Camera movement and dolly zoom with Chronos high-speed camera

High speed video with Chronos 1.4 camera movement and dolly zoom effect. 5:44 for the key high-speed shot.
Big servo motor: www.teknic.com/products/clear...
Small servo motor: www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Ball-joint mount: www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-Univ...
Chronos high-speed camera: www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Slow mo music: "Dewdrop Fantasy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

Really creative stuff. I liked seeing the gait of the ant. I never thought about it, but I would have assumed there were more than two steps.

[@SergeantShrimp1]

Practical Engineering hey man, I love your videos! You and applied science should collaborate.

[@evilplaguedoctor5158]

I had that same thought, I've seen robots move like that, but I always assumed that was for simplicity's sake.

[@ExaltedDuck]

Biological systems are often excellent at finding at implementing efficient solutions.

[@aserta]

EvilPlagueDoctor, most robots that have more than a pair of legs are based on nature. Why bother designing your own gait when there's something much better built already in working condition for you to copy. Wish i could remember the fellow who made insect robots that mimicked them almost perfectly. Simple things, that was almost two decades ago, so nothing smart, but they worked really, really well.

[@tzimmermann]

+aserta You can also let the robot learn its own gait, we had people doing that in the lab I used to work in. Possibilities are endless, there was a team whose goal was to evolve a robot geometry in parallel with gait generation in simulation, then they would 3d print the robot parts, assemble it and transfer the controller trained in simulation to make it work IRL.

[@MakeSomething]

I'm only a few seconds in and already complete wow'd! Awesome!

[@cyrex686]

A jerk limit is what I had to make for myself when working from home.

[@Aistlander]

Sometimes you can try loosening the limit screw and see what happens. If things get too out of control then tighten it up again.

[@Asdayasman]

Gross. But relateable.

[@andreasobermaier1041]

Out classing the slow mo guys at their own game, well done.

[@aserta]

It's not like Gavin invented slo-mo on KZbin, some of us were watching bacon and popcorn sizzling here long before he even heard of YT.

[@QuietDuplicity]

He didn't say the Slo Mo guys invented slo-mo on youtube, he does have a point though. When most people think of popular slow motion video on youtube you can be pretty safe to assume that they're thinking of The Slo Mo Guys, maybe Destin too but not as common I've found. What he was referring to is that Ben is bringing something new to slow motion on youtube with his engineering knowledge and this high speed dolly. I mean the Slo Mo Guys could have done something like this a long time ago but to my knowledge they haven't.

[@BlackEpyon]

Heck, I'd live to see a few collaboration projects between them :-)

[@Android480]

I can't believe I've spent 5 years roaming the youtube educational space, and I've never once been recommended this channel before 2020.

[@JKFurrer1]

As soon as I saw the camera mounted on the rail, I immediately thought of dolly zoom and how amazing that would look. Glad you did it!

[@dangoldbach6570]

Visual effects done practically, and relatively easily built.... This just made me super happy!

[@Serachja]

I love this channel with all of your videos! Thank you very much for posting your cool inventions!

[@reps]

A good source for long linear actuators are old (cutting-) plotters. Have made a video about that once ...

[@CarlinComm]

Wow, that is really cool! So many things all happening at the same time!

[@0fend0]

30 seconds in and my mind is already blown. Great work.

[@Alexander_Sannikov]

I used to watch one Ben's video every morning during breakfast. Now I have watched them all and I have to wait a month for a new video to show up, really looking forward to it every time though. This is my favorite youtube channel.

[@electronicsNmore]

That garage is packed with tools and equipment. :-)

[@ChronosCooper]

I liked the video after 10 seconds when I saw how the camera moved. Wished there is another Like button when I saw what it does. Well done! This is amazing!

[@fredyrmz1]

Sir, have you been told before you're a genius? I bet you have, but here it goes again: YOU SIR ARE A GENIUS! Thanks for sharing your creativity and knowledge with everyone. Greetings from Mexico :)

[@TheLIKERization]

I think your ideas are great, i am a filmmaker and someone appreciating framing movment ect. makes me happy!!!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

I just finished my motorised camera slider project and that pivoting technique is pretty cool! Thanks for that!

