My DSLR Camera Only Shoots up to 60fps - Do I need A different camera to shoot for Slow Motion?

[Ken Nielsen]

I have a Canon 1D MK IV camera which is good, but it only shoots a frame rate up to 60fps. Do I need to get a special movie camera to shoot higher frame rates to get good slow motion results. I'm looking to make clips of animals running and want to slow it down to a snail's pace... I need advice on how to achieve good smooth and clear slow motion results for a video displayed on a 1920 x 1080 screen.

TIA,

Ken

[R Neil Haugen]

To get good slow-moving of running animals that's smooth and pretty it's hard to beat having media show at least at 96 if not 120 fps.

I'm hoping you'll get some useful comments on how to work the 60 with best settings though.

Neil

[Ken Nielsen]

All of these answers are correct of course, each provides insight to this specialized subject, a subject which I believe benefits by shooting footage, processing and seeing actual results. To me, as a beginner, I see a world of settings which come into play, choices that yield different results, approaches which make of break the path to superior results. I'm on that learning path and thank everyone who responds here as you have each already helped me gain ground on this interesting subject. Thank You!:- )

[SAFEHARBOR11]

Hi Ken,

Please note that whether you shoot at 60p, or get a 120p camera, the workflow is to edit in a Sequence with a lower frame rate to take advantage of the higher frame rate of source media when applying slow motion.

With current 60p clips, edit in a 30p sequence, then apply 50% slow to get smoothest slomo, or use 40% in 24p sequence. If using a 120p source, then you could use 25% or 20% in 30p or 24p sequences respectively. There is of course the Optical Flow option which can fake slow mo, but the numbers above will do it using original frames you have available.

Thanks

Jeff Pulera

Safe Harbor Computers

[Ken Nielsen]

SAFEHARBOR11  wrote

Hi Ken,

Please note that whether you shoot at 60p, or get a 120p camera, the workflow is to edit in a Sequence with a lower frame rate to take advantage of the higher frame rate of source media when applying slow motion.

With current 60p clips, edit in a 30p sequence, then apply 50% slow to get smoothest slomo...

Jeff Pulera

Safe Harbor Computers

I'm proceeding based on this guideline as you have stated above... I will use my 60p camera, which has wonderful lenses and resolution, and just use the 60p for now. This way I can become familiar with editing, set-up and results that I can expect with what I have. When the time comes, I will rent one of those that have much higher frame rates... but for now, I need to learn the territory using what I have. Thanks to you Jeff and to all here who have helped send me on my way to exploring this exciting area of cinema production.

[eikonoklastes · Accepted solution]

Like mentioned above, the correct way is to get a camera that shoots at much higher frame rates. As an in-between, you could try retiming the clips and setting the time interpolation to Optical Flow.

Depending on your footage and how much you're trying to retime it, your results may vary from perfect to unusable.

For much finer control over the Optical Flow effect, use After Effects to retime your footage and gain localized control over specific areas that might be producing artifacts.

[excited_Genie16B8]

I deliver everything at 24 fps*, so shooting at 60 fps would be plenty slow.

(*And believe everyone else should, too.  The Film look is soooo much better than the video look.)

[shooternz]

Do I need to get a special movie camera to shoot higher frame rates to get good slow motion results

Short answer  is Yes.

Especially for what you are shooting. ie Running animals that you want to see at "snails pace"

You need to shoot at 400 fps to 1000 fps. 

Slo Mo in post is no where near the same as in camera slo mo.