Cordin cameras produce frame records or streak records. Most cameras are dedicated to one format, though there are models which convert from one format to the other, and models which will record both simultaneously.

FRAME RECORD
A frame record can be compared to a standard motion picture film, where successive two-dimensional images are written onto the film in discrete frames. A frame record is produced as the camera captures images at intermittent intervals on the film. The advantage of a frame record is that information in two dimensions is recorded, so the image on the recording medium is an easily recognized version of the subject.
Because of the inherent nature of the framing exposure method in mechanical cameras, resolution is slightly higher along the transverse direction of the frame than along the longitudinal direction (see diagram). Thus two resolution numbers are usually reported in mechanical camera specifications: transverse (T) and longitudinal (L).

STREAK RECORD
A streak record is made as a single narrow line image is swept along the recording medium. This line image is produced by a slit assembly which consists of two transverse, closely spaced knife-edge plates located at the first image plane of the camera. Streak cameras continuously record changes in one dimension of space over time. A streak record is therefore read as a position vs. time graph.
Streak cameras can also be used for synchro-ballistic recording. In this application, motion of the image along the film is synchronized to a moving subject. This produces a large, two dimensional record where the subject appears stationary while the background is in motion. It is sharper and requires less light than an image taken by alternative methods.

The faster image converter streak cameras are useful for time-resolved spectroscopy, where a point source of light is separated by a prism into wavelengths across the slit. The streak record then becomes a graph of wavelength intensity over time.
A valuable characteristic of a streak record is that the subject is being recorded continuously (not intermittently) throughout the event. Also, the optics or circuits required to generate a streak image are less complex.

High speed ballistic fired through plastic chamber to impact high explosive sample.