Argus Rig Explainer Video
The Argus Cine Camera Bullet Time Rig
The Argus Rig is a 40-camera array that captures motion from every angle. Each camera records its own high-speed video stream, and the system combines these streams based on the pattern you choose. All cameras can fire at once to freeze a single moment in time, or they can trigger one after another to create a flowing sequence. Custom paths can also be set, allowing frames to jump forward or backward to highlight movement in a unique way. When the rig is built as a full circle, it can rotate endlessly around the subject, combining different patterns with smooth 360-degree motion. Lead-in and lead-out options are available, recorded in slow motion up to 240fps, so every sequence can blend naturally in and out of real time.
Argus Rig Examples
0.1ms accuracy
Pixel Perfect Sync
Olympus Pro 24-80mm F2.8
35mm Equivalent
Production Quality
TV/Film/Adverts
Accuracy
Absolute Precision
The Argus Rig is engineered for precise synchronisation across all cameras, capturing high-speed action with clarity and detail. Whether you are freezing a complex movement, tracking dynamic motion for VFX, or building immersive game assets, every frame is aligned with exceptional accuracy. Its modular design allows rapid reconfiguration to suit any creative brief, indoors or outdoors, in studio or on location. With real-time preview, robust mounting, and professional-grade optics, the Argus Rig delivers exactly what you envisioned, down to the last pixel.
Macro Rig
We’ve engineered a specialist macro version of the Argus Rig, designed to capture subjects on the smallest scale, even objects no bigger than an insect. By bringing the same multi-camera precision into the macro world, the system reveals details and movements that are invisible to the naked eye. Each frame magnifies textures, wingbeats, or particles suspended in air, freezing them from every angle and allowing motion around them in ways never seen before.
We have a dedicated page for the macro rig, click on the button below.
Technical Notes
Camera Features
- Sensor Size
- 4/3″ Micro Four Thirds Sensor
- Synced
- All cameras are precisely synchronised, so each frame on each camera is at the exact same time, like “genlock”, but more accurate.
- Dynamic Range
- 13-15 stops
- Frame rates and Resolution
- 120fps @ 4096 x 2160 (C4K 17:9, wider format)
- 120fps @ 3840 x 2160 (4K 16:9)
- 240fps @ 1920 x 1080 (2K 16:9)
- Max Bitrate
- H265 or H264
- 150Mbps (full preview of aligned ready shot on set within seconds
- 300Mbps if shooting to cards (no preview on set)
- Colour Profile
- 10 Bit @ H265
- Colour Profiles
- Rec.709 / Z-Log2 / FLAT / HLG
- Time code, sync with other cameras in the studio
- Possible – we need warning for this
- Operating Temperature
- 0 °C ~ 40 °C
Camera Settings
- Shutter
- 1″ – 1/8000th
- White Balance
- 2300K – 7500K
- ISO
- Native ISO’s 500 and 2500
Lens information
- Olympus Pro
- 12-40mm (24-80mm for 35mm equivalent)
- Aperture
- F2.8
- Incredible lenses!
Other Notes
- Setup time
- About 1.5 – 4 hrs depending on size, complexity and access for the rig.
- Deliverables
- 150Mbps MP4 or MOV
- We will give you proxies on site to use in your edit, then send you the final versions by file transfer a few days after
- We will work with you on camera patterns to fit your project before, during and after
- Modular Built
- Built in modules of 8 cameras for fast setup and low maintenance and fault diagnosis.
- Power supply
- The entire rig takes about 800 watts from a standard 240v 13amp socket.
Argus Rig Patterns
The Argus Rig doesn’t just capture a moment, it decides how you experience it. Every camera records its own video stream, and the playback system selects frames using a timeline graph. Along the graph, left to right represents the cameras, while up and down moves forwards or backwards through time. The line itself dictates which frame from which camera is chosen, weaving the streams together into a seamless sequence.
Fire all cameras at once for the iconic static bullet time, freezing the action while the view glides around it. Trigger them in sequence for a wave of motion rippling across the rig, stretching out a single instant. Draw your own custom graph patterns, jumping back and forth in time, to create rhythms that spotlight movement in unexpected ways. And when the rig is set as a full circle, those frames can be plotted into a continuous 360° spin, letting you orbit the subject with no visible joins. Each pattern transforms the same recording into a completely different way of seeing.
Static Pattern
The static pattern is the purest form of bullet time. Every camera fires at the exact same moment, capturing a single frozen instant from every angle. When played back, the sequence stitches these identical time points together, letting the viewer glide around the subject as though time itself has been paused. To enhance the effect, a lead-in and lead-out can be added from any of the cameras, recorded in slow motion, so the frozen moment emerges naturally from real-time motion and then dissolves back into it.
Sequential Pattern
The sequential pattern creates a flowing ripple of motion across the rig. Instead of firing all cameras at once, each one triggers in order with a precise time increment between them, up to 1/240th of a second between each camera. This stretches a fleeting instant into a smooth, unfolding sequence, as the subject appears to move naturally while the viewpoint sweeps around like a camera on a dolly… with no moving objects. Just like with static, lead-in and lead-out options can be added in slow motion, allowing the sequential effect to blend seamlessly into real-time action before and after the camera movement.
360 Pattern
When the rig is built as a full circle, the cameras can spin endlessly around the subject, moving from 1 through 40 and looping back again in a seamless spiral. This rotation can be static, sequential, or even custom, combining different patterns while moving forwards and backwards through time. The result is a continuous orbit that immerses the viewer inside the action from every angle.
Custom Pattern
The custom pattern gives directors complete control. Rather than following a fixed order, each frame can be programmed to jump, pause, or reverse at any point in time or across the array. This flexibility can create erratic, stuttering effects or carefully crafted rhythms that draw attention to a gesture, an impact, or a reaction. By reshaping both time and perspective, custom patterns deliver results that go far beyond static or sequential firing.
Global Travel
We have worked in most countries globally, transporting our equipment, the needed staff to operate it including post production.. we deal with the paperwork, accommodation, everything to make it as simple as possible for you.
The Argus Rig is designed to travel. Its modular build and rugged flight cases mean it can be packed, transported, and rebuilt quickly on location. Whether it’s a studio in London, a rooftop in Tokyo, or a desert in Morocco, Argus has been there. Our team handles logistics, setup, and calibration, making it possible to capture high-end bullet time sequences anywhere in the world with minimal disruption and maximum impact.