Digital Cinematography

Chapter 6Frame Rates and Aspect Ratios

The currently accepted standard range of frame rates for acquisition in digital cameras is another issue currently under great discussion and debate. Most digital production is locked into the limited number of frame rates corresponding to the standard frame rates of broadcast television and cinema. Digital cinema cameras all accommodate frame rates of 23.98 fps, 24 fps, 29.97 fps, 30 fps, 50 fps, 59.98 fps, and 60 fps in some way or another. These are all legacy frame speeds resulting from the history of broadcasting (arguably obsolete), but they are extremely limited when one considers that an ARRIFLEX 435 film camera can shoot film at speeds from 1 frame a minute or less to 150 frames per second in very ...