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All About Guns What's your weapon of choice, and why? Discuss the beloved speargun here!

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Old 08-31-2017, 02:46 PM   #1
Diving Gecko
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Speargun Testing (Cameras and Other Setup)

New Possible Slow-Motion Camera (1000fps for USD700)
Hey guys,
The talk about cameras and slow motion as a diagnostic tool in pool testing pops up from time to time.
I am photographer/videographer in real life and as such I try to keep tab on technical advances. So far, the GoPro and other actioncams have been the best option unless you wanted to spring for a Sony RX100 series cam in a housing - or had access to a pro high speed (slow mo) camera like the Phantom cameras.

But just today, Sony announced the RX0 which I think could be a very worthwhile camera for this purpose. Sony took the RX100IV/V sensor and put it in an actioncam style camera. No 4K in-camera but watertight without an extra housing to 10m (perfect for pool testing). Frame rates in HD up to 250fps (frames per second) then with a drop in resolution when you get to 500fps and 1000fps. As for slow motion ratios, 250fps slows the footage by 10 times (if you edit on a 25fps timeline). So, 500fps and 1000fps slow it to 20 and 40 times respectively. This is very, very slow, indeed; imagine a 1 sec shot becoming 10, 20 or 40 secs long.
The lens is equivalent to 24mm on full frame cameras but it sits behind a flat port vs. a dome, so it could possibly a bit narrow in reg. to field of view. But in a clean pool, where you can just move back a little, I think it should be OK. It wont be fisheyed and distorted as an actioncam. Also, the sensor is bigger than actioncam sensors which means more light gathering and less noise than in e.g. a GoPro. Since shutter speeds are high in slow motion, it results in even less light reaching the sensor so having better low light specs is a good thing.

On the con side could be a meager battery allegedly giving a run time of less than an hour and no 4K internally. Also, the RX100 series cameras don't do continuous slow mo recordings in the highest frame rate settings (just 5 secs or so). I have not yet been able to figure out if this one has solved that issue.

Price should be about USD 700 and it is said to be available come October.

Here are some links and pics:



Sony product video:

Tech site write-ups:
https://www.cnet.com/products/sony-rx0/preview/
http://www.newsshooter.com/2017/08/3...-this-be-your/
https://petapixel.com/2017/08/31/son...n-camera-body/
https://www.dpreview.com/news/434342...a-compact-body

Last edited by Diving Gecko; 09-03-2017 at 04:07 PM.
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Old 09-03-2017, 03:43 PM   #2
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Re: Speargun Testing (Cameras and Other Setup)

I found a mentioning somewhere online (can't find the link now) and it seems the RX0 can record 4 secs of slow motion at a time (it's 7 secs for the RX100V).
So, you certainly need a buddy and some sort of sign/grunting system to let him know when to start recording. Four secs doesn't sound like a lot but those four seconds become 40secs (or even more) once slowed down, so it could still be a very viable tool.
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Old 09-05-2017, 03:41 AM   #3
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Re: Speargun Testing (Cameras and Other Setup)

Hmmm ... very interesting. I have the IV version with a big waterproof housing, but to be honest I never got it in the water. The slow motion recording at 4 sec is really a problem ... that means you need someone else out there to do the shot as you just don't have enough time to press on and then rush to shoot. It is possible that someone could hack the firmware and get more than the 4 secs, but my guess is that there is a reason why they have kept it at 4 sec. Maybe the processor just can't deal with the increased frame rate, or maybe the unit is just too small to dissipate heat generated by such high frame rates. I really do like the Hero 5 250fps and found it very useful. I remember many years back I had a Casio with 1000fps ... but that was quite grainy. I still found it very useful in seeing how bands fly out and how shooting line always seems to tangle and then untangle. Would be nice to have something as compact as a Hero session camera with 1000fps!
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Old 09-05-2017, 07:36 AM   #4
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Re: Speargun Testing (Cameras and Other Setup)

Looks like you can control it wirelessly, you can probably just push record remotely and then fire.
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Old 09-05-2017, 11:07 AM   #5
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Re: Speargun Testing (Cameras and Other Setup)

I don't think hacking it would be easy. Canons have been hacked but I don't think anyone ever hacked a Sony. The recording limit is very close to that of the RX100IV (the model V is a bit better) so I do think it is a hardware issue.

As for controlling it remotely, most wifi/bluetooth remotes do not work in water past half a meter or so. Don't know if this one would be any better.
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Old 09-06-2017, 03:22 AM   #6
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Re: Speargun Testing (Cameras and Other Setup)

Another thing that I find problematic is battery life ... I wonder if they have a high capacity battery that can be added.
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Old 09-06-2017, 10:44 AM   #7
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Re: Speargun Testing (Cameras and Other Setup)

Quote:
Originally Posted by spearq8 View Post
Another thing that I find problematic is battery life ... I wonder if they have a high capacity battery that can be added.
It seems you can power it via the USB port but no add-on battery is available and if you power it with USB, I'd think it would no longer be waterproof

I think it is a dianogstic slow-mo tool operated by a buddy, only at this point - as you can not just turn it on and let it run.

Personally, I would have loved to see it with a slightly wider lens and better battery with a cheaper housing (the Sony housing is more than the cam). I have been hoping for years for someone to actually put a bigger sensor and better codec in an actioncam so I could get better recordings in the water. This got close but still missed the mark. Also, no 4K internally is going to harm its sales big time. Not because it is really needed for straight-to-youtube but mostly because consumers think it is needed.

Last edited by Diving Gecko; 09-06-2017 at 01:05 PM.
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Old 09-07-2017, 12:22 PM   #8
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Re: Speargun Testing (Cameras and Other Setup)

As an alternative, and possibly a "free" one at that, many smartphones can actually shoot 720p in 240 frames. E.g. the iPhone 6s and upwards can. I don't know how well the touchscreen works in one of those waterproof snorkeling bags, but this could be the cheapest way to get x10 slow mo.

[EDIT]
Just did a quick test. The volume button work to start and stop recording video, too in iOS. Should be very doable using an iPhone then.
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