Re: splash? a lower cost method...

I'm afraid John is right; the best way to do this is with a high-speed camera, and if you're going to pull a still from it, you really need 35 MM. This is one of the most expensive shots you can possibly ask for... with 35 at 240 fps you get only a minute of running time from 1000' of film, and you have to wait for the camera to come up to speed before you shoot, so you get very few shots per magazine. I don't know about using the Unilux strobe for the milk pour, you may prefer a longer "shutter" duration, but that won't give you a sharp shot for the still. My guess is you would end up shooting about 50,000 feet of film; have you priced that lately? I haven't shot ultra high speed film lately, but as I remember the cameras can be cranky; get the best AC you can.

There is a lower cost alternative you might consider; the Panasonic 27v/f HD camera at 60 fps. I've done the "lemon squeeze" shot with this camera with the shutter set at 1/2000 and it looked very much like a Unilux shot. Of course it's an order of magnitude less costly; you don't need the Unilux & Operator, and tape is cheap. You can watch each individual droplet hang in the air. Spectacular.

Yesterday we shot the "plop, plop, fizz, fizz" shot at 60 fps and used shutter off for a duration of 1/60. When played back at 20 to 30% speed, the shot looked fantastic. We also shot ECU on the fizz on top, back lit, with the shutter at 1/2000 and each bubble was sharp and clear, just like with the Unilux strobes. By the way, you may find that using Unilux forces you to compromise your lighting scheme because they are'nt the same as the fixtures you're used to, another advantage of selecting the 27v/f.

If you've got the big bucks, John's suggestion is the way to go; if you don't the 27v/f is a viable alternative.

One more thing, lighting glass and milk together is no piece of cake; you need to avoid ugly speculars on the glass and be careful to get the full range of tones in the white without burn out. I had the same problem with the "plop, plop," the fizz filled the glass and burned out on the test, so we set the knee slope to 600% and that held the detail in the whites.

Good shooting!
Leo