Tag Archives: video camera

Sony FS5 240fps Full HD Camera Gets $750 Price drop!

Sony FS5

The original Sony FS5 not the Mark II which does 240fps and 120fps full HD recording with excellent quality as well as 4k 240fps with an external recorder has dropped in price precipitously. The -$750 price drop makes the camera only $3,498 for the body only which is now competitive with pro SLRs and higher-end mirrorless cameras.

The FS5 camera has been used in productions all over the world and it is a favorite of many videographers for its form factor and dependability. We like it here at HSC by retaining the 10th position on our guide with excellent quality 120fps and 240fps full HD 1080p and pristine quality in 4k 240fps using a recorder like the Atomos Shogun series. The camera also allows 480fps and 960fps @ 1920*270px for short bursts much like the Sony RX series but slightly behind in quality to those latest cameras in those higher modes. Is an FS5 Mark III getting ready to launch or just end of product life rebates? → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony PXW-Z90V Footage Starts to Show!

Sony PXW-Z90V Footage

We were excited last September when Sony announced a trio of Palmcorders based on their latest 1″ stacked image sensor. The FDR-AX700, the HXR-NX80 and the PXW-Z90V share essentially the same sensor and lens along with other common features but differ when it comes to codec bit rates, broadcasting output like SDI out and or HDMI but what interests us is the HFR high frame rate mode.

The Sony RX100 and RX10 series share the same 1″ stacked CMOS sensor in their latest iterations to these cameras but with a new form factor that is aimed at more professional shooters, there is a lot of expectations to see if quality has improved in Slow Motion.   We have gone thru the manuals on the cameras and have not been able to find the exact resolution specs when recording HFR but we estimate they are identical to the latest RX10 IV all in one prosumer camera. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony RX10 IV & AX700 Slow Mo Samples Surface!

Sony RX10 IV & AX700 Slow Mo Samples

There is a lot of interest on the new Sony RX10 IV and new Sony FDR-AX700,  HXR-NX80 and PXW-Z90V Palm 4k Cam-Corders.   We have found a couple of new sample videos showing these cameras in action with HFR high frame rate modes. We estimate all four cameras to have comparable image quality in HFR mode but depending on the price a better overall codec with more detail retention.

However the best value out of all of them could be the AX700 which costs about the same as the RX10 IV but in a more professional body with lots of control that the SLR form factor lacks.  Also for a paid job you may be inclined to go with the more professional looking body to avoid judgmental stares. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony Palm 4k Camcorders Have 960fps!

Sony Palm 4k Camcorders

Sony has released three new Palm Sized 4k camcorders on the wake left by the RX10 IV all in one  1″ Sensor camera, these new cameras aim to produce professional results in 4k and with the use of broadcast features like 3G-SDI in the case of the Z90V allow for real time ENG and EFP production.

These cameras have the same  sensor and buffer mode as the RX10 IV camera but in a more traditional non SLR like form factor. The FDR-AX700 at the lower end of the range lacks a Proper microphone mount and XLR inputs with volume controls but they all share the same specs in lens 12x – and internal codecs aside from broadcast features.  This includes the HFR mode which seems to be identical to the RX10 IV offering 120fps continuous and up to 7 seconds of 240fps near full HD and reduced resolution 480fps and 960fps. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Fake Slow Motion Is It Worth It?

Fake Slow Motion

There has been a lot of work put it developing software that can interpolate frames for video editing and compositing applications. Twixtor in the late 90’s was perhaps the first time the technology could make something worthwhile and really produce acceptable results in a computationally acceptable timeframe.

Today the most used algorithm is Adobe’s Optical Flow in Premiere or Time Warp in After Effects which use vector directional plus acceleration of pixel values to derive in between frame data to generate new frame information from the preceding frame as point A and the next frame as point B.  The results can do some wonders to really slow down things above the frame rate ceiling of the camera. → Continue Reading Full Post ←