Tag Archives: Sony RX100 VII

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 ←

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.

Sony ZV-1 Main Specs:

  • SENSOR TYPE: 1.0″-type (0.52″ x 0.35″) Exmor RS® CMOS sensor, aspect ratio 3:2  Stacked!
  • NUMBER OF PIXELS (EFFECTIVE)Approx. 20.1 Megapixels
  • OPTICAL ZOOM2.7x
  • F-NUMBER (MAXIMUM APERTURE)F1.8 (W) – 2.8 (T)
  • FOCAL LENGTH (F=)f = 9.4–25.7 mm
  • Eye AF & Object tracking AF
  • 315 points (phase-detection AF), 425 points (contrast-detection AF)
  • Vari angle touch screen
  • Directional three-capsule mic with wind screen
  • Optical SteadyShot

Sony ZV-1 Video Modes:

MOVIE RECORDING MODE (NTSC)

AVCHD: 24 M FX (1,920 x 1,080/60i) / 17 M FH(1,920 x 1,080/60i), XAVC S 4K: 30p 100 M (3,840 x 2,160/30p) / 30p 60 M (3,840 x 2,160/30p) / 24p 100 M (3,840 x 2,160/24p) / 24p 60 M (3,840 x 2,160/24p),

XAV C S HD: 60p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/60p) / 60p 25 M (1,920 x 1,080/60p) / 30p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/30p) / 30p 16 M (1,920 x 1,080/30p) / 24p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/24p) / 120p 100 M (1,920 x 1,080/120p) / 120p 60 M (1,920 x 1,080/120p)

MOVIE RECORDING MODE (PAL)

AVCHD: 24 M FX (1,920 x 1,080/50i) / 17 M FH (1,920 x 1,080/50i), XAVC S 4K: 25p 100 M (3,840 x 2,160/25p) / 25p 60 M (3,840 x 2,160/25p),

XAVC S HD: 50p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/50p) / 50p 25 M (1,920 x 1,080/50p) / 25p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/25p) / 25p 16 M (1,920 x 1,080/25p) / 100p 100 M (1,920 x 1,080/100p) / 100p 60 M (1,920 x 1,080/100p)

Sony ZV-1 Slow Motion HFR Video Modes:

HFRRecording:

[PAL] mode

XAVC S

  • Full HD: 50p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/250fps)
  • 50p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/500fps)
  • 50p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/1,000fps)
  • 25p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/250fps)
  • 25p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/500fps)
  • 25p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/1,000fps)

[NTSC] mode

XAVC S HD:

  • 60p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/240fps)
  • 60p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/480fps)
  • 60p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/960fps)
  • 30p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/240fps)
  • 30p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/480fps)
  • 30p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/960fps)
  • 24p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/240fps)
  • 24p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/480fps)
  • 24p 50 M (1,920 x 1,080/960fps)

Sensor Readout Number of effective pixels:

Quality Priority – 2 second rec time: 240fps/250fps (1,824 x 1,026),

Quality Priority – 1 second rec time:480fps/500fps (1,824 x 616) 960fps/1,000fps (1,244 x 420)/

Shoot Time Priority – 3 second rec time: 240fps/250fps (1,824 x 616), 480fps/500fps (1,292 x 436), 960fps/1,000fps (912 x 308)

Has anything changed in HFR?

In a word no when it comes to resolutions, the same HFR that debuted years ago is still here as it is using the same stacked 1″ EXMOR sensor from the RX100 line of cameras and the latest version at that with the new AF module. Other than that it is essentially a cheaper RX series in terms of capture modes without sacrificing video quality.  In fact video wise it does better in auto exposure modes and it is tuned to better preserve highlights while popping up skin tones which may be more pleasant for many.

You can check the official HFR Manual online here for the ZV-1!

However, when it comes to recording time it is a notch below the RX100 and RX10 series with a maximum recording time of 3 seconds on Shoot time priority and a low of 1 second for Quality priority on frame rates above 240fps.  (Thanks to reader Klaus for bringing this to our attention). This is a big deal as previous RX releases allow up to 7 seconds on SHoot time priority and 4 seconds on Quality priority.  So your capture will be severely limited time wise.

All in all an RX series for HFR mode compacted under $800 USD with some features added and some hardware controls removed.  What is not to like when you get essentially the same performance video-wise to a significantly costlier camera except for the recording time in HFR being so limited.

