Tag Archives: micro four thirds

Chronos Camera m43 Lens Adapter with Speedbooster Support!

The two existing Chronos cameras, the 1.4c 720p at 1502fps & the Chronos 2.1 -HD 1t 1080p 1000fps are identical when seen from the outside but very different inside as they contain different sensor and memory boards. However one constant is that both use the C mount as the default for lens adapters. The camera usually comes with a Canon EF or Nikon F mount adapter depending on the buyer preference which screws on the C mount thread and allows for support of classic lenses from Macro to telephoto. 

One request from the community has been the support for other lens mounts like Micro 4/3ds which lets you adapt a variety of lens mounts and the much coveted speedbooster adapters which allow a 1 f-stop improvement in light gathering for micro 4/3ds systems. Today Krontech, the company behind the Chronos high-speed camera is introducing a passive Micro 4/3rds adapter for both the Chronos 1.4c and 2.1-HD and uses the body screw terminals near the lens thread mount to place a solid connection that allows such lenses. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony IMX472-AAJK sensor offers huge frame rates in 4/3ds format!

Sony has released some white paper specs on a new Micro 4/3rds sensor that is as of now, the most advanced ever on the format considering the mix of Backside illumination, Stacked technology and high resolution color at 10 bits on full sensor read outs. The frame rates offered are also quite impressive with up to 1139fps at 0.46 Megapixels or 1760px Horizontal x 262px Vertical on the fastest range and 121fps at the full sensor area read-out at 20.9MP.

The Panasonic GH6 is coming later this year and it is estimated that this new sensor is actually the one that will be used on that camera. If Lumix technology can make full use of the sensor specs even for small fractions of time, we could have a killer slow motion mass produced camera.  The VFR mode on Panasonic Lumix cameras has always been more than acceptable and they could breathe new life into the format if these sensor specs are used to their fullest. We expect at least 1080p at 240fps which will be a slightly stretched delivery from the 1760 x 1318 240.2fps mode listed on the sensor specs → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Lumix GH6 will do 120fps 4k & maybe more!

Lumix GH6 Panasonic

Panasonic unveiled in May the GH5 Mark II which is a slight refresh of the venerable m4/3rds GH5 with live streaming, better dynamic range in video, better AF algorithms, and slightly better IS on a very similar body with just a few cosmetic red buttons and rings for refresh purposes.  The slow motion remains at 180fps VFR at 1080p and 60p at 4k on the GH5 II since it is using the same sensor and imaging engine. It is a better overall camera than the original but a mild refresh nonetheless. 

That brings us to the pre-announced GH6 which is an in-development camera that aims to refresh the entire Micro 4/3ds line in Panasonic and aimed at professional video users.  It sports a new sensor, new imaging engine, new body and new technologies yet to be disclosed.  According to rumors, this camera should be able to keep micro 4/3rds alive for another five years delivering an array of video and photo features that will set it apart much like the original GH5 carved a place in camera history. We have also received rumored specs that may or may not pan out regarding frame rates which we find somewhat credible.  → Continue Reading Full Post ←

fps4000 first 480fps 4k Footage Revealed!

fps4000 first 480fps 4k Footage

Warning: The parent company of FPS cameras “The Slow Motion Camera Company Ltd.” went out of business and entered liquidation proceedings. No further development of cameras is expected. More information here on Google Search

It’s been a while since we’ve covered the fps4000 camera mainly due to development time taking longer than initially estimated. However, Graham Rowan the engineer behind the camera has now posted the first 4k 480fps footage shot in RAW on the fps4000 camera which uses a sophisticated memory arrangement on the onboard super-fast flash RAM to be able to record lengths of time unimaginable before on slow motion cameras at high resolution.

This camera is a very different kind of technology from regular high-speed cameras that record to volatile DRAM.  The fps series records to flash chips that are soldered to the mainboard and allow a variety of frames rates and resolutions depending on the sensor used but all is saved on the flash memory as a non-volatile stream of data.  Modern SSD chips are so good at re-allocating reading and writing bits that the life of the components is now measured in decades of regular use instead of a few years.  The fps4000 is using this technology fully to enable memory bandwidth magnitudes greater at a significantly reduced cost.

fps4000 first 480fps 4k Footage:

First UHD video from the fps4000
3840 x 2160 resolution 
480 frames per second

The Blue & Yellow Macaw video above shows the quality you can expect from full RAW DNG capture on the fps4000 camera at it’s higher-spec of 1280GB SSD £5,000 British Pounds plus Shipping and taxes. The fps4000 in 4k is also sold as a 1/2 speed 250fps maximum 4k UHD camera with 640GB SSD at a lower price of £3,500 British Pounds plus Shipping and taxes.  You can clearly see the 4/3 sensor used is delivering excellent quality even with 3.9µ pixels. Notice the 720 version on the same sensor size has a 13.5µ  pixel size which should prove to be outstanding in low light.

