Kron Technologies has announced two new high-speed cameras. The Chronos 4K12 (buy here) and Chronos Q12 (buy here). The new cameras are targeted at scientific and academic use, as well as cinematography and content creation.
The Chronos 4K12 offers 4K DCI slow motion at up to 1,397 frames per second and up to 29,002fps at minimum resolution. The Chronos Q12 Shoots 2K at up to 2,782fps and 29,411fps at minimum resolution.
Chronos 4K12 – A 4K slow-motion upgrade
The two new cameras bump up the resolution over the company’s previous cameras. The Chronos 1.4 maxed out at a modest 1280×1024 resolution at 1,096fps. It also maxed out at a whopping 40,413fps at its lowest 320×96 resolution.
The Chronos 2.1-HD, as the name suggests, bumped the resolution up to 1920×1080 at 1,000fps. It lost a little of its max frame rate, though. At its lowest 640×96 resolution, its top speed was only 24,046fps.
The new Chronos 4K12 shoots up to 4K DCI resolution (4096×2160) at up to 1,397fps, beating both previous cameras in terms of max resolution and frame rate at that resolution. Its fastest speed is 29,002fps, but you need to drop all the way down to 128×32 for that.
A great dual-purpose compromise
For many cinematic and filmmaking needs, where people tend to shoot 4K, 1,397fps is going to be fast enough for most uses. It’s typically scientific and research needs that demand faster frame rates, where resolution isn’t often as important.
It has a massive throughput of 11.8 gigapixels per second, with 64GB and 128GB memory options. This sounds like a lot, but in real time, that’s 5.5 or 11 seconds of record time, respectively. Eleven seconds at 1,397fps works out to be about 10 hours and 40 minutes of playback.
Fortunately, you’re able to scrub through your shots in-camera. A terabyte of built-in NVMe storage lets you save your keepers and easily transfer them to your computer for editing.
Chronos Q12 – 2,782fps of slow-motion goodness
The Chronos Q12 isn’t quite as high resolution as the Chronos 4K12. It shoots almost-square 2K footage at 2048×2016 resolution. But it does it at up to 2,782 resolution. This is ideally suited to those scientific and educational YouTube channels who want to slow down fast reactions and events.
It comes with the same 64GB and 128GB RAM options, but offers slightly longer clip time. The 64GB option lets you shoot clips up to 5.9 seconds while the 128GB version provides 11.8 seconds.
The throughput of the Q12 is also 11.8 gigapixels per second. It also has the same 132×16 resolution. The Q12, however, eeks out 29,411fps, slightly more than the 4K12.
Bringing down the price of slow-motion
The Chronos cameras have placed super-fast slow-motion footage into the hands of the masses. Well, more masses than prior to its existence. The other big player in the slow-motion game is Vision Research. This is the company that makes the Phantom line of cameras seen on channels like The Slow Mo Guys.
Phantom slow-motion cameras cost a relative fortune, though. If you want to buy one, you won’t get much change after mortgaging your home to find the funds.
Kron Technologies, on the other hand, brought slow-motion cameras down to below $5,000 with the Chronos 1.2. The new Chronos 4K12 and Q12 cost a little more than the 1.2, but they’re no more outrageous than something like the Sony F5 (buy here).
Chronos 4K12 & Q12 Specs
There are far too many specs to list here, but here are the basics.
| Chronos 4K12 | Chronos Q12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor Size | 4/3″ | Super 35mm |
| Crop Factor | 2x | 1.6x |
| Max Resolution | 4096×2160 | 2048×2016 |
| FPS @ Max Res | 1,397fps | 2,782fps |
| Throughput | 11.8Gbps | 11.8Gbps |
| Memory | 64GB, 128GB | 64GB, 128GB |
| Record time @ Max Res | 5.5s (64GB), 11s (128GB) | 5.5s (64GB), 11s (128GB) |
| Formats (Uncompressed) | CinemaDNG | CinemaDNG |
| Formats (Compressed) | H.264/AVC & H.265/HEVC, MPEG-4 File Format | H.264/AVC & H.265/HEVC, MPEG-4 File Format |
| Bit Depth | 8, 10, 12-bit | 8, 12-bit |
| Storage | 1TB NVMe | 1TB NVMe |
| ISO Sensitivity (Mono) | 100, 150, 200, 400 | 200, 280, 400, 600 |
| ISO Sensitivity (Colour) | 200, 300, 400, 800 | 400, 560, 800, 1200 |
| Shutter Type | Global (Electronic) | Global (Electronic) |
| Dynamic Range | 11.3 Stops | 11.3 Stops |
| Standard Lens Mount | Universal | Universal |
| User-installable Mounts | C-Mount, E-Mount, F-Mount, EF-Mount, MFT | C-Mount, E-Mount, F-Mount, EF-Mount, MFT |
| Infrared Filter | Removable | Removable |
| Dimensions | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Weight | 1.32kg | 1.32kg |
Price and Availability
The Chronos 4K12 is available to pre-order now from $14,495 and is hoped to begin shipping in February 2024. The Chronos Q12 is available to pre-order now from $19,995 and is aiming for a March 2024 shipping date.
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