FASTCAM SA-X2 A high-speed camera for demanding imaging applications by Photron

Fastcam SA-X2 high speed camera
Photo by Photron

Building on the success of the bestselling Fastcam SA-X high speed camera, Photron announces the FASTCAM SA-X2 with megapixel resolution to 13,500 frames per second (fps) and over one million fps at reduced resolution.

Utilizing the very latest CMOS sensor technology, the FASTCAM SA-X2 utilizes large 20µm square pixels to capture more light than any other high-speed camera, and is rated to ISO 25,000 (against the accredited ISO 12232 Ssat measurement standard) for monochrome 12-bit cameras and ISO 10,000 for 36-bit color (Bayer system, single sensor) cameras. Higher light sensitivity means less additional lighting is required, or higher framing rates or shutter speeds (SA-X2 offers shuttering to 293ns) can be used with existing lighting conditions.

Two SD card slots built into the rear of the camera allow for the download of recorded image data from the camera without the need for a PC connection. SD media is readily and cheaply available, unlike expensive solid state memory drives that cost thousands of dollars and require specialized hardware to read. The camera’s SD write speed depends upon that of the SD media that is used. Currently SD cards can write up to 67.5MB per second, with higher rates expected in the near future. If a PC connection does exists, then images can be downloaded via dual industry standard Gig-E ports on the rear of the camera which enable 1GB of high-speed camera data to be offloaded in just seven and a half (7.5) seconds!

Onboard camera memory is available in four capacities to provide the following video record times:
• 8GB – 1K x 1K pixel resolution at 10K fps for up to 0.55 seconds of record time.
• 16GB – Up to 1.09 seconds of record time of 10K fps video data with mega pixel resolution.
• 32GB – 1K x 1K pixel resolution at 10K fps for up to 2.18 seconds of record time.
• 64GB – Up to 4.37 seconds of record time of 10K fps video data with mega pixel resolution.

The above referenced record times reflect 12-bit video data. The camera is also capable of capturing 8-bit video data, thereby increasing the record time by fifty percent (50%).

As with our other Fastcam SA series cameras, the SA-X2 includes both a C mount and an F mount (compatible with Nikon G type lenses), as well as optional support for Canon EF lenses with remote control of aperture and focus through our award winning Photron Fastcam Viewer (PFV) software. Wrappers for both LabVIEWTM and MATLABTM are available with PFV, as is our new automated motion analysis plug-in software – Photron Fastcam Analysis (PFA).

Other built-in features include an image trigger to automatically trigger the camera when motion is detected within the field of view, binning, compatibility with a National Instruments™ USB data acquisition (DAQ) module, Dual slope shutter to prevent overexposure of any pixel, up to sixty-four user- defined memory partitions, support for AVI, WMV and MOV video formats directly from the camera (no ‘translation’ software required), support for TIFF, PNG, JPEG and Bitmap image formats, time lapse mode and a built-in delay generator for all output timing signals.

For further information visit: www.photron.com

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