Throughout the recent spate of slow motion posts I’ve been looking at sites for the cameras themselves. These sites all have something in common: None of them list a single price anywhere.
So I sent an email to my local high speed camera dealer, and they have generously allowed me to reprint some of their prices to give people an idea of how much working with these things is going to cost. I’m not going to steal their thunder with an exact line or price list, but a ballpark figure will help you get started.
Photron FastCam-X 1024 PCI
Up to 1500fps @ 1024×768. US$80,000+ to buy, around US$2000 per day to rent in stripped down form.
If you want to spend less money you get less resolution and lower framerate. The upcoming Fastec SportsCam will do 250fps @ 640×480 and 500fpx @ 440×330. US$8800 to buy or US$350 per day to rent (US$1400 per week).
If all of this expensive gear is getting you down maybe this may cheer you up: Shot with 12 Sony K750i camera phones at 10fps. Presidents of the United States of America’s Some Postman:
(Higher quality quicktime version, more information and making of video)