I'm in love with 300fps. It's not too fast yet captures expressions and action on a whole different level to 60fps or less.

I think I could work pretty much excusively with that frame ratre for my creative projects if I could find a camera that could pair it with a decent resolution.

I have a Casio EX-F1, had it for about two years now. Whilst it is far behind in resolution, it's given me a window into the future working with that frame rate.

Can't afford a Phantom Flex and even 20,000 is out of my price range. If a camera like the AF-100 came out with a 300fps feature at sub 8K, I would buy it tomorrow.

Anyone heard of anything on the horizon? Surely 300fps at 1080p is technology not far around the corner?

Kris,

I have been keeping an eye out for something affordable also, nothing yet. Obviously, the technology is here, but the price is not coming down on those Phantoms.

I am hoping Casio will continue to improve on their Exilim line. I have the EX-FH25. It shoots high def at normal speed (30 fps) and then goes up to 120, 240, 480, 1000 fps with a drop in resolution with each speed increase. My favorite is 120 fps because it is 640 x 480 standard def. I find the 480 and 1000 modes to be useless due to poor resolution. This camera is about $350 now. There are still some EX-FH20 cameras floating around but I would not buy one as the beginning high speed is 210 fps at less than standard def resolution.

It has a 20X zoom lens. Some limitations include not being able to zoom while recording. Also, the lens sticks out a long ways at full zoom and I have found that high wind or vibration will cause the lens to sort of "rattle" which blurs the image. No sound recorded in high speed mode.

I really enjoy the slow mo effect and at 120 fps, you get a 4x slow down effect, and decent quality. Not sure what the limit is on record times, I have 16GB sticks and have shot for over 10 minutes.

Mark

Your best shot is the Red Scarlet if/when it appears at NAB. 120 fps in 720p.

Tim - Yes, the Scarlet is getting toward what I'm after, but 120 is not quite fast enough.

Slow motion is my absolute favourite creative format. On a creative level, it can give you something that awes people when it's done right. 120fps slowed using software to 300fps won't nearly achieve the same results as a 300fps native acquired footage.

Spent a long time working at different frame rates when we've had cameras like the Phantom on client projects and studying high speed work online. My personal opinion is that how much you overcrank is relative to your audience's psychological suspension of disbelief for your story.

Thus, anything faster than 300 is seen as a novelty shot and your audience will see the shot as slow motion. But 300 appears to be optimal in that alternative dimension between normal speeds and novelty slo-mo.

(I hope that made sense!) Meanwhile, I guess I'll just continue to dream!

Mark, I can see why you went for the FH25 for the 33% higher res at 120fps over EX-F1's 300fps. I just hate the fixed lens on those cameras, such a huge limitation. They call it a 'pro' camera, but no pro camera has a fixed lens. I went with the EX-F1 for 60fps at 1080p - When you upscale the 300 fps to 720p using Red Giant Instant HD, it doesn't look too bad. I also used Neat Video to get rid of some of the artefacting. Give it plenty of light and it doesn't look half bad.

This is a preview using that method for the beginning of a Sigur Ros music video I made. I'm not permitted to release the full version, so only a preview I'm afraid.
Shot on a Casio Exilim EX-F1 with some heavy post-processing.

Final pre-cut test - preview on Vimeo

Your best shot is the Red Scarlet if/when it appears at NAB. 120 fps in 720p.

That's the first time I've heard about the 2/3" Scarlet being windowed at 120fps.

Hey Brian, it looks like I was off-base in posting that Scarlet info. This is what I found:

3K: 1-120fps (150fps burst)
Scaled 1080P: 1-60fps
Scaled 720P: 1-60fps

Looks correct but I am surprised the scaled 720p is only at 60fps. Sorry for the error.

Yes, Tim, seems a bit odd.

Does that mean the Scarlet won't do 120fps?

It surprises me that the bigger brand names don't do more to give us higher frame rates.

From what I could find it will only do 120fps in 3k, which is its native resolution.

I guess all the processing need to scale it, slows down the frame rate compared to just the straight RAW.

Your best shot is the Red Scarlet if/when it appears at NAB. 120 fps in 720p.

When I saw the Scarlet at Nab in 2008 I wanted one. Same in 2009 and 2010 but you say I can buy one at NAB 2011? Only 15 days until NAB. Sweet! I'm getting one and as soon as I get back I will post some pictures!

I was under the impression they were in a five year cycle between announcement and actual release and was planning on getting one in 2012. If it's really a year early I will be a very happy guy and maybe I can sell some of the six cameras I have purchased since waiting for the Scarlet.

Plus now I won't feel so embarassed for those people who have been building their Scarlet online for the past four years, trying to keep up with all the pre-production changes. There are some people who have made over 1000 online posts for a camera that you couldnt't buy until now!

If anyone has any requests for things they would like me to shoot with my new Scarlet, please post them. I'm sure Chris is working hard on making a new Scarlet thread so look for the information there right after NAB. I'm so excited it has finally arrived....

I don't think it'll be available until end of summer 2011,
well at least that's what Red Leader says, but you know , with Red everything is subject to change,
without notice :)

David, it's definitely not available today, and I haven't read anything about it being for sale at NAB. They will certainly show it at NAB though. There is footage on the web showing prototypes capturing video.

Overall, it looks like EPIC-S (formerly, Scarlet S35) will be available before the Scarlet 2/3 models.