[@sharedknowledge6640]

Awesome video, rigging, and explanations!

[@Andrew_Fernie]

For long enough I have wondered what that effect was and now I know; dolly zoom. Thanks 👍

[@robgandy4550]

I love the poor man's panning of the camera. even though you went with a decent linear actuator. beautiful build sir (again) cheers! and happy new year !

[@kl1nk0r]

This is a really cool idea Ben!

[@locouk]

The Chronos is an amazing bit of kit, it's size and mass appears to open up so many opportunities that aren't open the Phantom range of cameras. The internet has given access to so many different possibilities from people who think outside the box.

[@Ogaitnas900]

the footage you get out of this is beautiful, btw the slow motion + dolly zoom is dramatic as all hell

[@AmRadPodcast]

Pretty amazing camera rig. Slick software too. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

[@Newsparklabs]

Excellent work!

[@VancataTube]

Great and very interesting work. Please share more vids as you progress!

[@FadiHamoud1980]

ALWAYS informative videos. Thank you so much, sir.

[@a__duck]

excellent as always. I hope to have a shop like yours some day.

[@alexozzie6014]

you have inspired me to do so many cool things, I love it. thanks!

[@Tonicwine999]

You are always on a different level

[@chris_1337]

Excellent video! The servo motor and the clamp coupler in that configuration would be so useful for a lot of cool things

[@klaudialustig3259]

These videos make me happy

[@AliHSyed]

So digging this channel. Thanks mate

[@215alessio]

I really learned new stuff todayn thanks !! learned abt servomotors, and special techniques

[@DavidFowlerEngineer]

Always awesome!

[@ernestw827]

supercool ! Thanks, Ben.

[@alfredpianoman2543]

This is a seriously cool video

[@2handsomeforlaw]

This is awesome!

[@aliengoboom]

amazing 😍

[@vevenaneathna]

great video, thanks

[@leochen4891]

Nice job!!

[@stevenutter3614]

It's crazy to see a channel that has literally zero self endorsement, you never ask for subscribers or anything, no patreon page.

[@MadCodex]

Amazing. Thank you.

[@DanieleGiorgino]

Something involving a power, like flour, would be cool. Your trick for keeping the camera focused on the subject is so smart btw.

[@RoboCNCnl]

very interesting stuff !

[@zushiba]

This is awesome, I think for the changing of the whole dolly zoom sequence you could lay down precisely fitted strips of reflector tape and use something like a mouse sensor to (Similar to how most middle mouse wheels work) to calculate the position and drive the motors. This has the benefit of not having to rely on a mechanical relationship between the rail and the rig and relying instead on light.

[@buer94]

That's amazing!

[@TheBertjeT]

Happy new year Ben!

[@stennisrl]

Super cool setup! I think a confetti popper aiming upwards would yield a cool shot, granted you would need an additional mechanism to actually set the popper off, but that should be reasonably trivial. Keep up the awesome videos!

[@tiitsaul9036]

mind blow as always.

[@WeAreGRID]

Yeah im calling it, youre definitely the next slomo guy, youve got the engineering skills to set this thing up to do all sorts of cool things. I suggest you do a venus flytrap, that would be cool to see in slow motion, and maybe a frog or a chameleon.

[@0xF33D]

You got the idea of this channel completely wrong. The guy is doing whatever he wants, not stopping at one particular solved topic. A difficulty of the problem is what he likes, and not the application of the solution.

[@jakenkid]

Just me, or is the wobble at 16:16 pretty damn unsettling? I found that to be an incredibly fortuitous event! Hopefully something used by others in the future! Really loved it!

[@RawSauce338]

that was so funking cool

[@BlackEpyon]

I'd love to see you do a collaboration or two with The Slow-Mo guys. The kind of stuff you're experimenting with has great potential if you can scale your rig up to take a larger camera!

[@alex-dn9to]

his highly developed ideas change the world

[@Landrew0]

For a 300K subscriber channel, I'm surprised you're not a bit more engaged with making videos in a more timely fashion.

