The Buyers guide to...Best cameras for slow motion video

GoPro offers some big numbers when it comes to frame rates, allowing you to film in 1080p at 240fps. What does that mean?

Well, it means you can play back footage at 1/8th speed. Essentially one second becomes eight seconds so you can film some very cool action sequences.

The GoPro Hero8 Black’s 240fps footage is impressive, and if used when there’s plenty of light around you’ll get stunning sequences every time. Its 120fps footage is also solid.

Inside the GoPro Hero 8 Black is a 12-megapixel sensor that can also record 4K (3840 x 2160) footage at 60, 50, 30, 25 and 24fps in 16:9, as well as 4:3 4K at 30, 25 and 24fps.

The Hero8 Black can also record 2.7K in 16:9 at 60, 50, 30, 25 and 24fps, or50, 50, 30, 25 and 24fps 4:3 footage.

Read our GoPro Hero8 Black Review

The Canon EOS R5 price tag is steep, but by shooting 4K at 120p and 100p, you have the capability to produce high-quality slow motion videos. And with its powerful IBIS, you can shoot them handheld.

The main headline, of course, is that the Canon R5 can shoot raw 8K 12-bit video at up to 29.97fps. It’s also possible to shoot in 4:2:2 10-bit in Canon Log (H.265) or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ (H.265).

In lay terms, an 8K video frame is equivalent to a 35Mp image and shooting in 4:2:2 10-bit with Canon Log means there should be plenty of scope for adjusting/grading footage post-capture. It also means that the EOS R5 can be used alongside other cameras, including Canon’s cine range, and the footage can be made to match.

As I mentioned earlier, the footage is captured using the full width of the sensor so the video isn’t cropped.

Alternatively, 4K video can be recorded at up to 119.88fps in 4:2:2 10-bit in Canon Log (H.265) or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ (H.265) 4:2:2 10-bit in Canon Log or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ. That’s great news for slow motion video fans!

If you prefer to record 4K video to an external storage device, there’s an HDMI connection that can cope with recording at up to 59.94fps.

Read our Canon EOS R5 Review

Like the RX100 VI, the RX100 VII is capable of shooting 4K video with full pixel readout and S-Log2, S-Log3 and HLG profiles. However, in a major upgrade for vloggers, there’s a 3.5mm microphone port, which means the audio can be much improved.

If you’re interested in creating slow-motion video, the RX100 VII has the same high frame rate (HFR) options as the RX100 VI, 205, 500 and 1000fps.

Perhaps the most exciting upgrade, that the RX100 VII makes, however, is with the autofocus system. The RX100 VI is no slouch in this area, but the RX100 IV has 357 phase detection points and 425 contrast detection points, plus Real-time Tracking AF and Real-time Eye AF for humans and animals. In addition, the Real-time Eye AF for Humans works in video mode.

Inside the RX100 VII is a 1-inch, stacked 20.1-megapixel Exmor RS CMOS sensor with a DRAM chip and Sony’s Bionz X image processor. On the outside is a ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* 24-200mmviii F2.8-4.5.

What should really get people excited, though, is the technology the RX100 VII inherits from Sony’s A9. Like the A9, the RX100 VII’s image sensor realises blackout-free shooting for a completely live view, even when continuous shooting at 20fps.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra is not short on features, beginning with its camera. The quad camera array on the rear of the S20 Ultra comprises a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, 108-megapixel wide-angle camera, 48-megapixel telephoto camera and a depth vision camera.

What’s more, the S20 Ultra’s pixels capture more light thanks to nona-binning technology. This effectively combines nine pixels into one creating larger photosites that capture more light.

On the front of the Ultra is a 40-megapixel selfie camera. Photo mode now offers what is called Single Take. In this mode, when you press the shutter the S20 Ultra records a short clip of video, and then AI selects your best frames.

Quick Take sees the Galaxy S20 Ultra employ all of its cameras at the same time. It then provides you with a selection of your best shots at different focal lengths.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra also adds 8K video recording at 30fps from the 108MP camera, as well as 4K at 120fps, Full HD and HD. 8K videos can be cast on Samsung’s 8K-ready TVs, or you can upload footage directly to YouTube.

Galaxy S20 Ultra users can also now film in Pro Mode. This means you have all of the same controls that you would were you filming with a DSLR.

Another interesting feature that proved very clever in my initial tests was the zoom-in mic. The Galaxy S20 Ultra’s microphone will effectively zoom in 6x to seek audio, and then follow that sound. This might be useful, for instance, if you were filming a live band or a speech at a wedding, and wanted to eliminate the background noise around you.

Space Zoom is the other big feature Samsung has introduced to its Galaxy S20 family. This is a new combination of hybrid optical zoom and AI-powered digital zoom. With the S20 Ultra you get 100x Space Zoom (the S20+ and S20 each extend 30x).

