A Phantom Alternative for Under $20K? Meet the Chronos Q12
Kron's Chronos Q12 shoots up to 7,471 fps with CinemaDNG RAW for $19,995, a very different price bracket from Phantom. Here's how it compares.
Kron Technologies announced the Chronos Q12, an APS-C high-speed camera that records up to 7,471 frames per second, shoots CinemaDNG RAW, and accepts PL, EF, E-mount, and Micro Four Thirds lenses. It starts at $19,995, a price that puts it in a very different bracket from Phantom, the name most filmmakers associate with high-speed cinema.
What the Q12 Actually Shoots
The Q12 uses an APS-C sensor with a native resolution of 2,560 x 2,016. At full resolution, it records up to 2,313 fps.
Cropping to 2,560 x 1,440 pushes that to 3,116 fps. Drop to 1080p, and it reaches 5,148 fps. At 1,536 x 864, it hits its maximum of 7,471 fps.
Bit depth trades off against speed. At full resolution, 8-bit capture runs at 2,313 fps, 10-bit at 1,900 fps, and full 12-bit caps out at 975 fps.
How It Records
The Q12 records RAW as CinemaDNG for maximum grading flexibility, plus H.264 and H.265 for longer sessions or lighter workflows. It can also output timestamped TIFF sequences, a nod to its scientific and industrial users.
Storage fills fast at these speeds. Kron says 64GB holds 5.7 seconds of maximum-resolution footage, and 128GB holds 11.5 seconds.
Built for Flexibility, With a Few Catches
The Q12 uses an interchangeable passive mount covering C-mount, E-mount, F-mount, EF, PL, and Micro Four Thirds. You choose one mount at purchase, and because it's passive, don't expect electronic lens control.
Operation runs mostly through a 5-inch touchscreen, with a single jog wheel as the only physical control on the back. There's no internal battery either. The Q12 runs on the included 90W DC power supply, which matters for anything other than a tethered or studio setup.
How It Compares to Phantom
Phantom doesn't publish list prices, but industry sources put a new Flex4K well into six figures, with rentals running thousands of dollars per day. Against that, a $19,995 purchase price is a genuinely different proposition.
It's not an apples-to-apples comparison, though. The Phantom Flex4K records true 4K at up to 1,000 fps, a higher resolution than the Q12's 2.5K maximum. And Phantom's ecosystem, CineMag media, rental-house support, and decades of on-set reliability, is a big part of what productions pay for.
The Q12 also isn't the only lower-cost option. Brands like Edgertronic have served the sub-Phantom high-speed market for years, generally at lower resolutions.
Competitive Context
Kron is explicit that the Q12 serves several audiences at once: researchers, engineers, industrial users, and creative teams. That shows in the design choices, from TIFF sequence export to a passive multi-mount system, which prioritize flexibility and analysis over the polished on-set workflow cinema productions expect.
For a filmmaker, that means the Q12 is best understood as a capable high-speed tool at an accessible price, not a drop-in Phantom replacement for a commercial set.
The Signal in the Noise
The math is what makes the Q12 interesting. For productions that rent a Phantom several times a year for product spots, sports inserts, or music videos, a camera that costs roughly what a handful of rental days might add up to changes the ownership conversation.
The tradeoffs are real, lower maximum resolution, a tethered power setup, and a much smaller support ecosystem. But for the right use case, it puts serious slow motion within reach of productions that have never been able to own it.
Would owning a high-speed camera at this price change how often you'd use extreme slow motion in your work, or does Phantom's ecosystem still justify the rental cost?
Specs & Pricing
- Camera: Kron Technologies Chronos Q12
- Sensor: APS-C, 9μm pixel pitch, 2,560 x 2,016 native resolution
- Frame rates: 2,313 fps (2,560 x 2,016), 3,116 fps (2,560 x 1,440), 5,148 fps (1920 x 1080), 7,471 fps (1,536 x 864)
- Bit depth at full resolution: 8-bit up to 2,313 fps, 10-bit up to 1,900 fps, 12-bit up to 975 fps
- Recording: CinemaDNG RAW, H.264, H.265, timestamped TIFF sequences
- Record time at max resolution: 5.7 seconds (64GB), 11.5 seconds (128GB)
- Lens mounts: C, E, F, EF, PL, or Micro Four Thirds via passive interchangeable mount (chosen at purchase)
- Controls: 5-inch touchscreen plus jog wheel
- Power: no internal battery; runs on included 90W DC supply
- Price: $19,995 (64GB), $21,995 (128GB), direct from Kron Technologies
