High-speed cameras selected for slow-motion imaging at Beijing Summer 2008 Olympics

July 2, 2008--Photron (San Diego, CA) has been chosen to provide the high-speed cameras for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The Fastcam SA1 camera, which provides high-definition TV imagery to 5,400 frames per second (fps), will be integrated into a new imaging system, the SprintCam Live V2, manufactured by i-Movix (Mons, Belgium).

The cameras will record various Summer Olympic events and provide instant replay in extreme slow motion. Photron cameras have been used in other sports and television broadcast events, such as the PGA tour with CBS, the Australian Tennis Open, and other TV productions including the BBC's Planet Earth series, CBS' CSI franchise, and many Discovery Channel programs, including Future Weapons and the new hit, Time Warp.

Output will be both high-definition and RS-170 video. The cameras will provide true 12-bit resolution and microsecond global shuttering; at reduced resolution, they are capable of imaging up to 675,000 fps.