Kron Technologies Chronos Q12 Launched – 2,313 fps at 2560 × 2016, APS-C Global Shutter, 12-Bit CinemaDNG

High Speed Camera

by Johnnie BehiriToday

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Kron Technologies has released the Chronos Q12, a handheld high-speed camera that records 2560 × 2016 at up to 2,313 fps and climbs to 29,515 fps at its smallest window. It is the largest-sensor Chronos to date, built around a 9 µm pixel pitch APS-C global shutter, and it ships with a passive mount system that covers C, E, F, EF, MFT, and PL glass. Here is what the spec sheet says, and where the trade-offs sit.

The Chronos Q12 is the fourth camera in the Burnaby, British Columbia company’s lineup and the one with the biggest photosites. The sensor measures 23.04 x 18.14mm (0.91 x 0.71in) with a 29.3mm (1.15in) diagonal, giving a 1.5x crop factor and a native resolution of 2560 x 2016. Kron quotes a maximum throughput of 11.9 gigapixels per second, which is the number that governs everything else: drop the resolution and the frame rate rises accordingly. At 2560 x 1440 the camera reaches 3,116 fps, at 1920 x 1080 it records 5,148 fps, at 1536 x 864 it hits 7,471 fps, and at the 128 x 32 minimum window it tops out at 29,515 fps. Recording is buffer-based, with 5.7 seconds of capture at full resolution on the 64GB model and 11.5 seconds on the 128GB version, after which footage is saved as CinemaDNG RAW, TIFF, or H.264/H.265 to an internal 1TB NVMe SSD, an SD card, a USB-C SSD, or a network share.

A different Q12 from the one announced in 2023

Readers with a long memory will recognize the name. We covered the Chronos 4K12 and Q12 in November 2023, when Kron opened pre-orders on both cameras with Q12 shipments expected in March 2024. The Q12 described then had a 2048 x 2016 sensor recording 2,782 fps, an 11.8 gigapixels per second throughput, and 8-bit or 12-bit capture only.

The camera Kron is shipping now is wider. The 2560 x 2016 native resolution adds 512 columns of pixels over the original specification, throughput has moved to 11.9 gigapixels per second, and a 10-bit mode sits between the 8-bit and 12-bit options. The 2048 x 2016 window is still available at 2,782 fps in 8-bit, so nothing from the original spec sheet has been lost; the full-sensor frame simply covers more of the image circle. Pricing has not moved from the 2023 pre-order figures.

Frame rate versus bit depth

The headline figures on the press release are 8-bit figures, and that distinction matters for anyone planning to grade the footage rather than analyze it. According to Kron’s frame-rate chart, 2560 x 2016 records 2,313 fps in 8-bit, 1,900 fps in 10-bit, and 975 fps in 12-bit. At 1920 x 1080, the same pattern gives 5,148 fps in 8-bit, 3,368 fps in 10-bit, and 1,731 fps in 12-bit. The bit depth is user-selectable per recording, so a production can run a 12-bit setup for a hero shot and drop to 8-bit when the event is short and the priority is temporal resolution.

Kron’s own dynamic range claim tracks the same divide. The company lists 11.26 stops (67.6 dB) in 12-bit mode and 8.35 stops (50.1 dB) in 8-bit mode. Both are manufacturer figures rather than measured results, and they describe the sensor pipeline rather than what survives a real grade, but the gap between them is a useful reminder that the 2,313 fps number and the 11.26-stop number do not apply to the same recording.

Global shutter, ISO 80 to 640, and lighting

The sensor is an electronic global shutter design with an exposure range from 1/fps down to 4 µs (1/250,000 s), which removes rolling-shutter skew from the equation entirely and is the reason handheld work at very high frame rates is practical on cameras of this type. The rated sensitivity is ISO 80 to 640 for the color model, and that is the constraint that shapes every high-speed shoot: at 2,000 fps with a 180° shutter, the exposure time is 1/4000 s, and the 9 µm pixel pitch is what makes that workable at all. Kron’s own application footage on the product page (schlieren imaging, engine vibration, insect flight, carbonation) is a fair picture of the lighting levels involved. The 650nm IR filter is user-removable for infrared and scientific work.

