“Let Me Know When You See Fire”- The First Ever Short Length Film Shot on the Phantom Flex4K Digital High-Speed Camera

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Vision Research Team

Director, Brendan Bellomo, and cinematographer, Greg Wilson, were thrilled when we at Vision Research tasked them with filming the first test footage with the new Phantom Flex4K Digital Cinema Camera. With less than 3 weeks to shoot, edit and assemble all of the footage, according to both Bellomo and Wilson, “there were not many hours of sleep during that crucial time.” However, even with the lack of sleep, they were able to pull together an amazing piece of cinematic work that really demonstrates the vast capabilities of this groundbreaking camera.

phanton flex4k high speed camera The digital high-speed camera was a little more than a week old and still in its alpha prototype stage when Bellomo and Wilson got their hands on it. With the help of the Hebron and Glastonbury Fire Departments in Connecticut, they were able to simulate a burning house in the middle of the woods, and incorporate both regular speed and high speed into the film.

The Phantom Flex4K is a true 4K RAW camera capable of at 1000fps at 4K resolution. While they did some compositing in NukeX, the majority of the shots are done in camera. There were absolutely no particle simulation effects at all. The fire, water and smoke are all real elements that were captured with this slow motion camera.

In order to truly understand the methodology, commitment and raw talent that went into producing a film with this camera for the first time, you really have to watch the film. Click here to watch it in its entirety.

Also, make sure to follow the progress of the Phantom Flex4K all summer long by “liking” the Phantom Flex4K on Facebook and “following” @PhantomFlex4K on Twitter.

New Technical Note Posted – Performance Optimizations Using the GPU

Posted on May 10, 2013 by randyfeldman

Graphics cards today have a programmable processor unit which can be exploited as a general processing device. This programmable unit is called Graphic Processor Unit or GPU.

Given their highly parallel multicore architecture, many GPUs show a great computational power and are often used as co-processors.

Click here to download the document.

Shattering Shot Glasses at High Speed

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Vision Research Team

One of the highlights each year during the International Conference and Expo on Advanced Ceramics and Composites (ICACC) is the annual Shot Glass Drop Competition sponsored by the Schott North America. The competition—mainly for fun and bragging rights— always draws a huge crowd interested in seeing who’s contraption will beat out all the others. The contest involves engineering a container composed only of plastic straws that is designed to protect a shot glass as it is dropped from increasing heights.

This year, Vision Research was able to contribute to the competition by providing super-slow motion footage of the drops, filmed with one of our Phantom high speed video cameras, right on site for viewers to watch.

The 2013 Shot Glass Drop Competition reached new heights, literally. In previous years, the designs were so intricate and durable that many shot glasses survived drops from the tallest ladder available, a 15-footer. This year, organizers arranged for a motorized lift to be available—and it was much needed. Two shot glasses survived drops from 18 feet high, forcing the competition organizers to heighten the drop length to a record breaking 21 feet. The final drop put Sylvia Johnson, an ACerS Member and chief materials technologist for entry systems and technology at NASA Ames Research Center, against a design by Christian Espinoza-Santos and Daniel Ribero Rodriquez, graduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. And the winners, by only a small crack, were Christian Espinoza-Santos and Daniel Ribero Rodriquez.

To check out footage of the actual competition as well as the slow motion camera footage obtained by a Vision Research Phantom camera, click here.

v1610 High-Speed Camera Case Study: How Do They Make Engines More Fuel Efficient?

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Vision Research Team

With gas prices constantly rising, everyone is looking for car engines to be more fuel efficient with low emissions, great gas mileage and high performance all at the same time. How are engineers able to accomplish this seemingly impossible feat?

Professor Christoph Brücker, an engineer and head of the Fluid Mechanics & Machines Department at the nearly 250-year old University of Freiberg at the Institute for Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics in Freiberg, Germany, embarked on an aggressive project to test the efficiency of internal combustion engines. To further help him understand the dynamics of what was happening inside the engine, he enlisted the help of Vision Research’s Phantom v1610 high-speed camera.

The v1610 is the leader in the world of high-speed imaging with its ability to capture more than 16,000 frames-per-second (fps) at full resolution and up to 1,000,000 fps at reduced resolution. “Frame rate is very important when studying the flow of fluids. There’s no other way we would have been able to record this type of data, because it’s impossible to actually ‘see’ the flow inside of an engine at such a high temporal and spatial resolution. The v1610 enabled us to map the 3D velocity within one complete cylinder of a car engine. With the camera, we discovered the 3D nature of the flow structures and vortices.” Brücker explained.

For more information on this fascinating fluid mechanics case study and how Brücker and his colleagues used the v1610, please take a look at our detailed case study, here: http://www.visionresearch.com/uploads/docs/casestudies/CS_WEB-v1610-Auto%20Fuel%20Effic.pdf

If you are using a Phantom camera for scientific or medical research and you would like to share your experiment, please email us at vision@randjpr.com today! Also feel free to post a comment below telling us how you use your high-speed camera!

