How to shoot video in super slow motion

What is slow motion mode?

In 2018, slow motion mode is all the rage. The feature allows you to capture video at slower speeds than normal and it can be used for many different purposes, like highlighting something funny or pretty, or showing how something quick and complicated works in a detailed way that wouldn't otherwise be possible.

In any case, more and more manufacturers are offering this feature in their devices. The image quality and recording speed vary from model to model, however, more and more high-end devices are using 960 fps recording now. For the curious: this technology has appeared on the Sony Xperia XZ Premium with the Motion Eye sensor, and you can see examples of its handiwork in the video below.

Every manufacturer does things its own way so it's hard to generalize about this technology. What is important to remember is that it can sometimes be difficult to start recording your slow motion video at the right time, especially since you're recording only a couple of seconds, which thanks to the slow motion, is transformed into several seconds. In other words, you must be careful to capture the situation at just the right moment, which can prove difficult. Samsung has found a solution to this and offers to automatically detect when it would be ideal to start capturing in slow motion.

How to capture video in slow motion

Things are definitely more complicated without the automatic mode. The main difficulty is capturing the scene at the  right moment: you want to record a precise moment so you have to press the button at the right time. In a situation where everything is based on spontaneity, it's almost mission impossible (unless you know exactly what will happen and when). In short, forget about capturing spontaneous moments or hope to be lucky.

Forget about capturing spontaneous moments

If you have the scene under control, however, and know exactly when to press the button, you can achieve good quality results. First of all, make sure you are not too far or too close to your subject (usually a person). It is useless to have good timing if the subject of your video is not visible. You should practice a few times so you can find out if there's a gap between when you press the button and when it actually starts recording. This is definitely the case with the Huawei P20 Pro. 

Like all videos, it is important to have good stabilization. If your hand is shaking, your video will not look good at any speed. Of course, your smartphone probably has some sort of stabilization, but you should make sure to hold the device firmly in your hands to avoid having to retake the video. 

Do you use the slow motion feature on your Android smartphone? Do you have any other tips to share? Let us know in the comments!