[@TheKutia]

Dropping a egg setting off a firecracker blowing up a lighter pooring out water. breaking glass just some of the ideas that came to mind

[@mikewilliams6025]

Reversed footage would look very impressive with this set up.

[@charliegallie2026]

I subbed, part of the reason I did was because your mustache is amazing

[@mattgiroux558]

Very cool.

[@ShubhamBhushanCC]

This guy is awesome. I wish I knew so much

[@desmeitit]

I think that a shot of one of your flash tubes going off would be cool!

[@guyh3403]

Science has been applied! Wow!

[@AirCommandRockets]

Great video! You could put the potentiometer on the arm's pivot point that's away from the track and that way you would always know the exact position along the track.

[@mikeselectricstuff]

I thought Chronos had an adjustable lens mount to adjust lens to sensor distance, avoiding the need for shims

[@whitcwa]

Yes, there's a setscrew on the bottom to loosen and then the C mount turns in/out.

[@AppliedScience]

You're right! I should have read the manual!

[@johnnyj540]

Read a manual?

[@PAhmad99]

so geniuses' make mistakes too... didn't know that...

[@softdorothy]

Your fiberglas rod/arm is brilliant. I like the idea of moving the axis though such that it is not necessarily directly underneath the subject. Moving the axis closer or farther from the track will give the camera either a little over or under panning. You could get some cool "tracking" shots this way. Filming something like a projectile through a glass - you might want the camera to somewhat track the projectile as it approaches and somewhat follow it (and the debris) after the collision.

[@KnolltopFarms]

as already suggested, I think a firecracker going off would be cool, and to add to that theme and the motion aspect, tie a pack-o-crackers above the plane to be captured and then get the shot of them 1st breaking away from the bunch when their fuses burn loose, and then the following explosion. I think the moments between their separation and detonation would be interesting to explore. Thanks so much and All the Best for 2017!

[@henningdietze3872]

I think the BBC documentary team can still learn from your techniques ! I'd love to see some high class nature events with your setup

[@rnoor01]

amazing

[@jameslamb4573]

Cool. Best wishes for 2017

[@bjornssondj]

Excellent project! The Dolly zoom effect is especially interesting I think. I noticed that the camera starts shaking as it starts moving and then that effect is of course then amplified as the camera zooms in. The shot might be more stable if you move the camera towards the subject since since you'll be mitigating the shaking by zooming out as the camera starts to move.

[@PappaMoe]

That's what I need in my life - a jerk limit.

[@luisantoniomarrega3713]

Perfeito fantástico! Rio Brasil

[@phaZed9]

Great work! When using the linear actuator long-ways, for par focus, the left/right motion is very apparent.

[@IgnacioHeredia]

great video, loved it :) suggestion: in your last shot you made a *dolly in* for an action that took the same amount of space from start to end. it feels odd to not see the whole thing, which can be on purpose, but you can also try to shot a *dolly out* for a (re)action that starts small and ends up taking a considerable amount of space

[@ryangeorge346]

Cody's Lab should totally get in cahoots with you and do some potassium exploding in water shots, or maybe something with mercury. That dolly zoom effect would be really cool with some of the stuff he does!

[@LazerLord10]

But how fast can it go full-tilt?

[@bluesquare23]

Everything you do is so dam impressive. What type of engineer are you?

[@video2k007]

Hey Ben, what about using two phase-offset zebra strips and photodiodes as position-pickup on the linear actuator? Should take care of the slip...

[@GabrielDemarchiMaia]

I thought you where going to film something falling (vertically oriented), a drop of water or something like that, but still great video, keep up the awesome work you do :)

[@edwardbadlands8621]

Applied Science Thank you,this is so cool. Wow, how did you determine what the wire gap should be to compensate for the pare-focal distance? Is this a shim between the lens base and lens?

[@RichardTamayo]

This video is exactly what I have been searching for, thank you for creating this. Quick question, what should I search for to find the same rail that's in this video? Any info you can provide would be awesome. Thanks in advance!