Video sample at 250fps and 500fps below:

Sony ZV-1 slow motion tests by Mark Wilson (Well done Mark!):

What is missing from the RX100 Line?

Thre are a few things that are absent which may or may not bother you.

  1. No multi-function ring on the lens barrel
  2. No EVF, only the Touch LCD Screen
  3. No Manual focus just Touch 2 focus!
  4. Lower recording times in HFR Mode but at same quality.

The lack of the EVF might be the toughest pill to swallow but as a Vlogging camera, it was bound to happen.  The RX line is still relevant with it’s more well-rounded features however software-wise the video Auto modes on this camera are ideal for its intended blogging purpose with excellent auto exposure, amazing built-in microphone, and AF that really captures faces and object demos in real-time with almost no lag.

Is a new RX camera coming in 2020?

The rumor mill had been quiet on this front until the ZV-1 launch was coming which probably tells us that the RX line is either migrating or will get a debut with a whole new platform of sensor and lens design for the future.  With P&S cameras being less and less relevant every day, Sony has been forced to cater to Vloggers and kind of side step camera enthusiasts that want pocketable options. However, the excellent RX100 and RX10 lines are still out there as options until a replacement is announced.

We have not heard any rumors about an RX100 version 8 camera so it is safe to say that we may not see one soon.  If we do, it may be closer to Christmas time in any case.

The ZV-1 is recycling the best of the RX100 line and gearing it to Vloggers in a way that won’t break the bank, and at that, it is a real winner for your money considering how capable it is.

Should I get it?

Yes but…

If you already have an RX100 or RX10 camera we think you should skip this camera unless you want to Vlog and want a vari-angle screen and need higher recording times in slow motion. If you were thinking about getting an RX camera and you do not need an EVF and multifunction ring or the extra rec time then this is the camera to get for a significant price drop without sacrificing image quality.

Pricing and Availability:

The camera will be released on June 11th, 2020 in just a few days and you can pre-order at Amazon below!

$749.99  Standard Kit Pre Order at Amazon!

There is a Vlogger accessory kit bundle for $100 more which has the Wireless Bluetooth Grip which lets you record and zoom from the controller as well as use it as a tripod.   We believe that for $848 it’s very fair value as it also bundles a 64GB SD card.  However, we recommend the RX100 line for slow motion enthusiasts due to the higher recording time as the ZV-1 is quite limited above 240fps.

This ZV-1 Camera may become our favorite Sony HFR camera since it ticks almost all the boxes at an affordable price. If you are getting one, it will help us if you click our Amazon links before ordering to help this site continue.  Thanks for your support! -HSC 

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BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS OF 2019!

As 2019 comes to a close its that time to take a look back through the year’s camera releases and see which delivered the goods at an affordable price in slow motion.  Phone slow motion continues to be a strong category, so strong in fact that we made a Best Slow Motion Phones of 2019 list that you can see here.

Stagnation in many camera segments aside from phones is still ongoing, the semi-professional and pro markets stay at 120fps and 240fps with the occasional 320fps camera that delivers just a tad better quality but at a price.  For professional slow motion, there were announcements but not a shipping product yet, however previously released cameras like the Chronos 1.4c and edgertronic still own the affordable quality market. Read on for our best of 2019 results!

BEST SLOW MOTION CAMERAS of 2019:

Without further ado here are what we believe are the best value slow motion cameras in their respective categories for the year 2019:

Best Slow Motion Phone Category:

We had 5 finalists for slow motion phone of 2019 and while the Mate 30 Pro below got the top marks, the iPhone 11 and OnePlus 7 series had great showings, go to the dedicated article for the rest of the phone options.

 Huawei Mate 30 Pro:

Coming out of left field from a company that has been in the news as being in trouble with the US government, the Huawei Mate 30 Pro which is not shipping in the US officially but can be found from online import sellers, is the slow motion phone champ of 2019.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro Slow Motion Specs Dissected:

  • 120fps 1080p Continuous
  • 240fps 1080p Continuous
  • 960fps 1080p for 1 full second (960 frames in total)
  • 1920fps 720p for 1/2 second  (960 frames in total)
  • 7680fps 720p interpolated 4x (lasts for 32 seconds on a 30p timeline.)
  • All super slow motion modes at 960p and above last 32 seconds of playback at 30fps regular speed.
  • The entire buffer for the slow motion feature is 2GB and gets filled by data then dumped and encoded on the fly by the Kirin 990 chip.

