Which cameras can shoot 4K at 120 frames per second?

The best cameras for filming 4K video at 120 frames per second.

What cameras can shoot 4K video at 120 frames per second?

We’ve picked together the top consumer cameras for 4K 120p footage to aid you with your filmmaking, from interchangeable lens cameras like the Canon EOS R5 to smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra to 360 VR alternatives from Kandao.

But first, let’s look at why you’d want to shoot 4K at greater frame rates in the first place.

Why do you want to shoot video at such a high frame rate?

Many photographers and filmmakers have been looking for cameras that can shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second in recent years. As technology has progressed, some people are now looking for cameras that can shoot 4K at 120 frames per second. Why are people clamouring for higher frame rates?

Let’s start with the advantages of filming 4K at 60 frames per second. Shooting at 60 frames per second allows you to slow down footage to half speed for that scene-stealing slow-motion effect.

You can also output the footage at the regular playback frame rate of 29.7fps. 60fps footage can simply be blended with 29.7fps footage in this manner. But, while it can and does happen frequently, it isn’t ideal, as we’ll discuss later.

Let’s start with the obvious advantages. You can extend 1 second of footage over 2 seconds by shooting it at 60 frames per second and slowing it down to 29.7 frames per second. This is ideal for creating a scene-setting visual effect. Consider the film Reservoir Dogs.

If you slow down footage shot at 30 frames per second to half speed, you’ll have to stretch 29.7 frames over 2 seconds, or 15 frames per second. That’s not enough, especially at 4K, so everything ends up seeming staccato – to borrow a musical term.

Using this logic, you’d assume that shooting at 60 frames per second would be a smart choice, since you can reduce the playback speed and combine it with conventional 29.7 frames per second as needed. However, shooting at 60 frames per second all of the time is not optimal.

Before we get into why, it’s important to remember that you should always shoot at the frame rate that you require. If the footage you’re capturing will be played back at a typical 29.7 frames per second, shoot at that frame rate. If you desire slow motion, raise the frame rate to cover the required number of frames.

Half-speed playback at 29.7fps requires 60fps, quarter-speed playback requires 120fps, and so on. Now we see why you’d shoot 4K at 120 frames per second.

Using the 180-degree shutter rule as a guideline:

Let’s look at why you shouldn’t always shoot at 60 frames per second, even though it seems reasonable at first glance.

This is when the technical side of things comes into play. You should consider the 180-degree shutter rule. As a result, the frame rate should always be half that of the shutter speed. At 29.7fps, finding a balance of gain (ISO) and IRIS (Aperture) to permit that crucial 1/60th shutter speed is relatively simple.

If you increase the frame rate to 60fps, you’ll need a shutter speed of 1/120th, which is a significant increase.

If you shoot a frame at 1/120th of a second, there will be no motion blur, however if you shoot at 1/60th, there will be motion blur in the frame. In video, motion blur is significant because it aids in the all-important persistence of vision. The blur actually aids in playback smoothness.

That 4K film captured at 60 frames per second and 1/120th of a second and played back at 60 frames per second will look great. The action looks silky smooth since there’s enough substance there. If you stretch that footage out over 2 seconds, the optical illusion and absence of blur still work, but if you slow it down to 30 frames per second, you start to breach the 180-degree shutter rule.

Although the effect is minor, it is evident. The action-packed 300 gladiator-style effect is achieved by breaking the 180-degree shutter rule with quicker shutter speeds. When you slow it down, it gets a little more romantic.

Finally, 60fps is a sought-after feature since it allows you to shoot seamless slow motion, and it’s an effect that you can’t live without these days as a filmmaker. However, be careful because using it incorrectly might have a dramatic effect.

Why shoot 4K at 120 frames per second?

Although recording in 4K at 120 frames per second is a specialised feature, it is nevertheless a terrific capability to have in a camera.

When looking at a camera that shoots 4K at 120fps, there are a few things to consider, such as the amount of data produced. Rather than 100mb each frame, this is generally expressed as 100mb/s (megabits per second).

As a result, most cameras, particularly mirrorless and DSLR cameras, will split the bit rate across frames as vbr (variable bit rate). Each frame would be 3.3Mbs if the bit rate was fixed at 30fps 100mb/s.

When you set it to 60 frames per second, the file size lowers to 1.6 megabytes.

Because of vbr, this isn’t the case. The more frames you have, the less variation there is between them, and hence the less data you need to record.

So one frame might max out at 3.3mbs because there’s a lot of movement, but the next might be 1mbs since there’s less movement.

When shooting at 30 frames per second, there is a larger chance that more may change within the frame, resulting in more data being collected.
Even with the flexibility of variable bitrate, the frame rate can still exceed the camera’s maximum of 100mb/s when the frame rate grows.

Take, for example, the GoPro. You’d be hard pressed to notice a difference in 1080p action footage filmed at 30 or 60 frames per second, but push it to 120 frames per second and you’ll notice pixelation. At 240fps, you can definitely notice the difference.

If you use the same settings for a static scenario, the high-frame-rate footage will still look nice. Because the frame has altered less, less data needs to be recorded.

Similarly, cameras like the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV can capture 1080p at 60 frames per second, but you must reduce the resolution to 720p to shoot at 120 frames per second.

Canon is most likely limiting it because the 4K mb/s is 500mb/s, which sounds absurdly excessive.

4K at 120fps is incredible, but can the camera handle it? At 4K, what is the mb/s? Is there enough room to get good footage?

The Sony RXO, for example, can shoot at 1000 frames per second in 1080p, which is great until you see the quality of the film in regular lighting.

Then there’s the matter of the heat. All of this processing could come at a cost.

Finally, there’s shutter speed to consider. When shooting 4K at 120 frames per second, the shutter speed must be adjusted to 1/250th of a second (there is no 1/240th, so round up).
That’s all well and good, but then there’s the question of lighting.

You should also think about file size and processing power. Slow-motion footage necessitates rendering and processing, which adds to the storage requirements of 4K. This is the point at which you should start looking into Nvme M.2 hard discs.

1. Canon EOS R5:

Here is the specifications link : https://www.canon-europe.com/cameras/eos-r5/specifications/

Although the Canon EOS R3, which is in development, will take its place, the Canon EOS R5 is Canon’s flagship mirrorless camera and the most anticipated camera unveiled in 2020.

When it was first announced, the Canon R5’s 8K video capability grabbed the majority of the attention, however the Canon R5 is really a 45MP stills camera with an outstanding autofocus mechanism. In both video and stills mode, this Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system provides 5,940 customizable AF points and excellent eye detection AF for humans, animals, and birds.

The Canon EOS R5 boasts 5-axis in-body image stabilisation, just like the Ca non EOS R6 that was launched at the same time. Shutter speed correction of up to 8EV is possible in the R5.