The scientists at Vision Research are at it again at their favorite pastime of hyper slow motion gear creation. The new TMX 7510 Phantom camera is the fastest ever in their arsenal with a mind-bending spec of 75 Gigapixels throughput which is capable of delivering 76,000fps 1 Megapixel resolution or slightly higher than HD at 1280 x 800px.
The camera features the first BSI or Back-side illuminated sensor ever used in a Phantom camera. This allows for much better low-light performance which is crucial for slow motion applications. The camera tops out at a ridiculous 1.75 million fps frame rate at 1280 x 32px in standard width mode or 640 x 64px in Binned mode. One second recorded at that speed creates a file that plays back for 972min or just over 16hrs in a 30fps timeline. Yikes!
Phantom TMX 7510 Key Features:
- 18.5 micron pixels sensor
- 12-bit depth
- Side mounting
- Full Phantom Features and connectivity
- Programmable I/O – Assign and define camera signals
- The Phantom TMX 7510 1-Mpx camera has the industry’s first high-speed back side illuminated (BSI) sensor,
- Designed for true high-speed performance.
- 76,000 fps at full 1280 x 800 resolution
- 1.75M fps with FAST option at reduced resolutions.
- 75 Gpx/second
- Minimum frame rate is 100 fps
- Standard Mode Max Speeds:
- 1280 x 800 is 76,000 fps. (full resolution)
- 1280 x 64 is 772,050 fps
- 1280 x 32 – 1.75M fps (FAST option only)
- Binned Mode Max Speeds:
- 640 x 384 in the Binned mode is 308,820 fps (full resolution)
- 640 x 128 is 772,050 fps
- 640 x 64 – 1.75M fps (FAST option only)
Standard Mode
| Resolution | FPS |
|---|---|
| 1280 x 800 | 76,000 |
| 1280 x 192 | 308,820 |
| 1280 x 128 | 456,520 |
| 1280 x 64 | 772,050 |
| 1280 x 64* | 875,000 |
| 1280 x 32* | 1,750,000 |
Binned Mode
| Resolution | FPS |
|---|---|
| 640 x 384 | 308,820 |
| 640 x 320 | 375,000 |
| 640 x 256 | 456,520 |
| 640 x 192 | 617,640 |
| 640 x 128 | 772,050 |
| 640 x 128* | 875,000 |
| 640 x 64* | 1,750,000 |
Only 1 Megapixel… What?
On the age of 8k video having a limit of HD 720p on a Phantom camera seems like a huge limitation especially when there are cameras from Vision Research like the Phantom Flex 4k which does 1000fps at 4k.
But the use of the TMX is not resolution but the best available low light and time capture resolution ever for a Phantom camera. You are able to record events that look like a couple of frames at 1000fps and make them last minutes at a time. The examples below show the kind of footage this camera is capable of and needless to say it is not only incredible but we can imagine scientific breakthroughs that will be the direct result of observations done with these cameras.
The TMX 7510 is a scientific tool for observing time at scales that make other cameras in the slow motion space cower in fear. For this you will need a miniature sun lighting setup that allows for recording that huge amount of frames in such a short time. Looking at glass fractures and the propagation of the failure points looks mesmerizing and inspiring.
Video samples from the Phantom TMX 7510:
When can we expect to get this kind of performance in an affordable camera for the common shooter? In short probably not in the next decade. We may however get to see 4k 1000fps cameras start to approach buyable levels for enthusiasts. The Freefly WAVE camera already can shoot 4k at over 400fps in 4k so we are getting there. We expect the 1000fps 4k barrier to be broken sometime in the next five years under 10k USD.
The Phantom TMX 7510 is a marvel of technology and it brings new sensor technology with BSI packaging into the hyper speed realm. Since Phantom cameras rarely share pricing, we can only speculate that this camera price is probably above 100k USD up to 180k USD depending on the configuration. For large laboratories, this is actually a bargain for this kind of performance. In the meantime, we can only dream of having this camera in our kit. -HSC
You can find more information on the TMX at the official site here: https://www.phantomhighspeed.com/products/cameras/tmx/7510