This is the first phone that truly records 1920fps slow motion in 720p mode for 1/2 a second or 960 frames and then does excellent interpolation to a whopping 7,680fps 720p to create mind-bending images.   It is especially good for people, animals, and hard non-deformable objects. It will of curse fail as any algorithm with fluids, powders, and heavily detailed objects and will create a soft mushy in-between frame in those cases.  If you do not choose interpolation mode then you can get real slow motion for up to 32 seconds of playback on a 30p timeline which is excellent for a phone.

If you decide to buy it, the phone has a few issues to keep in mind. Due to US government restrictions, it will not ship with a  full version of Android with the Google Apps and not have access to the Playstore.  However several workarounds have been worked out in forums to make this phone usable. The other is that it is a Chinese phone which may need you to get help from someone who understands/reads Chinese to make the setup and get to work in English after.    We do not recommend this phone as your main handset as the support of updates will probably be negated in the US but if you are in China, this is a great flagship phone.  If you are outside of China, make sure you can live with the limitations in the software.

960fps,1920fps and 7680fps test – Huawei Mate 30 Pro incredible Slow Motion by Slow Experiment:

As you can see from the sample above and these other samples at HSC, the quality is quite good and the time is usable easily as a sports and experimentation high speed mode.  It will of course not replace a dedicated slow motion camera for quality work but it is still an amazing development to get real 1920fps 720p and 960fps 1080p even with some artifacts in a portable device.

Huawei may be in hot water with the US government for some time but they have consistently delivered amazing hardware that is probably the cutting edge worldwide.  We are excited about the future of phone slow motion and considering the giant leap that happened here, it is not unrealistic to think that really good 1080p 2,000fps or similar could be very close.  At least for a small-time recording but it will really be magical.

Huawei has made an incredible slow motion phone on the Mate 30 Pro and if they read this, send a handset our way to test and offer samples of reference.  As of now, their new handset is the one to beat. -HSC

Mid Range Professional Cameras:

This year the semi-pro camera market had some very good surprises when it comes to cameras that can shoot RAW files at very high quality and also allow for windowed slow motion modes.

Two of our picks are from Blackmagic design which is a known name in the affordable quality camera market. They have been able to deliver RAW and compressed RAW with BRAW format for very little investment compared to many other brands.  The quality delivered by these cameras are really cinema-quality so the trade-offs when stepping down are more to do with changing a camera system for producers rather than giving up the footage grading ability or low light performance.

Third Place: URSA MINI PRO 4.6K G2

The URSA Mini Pro G2 had a firmware update mid-year that allowed for 300fps in a windowed 2k pixel mode that has great quality and can be stabilized for excellent 1080p production quality.  For under $6k for body only the price is not that high for a camera that can really bring your production values up.   It gets a third place because the cost of owning the camera goes up with accessories like media, lenses, batteries, monitoring, and storage for editing. A good kit can easily get in the 15k range. The BRAW format is excellent but not for everyone.  ProRes is also a possibility and probably what many producers will shoot in when need to deliver in a rush.

High Speed Frame Rates on the URSA Mini G2:

Blackmagic RAW 8:1

4.6K Full – Up to 120 fps
UHD Windowed – Up to 150 fps
HD Windowed – Up to 300 fps

With 4k UHD at 150fps it makes for a killer feature rarely available on other cameras and the 300fps in HD or 2k allows for that extra oomph within your creative shoot.

300fps UMP G2 test 190629 by Reel Eagle Studios: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Slow Motion News August 2019

Slow Motion News

We have a few developments to share in the high speed camera world. Things have been somewhat quiet in the phone front as the high speed component feature was relegated to a footnote in 2019 after a great 2017 and 2018 main spec treatment. We may get much better phone slow motion as memory size and speed increases while maintaining the same price range thanks to the fast pace of electronics development.

Sony just announced their latest RX VII camera which means that an RX10 and maybe a new RX VA version will show up before the year is over.  We were not happy with the feature being stagnant in resolution and speed on the RX series for 3 years in a row now. Sure AF and overall speed have increased when it comes to other parts of the camera but the high frame rates remain frozen in 2016 specs.  In the meantime, we have a few new things to show you.

Slow Motion News August 2019:

iX Cameras releases i-SPEED 5 SERIES of Full HD professional slow motion cameras.

iX cameras has now released the brochure and spec info for a new Full HD camera line composed of the (508, 510 & 513)  that are capable of recording up to 6,382 fps in Full HD and up to 1 million fps on the lowest resolution.