Read our Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: Hands-on Review

At £329 the Osmo pocket has been priced aggressively and is aimed at today’s growing YouTube and Instagram generation.

However, if you’re a relatively normal individual and want a decent video camera to have some fun with the family or friends, the Osmo Pocket should also definitely be considered.

Inside is a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, 12mp effective which is fronted by a f/2.0 lens with an 80º FOV. ISO range is between 100-3200 for both video and stills.

Video is recorded in 4K Ultra HD at 24/25/30/48/50/60p and in Full HD at 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p. Movies are captured in MP4/Mov and still JPEG, DNG or both. Files are stored on a MicroSD up to 256GB.

It features an electronic shutter with a range of between 8s – 1/8000s. Still, photo modes include Single Shot, Panorama, Timelapse, Motionlapse.

You’ll also find Mechanical image stabilisation, and a 875mAh battery supplies the Pocket with 140 minutes of power and takes 73 minutes to charge.

The Osmo Pocket is small, measuring just 121.9 x 36.9x 28.6mm and weighing in at 116g.

The feature list is impressive, and the connection through to the Mimo App greatly extends the functionality. And the fact that the design is modular, enabling you to add extras such as the jog wheel, phone adapter or plug in an external mic also boosts the abilities of this small device further.

• Read our full DJI Osmo Pocket review

Read our DJI Osmo Pocket review

A successor to the ONE, the Insta360 ONE X shoots 4K at 50fps and 3K at 100fps in addition to its 5.7K 30fps footage. It can also record 18-megapixel still images.

Last year Insta360 debuted its new FlowState stabilisation technology, and in the ONE X this gets a total revamp so that it can analyse movement in all directions and stabilise your videos without the need of external accessories.

There’s also a new TimeShift feature, which allows users to adjust the speed of different parts of a video, including cinematic slow-motion to emphasise key moments.

TimeShift also allows you to frame your shot in any direction within your spherical video footage. The ONE X’s editing app also allows users to re-frame footage from any vantage point. The app also promises to remove your selfie stick from footage, giving the impression that the ONE X is floating in mid-air.

Other features include a Bullet Time shot, inherited from the ONE, in which the camera captures footage from an orbiting perspective.

There’s also a new Drifter camera dart accessory in which you can snap the ONE X and throw it to capture airborne slow-motion footage Insta360 calls Drift Shots.

For its modest price tag, the Insta360 ONE X packs a lot of spec and functionality and is arguably one of the best 360 cameras you can buy today.

• Read our full Insta360 ONE X review

Although in some ways the G7 X Mark II doesn’t make a massive upgrade on the previous camera, there are a couple of features that could make it very popular with videographers.

Firstly, whereas the Mark II’s maximum video resolution is Full-HD (1920 x 1080) at 59.94 / 50 / 29.97 / 25 / 23.98 fps, the PowerShot G7 X Mark III is capable of shooting 4K video 3840 x 2160 at 29.97 / 25fps without cropping. In addition, it can shoot Full HD (1920 x 1080) footage at 119.9 / 100 / 59.94 / 50 / 29 .97 / 25 fps. Those upper frame rates make high-quality slow-motion video possible.

And in an unusual move, there’s an option to shoot movies with a vertical movie aspect.

Crucially, there’s also a 3.5mm mic port. I could see this being used to connect a Rode Wireless Go for cable-free audio recording.

The clincher, however, is that the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is able to live-stream video. That’s big news. Instead of having to shoot on your phone or use a complex set-up, you can shoot directly to Youtube using a dedicated camera.

There’s also a clean HDMI output should you want it.

Read our Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III Review

Launched in early 2019, Panasonic’s revamped FZ1000 II packs a load of great video features, including a high speed mode that records videos at 120fps for slow motion effects.

You can also record 4K at 30fps and save it in MPEG-4 and H.264. The addition of a microphone port, 5-axis Hybrid OIS+ and the camera’s 3-inch, 1240K-dot fully articulated touchscreen also make the FZ1000 II a pretty formidable vlogging camera.

There’s even a new Auto Marking feature that lets you highlight your favourite still frames from your video footage.

A new Zoom Compose Assist tool is also quite clever. With this enabled the FZ1000 II will track your subjects even when they leave the frame when zoomed in. What it does is swap back to a wider view of the scene so you can re-compose your subject and zoom back in.

The other main upgrades in this refresh are a revamped 3-inch touchscreen that’s fully articulated, an improved electronic viewfinder, more customisation, Bluetooth and, of course, 4K video and Panasonic’s 4K Photo, Post Focus and Focus Stacking modes.

Get the Panasonic FZ1000 II on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Read our Panasonic FZ1000 II review