Shimadzu's million-frame-per-second video camera

Shimadzu's 100mn fps camera
It may only shoot in monochrome at a size of 312 x 260 pixels and take up to 100 frames at a time, but Shimadzu's HyperVision HPV-1 camera can record at a million frames a second (you can step down through a range of slower rates to a crawling 30 fps should you wish), enabling you to capture those precious split seconds of blindingly fast motion in all the loving detail you need.  The rest of the package consists of a Windows-XP powered control unit with a 20GB hard drive and Ethernet/USB2.0 connections; images are stored as either AVI, TIFF or BMP. The whole thing will set you back a stinging Y22 mn ($205,000). We hear the Wachowski brothers will be using this in their next film to capture up close the subtle vibration of Agent Smith's nostril hair as he takes a punch to the head.

[Via Slashdot Japan] [UPDATE: A reader kindly points out the video samples on Shimadzu's site; check out a chunk of concrete being mashed, a water jet, or a water balloon bursting at between 8,000 and 10,000 fps]