508 Specs:

  • 3,980 fps @ 1920×1080
  • 1,000,000 fps Max Frame Rate
  • 18/36/72/96/144 GB RAM Memory
  • Mono ISO 8,500D (sat) / 68,000D (sat)
  • Color ISO 3,060D (sat) / 24,480D (sat)
  • In the $30k USD Range

510 Specs:

  • 4,980 fps @ 1920×1080
  • 1,000,000 fps Max Frame Rate
  • 18/36/72/96/144 GB RAM Memory
  • Mono ISO 8,500D (sat) / 68,000D (sat)
  • Color ISO 3,060D (sat) / 24,480D (sat)
  • In the $50k USD Range

513 Specs:

  • 6,382 fps @ 1920×1080
  • 1,000,000 fps Max Frame Rate
  • 18/36/72/96/144 GB RAM Memory
  • Mono ISO 8,500D (sat) / 68,000D (sat)
  • Color ISO 3,060D (sat) / 24,480D (sat)
  • In the $100k USD Range

“State-Of-The-Art 1080p HD Sensor
The heart of the i-SPEED 5 Series is a custom 12-bit CMOS light sensitive image sensor capable of recording 3,980 fps at full HD resolution, with a maximum speed of 500,000fps*. With the optional Fast mode shutter option*, the 5-series can achieve 250ns exposure times. Other features include an internal SSD of up to 8TB, an external SSD of up to 2TB, high-speed image download, memory segmentation, and camera control via the unique touch-screen CDUe control device or via the powerful i-SPEED Software Suite 2.0 that controls the i-SPEED 7 cameras.”

More information about these and other iX Cameras at the official company website: https://www.ix-cameras.com/best_value_high-speed_camera_slow_motion.php

Chronos 1.4c Camera Software V0.3.2 Development improves Frame Rates and adds new features:

We installed the Chronos V0.3.2 RC1 Beta software and on initial testing find the software to be mostly stable and the new features make it a better camera all-around.

In our testing, we found that noise and column gain was reduced considerably after a 15min warm-up.  Also, the saving to SDHC cards is faster in RAW mode, we were getting 4.8fps instead of 3.7fps in 0.3.1 this makes a very noticeable difference in saving speed which seemed too restrictive in RAW.

We did encounter some problems when using HDMI external monitors and viewfinders when using the peaking function. These are already being patched for the next release so we recommend you wait for v0.3.2 RC2 if that feature is needed while monitoring.

The camera now has the ability to format and see how much space is left on SD and USB/SATA media which is a very welcome feature set for on the field users. We would love the ability to load saved clips for playback at a later date as software evolves including post save editing and clip erase if possible.

Another welcome feature is now the ability to shoot even faster frame rates for all resolutions. 720p has gained 17 frames from 1502fps to 1519fps which is our main use resolution.  However, the camera is now able to shoot up to 40,420fps at 320*96 pixels which used to be 38,565 fps for a 1,855fps gain with no quality degradation. It is not often that you get free speed in any camera, this time it is lossless and operates just as before.

For more information on the Chronos 1.4 camera visit the Krontech.ca and or info on the patch at the development forum thread here: http://forum.krontech.ca/index.php?topic=488.0

Notable Changes:
– Automatic ADC calibration during black calibration, which should reduce column banding across a wider temperature range.
– Add a storage tab to the util menu to view, eject and format the attached storage devices.
– Speed boost at most resolutions, with a top speed of 1069fps at 1280×1024, and 40420fps at 320×96.
– Configurable automated power-on and off depending on the AC adaptor status.
– Option to disable the ring buffer when in segmented recording mode.

Minutae:
– Factory black calibration is now user accessible from the Factory tab of the util window.
– The software update button has been moved to the storage tab of the util window.
– Shipping mode to disable power-on by battery until an AC adaptor is attached.
– Add a watchdog to reboot the camera in case of a power-on boot failure.
– Display descriptive error strings instead of number on failure.

Fixed Bugs:
– Gated burst record mode may lock up after several trigger edges.
– Gated burst record mode unreliable when trigger debounce is enabled
– Memory leak in the M3 video coprocessors which could lead to a crash after lots of H.264 encoding.
– Ignore video which was recorded during zero-time black calibration (which happens after changing resolution).
– Stuttering issue on the playback window on new production LCD modules.
– Fixed deadlock in camera when restoring user settings from external media.

