We took the Pixboom Spark pre-production unit into the wild after which onto the bench: butterflies in India with Gunther Machu, adopted by a studio deep-dive to test what this new Tremendous 35 BSI global-shutter digital camera can actually do. Here’s what labored already, what nonetheless wants polish, and the place this might slot into actual productions. Let’s dive into our Pixboom Spark overview!
The Spark is a brand new high-speed digital camera from Chinese language startup Pixboom. We first met the staff at IBC (video interview right here) after their preview at Cine Gear, they usually loaned us an early beta for per week. Gunther took that unit to Goa to movie butterflies and damselflies, then we sat down within the CineD studio for a radical autopsy and to overview a brief reduce of his footage.
Sensor, body charges and backbone
Spark makes use of a Tremendous 35, backside-illuminated, global-shutter CMOS with an open-gate decision of 4608 × 3072. In open gate it tops out round 670 fps. As you cut back the vertical readout whereas holding full width, body charges rise: 2160p is roughly 937 fps, 1080p reaches about 1820 fps, and round 768p clears 2400 fps. The worldwide shutter eliminates rolling-shutter skew and permits unusually clear handheld photographs at very excessive speeds, since movement is slowed a lot that minor shakes vanish.
Gunther Machu filming butterflies in Goa, India, with a beta model of the Pixboom Spark high-speed digital camera just lately. Picture credit score: CineD
Subject take a look at in India: butterflies in gradual movement
Gunther’s transient was easy, seize wing mechanics you can not see at 4K/120. Macro and lengthy lenses at excessive magnifications demand gentle and precision. Within the subject, the Spark held a rock-steady sensor temperature readout of roughly 42 °C regardless of warmth and humidity, and with a 99 Wh V-mount battery it ran two to a few hours whereas left powered to keep away from the roughly 35-second boot. International shutter plus very excessive body charges made handheld usable for wildlife conduct and for low-angle macro crawls alongside the forest ground.
Picture high quality and dynamic vary
This beta firmware reads the sensor in 10-bit uncooked. Our fast test with a Xyla 21 confirmed about 10 to 11 stops seen on the waveform, with roughly 8 to 9 stops usefully distributed earlier than noise and clipping push in. Highlights should be protected, in any other case the picture can really feel contrast-heavy, much like early DSLR high-speed appears to be like. Noise has a advantageous, film-like character and, at this stage, the digital camera doesn’t apply sensor-level noise discount, which we think about a optimistic for uncooked management in put up. We actually hope they don’t add it for the ultimate model of the digital camera!
Nonetheless from 480fps slow-motion video from the Pixboom Spark. Pictures are crisp and provide some very natural wanting noise. Picture credit score: Gunther Machu / CineD
Gunther and me each famous a faint horizontal line throughout some photographs. The sensor apparently reads the highest and backside halves individually, and delicate non-uniformity on the seam can reveal a line on the match. Pixboom informed us they are going to mitigate this upstream in sensor QA and downstream in processing. Another beta customers have reported fastened sample noise in some events, however now we have not noticed this.
We’ll re-test this and all different facets in a manufacturing digital camera as soon as it turns into obtainable, however we’re assured that these points will probably be addressed correctly earlier than items ship.
Magnified portion of a nonetheless from a high-speed video shot on the Pixboom Spark beta model. There’s a seen line in the midst of the picture which stems from the higher and backside halves being learn out individually – this will probably be mitigated within the manufacturing model of the digital camera, in line with Pixboom. Picture credit score: CineD
We expect that the addition of an IR-cut filter is advisable. The Spark’s OLPF stack on our unit didn’t strongly suppress IR, so robust sources and heavy lighting can introduce IR contamination, particularly within the shadows.
ISO conduct and shutter concerns
Pixboom describes 5 “native” analog achieve positions, not digital pushes: ISO 400, 640, 800, 1250, and 1600. In apply this allow us to elevate sensitivity with out clearly buying and selling spotlight headroom at these set factors. Excessive-speed publicity nonetheless follows the standard math, for instance 2400 fps implies a 180-degree shutter close to 1/4800 s, so plan lighting accordingly, particularly for macro at T5.6–T8.