Lens mounts and backfocus

The Q12 uses a plate system rather than a single fixed mount. Kron supplies a mount plate in the buyer’s choice of C, E, F, EF, MFT, or PL, all passive, with backfocus adjusted in the field via an included shim kit. There is no electronic communication with the lens, so E-mount and EF glass will need manual aperture control or a lens with a physical iris ring. The earlier Chronos 1.4 and Chronos 2.1-HD were limited to C and MFT, so the wider mount list came in with the 4K12 and Q12 generation. With a 1.5x crop, Super 35 PL lenses and full-frame EF or E glass both cover the sensor.

Body, display, and I/O

The camera body is CNC-machined anodized aluminum with active variable-speed fan cooling, measuring 188 x 111 x 53mm (7.40 x 4.37 x 2.08in) without a lens and weighing 1.32 kg (2.91 lbs). The 5-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen is rated at 1,000 nits and handles the full shoot, preview, trim, and save workflow on the camera, so there is no requirement for a laptop on set. Unlike the 1.4 and 2.1-HD, the Q12 has no built-in battery; it runs from 12 to 24V DC at 60W through a 5.5/2.5mm barrel jack, and Kron includes a D-Tap to barrel cable alongside the 90W mains supply. Operating temperature is rated at 0 to 40°C (32 to 104°F).

Live video output runs to 4096 x 2160 or 3840 x 2160 at 30 fps, or 1920 x 1080 at 60 fps. There is no SDI on the body. Two USB-C ports are fitted, one at 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) and one at 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) for external SSDs, and a USB-C to 2.5 Gbps Ethernet adapter is in the box for network saving and remote control. Triggering is handled by two inputs with an adjustable 0 to 6.6V threshold over a 4-pin 3.5mm TRRS connector, with breakout blocks to dual BNC and a 4-pin terminal included, and the camera supports end trigger, toggle, exposure trigger, shutter gating, and a frame sync output. Control runs over an HTTP REST API on an open-source codebase, which is the route in for lab automation and motion control integration.

Where it sits against the Spark and the Ember

The obvious comparison is the Pixboom Spark, which we have reviewed and followed through IBC 2026, and which Pixboom currently lists from $13,999. The Spark records continuously to its Pro Card rather than into a buffer, delivers 670 fps at 4.6K open gate and 2,182 fps at 2K 2.37:1, has electronic lens mounts and 12G-SDI, and claims more than 13 stops of dynamic range from a back-illuminated Super 35 global shutter. The Q12 answers with higher frame rates at every comparable resolution, 12-bit capture, and a trigger and API layer built for scientific and industrial use. What it gives up is continuous recording, electronic lens control, and SDI. The Freefly Ember S5K is the other established camera in this bracket. Which of the three fits depends on whether the job is a five-second event captured on a trigger or a take that has to keep rolling.

Kron’s own 4K12 remains in the lineup for anyone who needs 4096 x 2160 at 1,397 fps and can live with the smaller pixel pitch; the Q12 trades resolution for a bigger, more sensitive photosite and roughly twice the frame rate at HD.

Price and availability

The Chronos Q12 is available now. The 64GB configuration costs $19,995, and the 128GB configuration costs $21,995, each with the buyer’s choice of pre-installed mount plate. The standard warranty is one year, with one- and two-year extensions offered at checkout. Each camera ships with the mount plate and shim kit, a multi-mount bracket, trigger switch cable, the 2.5 Gbps Ethernet adapter, dual-BNC and terminal block breakouts, an SD card, the D-Tap cable and 90W power supply, and a Nanuk 920 case. For more information, please visit the Kron Technologies website.

Would a buffer-based camera with 12-bit RAW at 975 fps suit your high-speed work, or does continuous recording win? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!