The Sony a9 is So Fast You Can Turn Its 20fps Photos into Video

Take a look at the video above. It’s actually a string of still photos that shows how blazing fast the new Sony a9 is. The sequences were shot using the camera’s 20fps burst mode for photos.

Harnessing the insane shooting speed of 20 frames per second, it’s possible to create a relatively smooth video at almost “normal” speed. 24fps is a traditional standard frame rate for motion pictures, while many early silent films were shot at a choppy 16fps. The Sony a9’s still photo burst rate is now in between those two frame rates.

The a9 is able to do this while keeping autofocus locked on. That’s pretty impressive, and it’s what inspired photographer Amar Ramesh and his team from India to create this sequence to show off the camera’s capabilities.

“You can hardly say that it is a series of pictures that you see in the video,” says Ramesh. “But when you realize that fact, it is all so fascinating.”

This behind-the-scenes video shows a little bit about how it was done:

With almost 12,000 pictures to choose from, Ramesh and his team reduced the selection to 2,500 of the best angles and scenes. They imported the photos into Lightroom first, and then into Final Cut Pro where they edited them into a video.

While clearly not the most practical way to shoot a film, the video highlights one of the really impressive features of the Sony A9.