Tag Archives: kinefinity

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 ←

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 ←

Terra 4k Firmware Update Allows 320fps 2k!

Terra 4k Firmware Update

The Kinefinity Terra 4k camera which starts at $3,999 body only and a ready to shoot package at $5,499 has now released information of a new firmware upgrade that will be released in May of this year which increases the slow-motion capabilities of the camera markedly.   The camera was no slouch before when it came to frame rates which had 240fps at 2k and 100fps at 4k.  It actually records in RAW and has excellent quality with no moire and aliasing since it is effectively cropping the sensor area to get a 1:1 pixel read-out for the slow mo.

For this low a price you really have no viable options that shoot these frame rates in excellent quality except for the recently announced Chronos 2.1 HD which does 1000fps at 1080p in DNG RAW.  The Kinefinity line of cameras has started to become a go-to place for cinema quality at reasonable prices. Many Video Pros are actually becoming owners of the camera and praise the rock-solid quality of the build, operation and beautiful image quality with ample dynamic range. The Chinese have really built the Cinema camera for the common man.

The Firmware announcement came from their official Facebook account and you can see it below:

#4K 160fps and 2K 320fps! #TERRA4K boosts frame rate from 4K 100fps to 4K 160fps, 2K 240fps to 2K 320fps by new firmware…

Posted by Kinefinity Inc. on Saturday, April 6, 2019

The firmware update will be available at the official site here when released in May this year: http://www.kinefinity.com/terra/?lang=en

You can see a full review of the Terra 4k camera here by ProAV TV:

You can see a great video shot on the Kinefinity Terra 4k using a variety of frame rates here by Philip Bloom:

There is no question the Terra 4k is an excellent no-compromise camera for a reasonable price. Now with the new frame rate update, it will be featured higher on our Slow Motion Camera Rankings with RAW performance in 2k at 320fps. It is nearing real dedicated slow-motion camera frame rates. -HSC

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MAVO Kinefinity Does 100fps at 4k!

MAVO Kinefinity

Kinefinity the company behind the pretty capable and high-quality Terra cinema camera has announced in preparation for NAB 2018 the new MAVO 6k cinema camera in s35 and Large Format sensor options in the LF version.  Along with the new body design and expansion options the camera will include ProRes 422HQ, ProRes 444 & ProRes 444XQ recording.

Kinefinity also has a RAW format “.KRW” and this has been updated to version 2.0 to support the new camera. This is akin to REDCODE RAW as the .KRW format can compress in RAW anywhere from 2:1 best quality lossless to 10:1 with more quality loss while maintaining the benefits of RAW like dynamic range, white balance, and higher bit-depth color.  It also offers the possibility to record on cinema-DNG format In-Camera at 3:1, 5:1 and 7:1 compression. The camera has several high frame rate formats depending on crop resolution.

MAVO Kinefinity Main Features:

  •  6K Super 35mm cinema camera
  •  6K LF Large Format Option cinema camera
  • RAW DNG and Kine RAW Recording 12-Bit
  • Apple ProRes In Camera
  • 6016×4016 pixels with 14 stops of DR
  • 4:3 anamorphic capture option
  • Improved rolling shutter
  • 4K wide 100fps high-speed shooting
  • 2k @ 192fps Crop
  • Base sensitivity ISO 800
  • Low Noise up to ISO 3200
  • Higher ISO options at 4k and 2k offer clean recording
  •  KineBACK-W back for wireless recording
  • 2.5-inch SSD SATA 3.0 Drive Compatibility
  • Multi-Mount Compatibility With Bayonet Adapters Including EF, F & Sony E Mount.

Pricing and Camera Availability:

Kinefinity MAVO Pricing Tiers:

  • Body Only: $7,999
  • Basic: $9,499
  • Pro: $10,999
  • Full: $13,999

There is still no firm ship date but should be this year.

