The Phantom Miro – A Remarkable Little Camera.

ANTIMEDIA – PHANTOM MIRO SHOWREEL from ANTIMEDIA on Vimeo.

How do you avoid annoying AutoFocus?  Mount a manual focus lens.  How do you get slow motion?  Insanely fast frame rates with a Phantom Miro.  in this case, 1,200 frames per second, then you slow it down to a “normal” thirty frames per second rate when you play it back.  Simple, right?  In concept yes, but in execution it can be a very difficult undertaking, and hence my story about why the Phantom Miro is such a remarkable little camera.

The Phantom Miro – High Speed Camera System – A Remarkable Little Camera

Extreme slow motion requires special high speed digital cameras.  Few cameras made can do image capture at 1,200 frames per second.  The fastest DSLR’s made can only achieve twelve to fourteen frames per second.   AntiMedia has chosen the Phantom Miro as one of their tools for use in the frozen north lands.  Wise choice, from the look of it the Miro must be capable of functioning well in extreme climate and conditions.  In extreme cold it would be difficult at best, impossible at worst, to achieve maximum performance with a mechanical shutter.  The Miro employs an all electronic shutter to get the job done.

Least anyone be concerned about the weather and dust sealing of the Phantom Miro, you can rest easy.  The Phantom Miro held up far better recording the video below than did the paint on the new Camaro.  The wisdom in sand blasting the car exterior for the sake of a slow motion YouTube video is another question, to be answered another time, but it does make for a dramatic finish to my story ;=)

Phantom Miro eX4 @ 1245 fps + 2011 Camaro SS from Chad Westover on Vimeo.

Of course, all of this high speed comes at an equally high cost.   The Phantom Miro starts at $75,000 and goes up from there as you equip it.  Fortunately, the Phantom Miro makes a perfect rental item.  Look for it to cost around $1,500 per day – $4,500 per five day week in major rental locations here in Hollywood.

The specs on the Phantom Miro from Vision Research