ShotOnWhat? Reveals What Films Phantom High-Speed Video Cameras Have Brought To Life

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Vision Research Team

If you’re a camera junkie like we are over here at Vision Research, then one of the first questions that you always ask yourself when watching anything on television, online or in the movie theatres is, “What camera was that shot on?” Then there’s always the supplementary questions that follow like, “What system did they use to finish that film, was that edited on FCP, Avid or something else, is that converted 3D and whose 3D rig was used?” Plus, for us, it’s always nice to see in one spot all the great pieces of work that were brought to life by our Phantom high-speed video cameras.

Luckily for us, ShotOnWhat? has created the most extensive and comprehensive framework for the collection of often-unrecorded technical information related to the creation of entertainment programming. Making its debut in 2012, ShotOnWhat? is the only production and post-production knowledgebase for the industry, developed to fill a much needed gap for the technical side of the filmmaking. It’s a reference site for in-depth recording and research of the relationship between the final delivered product and the various associated processes and products used during filming and post-production.

ShotOnWhat? collects and preserves the extensive history of film and television technical tools. It lists every aspect of a production, no matter how big or small and presents all of the information in an easy-to-use and searchable format. Users can easily locate all titles that used specific elements, hardware, codecs, formats, tools, facilities and individuals who were involved in the creation. Not only is information easily located, but information is also constantly being updated. Anyone can update information for each title, allowing people to contribute their portion of knowledge without knowing the rest of the workflow.

Take a moment to check out ShotOnWhat? to see what products helped bring your favorite films to life. Also make sure to take a look at all the films made with our very own Phantom high-speed cameras by clicking the following link: Vision Research Cameras on ShotOnWhat?

New Case Study” Digital High-Speed Cameras Work to Increase Automobile Fuel Efficiency

Posted on April 22, 2013 by randyfeldman

By using advanced digital high-speed imaging systems, engineers are able to refine their testing methods to a degree where they can inspect every last molecule of fuel running through a car engine. Such is the case for Prof. Christoph Brücker, an engineer and head of the Fluid Mechanics & Machines department at the nearly 250-year old University of Freiberg at the Institute of Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics in Freiberg, Germany. Along with a team of engineers, Prof. Brücker has embarked on an aggressive project to test the efficiency of internal combustion engines. For more information, click here

NAB 2013 Wrap-up

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NAB-BLOG1 Things are getting back to normal here at Vision Research following last week’s National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas. It was a great show for us, where we did a preview of the new Phantom Flex4K Cinema camera which will be formally released later this year. We also showed the popular Miro LC320S, the original Flex and also two new sports broadcast systems that are powered by the Phantom V642.

Every year NAB proves to be an exciting show for the TV & motion picture industry. There is no better opportunity for exhibitors and attendees to get a first hand look at what’s new – from the latest cameras, lenses and lighting to the latest innovations in support and infrastructure technology – and this year was no different.

Vision Research was honored to receive two awards on the show floor. The first was Digital Video magazine’s Black Diamond award as a best-of-show recognition for the Phantom Flex4K. This was followed by TV Technology’s Mario award which recognized the Phantom Flex4K as a significant technological breakthrough for the production industry.

Most of the attention was on the Phantom Flex4K and the demo footage which was shot with the original prototype of the camera just two weeks prior to NAB! We were happy to have the cinematographers involved with the “Let me know when you see Fire” demo piece at the show, who were available to answer questions about their first-hand experience with the camera in its early development stages.

A link to this video can be found here: http://vimeo.com/63490371

There was also a lot of great media coverage at both the Vision Research and Abel Cine booths, some of the highlights can be found by following these links:

So, now its back to work here at Vision Research where we will be rolling out all the new features over the summer and thoroughly testing the Flex4K in the real world before it hits the market. Just because we might be quiet over the next few months as this is going on, it doesn’t mean you need to be the dark. You can actually follow the progress of the camera by following the camera’s twitter account (@PhantomFlex4K) and “liking’ the camera’s Facebook page!

The Next Generation of High-Speed Digital Cinema is Unveiled with the Brand New Phantom Flex4K

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Vision Research Team

We are thrilled here at Vision Research to preview the next member of our award-winning cinema product line, the Phantom® Flex4K, at the 2013 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show. Redefining what’s possible when it comes to high-speed imaging for digital cinema, the Phantom Flex4K offers exceptional image quality, new workflow options, a user-friendly camera control interface and improved performance at standard frame rates. At its full acquisition resolution of 4096 x 2304 the camera is capable of recording from 23.98 to over 900 frames-per-second (fps) and up to 1,000 fps at 4096 x 2160.

