Seeking advice for a slow-motion video device

[Mike Buckley]

The slowest of the slow motion video provided by my Nikon Z6 is recorded at 120 frames per second (Nikon calls it 30 x 4) and I would prefer more frames to achieve slower display of the motion. What would be the least expensive device that could make this happen?

I would use the device only to examine the paths of the drops and their collisions when using my drop art photography kit. The playback only needs to be on the device used to capture the video, so there is no need for HDMI or anything fancy needed for viewing the videos on other devices. For the same reason, I don't care about the image quality of the playback, only that it can be played at considerably slower motion than when using my Z6.

If the likely solution is a phone's camera, I could be convinced to use the phone for the other purposes smart phones are used. My current phone is the cheapest I could find at the time because I generally use it only to make phone calls and to text except for perhaps in the future I could use a phone for making slow motion videos. I don't enjoy using a phone to browse the Internet or to do any of the other things people so often do using their phone.

Make sense? Thanks in advance for any recommendations or thoughts you folks would want me to consider!

 

[acnomad]

I only know a little about this subject, which I actually learned when I had difficulty getting 120fps video to play normally, rather than in SloMo. Here's what I know:

A smart phone will not do better in this area. Any claims by current phones to have SloMo capability faster than 120fps are achieved by frame duplication and interpolation. In many cases, I think they shoot at even less than 120fps.

There are obviously other reasonably affordable imaging devices that specialize in this sort of thing (GoPro comes to mind), but I wonder if you can get to the end result you want by finessing your final rendering and playback speed of videos that can be captured with your existing gear.

 

[Mike Buckley]

A smart phone will not do better in this area. Any claims by current phones to have SloMo capability faster than 120fps are achieved by frame duplication and interpolation.

I've seen videos made on smart phones where the playback is much slower than on my Nikon Z6. I don't care what method is used to achieve it.

I wonder if you can get to the end result you want by finessing your final rendering and playback speed of videos that can be captured with your existing gear.

The Nikon Z6 automatically plays back the 120 fps at a slow motion speed. Is there external software that can play the same file at a slower speed?

 

[acnomad]

I don't care what method is used to achieve it.

If you're examining the path of falling water droplets and the formation following collisions and splashes with the surface, I would think that the addition of interpolated frames could yield misleading results.

Is there external software that can play the same file at a slower speed?

Yes, some (maybe all?) video editing software allow a great deal of flexibility in this area. Adobe Premiere and Pinnacle Studio certainly do (many others exist, but those are the two that I have used).

 

[Mike Buckley]

I'll check into the software, Andy. Thanks!

 

[MNglass]

A GoPro does 240 FPS. I don't know if they are interpolated or doubled though . . .
GoPro

 

[Philinnz]

I've seen videos made on smart phones where the playback is much slower than on my Nikon Z6. I don't care what method is used to achieve it.



The Nikon Z6 automatically plays back the 120 fps at a slow motion speed. Is there external software that can play the same file at a slower speed?

If you are using apple systems, final cut pro certainly allows you to reduce the speed very easily, I would imagine the "free" imovie would as well

 

[Mike Buckley]

If you are using apple systems

Thanks, Phil, but I'm using a Windows system.

 

[Mike Buckley]

I've installed the free version of DaVinci Resolve but can't get it to work as I expected. When I click the Settings icon located in the bottom right corner of the window, the Project Settings window is displayed. When I change the Playback frame rate value and then play the file, it's played at the same speed regardless of whether I increase the frame rate 100%, decrease it 50% or leave it unchanged.

For those of you who know how to use this software, what am I missing?

 

[480sparky]

Sounds like you need to import the video into an editor, then adjust the time frame to 4x. So a 60-second video will then be 240 seconds. Produce the edit and bam.... slo-mo.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Sounds like you need to import the video into an editor, then adjust the time frame to 4x. So a 60-second video will then be 240 seconds. Produce the edit and bam.... slo-mo.

In essence, that's what I thought I was doing with DaVinci Resolve. But something went wrong. I'll eventually get it figured out but was hoping not to have to pour through a manual to learn how to do something so seemingly simple.

 

[480sparky]

I don't use DeVinci, I use PowerDirector. But the process is probably very similar. I just choose the video file in the timeline, click on Tools/Video Speed, then enter 0.25 in the playback speed. That increases the time it takes to play the video by a factor of 4.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

I then Produce the edit and I have a video that took 18½ seconds to record to 1:14 to play back.

 

[jbailey930]

Following the thread. I heard Davinci Resolve was a great solution for video editing when I got a drone. So far, Mike, I am with you. It is not intuitive. I have looked at a couple of youtube vids to help with some tasks. Best of luck!

 

[axle01]

Mike I use a Sony RX100v which does 1000fps really good for water drops.

eBay

Al

 

[Mike Buckley]

I discovered in DaVinci Resolve that there is an automatic playback that slows down the file I made by playing it twice as long. However, it appears I need it to take four times as long and I don't see any way to make that happen.

For anyone interested, that automatic playback is to open the Playback menu and select Play Slow (shortcut Shift+K).

 

[Mike Buckley]

I finally figured out how to play a video as slow as 1 frame per second using DaVinci Resolve 16. I created a step-by-step tutorial for myself that is appropriate for anyone like me that has never even loaded the software or has completely forgotten how to use it. That tutorial is at https://www.dropbox.com/s/uoqh2luhjqqp42g/Playing Slow Motion Video.pdf?dl=0

 

[Mike Buckley]

The Nikon Z6 automatically plays back the 120 fps at a slow motion speed.

I need to clarify that potentially misleading comment for anyone still following this thread.

The Z6 has three frame rates available that, when played back in the camera, will automatically be played at slow motion. I don't understand the nomenclature but the three frame rates are 30P x 4, 25P x 4, and 24p x 5. As an example, the 30P x 4 led me to believe that the video file was recorded at 120 frames per second (30 x 4 = 120). However, when I ran that file through external software, I learned that it was recorded at only 30 frames per second.

Now that I've got this stuff figured out, I record videos at the configuration that is 120 frames per second (not 30P x 4). Files recorded when using that setting are indeed recorded at 120 frames per second. When played at a slower frame rate using external software, slow motion is achieved.

 

[Desmond]

The old Nikon J1 did up to 1000 fps which was very low quality but gave an idea of what was happening in slow motion. It also has a 480 fps option at slightly higher quality.

 

[Replytoken]

I know this is an old thread, but for those who are still looking for a solution, the Sony ZV-1 offers high frame rate options.

--Ken

 

[Growltiger]

And for anyone who just wants to play video or audio files at any speed, fast or slow, the excellent free VLC program, PC or Mac, does just that. Works best in the speed range 0.25 to 4.00 times. It is the best video player there is.
https://www.videolan.org/