XA20 and the slow motion feature at DVinfo.net

Luis A. Diaz · September 16th, 2013, 05:19 PM

Hi all !!

Has anyone been able to use the slow motion feature of this camera, can you talk about the quality and how it works. I would be very interested.
I have seen only one video on Youtube that did not explain much.

Thanks,
Luis

Stephen Dey · September 17th, 2013, 07:27 AM

Hi,

Like you I'd appreciate a like a better explanation of the slow / fast motion feature, I don't seem to be able to understand the correlation between frame rate and Mbps - needs to be explained to me in a simpler way that I can get my head round. I think the manual doesn't cover it sufficiently.

I did manage to film water coming from the fountain head on my pond feature and the splashes and water droplets coming off, slowed down, that looked pretty impressive on my TV - but I must admit I can't remember how I achieved it , so any help would be greatly appreciated.

PS Got a link to that YouTube vid ?

Luis A. Diaz · September 17th, 2013, 07:15 PM

Hi Dey:

Since we have had very little participation in this forum for simple questions I was able a lot of searching for the answer and I think I found something that you and I can use to understand and explain I might say very well what the Slow Motion function actually does. In fact this camcorder is one of the few that actually does this in camera at this price range.

I am referring to one of your compatriots Phillip Bloom which does an excellent review of the XA-25 in this video but applies to the XA-20 the same.
Here is the link from one month ago.

Hope it helps,

Luis

Jody Arnott · September 17th, 2013, 08:48 PM

From my understanding (and this is just from what I've read) the XA20 can do slow motion in two different ways.

The first is overcranking. Basically the video is played back at the usual 25 frames per second or whatever you have it set to, but the video is already sped up when you play it back. This is useful as you don't need to slow down the footage in your editing system. The downside is you usually don't get audio in this mode.

The second way is the camera records at 50 or 60 frames per second, which is double what you would normally get. When you play the file back, the audio is normal and the video plays back at normal speed, but you are able to slow it down by ~50% in your editing system and get smooth slow motion playback.

That's my understanding anyway.. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Steven Ansell · September 17th, 2013, 09:57 PM

It is pretty simple really, depending on which setting you select, the camera will record in one of its preset modes and playback in one of the other preset modes. That will either result in a speeding up of the footage, or a slowing down, depending on what presets you have selected. You can't adjust the speed outside of those presets.

September 16th, 2013, 05:19 PM	#1
Luis A. Diaz Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Miami, Florida. USA. Posts: 138	XA20 and the slow motion feature Hi all !! Has anyone been able to use the slow motion feature of this camera, can you talk about the quality and how it works. I would be very interested. I have seen only one video on Youtube that did not explain much. Thanks, Luis

September 17th, 2013, 07:27 AM	#2
Stephen Dey New Boot Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Norwich UK Posts: 23	Re: XA20 and the slow motion feature Hi, Like you I'd appreciate a like a better explanation of the slow / fast motion feature, I don't seem to be able to understand the correlation between frame rate and Mbps - needs to be explained to me in a simpler way that I can get my head round. I think the manual doesn't cover it sufficiently. I did manage to film water coming from the fountain head on my pond feature and the splashes and water droplets coming off, slowed down, that looked pretty impressive on my TV - but I must admit I can't remember how I achieved it , so any help would be greatly appreciated. PS Got a link to that YouTube vid ? Last edited by Stephen Dey; September 17th, 2013 at 07:29 AM. Reason: Added comment

September 17th, 2013, 07:15 PM	#3
Luis A. Diaz Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Miami, Florida. USA. Posts: 138	Re: XA20 and the slow motion feature Hi Dey: Since we have had very little participation in this forum for simple questions I was able a lot of searching for the answer and I think I found something that you and I can use to understand and explain I might say very well what the Slow Motion function actually does. In fact this camcorder is one of the few that actually does this in camera at this price range. I am referring to one of your compatriots Phillip Bloom which does an excellent review of the XA-25 in this video but applies to the XA-20 the same. Here is the link from one month ago. Canon XA25 Review on Vimeo Hope it helps, Luis

September 17th, 2013, 08:48 PM	#4
Jody Arnott Major Player Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Hamilton, New Zealand Posts: 747	Re: XA20 and the slow motion feature From my understanding (and this is just from what I've read) the XA20 can do slow motion in two different ways. The first is overcranking. Basically the video is played back at the usual 25 frames per second or whatever you have it set to, but the video is already sped up when you play it back. This is useful as you don't need to slow down the footage in your editing system. The downside is you usually don't get audio in this mode. The second way is the camera records at 50 or 60 frames per second, which is double what you would normally get. When you play the file back, the audio is normal and the video plays back at normal speed, but you are able to slow it down by ~50% in your editing system and get smooth slow motion playback. That's my understanding anyway.. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

September 17th, 2013, 09:57 PM	#5
Steven Ansell Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Vancouver Canada Posts: 34	Re: XA20 and the slow motion feature It is pretty simple really, depending on which setting you select, the camera will record in one of its preset modes and playback in one of the other preset modes. That will either result in a speeding up of the footage, or a slowing down, depending on what presets you have selected. You can't adjust the speed outside of those presets.