ISO choices of the Pixboom Spark, all “native”. Picture credit score: CineD
Recording, media and workflow
A key differentiator is steady recording on to a proprietary 2.5 TB SSD cartridge. In open gate at round 600 fps, that yields about seven minutes of uncooked seize, which is numerous motion in tremendous gradual movement. The cartridge features a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, so it mounts like an exterior drive for quick offloads within the 1.0–1.2 GB/s vary in our expertise. The present beta lacks in-camera trimming, finish or mid-trigger, or pre-roll choices, which suggests you’ll be able to fill media rapidly whereas ready for conduct. Pixboom says round buffer and pre-record are deliberate, they usually actually are a “should” in a high-speed digital camera.
Conversion is through Pixboom’s app to CinemaDNG, and batch conversion and setting out and in factors labored flawlessly. From there we graded in Premiere Professional utilizing the Octopus RAW Studio plug-in, or in Resolve. A future 12-bit readout mode is deliberate for the Pixboom Spark, possible at lowered most body charges, which ought to profit tonal smoothness and usable dynamic vary.
The customized, quick 2.4TB SSD module by Pixboom which permits for steady high-speed recording. Picture credit score: CineD
Mounts, lenses and anamorphic choices
The Spark’s physique accepts interchangeable mounts. We examined E-mount with digital iris management by way of adapters and likewise ran EF glass with a Metabones. There isn’t any autofocus, which we missed most with lengthy wildlife lenses the place depth of subject at macro distances is measured in millimeters. The three:2 sensor makes anamorphic sensible, and the digital camera already gives in-camera de-squeeze ratios.
Ergonomics, energy and sound
The physique is compact, basically a dense dice that rigs simply. The lively cooling works, however the fan is loud, so Spark will not be a sync-sound digital camera, and it has no audio inputs. Consider it as a devoted movement device that you just roll in for choose photographs. An on-body UI is purposeful. Distant management is evolving, with USB-C to Ethernet browser management obtainable on growth builds and Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth {hardware} inside for a coming cellular app.
The Pixboom Spark is available in a very compact physique and that makes it very versatile to make use of, nearly like a “regular digital camera”. Picture credit score: CineD
What nonetheless wants work
This was an early beta, so some gaps are anticipated. Our most important asks are finish or mid-trigger with round buffer and pre-record, in-camera clip trimming and delete, black shading and fixed-pattern calibration finalized, non-compulsory OLPF or IR-cut within the optical stack, and a few publicity instruments like false coloration or a waveform. Autofocus will not be promised, but even a restricted quick AF mode for static macro setups could be a killer function for specialty work.
Pricing and availability context
Through the marketing campaign, costs mentioned began round 8,000 USD, with a acknowledged goal retail round 13,000 USD together with the two.5 TB media. Nonetheless, there may be nonetheless a “pre-order particular” obtainable on the Pixboom web site for just under $10,000. Precise bundles and timings will rely upon manufacturing. Both manner, Spark lands effectively beneath legacy high-speed cinema choices, and beneath or close to some competing compact high-speed techniques, whereas providing steady recording to inner media and a contemporary global-shutter BSI sensor.
Pixboom just lately additionally hosted a Montreal workshop the place they shot and uploaded excessive high-speed assessments and walked by way of workflow and deliberate firmware options, test it out right here:
Who’s the Pixboom Spark for?
Industrial tabletop, product magnificence, sports activities science inserts, wildlife conduct, VFX parts, water and glass work, and any time it’s essential to flip a blink right into a symphony. Proprietor-operators can lastly justify bringing a real high-speed device to set at this value level. You’ll have the ability to deal with it like a specialist digital camera that enhances your A-cam, not a substitute for it.
Sure, you should use regular body charges on the Pixboom Spark and use it as a standard digital camera. Simply don’t count on it to cool down, the fan continues to be loud and there aren’t any audio inputs! Picture credit score: Gunther Machu / CineD
CineD Lab Check observe
We solely run full CineD Lab assessments on manufacturing firmware, after which these outcomes additionally find yourself in our Digital camera Database. As soon as Pixboom ships a manufacturing unit, we’ll measure dynamic vary, rolling conduct affirmation, latitude, and extra for our database.
Pixboom Spark overview – verdict
Pixboom Spark is already delivering the one factor that issues in excessive velocity, dependable seize at severe body charges with a clear global-shutter picture and a workable workflow. This appears to be like like it may be the inexpensive high-speed digital camera everybody has been ready for, for such a very long time, and we applaud the staff behind this digital camera. The firmware nonetheless must make amends for triggers and calibration, but the inspiration appears to be like robust – and we stay up for working extensively with the manufacturing model as soon as it’s prepared.
What would you shoot first if you happen to might freeze time this fashion? Tell us within the feedback.
