When it comes to high-speed drone cinematography, high-end cinematographers, more often than not, elect to work with a dedicated camera that has been designed for this specific task. Of course, when you’re starting off and working on your own DIY projects, you can absolutely make use of some of the built-in cameras with some of the more basic drone systems.
But, if you want the best footage, you’re going to need to use a hyper-specialized camera, which is what the Freefly Ember S5K offers. And despite any misconceptions about how easy or hard these speciality cameras are to use, the Freefly Ember S5K has proven to be one of the easier to use options.
With their own iOS app that can directly connect your Freefly Ember to an iPhone 15 Pro, this option has also just gotten another major boost with new added post stabilization — let’s explore.The Freefly Ember S5K High Speed Camera
Alright, before we look more in-depth at this new post-stabilization addition, let’s look at the Freefly Ember S5K high-speed camera itself. Designed to capture high-resolution, high-speed 5K drone video, the Ember S5K camera is capable of continuous high-speed recording and is small enough to mount as a drone payload.
With its Gpixel S35 sensor, the Ember S5K can capture up to 5K resolution at 600 fps, or up to 4K at 800 fps, to capture some of the best high-speed, slow-motion video on the market. It also can capture 10-bit ProRes format video directly onto its 4TB NVMe SSD, which itself can capture up to 36 minutes of video in 5K600 mode and up to 45 minutes in 4K800 mode.
If you’re curious to check it out, though, here are all of the specs and purchase options for the Ember S5K:
- High-Speed Compact S35 Drone Camera
- Up to 5K at 600 fps, 4K at 800 fps Video
- S35 Gpixel Sensor, Sony E Mount
- Capture Video in 10-bit ProRes Format
- 4TB Internal NVMe SSD, GPIO/Microfit CAN
- Global Shutter, Wi-Fi Control via iOS
- 1080p24 HDMI Preview
- USB-C 3.2 Data Output
One of the best features of this camera, though, might simply be its app control via Wi-Fi directly with said iOS app. This is also where this new functionality is being added.
Add Post Stabilization in the iOS App
With the iOS app, the Freefly Ember S5K will now include stabilization, which will be applicable after your footage has been shot. Once used, your video clips will be smoothed out while still preserving every frame.
This looks to be a great feature to combine with all of your usual speed ramps and other high-frame rate tricks, which can all be accessed and controlled via this iOS app. In truth, anyone who’s tried any high-frame-rate recording with drone footage can tell you that working with this high-speed video can get mixed results due to shakiness.
While not released initially, Freefly has been hard at work developing this update for their iOS app as it solves a lot of issues for those looking for the smoothest and most pristine high-speed drone footage possible.
Price and Availability
So, there’s some of course some good news and bad news here as the Freefly Ember app itself is free to download via the Apple app store. However, as you might expect, the high-speed, high-end, slow-motion Freefly Ember S5K camera is not cheap.
FREEFLY Ember S5K Camera
Capture high-resolution, high-speed 5K drone video with the Ember S5K Camera from FREEFLY. The compact S35 camera is designed for continuous high-speed recording and is small enough to mount as a drone payload. The Gpixel S35 sensor captures up to 5K resolution at 600 fps or up to 4K800 to capture clear high-speed, slow-motion video. It features a Sony E mount for use with a variety of stock lenses, and it has a global shutter.
But when compared to other tools in this market, like the camera from Phantom High Speed, this feels like a very affordable addition to a niche that's really needing a shakeup.
While we don't see ultra high-speed cinematography becoming mainstream, having affordable tools (relatively) in any space tends to make it more competitive. And that's when creatives always win.