MAVO Slow Motion Capability:

  • 6k Full Wide Sensor Output @ 66fps
  • 5k Wide Mode @ 74fps
  • 4k Wide Mode @ 100fps
  • 3k Wide Mode @ 120fps
  • 2k Wide Mode @ 192fps
  • Lowest frame rate 2fps

From the Chinese Page Google Translation: “4K 100fps   Both MAVO and MAVO LF have a strong frame rate ability. Both can output 66fps in 6K Wide full-frame output, can be directly recorded to 100fps in 4K Wide, and can achieve 120fps in 3K Wide for cropped format, and 2K Wide can reach 192fps. It also has degraded ability, the lowest frame rate is 2fps. The frame rate can be arbitrarily set between the lowest frame rate 2fps and the highest frame rate supported by the Sensor’s frame rate, the accuracy of 0.001fps. When recorded, it is recorded at the project frame rate (for example, 25 fps). This way you can easily achieve fast motion and slow motion, providing you with more technical means to achieve the lens language you want.”

So we get 4k 100fps and 3k 120fps which is great but the highest frame rate at 2k is not 240fps which is the standard we would expect. Still, it has a capable 192fps in crop mode that may be useful.

Two Hundred & Sixty Frames Of Snow: Kinefinity Terra 4k by Philip Bloom: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Kinefinity Terra 5k & 6K Offer up to 225fps!

KinefinityTerra

The Chinese cinema camera company Kinefinity is adding two new models of cameras at this Year’s NAB event in Las Vegas.  The Kinefinity Terra 5k and 6k Models.  They differ in sensor and abilities with prices that just 5 years ago would have commanded much higher tiers.

Last Year’s Kinemax 6k and 4k graced our Camera Guide with a good showing now occupying 10th and 14th place but now they are aiming much much higher with better RAW frame rates up to 225fps in 2k and lower price points than most of the RAW capable competitors in the space.

Kinefinity Terra 5k Specs 200fps Max at 2k:
Camera Type S35 Film-Style Digital Cinema Camera
Sensor Type 5K S35 Format CMOS
Shutter Type Dual Shutter Mode: Rolling & Global
Lens Mount New Lock-Style EF Mount Or Steel KineMOUNT
Record Formats Codec Type Codec Format Bit Depth
Compressed RAW KineRAW

(.krw)

12bits *All Resolution
ProRes422HQ/422/422LT/Proxy ProRes(.mov) 10bits *Major Resolution
Record Resolution 5K 4K 3.6K(4:3) 2K
5120×2700 4096×2160

/3840×2160

3600×2700 2048×1080

/1920×1080

MAX FPS 60@5K Wide 100@4K Wide 130@3K Wide 200@2K Wide
Dynamic Range 15 f-stops(Rolling shutter)/13 f-stops

(Global shutter)

ISO Max Exposure Base MAX
80 800 20480

Pricing for 5k :

  1. $4,999 Body Only  with High Speed
  2. $6,499 Ready To Shoot – 120GB Kinemag SSD, HD Monitor, Battery Pack, Cable, AC Adapter, High Speed!
Kinefinity Terra 6k Specs 225fps Max at 2k:
Camera Type S35mm Film-Style Digital Cinema Camera
Sensor Type 6K S35 Format CMOS
Shutter Type Rolling Shutter
Lens Mount New Lock-Style EF Mount Or Steel KineMOUNT
Record Formats Codec Type Codec Format Bit Depth
Compressed RAW KineRAW

(.krw)

12bits *All Resolution
ProRes422HQ/422/422LT/Proxy ProRes(.mov) 10bits *Major Resolution
Record Resolution 6K 4K(4:3*) Golden 3K Golden 2K
5760×3240 4320×3240/

4096×2160

2880×1620 2048×1080
MAX FPS 25@6K 100@4K Wide 150@3K Wide 225@2K Wide
Dynamic Range 14 f-stops/16 f-stops *6K/Golden 3K
ISO Max Exposure Base MAX
80 800/1600 20480 *6K/Golden 3K

Pricing for 6k :

  1. $6,499 Body Only  with High Speed
  2. $6,999 Ready To Shoot  Basic Pack- 120GB Kinemag SSD, HD Monitor, Battery Pack, Cable, AC Adapter, High Speed!

