SLOW MOTION RECORDING SONY RX 100 IV (OR SIMILAR) VERSUS HIGH RANGE SMARTPHONE

[FRANCISCO GARCIA]

Hello.


I've had a big question for a long time, and I can't find the answer. I hope that you can help me.


Is there a big difference in the quality of slow-motion video at 960 (1000) fps with a photo camera (for example Sony RX 100 IV) and a high-end smartphone (for example Samsung Galaxy Note S20 ultra 5G)?


I have a project to record experiments and actions in super slow motion, and my smartphone (Samsung Galaxy Note S20 ultra 5G) records at 960 fps (or so the manufacturer says). I only have two problems:


1.- The recording is automatic, when I pulse it records 1 or 2 seconds (which converts into 33 seconds at super slow speed), so it is very difficult to capture just what I want.


2.- I want to improve the final quality.


I've read that smartphones don't really capture 960 frames in a second, they capture much less, and do the rest with artificial intelligence, so:


Do dedicated cameras (for example the Sony RX 100 IV) really capture 960 frames in 1 second?


Will I see a reasonable quality difference in the end result of a 960fps video between the Sony RX 100 IV and the smartphone?


If there was a significant difference in quality, I would be willing to invest in that camera and buy it for this new project, but if the difference in quality is going to be very small, then maybe it would not be a good idea to buy the Sony.


And, finally, with photo cameras (like Sony), when I select the recording at 960 fps, how many real seconds do I have of recording? I need several real seconds to choose the right moment that I want to capture.


I await your advice.


Thank you very much.

 

[CherylL]

#1. The problem you are having with the Samsung will be the same with the Sony rx100iv.

Whatever camera you use, you need a lot of light. My Samsung S22+ Ultra has Slow-mode and Super Slow-Mode. I tried the Super Slow-Mode and it looked grainy, but I was losing daylight. I haven't experimented with the phone to give advise.

I did test shots with the Sony rx100iv. Shooting at 120fps and slowing down to 10% was better than shooting at the 960 frame rate.

Here is my comparison:

 

[AlanKlein]

The 960 frame rate is limited to two seconds of actual time, I believe. You can start the 2 second recordng when you first press the shutter. Or you can press it so it stores the previous two seconds. This flexibility helps depending on subject matter. The detail below shows the relationship of what is captured (from the manual).

Also, the Sony RX100 is 1" sensor which is larger than cellphones.

 

[AlanKlein]

#1. The problem you are having with the Samsung will be the same with the Sony rx100iv.

Whatever camera you use, you need a lot of light. My Samsung S22+ Ultra has Slow-mode and Super Slow-Mode. I tried the Super Slow-Mode and it looked grainy, but I was losing daylight. I haven't experimented with the phone to give advise.

I did test shots with the Sony rx100iv. Shooting at 120fps and slowing down to 10% was better than shooting at the 960 frame rate.

Here is my comparison:

Cheryl Those are really neat.

 

[Rickbb]

I agree that's some assume video.

 

[FRANCISCO GARCIA]

Thank you very much to all for the tips.

So I think it is not a good idea to invest almost €1,000 in the Sony camera, since the result at 960 fps will be very similar to what I will get with my smartphone.

Maybe it's a good idea to buy the Huawei mate 30 pro, and experiment with its 7,680 fps (and lots of light of course).

By the way Cheryl, I really liked your video!!!. Technically it is very good, besides, I also have a Mini Schnauzer !!!. I'll do my first tests with it, ha ha.

By the way, when you say that the recording at 120 fps slowed down to 10%, did you do that by editing the original recording (the 120 fps one) with an editing software (like Adobe Premiere, etc.)??

 

[CherylL]

Thank you very much to all for the tips.

So I think it is not a good idea to invest almost €1,000 in the Sony camera, since the result at 960 fps will be very similar to what I will get with my smartphone.

Maybe it's a good idea to buy the Huawei mate 30 pro, and experiment with its 7,680 fps (and lots of light of course).

By the way Cheryl, I really liked your video!!!. Technically it is very good, besides, I also have a Mini Schnauzer !!!. I'll do my first tests with it, ha ha.

By the way, when you say that the recording at 120 fps slowed down to 10%, did you do that by editing the original recording (the 120 fps one) with an editing software (like Adobe Premiere, etc.)??

