Tag Archives: HFR Mode

Sony ZV-1 Slow Motion is a newer cheaper RX100 alternative!

Sony ZV-1 Slow Motion

Sony has revealed the ZV-1 Vlogging camera which uses the tried and true technology of the RX100 series and simplifies the body controls plus allows the screen to be of the vari-angle kind to work essentially as a do it all solution for web Vlogs. The body is reminiscent of the latest RX100 VII and very close to the previous generations but with the added benefit of a real video-oriented 360-degree screen.

As an RX Camera it features our favorite slow motion mode of the compact camera world, the Motion Eye or HFR Sony mode which offers up to 1000fps on sub HD resolution at capture time and near 1080p at 240fps with excellent quality.  We dive into the camera’s slow motion mode to see if anything has improved from the RX line and if this camera with it’s lower entry price makes more sense to own than the RX100 line. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony RX100 VII Has Stagnant Slow Motion Specs!

The Sony RX100 VII or also known as the RX100M7 is the latest in the stacked 1″ CMOS sensor line from the company in what amounts to another evolutionary incremental step without a real revolution.  New is the impressive real-time AF technology from the Sony a9 professional camera now miniaturized into this pocketable beast with up to 20fps at full resolution and up to 90fps in high burst mode but for only 7 shots which is kind of a letdown as it is very limited.

The HFR mode in previous RX series cameras have been one of our favorites among the cameras released in the past few years by including truly usable 240p, 480/500p, and 960/1000p depending on NTSC or PAL mode selection with also the ability to trigger a pre and post record time to not miss the moment. This ability is akin to what a real dedicated serious slow motion camera can deliver. The problem is that the RX cameras are severely time-limited at 4 seconds quality priority time and or 7 seconds in shoot time priority. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Lumix G95 120fps Full HD and Why Its a Pass!

Lumix G95 Slow Motion

Let us start by saying that we are huge fans of the Lumix line by Panasonic and their cameras in general. The GH5 is still a powerhouse of a camera for serious video work and the 180fps FUll HD slow motion is better than many others before or since at that frame rate while at 120fps is as good as the best Sonys out there.  However, the recently announced Lumix G95 drops the ball in several fronts when it comes to really good video performance which has become a trademark for Panasonic.

The G95 has all the looks and character of a great hybrid camera but has a crippled video mode that may put off many buyers looking for the perfect intermediate camera. The 4k, for example, has a 1.25x crop on top of the nearly 2x crop of the micro 4/3 sensor. Making it a little larger than the area of a 1″ sensor. This will sacrifice video quality in the lack of supersampling and low light will suffer from the added megapixels. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony RX100 VI Initial Slow Motion Samples!

Sony RX100 VI Initial Slow Motion

The Sony RX100 VI camera has not reached the reviewers yet for a full in-depth look but the early press shoots did gather some slow-motion footage which shows the camera in action. We also got a final word from a good source that the camera has the exact same  HFR resolution and timing features as the RX100 V which means there is no improvement in the quality of the image when shooting higher frame rates.

In fact, you may even get lesser quality footage due to the lens being now an 8x f2.8 to f4.5 lens 24-200mm (35mm Equivalent) which is much slower and by optical standards, it should trail the 2.91x  f/1.8-2.8 Lens 24-70mm (35mm Equivalent) of the RX100 V.  So you get a $250 price increase for a better AF system, better color in video, a better tilt screen which is now full touch and the ability to zoom 8x. If those things are important to you then the extra money may be worth it. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony RX100 VI Keeps HFR Adds Long Lens!

Sony RX100 VI HFR

So nearly two years after the excellent RX100 V by Sony was released, which won on our recommendation for slow-motion camera on a budget for both 2016 and 2017, the new RX100 VI or the sixth iteration of this specific camera line has been announced. It keeps the same body size but out goes the fast f1.8-f2.4 lens of old which was surprisingly good for a now average f2.4 to f4.5 24-200mm equivalent or 8x optical zoom which is great as a do it all range.  Many are not thrilled but we will have to see if the sensor advancements, the new 4 stop stabilization, and noise suppression works well enough to keep it an acceptable low light option.

Our main interest in these cameras lies in the fact that HFR mode or (High Frame Rate) has been a key selling point since the cameras first appeared. The RX 100 V improved resolution and recording time and we are glad to see that the new RX 100 VI maintains those specs. We estimate it will at least be the same 7sec in Shoot Time Priority and 4 seconds in Quality Priority. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony PXW-Z90V Footage Starts to Show!

Sony PXW-Z90V Footage

We were excited last September when Sony announced a trio of Palmcorders based on their latest 1″ stacked image sensor. The FDR-AX700, the HXR-NX80 and the PXW-Z90V share essentially the same sensor and lens along with other common features but differ when it comes to codec bit rates, broadcasting output like SDI out and or HDMI but what interests us is the HFR high frame rate mode.

The Sony RX100 and RX10 series share the same 1″ stacked CMOS sensor in their latest iterations to these cameras but with a new form factor that is aimed at more professional shooters, there is a lot of expectations to see if quality has improved in Slow Motion.   We have gone thru the manuals on the cameras and have not been able to find the exact resolution specs when recording HFR but we estimate they are identical to the latest RX10 IV all in one prosumer camera. → Continue Reading Full Post ←