Tag Archives: motion

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 ←

Canon C70 Slow Motion is finally pushing the envelope!

Canon C70 Slow Motion

We consider the Canon C70 as the real successor to the 5D Mark II which started the ILC  DSLR revolution.  It ticks almost all the boxes for a vast array of users and does so on a somewhat realistic price point. We get a Cinema caliber sensor in S35 format at 4k Cinema and UHD that is capable of producing 16 real stops of dynamic range. The camera actually is using simultaneous dual gain technology to merge the exposure from both settings into an amazingly beautiful progression between light and dark.

The Canon C70 Slow Motion Mode has real 120fps 4k with HDR and full Canon dual pixel AF technology and even can crop to Super 16mm to record 180fps at 1080p and 2k resolution to provide you with that extra oomph which was sorely needed in Canon land. The camera does have some drawbacks but it is so good out of the box that we may have an avalanche of switchers to the format from Sony, Nikon, and Panasonic.

Canon C70 Main Features:

  • Super35 Dual Gain Output (DGO) Sensor
  • 4K 120p, HDR
  • 2K Crop 180p/1080p HDR Capture
  • Canon Log 2, 3, PQ & HLG Recording
  • RF Lens Mount / EF Mount with Adapter
  • DIG!C DV7 Image Processor
  • 16+ Stops of Total Dynamic Range
  • Built-In ND Filters / Auto ISO & Gain
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF & EOS iTR AF X
  • 1 BNC Timecode / 2 Mini-XLR Audio Inputs
  • Dual SD Card Slots, LUT/Long GOP Support
  • $5,499.00 MSRP Pre-order at Adorama
  • Estimated release date of December 2020.

As you can see the camera is a powerhouse for a vast majority of users. Studios can use it without problem for paid projects as an A or B cam for a C300 Mark III for example or just build an army of C70s to cover events from many angles. The camera performs great in low light with ISO 25600 being the first initial noise bump that may need Noise reduction software in post but below that, a 6400 ISO shoot should be extremely clean.

Canon C70 Slow Motion Component:

  • 120fps 4k and UHD
  • 180fps 1080p/2k Super – 16mm Crop
  • 4k 50/60p
  • Resolutions:
  • 4096 x 2160p up to 119.88/120 fps
    3840 x 2160p up to 119.88/120 fps
    2048 x 1080p up to 179.82/180 fps
    1920 x 1080p up to 179.82/180 fps
  • All with up to 4:2:2 10-Bit capture.

The image quality at 4k 60p and 120p is excellent, we see crisp detail and the codec options are plentiful enough to deliver a good to excellent image in those modes.

However, the 1080p and 2k with a Super 16mm crop loos soft and mushy.  Compression is not that bad but detail is sacrificed from what we have seen. We need to wait for more samples but the ones we have seen make us believe that it looks more like soft 720p upscaled than real 1:1 pixel capture.  4k is immune to this but not 2k and below.

Canon C70 Slow Motion Footage Samples:

We found some samples and we made sure to copy the time stamp so they should start playing at that point.  We find the quality in 2k to be passable but it is not very detailed which makes us think it is not really a 1080p or 2k signal but a soft upscaled one.

Canon EOS C70 – In-Depth Review & Test Footage by CVP:

CANON C70 Full Review – A small but powerful beast from Canon! by Giannis Saroukos: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Galaxy S20 Slow Motion Samples Revisited!

Galaxy S20 Slow Motion Samples

Due to reader demand, we are posting new slow motion samples for the Galaxy S20 line.  We see just slight improvements over the Galaxy S10 in terms of detail and color but since the phones are the new flagship for the defacto Android international brand, there is a lot of weight in what it can do when it comes to the video mode.  There is no secret that Samsung has stagnated in slow motion since the Galaxy S8 and the S20 is an evolutionary step with better reproduction and more intelligent capture but not really groundbreaking.

There is no increase in frame rates above 960fps at 720p and the resolution is not even true 720p as it is jagged and stair-stepped in detailed shots. We kind of see it as a 480p mode upsized to 720p.  We do gain a 1 full second record time instead of 0.4sec on the S10 which is a big improvement even when the resolution is still kind of identical.  It would have been great if Samsung could have done a solid and created a true 960fps 1080p Full HD Mode.  We will have to wait for another crack at it on a future phone.

Galaxy S20 Slow Motion Samples Revisited!

Before you start looking at the samples it is important to revisit the S20 line slow motion specs. Below is the breakdown:
Super Slow-mo only supports HD resolution. On Galaxy S20 and S20+ 5G, users can record approximately 1 second of video captured at up to 960 fps with approximately 32 seconds of playback. On Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, users can record approximately 1 second of video captured at 480 fps and digitally enhance the video to 960 fps with approximately 32 seconds of playback. Playback time can be edited in Super Slow-mo player.

So to break it down:

  • Galaxy S20 5G – 960fps 720p with 1 second recording time.
  • Galaxy S20+ 5G – 960fps 720p with 1 second recording time.
  • Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G – 480fps 720p with 1 second recording time then it can be interpolated to 960fps 720p for 2x the frame rate.

The good news is we gain recording time from the earlier generation of 0.4 seconds to 1 full second or close to it “We will have to see when the phone ships”. That is a lot to like.  There is however no mention of the quality of the video and if it is improved with less pixelation and aliasing.

So if you want better slow motion the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G top of the line is not for you as the true real highest frame rate is 480fps. The other cheaper models make more sense here. Time for the samples now…

Slow Mo Video samples below from the S20:

 

Galaxy S20 plus Super slow motion – Dragonfly Dance by JemSpot:

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Cinematic Footage Slowmotion by rocket raccoon: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Galaxy S20 Slow Motion will improve 960fps !