I recorded at 120fps and slowed in Adobe Premier Pro. The Sony RX100iv is an older camera and when shooting in 120fps will give you 1080p video. You can't shoot 4k in 120fps. Maybe the new models have 4k in the 120fps?

This older model can be bought used for 1/2 the original price. I don't know if you have a Best Buy or something similar because I bought my iii and the iv as open box items which knocked off about $200 US.

Good luck with your project and please post up your schnauzer test videos!

 

[FRANCISCO GARCIA]

Hola de nuevo, te adjunto pruebas con mi Schnauzer. Están grabados con el Samsung Galaxy Note S20 ultra 5G a 960 fps y calidad de video 720p.

Aunque había suficiente luz, el sol no daba directamente en la terraza (no sé si la luz directa del sol mejorará la calidad del vídeo).

No me gustó mucho el resultado, se ve un poco borroso y granulado.

Estoy pensando en comprar el smartphone Huawei mate 30 pro, que graba a 960 fps y calidad 1080p. Esto mejorará considerablemente la calidad, ¿verdad?

Además, con el Huawei mate 30 pro, ¡obtendré videos a 7680 fps! Esto se consigue con inteligencia artificial (no se capturan 7680 fotogramas en un segundo), sino que graba a 7680 fps con calidad 720p.

Con el Huawei mate 30 pro obtendría videos como el que adjunto aquí pero con calidad 1080p, y videos con la misma calidad que el que adjunto aquí, pero muy muy lento (7680 fps)

¿Crees que es una buena idea?

 

[FRANCISCO GARCIA]

Hello again, I enclose tests with my Schnauzer. They are recorded with the Samsung Galaxy Note S20 ultra 5G at 960 fps and 720p video quality.

Although there was enough light, the sun did not shine directly on the terrace (I do not know if direct sunlight will improve the quality of the video).

I didn't really like the result, it looks a bit blurry and grainy.

I am thinking of buying the Huawei mate 30 pro smartphone, which records at 960 fps and 1080p quality. This will improve the quality considerably right?

Also, with the Huawei mate 30 pro, I will get videos at 7,680 fps !!!. This is achieved with artificial intelligence (7680 frames are not captured in one second), but it records at 7680 fps with 720p quality.

With the Huawei mate 30 pro, I would get videos like the one attached here but with 1080p quality, and videos with the same quality as the one attached here, but very very slow (7680 fps)

Do you think it's a good idea?

 

[FRANCISCO GARCIA]

I can't attach the videos. In mp4 format it rejects me, and in gif format it says that it is too long, how is it done?

 

[FRANCISCO GARCIA]

Hello again, I enclose tests with my Schnauzer. They are recorded with the Samsung Galaxy Note S20 ultra 5G at 960 fps and 720p video quality.

Although there was enough light, the sun did not shine directly on the terrace (I do not know if direct sunlight will improve the quality of the video).

I didn't really like the result, it looks a bit blurry and grainy.

I am thinking of buying the Huawei mate 30 pro smartphone, which records at 960 fps and 1080p quality. This will improve the quality considerably right?

Also, with the Huawei mate 30 pro, I will get videos at 7,680 fps !!!. This is achieved with artificial intelligence (7680 frames are not captured in one second), but it records at 7680 fps with 720p quality.

With the Huawei mate 30 pro, I would get videos like the one attached here but with 1080p quality, and videos with the same quality as the one attached here, but very very slow (7680 fps)

Do you think it's a good idea?

 

[CherylL]

Ahhhh sweet schnauzer! Looking at the video full screen on my desk top the video does look mushy. 720p is on the small size.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

The problem with the numbers is that you need to see the results. If you cannot find images from the exact models you are looking for, then all you have are numbers and reputations. "GSMarena" is a good source for the numbers (they maintain a searchable database) but their testing is not always thorough enough to answer specific questions. Searching YouTube will get some results, but what you find can be misleading. The best reviews I have found on YouTube are "Max Tech" (Max Yuryev), "Tony Northrup", "GSMArena" and "DPReview". There are others too. I guess I would start at GSMarena to find the phones to search for, and then search the net generally for the phones in text reviews, and then YouTube to see videos last.

 

[Rickbb]

In my opinion cell phone cameras will not equal the quality of a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
Two reasons;
1. Lens size and quality.
2. Sensor size.

Ask yourself what is the end use of the video? If high quality is most important for your use, then stop looking at phones that also have a camera and look at cameras that have an established reputation for high video quality output.