Tag Archives: Portable

Chronos 4k12 and Q12 Hi-Speed Announced!

Krontech the Canadian Hi-speed camera company has released press information for two new global shutter camera releases due to ship in 2024.  While they did excellent work with the Chronos 1.4 720p and Chronos 2.1 HD 1080p slow motion cameras, many users of the platform clamored for more resolution and better image quality.  Enter the new Chronos 4k12 a full 4k Camera capable of 1,397 FPS at 8 bit 4096 x 2160 resolution or at 3840 x 2160
UHD 1,491 FPS.  

To put this in perspective, the Phantom 4k camera does 4k at 1k fps and costs around $80k USD for a starter kit.  This new Chronos camera has some serious punch for the TV, Web, and Film industries that need the extra resolution. We can see many production houses adopting this camera for production without breaking the bank in a compact and fully contained package.  → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12k Camera Setup 7 new Frame Rates!

Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12k Camera Setup 7

Blackmagic Design has released Camera Setup 7.0 which upgrades the URSA Mini Pro 12k camera in several areas including improved frame rates at different resolutions.  At 12k the maximum frame rate has increased to 75fps from 60fps and at 4k we now have up to 240fps in BRAW format from 220fps on a Super 16mm crop of the sensor. We also get 8k at up to 160fps from a maximum before of 110fps which is improved by leveraging the fast pipeline in the camera and delivering usable frame rates with good multiples.

While the camera is not cheap at $9,995, it is certainly a bargain considering the resolution and frame rates you have access to in BRAW RAW-Like format.  It may be essentially the most powerful camera you can buy today for this price range and available with an F, EF, or PL mount the flexibility is there if needed.  Blackmagic Design are also the owners of DaVinci Resolve and usually bundled it with their cameras. It makes for a hard to beat all in one system for shooting, editing, and postproduction. Dig in for more details…

Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12k – Full High Speed Frame Rates After Update:

12K 17:9 full sensor up to 60 fps
12K 2.4:1 up to 75 fps
8K DCI full sensor up to 120 fps
4K DCI full sensor up to 120 fps
8K 2.4:1 and 4K 2.4:1 up to 160 fps

6K Super 16 up to 120 fps
4K Super 16 up to 240 fps

Ursa Mini Pro 12K Unboxing & Footage by Epic Light Media: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

DJI Mavic Air 2 has a 240fps 1080p mode that you won’t use!

DJI Mavic Air 2

DJI has unveiled the Mavic Air 2 consumer drone with incredible specs and a fit and finish that rivals their more expensive lineup. We have been waiting for a successor to the original Mavic Air to see where the platform was taking high frame rates but while we now have a 240fps 1080p mode, it hardly what we would call usable for production.  There is a softness and compression that while they look ok for amateur and some Youtube videos it fails for professionals that need that quality output.

There is a lot to like here like the 48MP sensor with 8k hyperlapse and stills mode with RAW along with a better than most other drones 4k UHD mode at 60fps with 120Mbps codec.  It is really a steal if you were waiting for a drone that can do it all and not break your budget.  You get many high-end features on a minute package that while a little big compared to mini drones, it is really small compared to the full-sized Mavic line.

DJI Mavic Air 2 Main Specs:

Sensor 1/2″ CMOS
Effective Pixels 48 MP
Focal Length 24mm (35mm Equivalent)
Lens Field of View 84°
Aperture f/2.8
Minimum Focusing Distance 3.3′ / 1.0 m
Photo ISO Range 100 to 3200 (Auto)
100 to 6400 (Manual)
Video ISO Range 100 to 6400
Photo Resolution 4:3: 8000 x 6000
Photo Format JPEG, DNG
Video Formats 3840 x 2160p at 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps (MP4/MOV via H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, MPEG-4)
2688 x 1512p at 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps (MP4/MOV via H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, MPEG-4)
1920 x 1080p at 24/25/30/48/50/60/120/240 fps (MP4/MOV via H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, MPEG-

DJI Mavic Air 2 REVIEW & First Look – 4K 60p, 1080p 240fps by cinema5D:

If you look at the excellent video above by Cinema 5D and Nino Leitner, it tells you all you need to know about the features of this new Mavic drone for a first look.  He even goes in and shoots a sample of 1080p at 240fps which in our view is a godsend to see because many manufacturers avoid sharing footage from these high frame rate modes.

We can clearly see the video quality in the 1080p 240fps mode is soft and compression obliterates fine detail like that of the grass and girl’s hair.  There is really no point in getting this drone for its slow motion capabilities in Full HD.

That said, this new drone is probably the most exciting release for portability and 4k 60p users that lends itself well for less jittery pan motion and for slowing down overhead views.  It really is hard to justify a larger more capable drone for most video enthusiasts considering how much of their more expensive counterparts is here.

Shot On Mavic Air 2 (Sample Mavic Air 2 Video) | DJI Store by DJI STORE AUSTRALIA: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony RX0 II Slow Motion The Same With New 4k Internal!

Sony RX0 II Slow Motion

Sony has released the RX0 Mark II which now includes the ability to record 4k internally as opposed to using an external recorder. Other goodies include a new flippy screen which while tiny, it allows for easy framing and selfie vlogger styles. A new stabilizer is included for reducing shake and it is a definite improvement even when the rolling shutter is a real problem.

Most of the camera is the same as before when it comes to body shape and usability, the higher frame rates are identical as the 2017 RX0 Mark I with essentially the same resolution and time recording. The big improvement comes in the screen and internal 4k recording with stabilization which seems to be directly aimed at vloggers. The sensor is, however, a tad less crowded by pixels at  15.3MP on the Mark II vs 21MP on the Mark 1. That should help in the low light department.