Galaxy S20 Slow Motion

The recently announced Galaxy S20 phone line has been making some waves with impressive specs especially related to the camera modules.  As always we are only interested here in the high speed video specs here at HSC “not even the new 8k video spec” and the new phones are an improvement over the S10 and Note 10 lines.  However, it is important to note that not all S20s will share the same slow motion specs and that is what this post is about.

You may think that the S20 Ultra 5G will be the easy choice here but it is hardly as straight forward as that.  The amount of technology packed in the Ultra phone along with four camera modules and one of them at over 100MP means they prioritized photo resolution over video shooting in their sensor selection. The Ultra will not natively support the 960fps spec but default to only 480fps.

Galaxy S20 Slow Motion Specs:

We go directly to Samsung’s take from this information provided in the official website:
Super Slow-mo only supports HD resolution. On Galaxy S20 and S20+ 5G, users can record approximately 1 second of video captured at up to 960 fps with approximately 32 seconds of playback. On Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, users can record approximately 1 second of video captured at 480 fps and digitally enhance the video to 960 fps with approximately 32 seconds of playback. Playback time can be edited in Super Slow-mo player.

So to break it down:

  • Galaxy S20 5G – 960fps 720p with 1 second recording time.
  • Galaxy S20+ 5G – 960fps 720p with 1 second recording time.
  • Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G 480fps 720p with 1 second recording time then it can be interpolated to 960fps 720p for 2x the frame rate.

The good news is we gain recording time from the earlier generation of 0.4 seconds to 1 full second or close to it “We will have to see when the phone ships”. That is a lot to like.  There is however no mention of the quality of the video and if it is improved with less pixelation and aliasing.

S20 Ultra 5G Samples?

The following samples by MKP Captain are not authenticated by HSC but seem to be real, in any case, do not bank on the quality shown here until more samples are available.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Slow Motion by MKP Captain:

Samsung Galaxy S20 Slow Motion 2 by MKP Captain:

If the videos above are real then we have seen a mild improvement in slow motion quality but remember that this is the Ultra phone on the top which is shooting at 720p 480fps and not at 960fps even when there is interpolation happening, the frames are half made by the processing unit and not captured live.   At HSC we are no fans of interpolation so we can safely avoid the S20 Ultra 5G as a slow motion contender unless you are fine with 480p.

The second video is of the regular S20 which shows no interpolation artifacts but the quality still leaves a lot to be desired. Samsung seems to have added time recording but hardly improved the quality from earlier phones that offered 960p.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus Slow Motion by MKP Captain: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

10k 72fps Camera to be developed by Spanish PNBE!

PNBE 10k Camera Slow Motion

The Spanish Association of Broadcast, Cinema and TV Producers or PNBE for short, is sharing some information about a camera they are custom building for the purpose of shooting a new series for Spanish Television that explores  Nature and Astrology “Or maybe Astronomy” which could be a translation error.  The new camera will be able to shoot at pretty remarkable specs like 10k and 8k video including higher frame rates at many resolutions that surpass anything in its class.

The camera needs to have extreme detail and low light performance with RAW capabilities.  Only a dozen will be built for the TV program but we assume they share the information in order to see if there is interest in the market for DPs and other professionals to own such a camera.  We were happy to see that the spec sheet is very detailed with both H.264 and H.265 support aside from RAW and Cinema DNG formats in recording.

PNBE 10k Camera Slow Motion capabilities:

  • 10k at 72 fps Progressive
  • 8k ws at 96fps Progressive
  • 4K 16:9 UHD at 120p-150p

No more information like support for lower resolutions was shared. Such a camera would probably be able to output 480fps at 1080p without taking a sweat if the sensor is fast enough to do it. We may know more as development continues.

Other Specs for the camera:

  • 6GBps write to achieve 16bit Raw of 10K at 72fps
  • M.2 PCIE 16TB Drive for up to 8hrs of recording
  • RAW,  H.264 or H.265 & CinemaDNG
  • USB SS 3.1 for fast transfers
  • HDMI 2.0 Monitoring
  • Stereo in/out audio ports
  • eSATA and USB Type C
  • Detachable Sensor Module for recording via fiber channel without being attached to camera body.
  • uses NVIDIA Jetson Xavier Embedded
    chip processing board 512 core GPUS
    (Volta), memory at up to 172 GBps, and the ability
    to encode 1*8K video in either H.264 or H.265 in
    real-time.
  • Max default native resolution: 9.600 x 6.900 pixels.
    ○ Other video resolutions: 1080p, 2K, 4K, 6K, 8K, 10K
    ● Framerate max res: 72 (raw).
    ● Detachable sensor: up to 2 meters or + depending resolution.
    ● Sensor size: APS-C
    ● Codecs: raw, raw S, cinema dng, h264 and h265.
    ● Internal media: SSD up to 16 TB
    ○ Max data transfer: 6 GBps (6000 MB per second)
    ● Aprox dimensions: 14 x 12 x 10 cm.
    ● Lense mount: Canon EF
    ○ with pin support for motorized aperture and focus.
    ● Power: 2 separate dc inputs of 12~15V. 20 Whr to 44 Whr.
  • Autumn 2020 unit production deadline for the TV Station.

These are the early development stages and this camera may change considerably by the time it is delivered. If they manage to hit every mark, they may be able to further extend the production run for other studios interested.  In the meantime visiting their official site below should be your first stop if you are interested. -HSC 

For more information, pictures and a contact form, visit the soon to be launched:  www.pnbe.org – The project is managed by Aitor Elorga.