May 11, 2007 Vision Research showed off a very special new camera at the recent NAB in Las Vegas, and SAE World Congress in Detroit - the first in a new line of Phantom high-speed digital cameras. The Phantom Miro line is a compact, light-weight, rugged family of cameras targeted at industrial applications ranging from biometric research to automotive crash testing. Rated to survive 100g acceleration this rugged camera can take 512x512 images at up to 2200 frames-per-second (fps). Reduce the resolution to 32 x 32 and achieve frame rates greater than 95,000 fps. With an ISO rating of 4800 (monochrome, saturation-based ISO 12232), the camera has the light sensitivity for the most demanding applications. With shutter speeds as low as 2 microseconds, the user can freeze objects in motion, eliminate blur, and bring out the image detail needed for successful motion analysis. The camera accepts any standard 1" C-mount lens. See a movie of what it can do here.
The first member of the family, the Phantom Miro 3, is optimized for applications such as Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized (HYGE) crash simulations used in the automotive industry.
Selectable 8-, 10- or 12-bit pixel depth allows the user to choose the dynamic range that best meets the demands of the application.
The Miro 3 has a number of external control signals allowing for external triggering, camera synchronization, and time-stamping. The camera has both dynamic RAM and internal flash memory for non-volatile storage. Internal battery power allows the camera to be used in an un-tethered mode and ensures data survivability in case of loss of power.
The camera ships with a trial version of Image Systems' TEMA Starter for Phantom motion analysis software. The Miro 3 is available now with deliveries ranging from 4-6 weeks.