Sony RX0 II Main Specs:
  • 15.3MP 1″ Exmor RS Stacked CMOS Sensor
  • ZEISS Tessar T* 24mm Equivalent f/4 Lens
  • Internal UHD 4K30 Video & S-Log2 Gamma
  • HFR Mode for Slow Motion
  • 1.5″ 230k-dot 180° Tilting LCD
  • Water, Dust, Shock, and Crushproof
  • Electronic SteadyShot; Clean HDMI Output
  • Interval Recording; Microphone Input
  • ISO 12800 and 16-fps Continuous Shooting
  • Wi-Fi & Bluetooth; Multi-Camera Control

Sony | Cyber-shot | RX0 II | Product Feature by Sony:

Sony RX0 II HFR Slow Motion Specs:

Quality Priority 2 Seconds Record Time:

  • 240fps/250fps(1,676×942)
  • 480fps/500fps(1,676×566)
  • 960fps/1000fps(1,136×384)

Shoot Time Priority 4 seconds record Time:

  • 240fps/250fps(1,676×566)
  • 480fps/500fps(1,136×384)
  • 960fps/1000fps(800×270)

Sony RX0 IISlow Motion Video Sample:

As you can tell from the sample at 500fps which is 1,676×566 resolution and then saved up-resed to 1080p we have the same quality as the RX0 Mark 1 of 2017 since they share the same exact slow motion specs.

We do have an improvement in color science with the Slog2 and the larger 15MP vs 21MP pixel pitch sensor does output better video quality with less noise and artifacts. The AF is also handling face recognition and eye AF now with much better hit rates which should work well for stills, however, the video review below shows a lot of misses because once focused video continuous AF is not available in the camera. That is right the camera does not AF in video mode probably due to battery saving. Too bad and a big miss!

There is also a shorter minimum focusing distance from 20cm to infinity from the Mark 1 50.8 cm to infinity which is a big difference if you want to do Vlogging.

Sony RX0 II Hands-on – What The Flip?! by Kai W → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Insta360 One X Breaks the 3k 100fps barrier!

Insta360 One X

The Insta360 seems to be on a roll by delivering several products this year in quick succession. They want to own the 360-degree video market and they have no plans of letting go of that goal by making some very cool new features available to the masses.  The new Insta360 One X camera is able to stabilize the footage on the fly with incredible accuracy and steady-cam like feel without gimbals with its high-resolution capture and by using cropping along with telemetry data and a proprietary algorithm they are able to deliver rock-solid imagery in heavy motion environments.

The small camera is also able to shoot 100fps at 3k which is a first in the segment will let you crop if needed to get a better frame of the action.  There is also a very clever rubber housing that is designed to be thrown aerodynamically  “Drift Shot” while leaving the camera well protected on impact. This revolutionary technique is really something out of the box and what this camera will probably be known for. Expect to see an explosion of these shots in TV and film pretty soon as others copy the technique.

 Insta360 One X Main Features:

Aperture: F2.0

Photo resolution: 18 MP (6080*3040)

Video resolution: 5760*2880@30fps, 3840*1920@50fps, 3840*1920@30fps, 3008*1504@100fps

Photo format: insp, jpeg(can be exported via App), RAW(dng)

Video format: insv, mp4(can be exported via App), LOG

Video coding: H264

Stabilization: Built-in 6-axis gyroscopic stabilization

Compatible devices iOS :Phone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone X, iPhone8/8 plus, iPhone 7/7 plus, iPhone 6s/6s plus, iPhone SE iPad Pro(10.5-inch), iPad (2018)

  • Insta360 ONE X Android minimum configuration requirements:
  • 1. OTG: Supports OTG
  • 2. System on Chip(SOC): Qualcomm 653/Qualcomm 820/Kirin 950/Exynos 8890 or above
  • 3. System Version: Android 5.1 or above
  • 4. RAM: RAM 2G or above
  • Insta360 ONE X Android compatible devices (Phones not included in the list do not necessarily mean they are incompatible. Please refer to the minimum requirement of phone configuration.)
  • HUAWEI: P20 Pro/P10/P9/Mate 9/Mate 10/Honor 9
  • Samsung: S9/Note 8/S8/S7/S7 Edge
  • XIAOMI: Mix/Mix2/Note3/6/8
  • OnePlus: 5t
  • Google:Pixel/Pixel 2
  • Vivo: X9Plus L
  • OPPO: R11
  • Waterproof 5m and 30m with optional enclosures!
  • MSRP $399

Insta360 ONE X – Introducing the Insta360 ONE X:

The camera does a lot of things right like really great stitching, color accuracy and by reducing the mega-pixel count to 18MP from 24MP in their previous consumer camera they have improved per-pixel quality while gaining better low light and detail remains very close.

The slow motion at 3k 100fps is a great feature that can be accessed in real time and you can switch on the fly while recording from 30, 50 and 100fps modes with the expected resolution loss all recorded in the same clip without interruption which is pretty amazing.

FlowState Stabilization:

The 100fps 3k quality looks like a good 720p but not close to a good 1080p when you are looking at a specific portion of the 360 frame. That is to be expected as all-around video tends to be intended for VR displays which need full coverage. Your 100fps 3k frame will look extremely distorted if you want to do  a planar projection but can look good as a special effect with spherical deformation. Do not confuse this camera as a 100fps 3k rectangular camera because the resolution un-wrapped will be just regular HD in your vision. It is a good image overall but we could spot some aliasing and moire in the 3k 100fps mode which is still in its infancy when it comes to cameras targeted to consumers.

INSTA360 ONE X: Best 360 Camera of 2018? by Ben Claremont: → 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 ←