Krontech is a small camera manufacturer from Canada that specializes in making affordable, compact high-speed digital cinema cameras. Their latest camera is the Chronos 2.1-HD which can shoot in full 1080p resolutions of up to 1000fps.
This camera has been in development for some time and it has been beta tested during the later stages of 2020. It is now available to purchase.
The Chronos 2.1-HD is the follow up to the Chronos 1.4. The Chronos 2.1-HD has 2.1 gigapixel-per-second throughputs, so you can capture high-speed video at up to 1080p (1920×1080) resolution at 1,000fps. At its minimum resolution, you can capture up to 24,046fps.
Above you can see some material that was shot with the camera.
Above you can watch a nice BTS showing how the camera was used for a commercial shoot.
Key features
- 1920×1080 1000fps CMOS image sensor with 2.1Gpx/s throughput
- Sensor: ISO 500-8000 (Color), 1000-16000 (Monochrome)
- Global shutter LUX2100 image sensor – 19.2 x 10.8mm, 10um pixel pitch
- Electronic shutter from 1/fps down to 10us (1/100,000 s)
- CS, C, Nikon F and Canon EF mount lens support
- Focus peaking (focus assist) and zebra exposure indicator
- Machined billet aluminum case
- Body color: Black
- 12.7cm (5″) capacitive touchscreen, 1000 nit daylight visible
- Record time: 2.75s (8GB), 5.51s (16GB), or 11.03s (32GB)
- 1-year warranty included (can be extended to 4 years)
- Continuous operation on AC adapter
- 1h runtime on field-swappable EN-EL4a battery
- Gigabit Ethernet – remote control and video download
- Audio IO and internal microphone*
- HDMI video output
- Two channel 1Msa/s waveform capture*
- Storage: SD card, two USB host ports (flash drives/hard drives), eSATA 3G
- Trigger: TTL, switch closure, image change, sound, accelerometer
- Low-noise variable-speed fan
- Dimensions: 155 x 96 x 67.3cm (6.11″ x 3.78″ x 2.65″)
- Weight: 1.06kg (2.34lb)
The camera features a CMOS Global shutter LUX2100 image sensor that has a physical size of 19.2 x 10.8mm. The pixel pitch is 10um. The dynamic range is quoted as being 10.3 stops.
You can choose from either color or monochrome versions. The base sensitivity of the color version is 500 ISO and for the monochrome, it is 1000 ISO. 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB models allow you to record for 2.3, 2.5, and 11 seconds respectively.
Above you can see the various recording modes.
Above you can see the maximum frame rates at various resolutions.
What you clearly need to know with cameras like this is that the recordings are being done to an internal memory buffer and once that is full the material then needs to be written out to an SD card, or via two USB host ports (flash drives/hard drives), or eSATA 3G.
The camera has a built-in LCD screen so you can keep the camera’s size to a minimum if you don’t want to hook up an external monitor. The screen has the ability to show zebras and focus peaking.
The camera has the following inputs and outputs:
- Microphone/Line input, headphone output
- Video HDMI monitor output
- USB USB type A (host) and micro B (device)
- SATA eSATA 3Gbps
- Analog input* 1MSa/s 12-bit, 200kHz bandwidth, +/- 1V full scale
- 17-20V 40W 5.5/2.5mm barrel jack, positive tip
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Trigger Two Trigger inputs/frame strobe outputs (BNC and Aux)
- Adjustable input threshold 0 to 6.6V
- Electrically isolated trigger input (Aux connector)
The camera weighs in at 1.06kg (2.34 lbs) without lens and it has physical dimensions of 155mm x 96mm x 67.3mm (6.11″ x 3.78″ x 2.65″).
The Chronos 2.1-HD comes with a 40W power supply that provides up to one-hour of battery life. It will also run indefinitely on an AC adapter. You also get a CS to C mount lens adapter, however, FotodioX Nikon F to C and FotodioX Canon EF to C adapters can also be purchased as options.
Price & Availability
The Krontech Chronos 2.1-HD starts at $4,995 USD for the 8GB version. What you clearly need to remember is that the 8GB version only allows you to record for up to 2.3 seconds at a time.
Below are the prices for the various models that are available:
Due to demand, any orders made today won’t ship till at least March.
These prices do make the camera an affordable option for high speed capture. The other option is this space is the Freefly Wave which has the added benefit of being able to record 4K at up to 420fps and the ability to record for longer periods of time internally.
What you clearly need to remember is that these types of cameras are quite specialized and there are only so many shots that can be done at very high frame rates. Don’t be blinded by high frame rates and purchase one unless you really have a need for a camera like this.
