Slow motion?

[Ray Dunakin]

I've been shooting some slow motion video with my iPhone, which shoots at 120fps. This is ok but I'd like to shoot faster, at least 240fps. I tried out a Sony RX100 VA, which had gotten good reviews for shooting slo-mo. However, I was disappointed to find that it's limited to 4 second shots at 240fps, and even less at 480 or 960fps. Not only that, but it's not even shooting true 1080p -- it's "scaled up".

I want slow motion primarily for filming nature, such as butterflies and other insects. These things don't perform on cue. If I'm trying to get video of a butterfly taking off, it may sit there for some time before suddenly moving.

On my iPhone I can shoot 120fps continuously, and wait for the subject to move. I don't understand why a $900 camera can't do better. I've searched online and so far every other camera I've looked (including some very expensive ones) either has slower speeds or has very short recording times.

[Doug Jensen]

Even though some of the Sony cameras can only record in short bursts, they do have a function called "End Trigger". The way that works is that several seconds of video are always being buffered in the camera's internal memory . . . and when you see the butterfly leave the frame . . . then you press the record button to lock in several seconds of whatever action has already happened. Once you've used it you will love it because it really cuts down on the huge amount of wasted data space that happens when you just let the camera roll and roll and roll. The iPhone cannot match a real camcorder for quality of the image, optical qiuality, using longer focal lengths, manual exposure control, white balance, robustness of the codec, etc.

[Ray Dunakin]

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

Even though some of the Sony cameras can only record in short bursts, they do have a function called "End Trigger". The way that works is that several seconds of video are always being buffered in the camera's internal memory . . . and when you see the butterfly leave the frame . . . then you press the record button to lock in several seconds of whatever action has already happened. Once you've used it you will love it because it really cuts down on the huge amount of wasted data space that happens when you just let the camera roll and roll and roll.

It still seems pretty limiting, but maybe I'll experiment with that a bit before I return the camera.

The iPhone cannot match a real camcorder for quality of the image, optical qiuality, using longer focal lengths, manual exposure control, white balance, robustness of the codec, etc.

Yeah, I know. I already have two DSLRs that are great for every BUT slow motion. That's why I'm trying to find a camera that can shoot decent slow motion.

[Ray Dunakin]

Since there appear to be no better options available, I've decided to keep the RX100 rather than returning it.

[Ryan Elder]

A lot of people are adding frame interpolation in post. I hear decent things about it, if there is not other options available for the filmmaker.

[Mark Rosenzweig]

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