There has been a delay in delivering the Scarlet because of the earthquake in Japan resulting in a hold up for some components.

I don't think it'll be available until end of summer 2011,
well at least that's what Red Leader says, but you know , with Red everything is subject to change,
without notice :)

END OF SUMMER?! I can’t believe it. I promised footage and photos after I returned from NAB. Well now that looks like that won’t happen and I hope Chris Hurd hasn’t been putting a lot of time and effort in setting up that new section of the forum, I would feel terrible!

I have over three years of designing my own Scarlet System. Trying to keep up with the changes, added or dropped features/models has been a real pain. I have three years invested proving to myself that this camera is “the one” and I still haven’t settled on the right lens. Can you believe it?

Now that I think about it, that’s about 2 ½ years more study than any camera I actually own. I have to admit I too had a scare when I saw the Panny AF100, so much so I was compelled to purchase one. Yes I know, it’s not the camera my Scarlet is going to be but it does actually capture footage.

NOT BBC footage mind you but since I was on no BBC short list I am aware of, I stumbled ahead blindly despite spending only a few weeks of research. Well I had seen what the likes of what Philip Bloom had done but Philip can super-glue a GoPro to a monkey’s butt and make it interesting, so that’s no real test.

And not for nothing AF100 talk around here has been a little lean. So the camera I decided on got herpes and the one I want and need doesn’t really exist, at least until the end of summer. Was that this summer or next?

The Scarlet 2/3" fixed is coming out first (35mm sensor being now an Epic), but there's a lot of speculation about it and the late summer is only a guess by someone.

It will really depends on how quickly RED get the Japanese manufactured components (or replacements) for the camera, that could be a matter of weeks or months. I expect they'll know better by NAB.

I had a chat about this with the Olympus high speed camera representative at BVE. Asked him pretty much the same question your asking.

His response was, consumer cameras are able to have a slow mode (although low res) in them because they can be mass produced. As soon as you start improving the quality and goes beyond the cost consumers are willing to pay suddenly the costs have to rocket up to make up for the lower sales they will get.

Basically it explains why there is no 300fps slow motion camera in the prosumer price range because its not worth the R&D time and costs to produce it.

It's a shame because there is a big void between high end and consumer high speed cameras, like you I wish there was something which could do 300fps for the price of an EX1 for example. Even 120 at 720 would be good.

I'll never forget NAB, 2008. RED seriously thought they would deliver Scarlet 3K for $3K back by that Fall. Instead, we got DSLRs around that time, and many things have changed since then.

The impact of the DSLR can't be underestimated. In early 2008, nobody could get a 2/3" sensor cam for $3K, so the available market was huge. Now, most anybody with a new camera can shoot video with a S35 or larger sensor. The Scarlet total available market shriveled overnight. And we got a global recession to boot...

But the big hit to schedule and cost came, IMHO, when they went to a modular design. Having engineered a few fast time to market project, I know that simple is fast and cheap and complex (modular) is slow and expensive.

Personally, I think Scarlet Fixed will be THE KILLER documentary cam. The angle of view is just right. The DOF is deep enough for unscripted work. 3K will do film out. The fast sensor needed to do 120 or 180 (or whatever) fps should mean that rolling shutter is minimal and you can throw the camera around. RAW lets you fix bad settings in post. It will also be great for any film that wants a gritty, handheld, deep focus feel. And, true to the thread title, it will do fast framerates with high quality.

But you can also do fast framerates for many situations with Twixtor. (Make sure to shoot with enough light and a fast shutter speed.) So, unless you do docs or gritty films, I might look at other options for now.

You can always buy a cam now, shoot now, sell it, and get Scarlet later. Until it ships... it's not shipping! ;)

Kris,

If you don't need the mega fps to catch a bullet in flight, then there might be a camera that meets your needs and budget, but still pricey. As you probably know, Phatoms are made by Vision Research, but they also make the Miro line of cameras. For example, they have the Miro EX1 that shoots standard def (640 x 480) 500fps for $10,000. They also have the Miro Airborne HD that can do 320fps at 1920 x 1080. In this mode, it uses 4GB of memory every 5 seconds. This looks like a ruggedized camera that has a changeable lens (C-mount) and a good set of optional accessories available. I don't know what it costs, probably upwards of $15,000. It's fastest speed is 678fps at 1280 x 512. Do a google and check out the spec sheet. Form factor is somewhere between a dSLR and point-and-shoot.

With the rapidly changing guts in video cameras these days, I wish Canon would come out with something modular so I could just upgrade the imager and processing electronics and keep the body/lens interface.

Mark

That was just one guessimate for the fixed, others were nearer to just after NAB..

Regardless, events in Japan have upset whatever the original plans were. The Epic X deliveries have been put back and the Epic seems to be only available as the Epic M in the short term, presumably they've got enough components to meet the lower rate of production.

Japan is 3rd economy in the world and probably the most dedicated to their work nation, i received HF G10 straight from Japan within 6 days, and 2 days out of 6 it was sitting in Canadian customs,
i want to say that despite that terrible disaster, Japanese companies do everything they can to keep up with their financial obligations in times when they don't even need to look for excuse.
And if there will be another delay with the Red cameras delivery, it'll be the same reason we didn't have scarlet last year, and two years ago.

I just think they underestimated the time it takes to develop a camera and put it into production. Not helped by we can now do this new neat improvement factor.

Bad news... (http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?57082-Bad-news)...