.  As an artistic result, we can definitely recommend interpolation software if your initial frame rate is already high-speed, to begin with.  We suggest a bare minimum of 120fps to start experimenting further. The sweet spot is 480fps to get that push up to 1500fps without much artifacting.

Ghosting and morphing artifacts will still be there no matter what but will be harder to spot if your initial capture frame rate is high. In our tests, recording at 1000fps can yield 2000fps nearly artifact free and up to 5000fps without extreme distortion. The information in between will not be real or new in any way but the artistic result with ramping in an editing suite can create impressive results.

Applications that Support Optical Flow or Interpolation:

Final Word:

If you can afford to buy or rent a slow motion capable camera, then, by all means, do so. If you can’t and just want to experiment with slowing down your normal frame rate footage then using software interpolation might be a good way to get your feet wet in the high speed video realm.

If you are a scientist, educator, engineer, manufacturer or naturalist there is really no substitute for a real high-speed camera. Get a budget going and check our HSC Camera Guide for a good price/performance list of options. If you need real data to discover, troubleshoot and wonder at time scales that your eye can only dream of; interpolation has no value to you.

If you are a video artist, VLoger, Youtube poster, sports enthusiast or experimenter then there is definitely some experimentation that may work for you regarding optical flow video interpolation techniques.

There is still some value for high-speed camera footage with added interpolation as it can fit an edit better or create a derivative version that allows the viewer more time to examine motion. It will not be scientifically accurate but it can create some pretty amazing results if you are a filmmaker or artist that needs a higher frame rate look than the high-speed camera you used was capable of.

In the end, use sparingly and know the limitations of software video interpolation. -HSC  Comment below we would like to know how you use interpolation!

Frame Interpolation with Optical Flow and Twixtor Videos for further Study Below:

Optical Flow tips in Premiere Pro CC 2015.1 by dhelmly:

twixtor slow motion experiment. (is Twixtor really perfect plug-in to make super slow??) by 城田道義:

GET SUPER SLOWMOTION IN PREMIERE PRO by Ignace Aleya:

On 3D Animation: Amazing Slow Motion Videos With Optical Flow | Two Minute Papers #119 byTwo Minute Papers

TWIXTOR: Tips and Tricks by Bobby Sunner:

After Effects Tutorial #1 | How To Use Twixtor by IiroMikola:

Twixtor Tutorial: Create Super Slow Motion in After Effects by SonduckFilm:

Twixtor Workflow – 24P to Slow Mo (4K Sony A7s footage + LUT) by Neumannfilms:

Final CUT Pro X -Smooth Slow Motion Tutorial (How to use Optical FLOW) by HondadashRC FILMS: