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slow motion in 1080p?

Hey guys,
I have a shoot coming up w/ a country band that wants a lot of slow motion shots. I only own a 6D for anything close to slow motion, and 60 fps at 720p just isn't gonna cut it.

I am going to be renting for the slow motion camera. What is my best option for 1080p, above 60fps, CHEAP and reasonably good image quality?

Right now, renting the gopro hero 4 black seems like the best option to keep costs down ($60 for the camera and microSD card for 3 days). Another option I've been considering would be the GH4, though with that I'll have to rent a speedbooster and fast memory card as well, making the price about $130 for 3 days.

suggestions? the majority of the video will be shot using a canon 6D and a Sony FS100
 
I'd say the gh4 is your best bet. While you may get more fps from the gopro, the gh4 footage will be of a much higher quality. 90% of the time I'd say gopro footage is noticeable when mixed with dslr footage etc. This isn't to say I haven't seen high quality shots from a gopro, but it will take more time in post to bring it up to 6D and fs100 quality.
 
I don't know what your budget is, but an FS700 would be close to the FS100 imagewise, but it can shoot 240fps. However, you'll need more light/higher iso and if you're shooting indoors you might experience strobing of the lights in the slowmo footage.
 
I don't know what your budget is, but an FS700 would be close to the FS100 imagewise, but it can shoot 240fps. However, you'll need more light/higher iso and if you're shooting indoors you might experience strobing of the lights in the slowmo footage.

I can't really pay over $300 (or even $150) for the rentals on this job.
 
I see...
GoPro will always be quite wide angle... even when cropped.

Next time manage their expectations a bit better, or get the budget you need ;)

It may not be perfect at all, but you could try blowing up 720p to 1080p.
I've done it before, but that was 1 shot in a corporate with high pressured water flying through the air: with such a liquid subject it is less obious it is blownup. (Although InstantHD from RedGiant does a nice job :) )
 
I see...
GoPro will always be quite wide angle... even when cropped.

Next time manage their expectations a bit better, or get the budget you need ;)

It may not be perfect at all, but you could try blowing up 720p to 1080p.
I've done it before, but that was 1 shot in a corporate with high pressured water flying through the air: with such a liquid subject it is less obious it is blownup. (Although InstantHD from RedGiant does a nice job :) )

Yeah, I'm thinking I'll just go with a GH4/speedbooster combo and use my canon lenses with it. That way, I can get 1080p for the slo-mo and 4K for the rest of it, using the 6D as a backup/second angle. Would there be any reason you would specifically avoid this setup?
 
absolutely watch out for strobing lights with slow motion!
don't underestimate this

if you know anyone with an iPhone 6 you can record 720p at 240fps as a test shot to see if the lighting is adequate
 
absolutely watch out for strobing lights with slow motion!
don't underestimate this

if you know anyone with an iPhone 6 you can record 720p at 240fps as a test shot to see if the lighting is adequate

do you mean literally like a strobe light? or do you mean that lights will strobe in slow motion?
 
do you mean literally like a strobe light? or do you mean that lights will strobe in slow motion?

You know how sometimes you film a monitor or TV and you can see it refreshing during playback? That's because the frequency is different than your FPS.

The same thing happens with light bulbs.. they are not a constant steady stream of light. They flicker too fast for the human eye to see.

But if you start filming at 240FPS those flickers become visible, like the way a monitor refreshing becomes visible. It will look like you filmed with a strobe light on.
 
You can already check when flickering becomes noticeable with the 60D by changing the shutterspeed.
Although you won't have the same amount of frames, you can still shoot at the same shutterspeed as with slowmotion.
And it is mostly the shutterspeed that exposes the flickering.
 
well I've pretty much decided on the GH4, so would 96fps show that kind of flickering? I'll be using tungsten and natural lighting.

What I really want is to use the RED epic that the studio I work for owns...but taking $40,000 out and about without some kind of waiver to protect myself seems terrifying.
 
I'll suggest A7s. Full frame @ 50/60fps, plus super duper low light performance to negate the extra stop or so you'll lose.


Or go with the RED. It's not as daunting as you think once you get it out there ;) Of course, depending on what you're shooting.
 
I'll suggest A7s. Full frame @ 50/60fps, plus super duper low light performance to negate the extra stop or so you'll lose.


Or go with the RED. It's not as daunting as you think once you get it out there ;) Of course, depending on what you're shooting.

Hmm...I'm curious as to whether 60fps would be enough? We really want to push it.

If that's the case, we may just save money and use our existing FS100 @60fps.

As far as using the RED, we'd be flying it stripped down on a Ronin-M in a sketchy part of town. Naturally I can handle and use all the cameras we have at the studio, but other than the usual, are there any specific conventions for properly transporting, handling and flying the RED?
 
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