Views on the new Black Magic Digital Cinema Camera?

[kineticworks]

Moire might not be be that obvious in real world shooting.
For a $3.7k price tag, I do not expect it to function as a full-fledged cinema camera. If I am not wrong, their aim was a come out with a camera that is less than USD3K. FF is definitely out of the equation but that does not mean that they do not have the knowledge to build one. I sure their next model will be a game changer or at least drive the cost of camera price downwards for other brands.

So far from the reviews and comparison ...

RAW is so far far away from compress footages like AVCHD or H264 in Canon or Nikons. The images of shooting directly into the sun is so much better with BMC.

The dynamic range is so awesomely better and all those stuff that are washed out in 5D2/3 are clear in the BMC.

The biggest problem with the BMC (other than battery & ergonomics) so far from reviews are:

1. Rainbow Moire (OMG, how can that happen in a RAW camera. Basically meaning you can't use it for broadcast?)
2. 2.3X Crop factor (Killing any possibility for 14mm Ultra Wide Angle, Depends on what you shoot but it sucks if you need ultra wide shots which some jobs require)
3. Cannot delete from SSD (I'm not sure but i heard you can't delete footages shot directly on camera?)
4. Reflective Screen (This doesn't make sense, are they creating iphone for games here?)
5. No meters or f-stop or focus peaking showing on the screen. (I mean they created a big touch screen and could have just added a little more details to show stuff on the fly)

Hope to see improvement over this and hopefully a APSC sensor with 1.6x crop too.

Will wait for the next version and see what happens along the way.

 

[engr]

Hi XsenseX, your research is quite accurate. I have one BMCC with me now.

1. I saw the rainbow moire in the comparison video from Marcos but i have not seen it so far on my cam.Not sure what kinda situation does it appear but I do know Blackmagic folks are still improving the firmware.
2. The 2.3x crop is a bit of pain but I got a 8-16mm Sigma at 8mm(about 18.5mm) is pretty usable. I have tried rigging it on a bonnet, its a little off the 16mm on a 5D2 but its still usable, especially that the Sigma is rectilinear so there is no barrel distortion. Just a pity that the 8-16mm is F4.5-F5.6 and not fast enuf for my preference.
3. Yup, i cant figure out how to delete from the SSD. I cannot adjust the volumet of the playback as well. Would be great to have a thumbnail selection as well.
4. Reflective screen is not a big issue, just need to put the sun shade on and most situations can be solved. Doesn't bother me as much. A tilt screen would be super helpful thou but I'm use to DSLR so that too can be overcome. The screen comes alive in the nite, its really crisp and i can focus quite easily.
5. Yes, no F stop indication! This is the biggest pain for me so far. No idea what is happening BUT when you press the iris button on a scene, it would automatically expose the camera. The BMCC likes BRIGHT images. Unlike the 5D where we normally shot a little under, this one has to be properly exposed. Once it goes into Resolve it can be recovered better it seems.

What I love:
The details are amazing. Never seen so much details before. Also, RAW allows a lot of control in post. If you are a short film maker this is the camera for you. No doubt BM will come out with something more sexy next but enjoy this in the meantime. I mean for USD3K with Resolve thrown in is incredible! For the newbies just buy FCPX or the upcoming Sony Vegas12 as they are the most affordable NLEs with xml round-tripping support.

What I am getting used to:
I now need loads of HDD space. Working in RAW is resource consuming. Gotta say this cam is more for controlled env work, not run n gun. Everything is manual, from WB to focus to Iris, etc. I could work run n gun with a DSLR but this is a little tough so far. It also takes some effort to pick up Resolve but more and more training materials are appearing online.

The BMCC weight is also heavier than a DSLR. It feels like a block of metal in my hands. I can do pretty stable handheld shots for 4-6sec but a monopod works pretty well so far. The REC button is also in a position that is a little odd in front. Takes some getting used to rec with my right index finger, i prefer using the thumb.

https://vimeo.com/49902116
My first test video after a couple weeks of working out the post workflow. Stay tuned for the next video...

 

[XsenseX]

Hey engr,

Wanted to ask you how is the prores output from the BMC. Does it have enough dynamic range for daily work or is it very far from the Raws.

Reason being it's sometimes too huge and unnecessary to use raw for some work (like weddings).

 

[engr]

The ProRes is pretty good too. Haven pushed the limits thou, will do some test when i find the time.

 

[kandinsky]

EOSHD review

Shooting with the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, you have to throw the DSLR rule book out of the window. Until now I’ve tended to expose more with the highlights in mind, preventing any over exposure which results in these blowing out. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera goes deep into the highlights and I expose by bringing up the blacks and if parts of the scene are over exposed I just don’t worry that much. This is an extreme example but just look at the latitude this thing has in raw…

Blackmagic Cinema Camera Review – DSLR killer? | EOSHD.com

 

[astrocom]

What I am getting used to:
I now need loads of HDD space. Working in RAW is resource consuming.

What kind of HDD space do you reckon one would expect to run up to? I shudder to imagine ending up with 5, 8 or 10 pieces of 2TB or 3TB HDD to keep all the footages as backup. Also can you share your computer specs for editing in raw? I guess you will require tons of RAMS for the preview/decoding? How long does it take you to transfer (for example) 240GB from the SSD to your computer?

If I ever get my hands on a BMCC, I'd more likely to be limited to Prores but it's be good to know what it takes to handle RAW.

 

[kandinsky]

T.STOPS: An Examination of: Black Magic Cinema Camera

via freshdv.com

Timur Civan has posted a nice examination of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, from a DP’s perspective. His conclusion mirrors what I’ve been gathering as well; the BMCC delivers stunning image quality…in a physical package that is incredibly frustrating to work with.

Once again, a camera is more than just a sensor…it is a complete system. Ergonomics and input/output options absolutely do matter on a professional set. It’s important to know what tools and features you have with a given camera system. I’m glad Timur took a look at this camera, it’s incredibly informative to me as a shooter. Here’s hoping that Blackmagic is paying attention to feedback like this, and implementing it on their next model. Personally, I’ve got my fingers crossed for an S35-sensor version of the BMCC.

http://www.freshdv.com/2013/02/timur-bmcc.html