Digicam hack simultaneously captures stills and high speed video on the cheap

When researchers at the University of Oxford needed to precisely sync high-speed video with high resolution stills, they had a hell of a time finding an off-the-shelf solution that worked with any degree of accuracy. Instead, the crazy kids hacked together a home cinema projector and a consumer-level digicam to split every frame of video captured by the camera into sixteen frames (albeit with lower resolution). Once that goes down, the frames can either be played in succession for up to 400 fps video, or assembled into one high-res still image. Although originally designed for research purposes -- to capture images of cells or the human heart in action, for instance -- the team is betting that the tech has applications ranging from CCTV to sports photography. For more info, check out the video after the break. [Warning: source link requires subscription]

[Twisthem488 Posted Feb 16th 2010 1:58PM]

sounds like what casio has done with their cheap point and shhot high speed cameras :) fun stuff.

[TVGenius Posted Feb 16th 2010 2:14PM]

Only problem I see is it seems like by the time you get enough pixel space to get a high-speed high-resolution shot, you're going to have a Red Monstro-size sensor that costs as much as a normal high-speed rig.

[Bratan Posted Feb 16th 2010 3:09PM]

That's brilliant idea!

[MrBeast Posted Feb 16th 2010 3:19PM]

@Mr Smiley
lol good call. As a graphic designer you can't imagine how frustrating it is that people think that csi stuff is real and any crappy jpeg can be made hi-res with a couple of taps on your keyboard

[WKCptton Posted Feb 16th 2010 4:55PM]

@Mr Smiley ahhh yes. 'I can't make out the license plate...here let me enhance that' - Love it!

[cpbrown Posted Feb 16th 2010 7:06PM]

the guy who runs this lab (peter kohl) is my tutor!

[MrBeast Posted Feb 17th 2010 2:19AM]

@WKCptton
I think there is a reflection on that spoon... Enhance it! Lol.