Fixed since V0.3.2-beta-6:
– Changes to focus aid or exposure aid (zebra stripes) would have no effect until resolution is changed.
– Changes to exposure may be overwritten during black calibration.
– Bad image quality at 336×120 resolution
– Util window, storage tab – bottom of text cut off if device has multiple partitions
– Factory black cal (black cal all resolutions) would get overridden by old user black cal, if a user had done their own black cal, even before.

Known Issues:
– On the save file settings window, the bitrate as listed above the resolution may be lower than the actual bitrate, if Saved File Framerate is lower than 60fps

Updating Your Camera
====================
– Extract the `.zip` file into the root directory of a FAT32 formatted USB drive.
– Turn on your camera and insert the USB drive into the USB/eSATA combo port, not the one labeled ‘OTG’.
– From the main window, tap the `Util` button to open the utility window.
– As a precaution, tap the `Backup Calibration Data` button on the utility window before starting the update.
– When the backup is completed, a pop-up window will be displayed.
– Tap the `Done` button to close the pop-up window.
– From the utility window, tap the `Apply Software Update` button to begin the software update.
– A warning message will be displayed, tap the `Yes` button to confirm and begin the update.
– If a pop-up that says ‘No software update found’ is displayed, even when a USB stick containing the update in the correct location is connected, reboot the camera and try again.
– During the update, the screen will go blank and an `Applying Update` message will be displayed.
– After approximately 60 seconds, the update will be complete and the camera will restart.

Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro Phone Announced with 1920fps at 720p!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMlgedBJo3g

As we have seen from Chinese phones this year, the 1920fps spec for slow motion at 720p is included in several spec sheets like the Nubia Red Magic 3 but we found out that it is not only a fake spec but the actual video quality is pretty low.  The phone uses a 480fps capture at 720p and then creates interpolation of 4x  which is 480 x 4 =1920fps to create the final video. In some phones, it is just playing back 4x slower but in others there is interpolation. WHatever the came may-be, you are better off by avoiding this feature in your buying decision.  The quality is low and compression high, then the stuttering of faking the 1920fps kicks in and you end up with a subpar experience.

Here is a video sample of what appears to be a real clip from the Blackshark 2 Pro. You can easily notice the interpolation.

Blackshark 2 Pro – 1920 FPS Slow Motion Video by Shail 360:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvQUOx-2NrA

Now for some fun, The Slow Mo Guys have played with a huge amount of Gallium metal which becomes liquid at under 30 degrees C and looks pretty close to mercury without the toxicity. They do remind us that Gallium corrodes Aluminum on contact as it amalgamates with it, Aluminum which is what most cameras and lens cases are made of are pretty vulnerable,  so if you try this with your slow motion camera, be sure to use a barrier. -HSC

 

Pouring a Liquid Mirror in Slow Motion – 4K by The Slow Mo Guys: → 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.

Sony RX100 VII Main Features:

  • ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* 24-200mm1 F2.8 – F4.5 high magnification zoom lens  8x Optical Zoom!
  • World’s fastest (0.02sec) AF, 357-point phase detection and 425-point contrast-detection
  • Up to 20 fps Blackout-free Shooting, using up to 60 times/sec.5 AF/AE calculations
  • Single Burst Shooting captures 7 shots at up to 30/60/90 fps in JPEG/RAW
  • AI-based Real-time Tracking for stills and movies,and Touch Tracking
  • Real-time Eye AF for human (stills and movies), and for animal (stills only)
  • Newly developed 20.1MP10 1″ Exmor RS stacked BSI CMOS sensor with DRAM (Better AF, Not Better HFR)
  • 4K movie with direct pixel readout, no pixel binning, HLG instant HDR; Interval Shooting
  • Microphone Jack!
  • Flippy Screen with Vlog 90 degree function.
  • HFR Mode with up to 1000fps Slow Motion Video Capture!