Also, note that the camera is able to record 60 full seconds of slow motion at 4k UHD 480p full resolution. This type of recording length is unmatched in any professional high-speed camera solution. We have only seen this type of rec length on custom lab camera systems and it usually involved a fast SSD disk array with fiber channel connections.

Here are the fps4000 configurations:

The lens options are varied with the Micro 4/3 mount as you can use any m4/3 adapter to Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Pentax, and other systems.

We should be able to test a review fps4000 unit in the not so distant future. Shooting 4k 480fps will create a mountain of data that will probably need an expanded drive array. The quality, however, will be worth every bit of space.  -HSC

For more information on the fps4000 line of cameras and an order page you can go to the official website at: https://www.slomocamco.com/cameras/

  → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Z E2 Camera Rumor of 4k 120fps!

Z E2 Camera

The Z Cam E1 which delivered excellent quality 4k footage from a tiny package and was able to do 720p 240fps frame rates “at less than ideal quality”, however,  a new Rumor from 4/3 Rumors here shows a Twitter message that hints at a new Z E2 m4/3 camera that is able to do 120fps at full 4k resolution.  If this turns out to be true it could yield further performance improvements in 1080p and 720p along with higher quality that could be usable.

As far as linear specs go a 120p 4k pipeline could in theory yield 480fps 1080p and 960/1000fps 720p without going out of spec. As we have come to know over the years, however, it is usually wrong to extrapolate these specs to the maximum possible metric as the sensor or memory could be bottlenecks that limit the performance. So this rumor could have some legs to it and NAB 2018 could be the show that makes 4k 120p a regular feature for cameras.

Z E2 Camera What We Want In Specs:

  • 12-16MP 4/3 sensor
  • 24p,30p & 60p 4k UHD
  • 120fps 4k Slow Mo
  • 240fps 1080p
  • 480fps 720p
  • 2hr Battery Life
  • 12-14 stops of Dynamic Range
  • Full electronic m4/3 lens compatibility
  • Clean High Sensitivity up to ISO 25,600

So the list above sounds pretty much like a wishlist and it is. So take that with a scoop of salt.  If we finally get the 120p 4k spec in a  camera under 1k that delivers quality then we expect it to do very well in the market.   That said NAB 2018 in early April may turn out to be an excellent announcement show with cameras from specialized markets to wide release expected to be shown and or announced. Slow Motion should also be prominently displayed which will probably show the usual big players show their wares.

Below you can see the 240fps 720p quality of the current Z E1 Cam which is not ideal. Will we see a big increase in quality? only time will tell.

Z Camera E1 by Finepoint 240fps 720p 2:35 time:

Seagull crash landing in slow motion Z-CAM E1 240 fps by BlueNoite:

Z Camera E1 Water Balloon Exploding 720P @ 240FPS by aussiemikeysaru: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Olympus OM-D E-M10 III has 120fps 720p Mode!

Olympus OM-D E-M10 III Slow Motion

The new Olympus OM-D E-M10 III release has for the first time introduced for the line some sort of slow motion feature. While not much it should be noted that Olympus has the best 5 axis image stabilization in-body system when it comes to jitter reduction and overall look.  Even while running or walking the camera does an admirable job.

The Panasonic GH5 has a similar system but Olympus still has the edge in performance by having much less shake with their patented solution. This is great for shooting video and this camera with 4k recording is probably one of the most stable handheld solutions for shooting UHD. The addition of a 720p 120fps mode while not ideal; is great to have especially if stabilized.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 III Video Modes:

CODEC : MPEG-4, H.264

Recording Formats:

  • 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
  • 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
  • 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
  • 1280 x 720 @ 120p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM*
  • 1280 x 720 @ 30p / 14 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
  • 1280 x 720 @ 25p / 14 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
  • 1280 x 720 @ 24p / 14 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Olympus OM-D E-M10 III Slow Motion:

Considering the camera has only 14 Mbps at it’s disposal for H.264 720p capture, it probably is very restrictive for the quality expected for the mode.   Even doubling the rate at 28Mbps, 120fps will probably have a hard time distributing it to 7Mbps at 30fps.   We will have to wait and see what it looks like in the end to be able to judge first hand.

OLYMPUS OM-D E-M10 MARK III: First Look with Gavin Hoey by Adorama:

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Hands-on First Look Review by Park Cameras: → Continue Reading Full Post ←