Pixboom Spark – Affordable, High-Speed Camera Shoots Over 2,000 fps

Excessive-speed cinematography has lived behind eye-watering worth tags for many years. In our on-camera interview at IBC, Pixboom CTO Dr. Honghoa Huang explains how the Pixboom Spark goals to alter that: a compact Tremendous 35 global-shutter digicam recording steady RAW straight to SSD, with 4.6K open-gate seize and creator-friendly workflow.In our interview with Dr. Huang, he traces the Pixboom Spark again to his educational roots (try final week’s unique article on the specs right here). A decade in the past, he and colleagues constructed lab-grade, ultra-high-speed methods for science and trade. The query that adopted was easy: why not construct a smaller, simpler, extra reasonably priced instrument for content material creators? That concept grew to become Pixboom, and Spark is the primary product the staff is pushing into manufacturing. Not like conventional high-speed rigs that loop into brief RAM buffers, Spark is designed to behave like a “regular” cinema digicam, rolling repeatedly to quick inner media and avoiding the stop-capture-dump cycle that slows units down.Pixboom Spark – a promising new, reasonably priced, high-speed digicam with an admittedly stunning product design that appears extra like an Apple product than anything. Picture credit score: PixboomWhat Pixboom Spark is making an attempt to solveHigh body charges demand mild, reliability, and repeatability. Dr. Huang stresses three core pillars from the outset: a back-side illuminated Tremendous 35 global-shutter sensor for motion-artifact-free pictures and higher sensitivity at excessive fps, steady recording that streams on to the SSD as a substitute of a buffer, and open-gate flexibility so creators can select side ratios or work with anamorphic lenses with out throwing away pixels. He additionally notes you’ll be able to set customized resolutions to unlock totally different most frame-rate targets, selecting the most effective steadiness of decision and velocity for every shot.Sensor, codecs, and workflowIn the interview, Dr. Huang confirms a BSI Tremendous 35 global-shutter sensor with a 4.6K open-gate readout and cites markedly improved sensitivity versus front-side-illuminated designs, which is essential if you find yourself pushing shutter angles tight to freeze movement. Spark data a proprietary compressed RAW stream, which Pixboom’s desktop app converts to CinemaDNG for grading and ending in frequent NLEs and shade instruments. He provides that the digicam data repeatedly to its SSD module quite than looping into RAM; on the very highest 4.6K settings, he quotes round seven minutes per take earlier than the media fills.Pixboom’s revealed specs again up the core structure and fill in particulars: compressed RAW is written at as much as 10 GB/s to the detachable “Pixboom Professional Card,” and pictures could be offloaded over the module’s built-in USB-C at as much as 20 Gbps, no separate reader required. Printed frame-rate tables checklist 670 fps at 4.6K open gate, 887 fps at DCI 4K 16:9, and as much as 2,182 fps at 2K 2.37:1, together with a 3.5-inch 6.22-M-dot high touchscreen for monitoring and management.Pixboom Spark will likely be out there in black and silver. Picture credit score: PixboomMounts, energy, and I/OSpark makes use of Pixboom’s personal locking mount with digital contacts and ships with adapters for Sony E and PL. Dr. Huang says the adapters help digital communication for iris and metadata. Autofocus will not be enabled within the present firmware however is into consideration for future updates. For energy, the digicam integrates a V-mount plate and likewise accepts 15–24 V DC-in. Dr. Huang highlights a sensible profit on set: when DC is linked, you’ll be able to hot-swap the onboard battery with out shutting the digicam down.Formally listed connections embody 12G-SDI, HDMI 2.0, USB-C, and dual-band Wi-Fi, with a 9-pin EXT providing genlock, timecode, and GPIO. Spark is specified to output as much as 4K60 over SDI. The physique is a compact machined aluminum enclosure measuring 108×110×130mm (4.3×4.3×5.1 in) and beneath 1.1 kg (2.4 lbs), which ought to go well with gimbals, robots, and drones.The