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A $7 app lets your iPhone shoot video at higher resolutions, faster framerates

ultrakam lets record high definition video cinematic look iphone app 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Have you ever wondered what lends film-based cinema movies and old TV shows a special look that is so different from digital video? The “secret” is in the frame rate, that is, the number of individual images that are shown each second. While consumer video devices sport frame rates of 25, 30, 50 or 60 frames per second (fps), the frame rate of film footage is typically only 24 fps. But now you can achieve that cinematic look when recording video on your iPhone, thanks to a new app called Ultrakam.

Besides recording at a frame rate of 24 fps, Ultrakam also raises the resolution of your video footage beyond Full HD, offering 2K high-definition video recording at a resolution of 2240 x 1672 pixels. Full HD video has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, so Ultrakam offers 70-percent higher resolution for even more details. On top of that, it even lets you record high-speed video at up to 120 fps when using an iPhone 5S, which can then be slowed down to create true slow-motion footage.

Ultrakam also has a time-lapse mode that lets you capture individual frames at intervals of 1 second or longer, and later replay them at full speed. And because it is aimed primarily at video enthusiasts who want to capture the best possible quality, it offers high-quality H.264 recording that will create files as large as 3GB per minute of video. There’s a downside to this app, though: All the really awesome stuff only works on the iPhone 5S. While older models are supported, they can’t make use of the highest quality settings.

For those really into videography and interested in all the technicals details (do 4:2:0 full color and 44.1 kHz linear PCM audio ring a bell?), there’s a thorough description of all the features offered in Ultrakam’s developer’s website – head over and take a look. If not, it suffices to say that Ultrakam really pulls the last bit of quality out of your iPhone’s video capabilities. The Ultrakam app is available on iTunes for $6.99.

(Via Engadget)

demo2 from hassan uriostegui on Vimeo.

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Felix Esser
Felix is a freelance tech journalist with a strong focus on photography. Based out of central Germany, he contributes to…
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