If you’re a regular reader, you know that I am on-the-record with a deep belief that photography and filmmaking are not all about speeds and feeds or how big your megapixels are compared to mine. Nonetheless, I do have a healthy respect for the technical side of the craft — and for those who dive in deep.
Like the guy who made this video, for example.
This optical illusion is “purportedly” made possible by synching the camera shutter speed with the rotation of the helicopter’s blades, giving the latter the appearance of “staticity.” Some cry hoax. Others say it’s real. Those who believe it is real have engaged in lengthy debate about how it was achieved. The two sides’ arguments break down like this:
SS: “As the title of the video suggests, the filmmaker synched his shutter speed with the rotation of the helicopter blades to make it appear as it does.”
FR: “This is a matter of frame rate, not shutter speed. The frame rate has to be synched such that with each frame exposure the blades are in the exact same position.”
So here’s the quiz – what’s your take? Real or fake? Shutter speed or frame rate?
similar to the frozen in space waterdroplets , check this out .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PkgQQqpH2M
Synchronizing the frame rate ensures that the rotor is in the same alignment with each frame of the video.
A high enough shutter speed is required to ensure the individual frames aren’t overly blurred so that the rotor looks crisp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eFPhg5nIrY&feature=share&list=UUNLWT4b_Uc38UvoxQbja9qg
Unfortunately the 4 has a pretty bad rolling shutter, but you get the idea. The above video is simply luck of the right shutter speed. I was more impressed by the fact the the shutter speed remained constant throughout the video.
I’d say that it’s a combination of shutter speed and frame rate, mostly frame rate.
You need to have the right frame rate to sync with the rotation of the blades. You also need a fast shutter speed to avoid too much motion blur (too much motion blur and you wont get the right effect).
I think the title of the video is a misinterpretation of the term shutter speed. The shutter speed only effects the amount of motion blur, so you need the right frame rate to get the right aliasing effect..
I know that for a lot of helicopters if they need more lift, the angle of the rotors is changed and not the speed of rotation.
So this could be possible.
Key for this effect is the frame rate, that needs to be in sync, Shutter speed must only be high enough to get a clear definition of the blades,