High-speed cameras roll at IBC 2011

Debra Kaufman Santa Monica California USA ©2011 CreativeCOW.net. All rights reserved.

IBC boasted hot new high-speed cameras, with P+S Technik introducing a "time effect" or digital cinematography synch sound camera with a 35mm-sized CMOS imager and global shutter that offers slow motion, fast motion, ramped motion and time-lapse motion.

Cameras abounded at IBC, and among all the usual suspects, from Aaton to ARRI, a few companies that manufacture adjustable speed cameras showed off their specialized gear. Vision Research, which manufactures the Phantom camera, had a booth where they showed off some of the amazing images produced by the Phantom, which shoots at a range of speeds depending on the model: Phantom Flex shoots between 5 and 2570 fps; Phantom 65 shoots at 140 fps at full resolution; and Phantom HD Gold shoots at 1000 fps at 1920 x 1080 and 500 fps at 1280 x 720.



The Phantom 65, manufactured by Vision Research. Please click on image above for larger view.


Vision Research's Phantom wasn't the only high-speed camera at IBC. P+S Technik introduced its PS-Cam X35, a digital cinematography synch sound camera with a 35mm-sized CMOS imager and global shutter that offers slow motion, fast motion, ramped motion and time-lapse motion.


To show the camera in action, P+S Technik ran clips from Daughters of the Wind and Bad Ass Bikers, movies that used the prototype PS-Cam X35. "It's a combination of sound and motion effects camera," says P+S Technik manager, business unit, digital capturing, Michael Erkelenz. "The fact that it's a proper all-purpose sync sound camera with a global shutter and 35mm-sized CMOS imager makes it an all-purpose motion effects camera and a daily workhorse. It's also an exciting alternative for crews and producers who want to make the leap from film to digital as seamlessly as possible while having motion effects capability with their main camera package at their fingertips. The director of photography can provide the director with motion effects footage without the additional costs of renting a separate high-speed camera package and the technician required to use it."


Erkelenz points out that different frame rates can be used to create different emotions in audiences. "At around 300 to 450 fps, every human action appears smooth and astounding," he says. "It's ideal for sports, documentary, wildlife and features. The PS-Cam X35's range of motion effects gives narrative filmmakers the ability to interact with speed rates and the freedom to tell the nuances of a story with the confidence that all of their ideas are being captured."

At IBC, Codex Digital unveiled its collaboration with P+S Technik to provide a workflow for the PS-Cam X35 digital camera. In the demonstration, at the P+S Technik booth, a Codex Onboard Recorder recorded images from the PS-Cam X35 camera. In the proposed workflow scenario, the data packs would then be moved over to a Codex Transfer Station for Mac OS X where the Codex Virtual File System will generate whatever deliverables are required, such as Avid DNX-HD MXF or Apple ProRes for editorial or DPX for VFX and finishing. Via the collaboration with Codex, the X35 becomes part of an entire production platform, from recording the images produced by the camera through to dailies delivery and post production.



Codex Onboard Recorder. Please click image above for larger view.


Elsewhere on the IBC floor, i-Movix showed the fruits of a partnership with EVS to create a solution for "ultra motion broadcast applications," or extreme slow motion in HD.



The the X10 solution delivers 300 fps real-time continuous extreme slow motion in full HD or 600 fps in 720p, combined with the EVS XT3 live production server.



EVX XT-3
Flexible 8-channel SD/HD and 6-channel 3D/1080p configurations.


By using the CineStream RTO technology from Vision Research, i-Movix's Phantom-powered X10 delivers 300 fps real-time continuous extreme slow motion in full HD (or 600 fps in 720p) combined with the EVS live production server. Developed in partnership with EVS, the X10 system, associated with the EVS XT3 production server under LSM control, offers a much greater degree of slow motion in real-time than the systems now available. The X10 provides a familiar user interface and controls that any broadcast crew can use immediately, without any special training. According to iMovix CEO Laurent Renard, the X10 is intended to "accelerate the acceptance of ultra-slow motion into the mainstream of broadcasting." I-Movix also demonstrated its SprintCam Vvs HD Phantom-powered system that enables the capture and instant replay of up to 5,800 fps in 720P (and up to 2,700 fps in 1080i).

If IBC 2011 is any indication, high-speed "motion effects" cameras are moving beyond the specialty item into the mainstream. The move by Codex Digital and EVS to partner with these camera companies offers compelling proof that other important players in the workflow recognize the possibilities of providing a platform. Expect to see more motion effects soon, and not simply on sports matches.

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