The pricing on this gear is insane, this is Hollywood caliber camera systems that shoot RAW at 12 bits with up to 16 stops of dynamic range.  The Chinese company Kinefinity has made the RED and ARRI Alexa Crowd take a hard look at their camera pricing with these new Terra cameras. They seem ready to ship in May for the 5k and June for the 6k with a $150 deposit and savings of up to $500 if ordered soon.

The High Frame Rates:

We have to see how the 2k resolution higher frame rates quality compare and if the sensor windowing would be too severe.  The 4k 100fps and 3k 130fps max frame rates work on both the 5k and 6k cameras which is an amazing deal.  For under $7k you can get the 6k ready to shoot package.  Not too long ago you needed at least $20k for something similar from RED Digital cinema.

There is a lot to live up to from these cameras and the quality on paper has to match the real world. Many that use Kinefinity products already sing their praises. The Chinese may be onto dominating the affordable RAW Cinema market and if all pans out the competition will have to adapt and compete.

There is a huge resemblance to the RED Epic in these cameras and it is unknown how reliable they will be but from the videos below, it seems like the real deal. DSLR sized Pro Cameras that shoot RAW, Higher Frame rates and 16 stops of dynamic range is a dream come true for film makers. If you have some cash lying around, you may be shooting 6k for what a used sedan with 100k miles goes for these days.

We can’t wait to see the samples from these Kinefinity Terra Cameras. In the mean time you can check the footage below by these blogs and follow their posts and support their content.  

See more at Kinefinity Here!

Video Previews for the Terra Below:

Kinefinity Terra 5K 6K NAB 2016 by slashcam:

Newsshooter at NAB 2016: Kinefinity TERRA by Newsshooter → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Five Best Slowmo Cameras of 2015!

BestCameras2015pic

The end of 2015 is upon us and now it is time to look back and see what the year brought us in the shape of affordable slow motion gear.  While many cameras had higher frame rates, only a few really shined and delivered on the promise of offering HD quality and higher than normal frames per second in an attractive price point and one that you may already own if you have a recent mobile device.

Many promised and didn’t deliver and some have yet to ship which means they will not be counted in the running. Only cameras that are shipping and fully available are being considered for this list. Other cameras like the edgertronic offer better quality slow motion at higher frame rates for a  similar price but this list is only about cameras introduced in 2015.

Check out: Best Slow Motion Cameras of 2016!

Without further ado here are what we believe to be the five best value cameras of 2015:

#5 – Panasonic Camcorders:

These little camcorders have been the last remnants of what used to be a wide and varied category of portable camcorders. Panasonic refuses to let the product line die as there is still a lot of market left to explore that have not moved to ILC cameras or super portables. All three of these camcorders offer 120fps at 1080p and the WX970 and the VX870 offer 240fps interpolated frame rates that do pretty good even when they are not real frames.  Best of all these cameras have been lowering in price and now are destined for the bargain hunter bin.  The WX970  and the VX870 offer 4k recording to round up the spec sheet. Out of all three the vx870 is the best value for money!

#4 – Sony FDR-X1000V 4K Action Cam:

The GoPro Hero 4 Black used to own the space but in our tests the Sony Action Cam X1000V had the better image quality and stabilization.  For just under $400 USD it is the best value action ultra portable camcorder that offers 120fps at full HD and 240fps at 720p frame rates for 2015.  When GoPro or others respond it will be time to re-examine this claim. Specs below:

  • Professional 4K (3840 x 2160) video recording with up to 240p HD / 120p HD
  • SteadyShot(TM) image stabilization works from bikes to aerial shot and more
  • Splash proof body with universal tripod mount
  • Built-in stereo mic for quality sound with wind noise reduction

#3 – Apple iPhone 6s and Nexus 6P:

Tied in the 3rd spot are the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus and the Google Nexus 6P as all offer 240fps at 720p with great quality and constitute what could be the best slow motion capable phones that are available in quantity and are proven to deliver the goods when it comes to the video quality you expect when shooting slow motion.