Pixboom Spark ships with adapters for Sony E-mount and PL mount. Picture credit score: PixboomBufferless seize and pre-rollDr. Huang’s bufferless method is the headline: Spark behaves like an everyday digicam that simply occurs to shoot very quick. As well as, revealed supplies describe a user-adjustable pre-record buffer, capturing roughly 2–3 seconds earlier than the set off to assist with unpredictable motion in sports activities, wildlife, and documentary work.Body-rate targets: what the interview says vs. revealed tablesOn digicam, Dr. Huang mentions targets of “about 1,000 fps at 4K” and “about 1,800 fps at 2K,” and notes his private desire is DCI 4K at 1,000 fps. Present spec sheets from Pixboom’s launch communications checklist 887 fps at 4K 16:9 and as much as 2,182 fps at 2K 2.37:1. Numbers inevitably evolve between prototype and delivery, however the intent is obvious: very excessive body charges at 4K, even greater at 2K, with global-shutter movement.Pricing, marketing campaign timing, and availabilityIn our interview, Dr. Huang quotes a super-early worth of $7,499 for the physique with one adapter and one SSD, with a $13,000 MSRP, Kickstarter launching September seventeenth (tomorrow from the time of posting this text), and deliveries anticipated “within the first quarter of subsequent 12 months.”Printed marketing campaign data lists the super-early tier at $7,999, together with a Professional Card, $8,499 for later pledges, and, as talked about above, a $12,999 MSRP, with deliveries focused for Q1 2026.If you happen to commit to buying even earlier than launching their Kickstarter, Pixboom Spark is obtainable for $7,499 with a $100 deposit. Screenshot from Pixboom web site.As with many crowdfunded launches, deal with these numbers as steering till manufacturing locks! But the nice factor is we are able to affirm that it’s an actual product, as a result of we’ve touched and tried it, and can shoot an early hands-on throughout an upcoming journey to India … extra on that quickly!Pixboom tries to focus on creators, in addition to …. (Picture credit score: Pixboom)Who’s it for, and key use casesIf you shoot tabletop, product, or meals work, water and fluid dynamics, magnificence macro, sports activities plates, or VFX components the place movement artifacts from rolling shutters spoil photographs, Spark’s world shutter and steady RAW are compelling. Dr. Huang particularly cites water, meals, and small-object photographs as candy spots, whereas open gate and de-squeeze help make the digicam related for anamorphic creators who wish to maintain their full area of view. Printed specs emphasize anamorphic de-squeeze in monitoring and a roadmap for extra compressed codecs and in-camera Log recording, which is able to assist productions that don’t want RAW each time.… high-end filmmakers with the Pixboom Spark. Open gate recording functionality is superb for anamorphic capturing, in fact. Picture credit score: PixboomPixboom Spark specs at a glanceSuper 35 BSI global-shutter CMOS, 4.6K open gate (4608 × 3072), 13+ stops, dual-native ISOMax fps: 670 fps at 4.6K 3:2, 887 fps at 4K 16:9, 1,171 fps at 4K 2.37:1, 1,724 fps at 2K 16:9, 2,182 fps at 2K 2.37:1Recording: compressed RAW to Pixboom Professional Card as much as 10 GB/s; offload through USB-C at as much as 20 GbpsMonitoring: 3.5-inch 6.22-M-dot contact show on high; anamorphic de-squeeze optionsI/O: 12G-SDI as much as 4K60, HDMI 2.0, USB-C, Wi-Fi; 9-pin EXT for genlock, timecode, GPIOMounts: Pixboom locking mount with digital E and PL adapters; metadata supportedPower and physique: built-in V-mount, 15–24 V DC-in, hot-swap when on DC; 108 × 110 × 130 mm (4.3×4.3×5.1 in); Marketing campaign: super-early 7,999 {dollars} together with Professional Card, later 8,499; MSRP 12,999; goal Q1 2026 deliveriesSpark is an bold first digicam. If Pixboom can ship the imaging, the continual RAW workflow, and the promised ergonomics at scale, extra creators will lastly be capable to discover very excessive body charges with out renting a lab rig. Take a look at extra particulars on their web site. What would you shoot first: water, hearth, or macro textures? Or one thing else solely? Tell us within the feedback under.