This Paper describes a technique developed to measure the uniaxial compressive stress-strain properties of polymers at the strain rate appropriate to ballistic and impact events over time scales of tens of microseconds using a Dropweight-Camera system. The instrument constructed represents a novel development of existing equipment types. The results obtained from compression testing give stress and strain measurements at strain rates of up to 10³s^-1 and over a temperature range of 20一200℃. The stress and strain can be independently obtained simultaneously. This dropweight-camera system has the capability of providing direct visualisation simultaneously with stress information of the processes occurring during the deformation and fracture of materials.