HFR Mode Details:

Quality Priority (Same as Older RX100 VI from 2018):

4 seconds expected (Not Confirmed)

  • 240fps/250fps (1824×1026) – Near full 1080p
  • 480fps/500fps (1824×616)
  • 960fps/1000fps (1244×420) 

Shoot Time Priority (Same as Older RX100 VI from 2018):

7 seconds expected (Not Confirmed)

  • 240fps/250fps (1824×616)
  • 480fps/500fps (1292×436) 
  • 960fps/1000fps (912×308)

Recording: NTSC/PAL Selector:
[PAL] mode XAVC S HD: 50p 50M(1920×1080/250fps), 50p 50M(1920×1080/500fps), 50p 50M(1920×1080/1000fps)/25p 50M(1920×1080/250fps), 25p 50M(1920×1080/500fps), 25p 50M(1920×1080/1000fps),

[NTSC] mode XAVC S HD:60p 50M(1,920×1,080/240fps), 60p 50M(1,920×1,080/480fps), 60p 50M(1,920×1,080/960fps)/30p 50M(1,920×1,080/240fps), 30p 50M(1,920×1,080/480fps), 30p 50M(1,920×1,080/960fps)/24p 50M(1,920×1,080/240fps), 24p 50M(1,920×1,080/480fps), 24p 50M(1,920×1,080/960fps)
Sensor Readout Number of effective pixels:
Quality Priority:
240fps/250fps(1,824×1,026)
480fps/500fps(1,824×616)
960fps/1000fps(1,244×420)
Shoot Time Priority:
240fps/250fps(1,824×616)
480fps/500fps(1,292×436)
960fps/1000fps(912×308)

Audio recording is not available. A Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card is required.

Super slow motion at up to 40x slower speed

The stacked CMOS sensor enables an extra-high frame rate of up to 960fps/1000fps39, so even when shooting at 200 mm20 telephoto it’s possible to record impressive close-up, super slow-motion footage40. The frame rate and recording setting can be set independently for slow-motion playback speeds from 1/4 to 1/40th of real-time speed and can be captured using either start or end triggers to record even the most fleeting of moments.

The New along with the Old:

The new in this camera is all about speed and Auto Focus accuracy. Eye AF and Face AF are now the best in the entire Sony camera line and a sign of things to come in other camera platforms.  You can now rest assured the camera will have people and objects in focus while video is recording with an extremely accurate hit-rate with very little second-guessing.

The camera also includes a new Microphone jack that allows along with the 90 degree flip screen to directly Vlog either in horizontal or vertical mode for the web with an external microphone. Suddenly a full 4k HDR camera kit with pro audio can fit in your pocket if you can live with the low battery life of around 1hr recording at best.

The HFR mode which enables high-speed video is as we have shown above remained the same resolution wise but the jury is still out on recording time.  There is no mention in the current crop of specs about the HFR mode and any modification in the allowable rec time. With the new burst modes it seems the camera buffer has been increased which may mean we may get longer quality recording times for slow motion. But judging by the lack of a mention, we believe there will be no changes. The resolution being the same as the two previous cameras the V and VI mean that Sony is not innovating in the HFR mode anymore.  Has slow motion gone to the background for the foreseeable future on camera specs?

The RX100 VII is a marvel of technology and it is by any measure a superb technological milestone. The evolution of these series is still untouched by the competition in features and image quality. The 1″ sensor continues to be the state of the art in pocketable cameras. We may also see an RX100 VII VA version with a shorter zoom range and faster glass which was released last year alongside the RX100 VI to appease low light enthusiasts.

Should I get this instead of the RX100 VI?

Right now the price difference between an RX100 7 and 6 is just $200 USD between the old camera and a new pre-order. We expect the price on the older camera to drop considerably as stock dwindles and the new model becomes widely available.  We should see an RX100 VI (6) at less than $998 by Thanksgiving November 28th.

If you have money to burn and want this camera, pre-ordering makes sense now as this camera will probably be a best seller and inventory wise hard to find the first few months.

The RX100 VII should be available on Friday August 16th for $1,199 on the standard kit without accessories.

Last year’s RX100 VI ($998) was already an amazing all-rounder of a camera and the improvements this time around even while impressive when it comes to AF tracking, make not a must-have for previous owners. If you absolutely need a Microphone jack then this new model is the one you been waiting for in the RX100 line.

As a slow motion camera, there is no justification for choosing this camera above the previous two years of releases considering the feature is essentially unchanged resolution wise and most probably time recording limited to the previous spec also.  We will know more about this when the manual is released and we can confirm this is the case.

We will have more info including HFR samples of the RX100 VII when they are released which should be in about a months time. In the mean-time make sure you check out the pretty excellent explanation of the RX100 VI HFR mode from last year’s camera so you can get acquainted and tailor your expectations accordingly.  Thanks for reading -HSC

 

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