The Phantom Flex4K will support multiple in-camera workflows to address different production styles. Phantom’s uncompressed raw format ensures the fastest high-speed workflow on set and maximum quality and versatility for post-production. Capture the full super 35mm 4K sensor and then save those files at full resolution, or choose to save them at 2K resolution for a rich, over-sampled image. Another option is to record compressed files directly in the high-speed video camera. This allows you to maximize the record time to the all-new CineMag IV and also simplifies things later on.

“We are excited to announce the Phantom Flex4K, our first professional cinema camera that is designed to capture normal frame rates, and high speed up to 1,000 fps at 4k resolutions,” said Toni Lucatorto, Cinema Product Manager at Vision Research. “We are previewing the Phantom Flex4K in its current form at NAB, however there are still features to turn on and work to be done. We plan to use the summer to roll out those features and really run the super high-speed camera through its paces before it officially hits the market. When finished it will truly be an amazing piece of technology that has the potential to revolutionize cinematography and overall video production.”

We will be previewing the Phantom Flex4K at NAB 2013 and plan to start deliveries later this year. If you plan to visit NAB be sure to visit our booth #C9046 for a demonstration of this exciting new 4K resolution camera and for information on all of our groundbreaking products.

In addition, the Phantom Flex4K will have its own Facebook and Twitter accounts. Please follow the camera’s progress @PhantomFlex4k and on Facebook “PhantomFlex4K” as its features are rolled out and new information is released.

How Do I Use a Phantom High Speed Digital Video Camera?

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Vision Research Team

If you have recently bought a Phantom camera, or are thinking of buying one, you may be wondering, how do I use it? Don’t worry! We can help you. We offer trainings to show you how to use our phantom cameras in a scientific, engineering or industrial application. (If you are interested in training on the use of Phantom cameras for TV and Motion Picture applications, we suggest you check out the training offered by AbelCine that focuses specifically on entertainment applications.)

Our Phantom v-Series Camera Certification Training Program will help engineers and technicians better understand the Phantom high speed video cameras, as well as the use of Phantom software, accessories, and applications. In two back-to-back all day classes, you will undergo an in-depth hands-on learning experience. The class sizes are limited to eight students to be sure you receive the individual attention you need.

The Level I certification course is designed for people who have little or no experience in digital high-speed imaging. We provide students with a basic understanding of what a high speed digital video camera is comprised of, how it works, and how to capture, review, edit and save cine clips. Some of the skills you will acquire in this course are:

Basic camera setup, capture, view and save
Navigate through the Graphical User Interface and define interface preferences
Edit and save a recorded cine to various storage devices manually or automatically
Set the camera to perform CSR (Current Session Reference) automatically
Convert cine files into various file formats

The Level II certification course builds upon the skills learned in Level I. You will learn how to use the advanced features and options, and know the various methods used to control a Phantom ultra slow motion camera. After the completing this course, you will master the following, and more:

Detail the benefits of, and the ability to configure advanced features and options
Perform Timing Measurements and Motion Analysis
Synchronize multiple networked Phantom cameras using a variety of frame clock sources
Review multiple cine clips synchronously

For more information about the courses you can refer to our Training Brochure and Training Schedule. If you are interested in attending, or have any additional questions regarding the training contact your Vision Research sales representative; or use our “Contact Us” form.

The University of Michigan: How They Utilize Our High-Speed Cameras

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Vision Research Team

At Vision Research, our ability to partner with colleges and universities across the globe allows students as well as professors to obtain Phantom high-speed cameras in order to conduct scientific, medical and educational research. Many schools across the globe have been conducting or are beginning research using Phantom cameras, and the University of Michigan has kindly shared with us their purpose and findings utilizing the Phantom’s high-speed capabilities.

The University of Michigan purchased the camera back in August and has since been using its high-speed capabilities to study the fundamentals of the electrohydrodynamic droplet ejection from blood capillary tips. The aim is to invent a new micro/nanoscale printing process.

Using the Phantom M310 high-speed video camera, Professor John Hart discovered that when exposed to a strong electric field, a liquid droplet will take the form of a cone (known as a Taylor cone) from which liquid can be ejected. After that liquid ejection, the droplet relaxes back to its original shape before the formation of the Taylor cone. Utilizing high-speed imagery, Professor Hart was able to see the Taylor cone formation (as they typically happen at thousands of cycles per second) and able to observe the dynamics of the liquid droplet during the process.

Professor Hart also provided images of his findings. As you can see, the images to the right, in chronological order from left to right, were captured at 60,150 fps, with an exposure time of 1 microsecond, using the Miro M310. They specifically show Taylor cone formation of a water droplet from a capillary tip with an inner diameter of 100 micrometers.

High-speed imagery is becoming more and more necessary in scientific and medical research. At Vision Research, we want to ensure that Phantom high-speed cameras are at the forefront of those findings and there to assist in any way that they can.

If you are interested in promoting how you use your Phantom camera in a University setting, please email us at vision@randjpr.com today! You can also share your slow motion camera use with us by commenting here on the blog, or reaching out on Facebook and Twitter.