Shooting super-slow-motion video can be a great way to create engaging content, or to better understand intricate processes in technology or the natural that would otherwise go unnoticed by the naked eye. Many cameras have slow motion settings - some up to around 1000fps - but even this frame rate is nowhere near fast enough for a viewer to fully appreciate every moment of a really fast 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' event.
That's where high-speed cameras come into their own. Some can be highly specialized devices for industrial applications, but others are more consumer-orientated, with (relatively) accessible price tags. And it's in this latter category where the new Chronos Q12 camera from Kron Technologies belongs. Measuring 188mm x 111mm x 53mm (7.40" x 4.37" x 2.08") without a lens, and weighing just 1.32 kg, it's amazingly light and compact for a high speed camera. It's been designed for researchers, engineers, scientists and industrial professionals, but is also suitable for creatives wanting to record captivating slow-motion footage, enabling viewers to appreciate events that happen too quickly to observe with conventional cameras.
At its maximum 2560 x 2016 resolution, the Q12 can shoot at 2,313fps - that's more than twice as fast as most consumer cameras max out at. But there's more. If you're prepared to lower your capture resolution, the Q12 is capable of even more speed. Just by dropping to 2560 x 1440, 3,116fps is possible, while 1080p footage can be captured at an incredible 5,148fps. If you really want to max out a Q12, a barely-believable 29,515fps is possible, though only by setting the video resolution to a largely-impractical 128 x 32. And remember, this is all from a camera not much bulkier than a typical Sony or Canon mirrorless body.
The Q12 uses an APS-C image sensor that records in full color (some very high speed cameras can only capture in monochrome). Two versions of the camera are available, differentiated by the size of their internal memory buffer. The 64GB model is capable of recording 5.7 seconds of video in one burst, while the 128GB Q12 can record 11.5-second clips. That might sound paltry, but remember, the kind of fleeting moments you'll likely want to record with a camera like this - a bullet shattering a pane of glass, for instance - will be over in a fraction of a second, let alone 5 or 10 full seconds. When the internal memory is full, video can be stored on the Q12's built-in 1TB NVMe SSD, or there's an SD card slot. A USB-C SSD can also be attached to the camera to supplement the internal storage.
Video can be shot in Raw or compressed H.264/H.265 formats, with 8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit user-selectable color modes available. Settings are controlled via a large 5-inch, 800 x 480 touchscreen display, which can also be used as a field monitor thanks to its high 1000-nit brightness, negating the need for a separate monitor or tethered laptop. The camera can be paired with a lens of your choice, with support for C-mount, E-mount, F-mount, EF-mount, PL-Mount, and MFT-mount lenses via an interchangeable lens mount.
The Chronos Q12 is available now, with pricing starting at $19,995 for the 64GB model and $21,995 USD for the 128GB version. Obviously that's quite a lot more than a more conventional APS-C mirrorless camera, but when you consider that high speed cameras can cost well into six figures, Kron's pricing is fair.
