Thanks to the Slow Mo Guys, we’re getting a glimpse into what the new Phantom TMX was made for. Shooting spark plug thrown at the car window, recorded at 800,000 FPS (Frames Per Second) with the new TMX which is the fastest Phantom high-speed camera ever made. Explore the speed of crack.

Phantom TMX

The new Phantom TMX series which was announced a couple of months ago is the world’s first high-speed camera with a BSI sensor. The TMX series includes two models (7510 and 6410) that can reach 76,000 fps at a resolution of 1280 x 800.  Lower resolutions produce up to 1.75M fps in FAST mode (1,750,000 FPS at 1280 x 32 resolution). The backside illumination (BSI or BI) sensor design, is a type of digital image sensor that uses a novel arrangement of the imaging elements to increase the amount of light captured and thereby improve low-light performance, which is extremely important when shooting slow-mo. Thus, BSI technology in the TMX cameras allows much larger resolutions than available in cameras with FSI technology.   

The fastest Phantom ever made

The Phantom TMX was designed mainly for scientific applications. Unlike the Flex4K, the TMX can shoot a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800 (720p), which may not be enough for regular video shooting and cinematography purposes. Nevertheless, the picture quality is very good, and even outstanding when compared to other ultra-high-FPS cameras. Furthermore, the TMX can significantly elevate FPS, but it results in reducing the section captured by the sensor (no cropping). This characteristic is well demonstrated in the next experiment made by The Slow Mo Guys.

The Slow Mo Guys and Phantom TMX

The Slow Mo Guys is a science and technology entertainment web series, which is considered the biggest channel for slow-motion videos on YouTube. The series consists of a wide variety of things filmed in extreme slow motion using a range of Vision Research Phantom high-speed cameras. The team has conducted a series of tests/experiments by putting the TMX 7510 through its pace.

From 82,000FPS to 800,000FPS

The team has made a preset that shaves a bit of the vertical resolution of the TMX 7510, in order to elevate the FPS to more than 82,000FPS(!) but still recording in 720p resolution (for maximum image quality) The shutter angle was 180, with an exposure time of 6.1 microseconds. The result was stunning, capturing the glass breaking beautifully. The next test was performed in 500,000 FPS on 1280X96 resolution. The shutter angle was 18 with 100ns (nano-seconds!) of exposure time. Then the team set the camera to 800,000 and an exposure time of 600ns. That showed the angle and direction of the broken glass.

Watch the demonstration below:

Final thoughts

The only way that the TMX can be utilized for cinematography purposes is by shooting with it on a maximum resolution of 720p. However, that may not be enough for that kind of application. Thus, DPs need to decide what factor is more important than the other: FPS or resolution. Do you see yourself using the Phantom TMX for cinematography? Comment below.