Pixboom Spark | kit check
You don’t need a specialist camera for dramatic slow motion as most modern mirrorless cams have hidden speed tricks. The simplest way is to shoot at the highest frame rate and set the frequency to 60Hz for NTSC regions rather than 50Hz for PAL regions. That way, cameras that might max out at 100fps can reach 120fps. Many models can record 4K at 120fps, others offer Full HD at 240fps or higher, like Panasonic’s MFT cameras with 300fps. Shooting at 120fps and playing back on a 25fps timeline produces a smooth 4.8x slomo effect without losing quality. The 180° shutter rule is king for conventional footage. However, a faster shutter, such as 1/500sec or 1/1000sec, can slow clips dramatically and create crisper frames that hold together better in post. So you can slow your 120fps down to slower than 4.8x, and it’ll still look good. How to hack your camera for more speed We shot outside during one of the UK’s hottest ever days in May, where it was 31°C∕88°F and without cloud cover. Due to the camera’s frustratingly long boot-up time, we left it on constantly for around 40 minutes when shooting a motocross race and it didn’t overheat. This was despite keeping the fans set to normal mode, so it handled the huge quantity of data well. The camera we used for our tests was a prototype with beta firmware, so the final versions will most likely be even better. It currently only shoots Raw in 10- bit, but the results are just stunning. A forthcoming upgrade will unlock 12-bit for even better results, but Pixboom has warned that using the 12-bit mode will reduce your choices in terms of frame rate. At least you will have a choice. The current workflow relies on Pixboom’s proprietary Raw format, which must be converted via dedicated software before editing. This free download is basic, but there is an intrinsic beauty in that. It’s easy to use and understand, and it allows you to scrub through lots of footage and
Exploring your camera’s crop mode options can also help because these can often unlock higher frame rates by using a smaller sensor area. This technique will also lose some field of view, however. Software can also help. Tools such as Topaz Video AI use artificial intelligence to generate entirely new frames between existing ones, which effectively increases frame rates beyond what the camera originally captured. Footage that’s shot at 60fps can often be convincingly converted to 120fps, 240fps or sometimes higher. Other options include Adobe After Effects Pixel Motion interpolation and Optical Flow processing in editors such as DaVinci Resolve Studio and Final Cut Pro.
The Spark aims to make high- speed filmmaking genuinely practical on smaller sets Cool operator
13 stops of dynamic range, and there is dramatically improved low-light sensitivity compared with older high-speed systems that demanded enormous lighting set-ups. An enormous amount of light is still needed due to the 180° rule, by which shutter speeds are most often set at double the frame rate. This means that shooting at 1000fps requires a shutter speed of 1∕2000sec, and 2000fps calls for a speed of 1∕4000sec. Traditional high-speed cinematography often required lighting that was powerful enough to trip circuit breakers. Spark, on the other hand, aims to make high-speed filmmaking practical on smaller sets. During testing, we successfully shot coffee beans as they were being dropped onto a coffee bag, with a single overhead LED COB light doing the heavy lifting. Getting enough light in to fuel your creativity is not a problem outside when it’s a sunny day. Even when light levels dropped and the second ISO of 1600 was selected, the noise was minimal and easy to clean up. The colours were great, too. This really is a lovely sensor.
Ground control There are lots of button options, but the touchscreen is a great way to navigate menus and review your slowed-down footage
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