[@HerosAndZeros]

Ben, have a look at the "Orbis" absolute rotary sensor from RLS for accurate position feedback. It's a contact less magnetic encoder with 14 bit resolution. There is a version that communicates over SPI so interfacing with Arduino is very straight forward. The data stream contains both the absolution angular position and the angular velocity if needed. It is quite affordable (compared to other rotary encoders). I think you can mount it directly on the outgoing shaft of the linear actuator. I have used a beta sample and am extremely satisfied with the performance! Keep them brilliant videos comin'!

[@dennisvanlandeghem]

Hi! Amazing video, great inspiration! What lens did you use for the ant shot? Thanks!

[@Tetzuoe]

It's interesting that at that speed you can really see all the shaking the camera does in its mounts. How does the jerk setting affect that? I would get you'd be looking at some pretty expensive motors with some really solid mounts to sure up any high speed herky-jerkiness.

[@miamimovies]

A panto-graph movement for the positioning stick and head would allow for other angles and pan rates, would also let you get the assembly behind the camera.

[@The1wsx10]

nice video, hope you can get it tuned in just right so the zoom works perfectly

[@b5a5m5]

Hey Ben, would you be able to give the illusion of orbiting around the object when doing a dolly pan by messing with the zoom in editing, similar to your first slow motion experiment? If you took a graph of the camera's location over time, run it through a mathematical function (like a basic sine wave) and then applied it to the scale of each frame I think it may produce that result. You could probably even tweak it a bit to make it seem like your on an elliptical orbit, or even that your orbit starts out really close to the object, gets launched out from the object, and then comes back to the close to it after rotating around the object (like an eliptical orbit where the object of interest is nearer to one of the apexes instead of the center of the ellipses). Granted this does have its disadvantages such as the image quality loss with the scaling (Not a huge deal if the camera can shoot at a really high resolution). Or that you can't achieve an orbiting illusion that goes more than ~180 degrees around the object. However it can also be advantageous because the camera is out of the way and not constantly rotating around the object of interest.

[@CollectiveSoftware]

Footage ideas: - make some contact explosive, coat a flat surface, and set it off at one corner, capturing how the combustion progresses. - particulate flocking - dye mixing into a transparent fluid? (maybe too slow to be of interest) - progression of a compression wave down a spring/slinky - different modes of a guitar string vibrating

[@putteification]

Would it make sense to point the camera at a mirror, and have the linear actuator move the mirror? The camera could be beside the object, and mirror moving almost straight away or towards the object?

[@cdfgh1111]

what about encoding the rail to be optically read for .....

[@frogz]

whoa....this is old.... i love it, way better than TKoR did

[@constantinosschinas4503]

you can also find a ratio of focus/travel and use same motor with extra belt. a conical cvt like arrangement can provide infinite ratio adjustment.

[@AlborzSedaghat]

Really impressive work, but a question: The link to the Big servo motor, shows 3 different type of motors, namely STEP & DIRECTION, MOTION CONTROL and SOFTWARE CONTROL. Which motor are you using?

[@jasondalton6111]

Great setup and footage. A couple ideas for you: first, you could use a USB presentation 'clicker' to reset and run your actuator without needing to use the mouse. Second, how about a mechanical connection between the focusing ring and the linear track? That way there's no delay in the stepper focus out of sync with the rail stepper? A rack and pinion?

[@CoolerQ]

The velocity doesn't really seem to be very consistent. Do you need better lubrication/bearings on the linear actuator? Or is the camera itself acting as a pendulum and springing back and forth?

[@brplatz]

Where did you pick up that McMaster catalog? I want one, even though the website is inevitably faster.....

[@mrstyles9999]

What if you were to use the pan truck setup but this time with a highly curved rail and dolly zoom while panning and moving to the side. Or even a circular design maybe?

[@djvanzz]

Maybe I missed it, but why use a servo motor vs a stepper for the truck movement? Is it just because you already had it on hand? As always, awesome video.

[@TheBetterRyanKelly]

Hey Applied Science I love your stuff! do you have a preferred place for DM's? I just made a fully mechanical Pan and Tilt slider that doesn't use electronics and might be perfect for these high-speed applications. I would love for you to take a look at it and see if we could patch something together.