Congratulations to Google and Huawei to getting in the ring to dethrone the iPhone as the only real slow motion quality option in the mobile phone space. The Nexus 6P has some issues with bending under minor stress however this does not detract from the fact that the slow motion is excellent for a phone and if you treat it with care it should last you easily until you replace it in a couple of years.

#2 – Sony PXW-FS5 XDCAM Super 35 Camera:

When the Sony FS7 was released in 2014 it sent ripples through the industry as it answered the call of many to get amazing 4k quality with a great low light sensor and in a more affordable package than other cameras like the Canon EOS Cinema line. That camera was a hit but the new Sony FS5 is like an explosion. It offers most of the features of it’s larger brother but with even better higher frame rates with some of the best slow motion quality for the money in the medium budget segment.

If you are a cost conscious production house, the Sony FS5 makes a lot of sense as it does so much so good. The higher frame rates up to 960fps are just icing on the cake. If you can live with 8 bit color then this is the camera for you. It does not win the #1 spot because of price considering slow motion frame rates but if it was for quality it would have easily taken the #1 spot of 2015 for new cameras.

Philip Bloom Tests the FS5 Slow Motion With this amazing Short Documentary Film:

#1 – Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV & DSC-RX10 II:

Earlier this year when the Sony RX100 IV and RX10 II were released it came out of left field. They sport a newly developed Sony sensor with built in buffer memory that is fast and has even some circuitry to improve or eliminate in some instances many rolling shutter artifacts common in CMOS sensors.  The Stacked image sensor allows for ultra fast frame rates with pretty excellent quality up to 240fps at near 1080p resolution for 2 seconds and continuous 120fps at 1080p. Both can jump to 480fps and 960fps in reduced resolutions very close to what the Sony FS5 can achieve for also 2 seconds in quality mode and 4 seconds in time priority mode.

You really can’t go wrong with any of these two cameras and they bring quality and features at a price that will not break the bank. They take the top spot in 2015 and are our cameras of the year!

Congratulations to the Sony Cybershot team for a groundbreaking product!

Honorable Mentions:

While they didn’t get directly on the list, the following cameras are extraordinary in their own right and all of them offer pretty robust slow motion performance above regular frame rates but under 240fps.

  1. Sony a7s Mark II – Excellent 120fps at 1080p with extreme low light performance.
  2. Kinefinity Kinemax 6k  144fps at 2k resolution.
  3. URSA Mini by Black Magic Design up to 160fps at 1080p.

For cameras not mentioned that are almost here like the fps1000, or phones with Mediatek Helios X10 like the Ono U1 they will participate in 2016 when they ship.

End Of Year Note To All Our Readers:

We passed our 1 millionth visitor not to long ago and we are heading fast to another million. The site has grown a lot in the past year and we moved to new servers to speed up loading times and get a better experience to visitors.  We invite you to visit our forums and start conversations about gear or ask a question.

Thank you all for your support and we hope to continue to provide information, reviews and analysis to you for 2016 and beyond .   Running the site costs a lot of time and money and we want to get to a point where it is self sustainable.  It is still far from that. We expect 2016 to be another growth year and be able to break even in our costs. As we gain more popularity we also expect to reduce ads but that can’t happen unless we get to a point of growth that allows for it. When you decide to buy gear do so from our site links if you can and your store is linked as it helps us continue to  run the site at no extra cost to you. 

Thanks for reading have a great 2016 and Happy Holidays! -HSC

Check out: Best Slow Motion Cameras of 2020!
Check out: Best Slow Motion Cameras of 2019!
Check out: Best Slow Motion Cameras of 2018!
Check out: Best Slow Motion Cameras of 2017!
Check out: Best Slow Motion Cameras of 2016!