Buy Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera ##BEST##
Blackmagic Design has long been a force in the video industry, first with add-on cards for computers to digitize video for editing, and more recently with its own line of digital cinema cameras. Its Pocket Cinema Camera 6K ($1,995, body only) grabs attention with its resolution, and delivers superb Raw video quality. But it has its share of faults and foibles, which means you'll spend more than its base price to put together a kit. That may be less of a problem for pros with established equipment libraries, but is certainly a concern for indie auteurs and documentarians.
buy blackmagic pocket cinema camera
If you're working in the cinema world, you may not mind. Chances are, you're used to working with external monitors, and you can certainly connect a Atomos Ninja V or similar device to the Pocket 6K for a better experience. But cinematographers coming from the SLR and mirrorless world will be surprised that a camera with so much imaging power has such a poor display.
The camera records footage with a flat profile applied, but you can load and preview color correction LUTs on the screen, so cinematographers can get a better idea of what your finished shot will be once color correction has been applied in editing.
The original pocket camera had a sensor similar to Super16mm film, so you could use those lenses. The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (Amazon, B&H) has a larger Micro-Four Third-type sensor, so if you use Super 16mm lenses, it will vignette. Even though the new sensor is slightly wider than Micro Four Thirds, the height is smaller, and the image circle (in bold, in the middle of each box) is similar.
The best cinema cameras are typically quite different from regular mirrorless cameras. The outright specifications may look similar, but cinema cameras are designed for high-end professional video work which demands connectivity, modular design, and a collaborative production workflow.
DaVinci Resolve's free version is already incredibly powerful, and most cinema cameras that push into the 6K range are quite a bit pricier than the BMPCC 6K Pro. If you're looking to get your foot in the door on pro-level filmmaking, it's hard to find a cheaper entry point.
Less conveniently, the grip adds even more heft to an already chonky body. It's not an insurmountable problem for studio shoots, but between the weight and the short battery life, this might not be the best run-and-gun camera. Nevertheless, given its shockingly low price for the bevy of professional cinema features you get, budget and indie filmmakers should give it a serious look.
All of this meant that a fully rigged up BMPCC was no longer pocket sized, and could be quite unwieldy to use. And yet people still used it, including myself, and loved it for the simple reason that no other camera in its price range, or indeed many times above it, could come close to the type of organic film like picture that it produced. I do not think I ever got back once from a shoot and be disappointed with the footage taken with the BMPCC. In fact even on some of the duller corporate videos I shot using it I actually looked forward to seeing what I had filmed!
Despite that, with 12 bits of color accuracy, the resulting images on the Pocket Camera appear extremely sharp even in detailed areas -- unlike the artifacts and "mosquito noise" seen from, say, a Canon 7D. There's also impressive dynamic range, with Blackmagic claiming 13 stops max in RAW and slightly less with ProRes files -- no exaggeration, in my opinion. On the downside, the pocket camera can also produce a bit of moire and aliasing, particularly on finely spaced line patterns, likely because of its sensor size. It's also very susceptible to rolling shutter, meaning fast pans and shakiness are not recommended. Overall, I achieved the best results at about ISO 800, with dynamic range dropping off below that, and grain increasing above.
With in-camera DaVinci primary color correctors, it's possible to add cinematic looks to live production. The built in color corrector is great for color balancing cameras, but you can switch from CCU to DaVinci color control and then really unlock the full color capabilities. Imagine live production with cinematic quality! You get full RGB adjustment for blacks, mids and whites, but you can also adjust the Y channel separately with DaVinci's YRGB color corrector. This means it's possible to create innovative styles such as pushing whites to get your images to really pop or you can use it for recreating vintage film stocks. You even have controls for contrast, hue and saturation!
We imagine the majority of people reading this article could be split into two camps: aspiring filmmakers looking for their first cinema camera and seasoned veterans looking for a reason to feel smug about their cinematic superiority. We promise this review has something for both of you and everyone in between.
This camera was so incredibly bad I joined this site just to comment on my experience. First of all if you expect to run and gun after opening the box, forget it. Battery was almost nonexistent. Audio was laughable and focusing off the camera monitor is a joke. I quickly added up the expense to bring this very portable camera in the ball park for actual real-world use: $1200! Handheld it was absolutely abysmal so I put the $1200 into a Lumix GH4 and although it is twice the camera it isn't that much larger, I mean the BMPCC is cute but you are not putting that thing in your pocket with a lens on. The fringe I received from the GH4 was 4K and none of the "necessary" post-sale add ons were necessary allowing for more $$ for glass. My original thought before the purchase was; a very small package for climbing and travel capable of handheld or monopod stabilization. The fact that you can pick one of these up for $750 or used (usually with accessories) for $500 should tell you something. You may like this camera but be prepared to spend money on things like Zacuto Camera Z-Finder for Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 3.5" LCD Screen ($300), SKIER Portable Blackcage Cage ($279) and the power, audio will not be wonderful until you spend another $600 that covers either a proper Senn 100 EW ($600 @) Forget about the power bases, too costly and very, very awkward (especially the Switronix units). BOTTOM LINE: Not a very well thought out camera (period). Before plunking hard earned cash consider the importance of these three things: FOCUS, 2.88 crop factor and one hour shoots (can't swap batteries on the fly). This plus the lower number of lens that work well with this camera all add up to a much more expensive package. Did I mention FOCUS?
The BMPC has been released around september 2013 and is most likely going to be replaced with a new version in a month at NAB; I wonder why AppleInsider is reviewing this camera - and why now? There are far better resources to check the camera's capabilities.The biggest cons of the camera:1. the super-16 sensor but the micro four thirds lens mount, which makes it hard to shoot with wide angle lenses. 2. Like stated the shitty menu structure and cumbersome navigation to change basic settings3. Bad in low light, but since this camera is most ideal for fiction / directed productions anyway you can setup lighting properly beforehand.4. Battery life is horrible, horrible! I shot 4 hours and depleted 5 batteries. After each take, turn off your camera or you will deplete even more batteries.5. If you shot with 4K cameras it's hard to get back to a 1080p camera.6. RAW is nice but you won't most likely use it; it's too much data and too much hassle. Great you CAN though.7. Audio sucks. AppleInsider recommends external audio, recorded in-camera, but I do not recommend that. Use an external solution altogether and due-record for easy syncing in post. E.g the Zoom H4N or H5 is great for recording audio.But...- You are shooting beautiful 10-bit 422 ProRes! This opens up so much possibilities in post. On a tiny camera!- it has film log with a true flat profile. Together with the 10 bit codec this allows for great images. - shooting is fun! The entire camera focuses on just one thing: film. It feels like you are really... Filming. Cameras such as the GH4 which I own as well don't give me the same pleasure. It has character.The above three points outweigh the cons for me. Summing up, this is an unpolished gem. I expect great things from the revised version in April, whatever the product may become. I expect a larger pocket cinema with touch screen and hopefully 4K, but fore and foremost a solution the battery issue.Don't buy the Pocket Cinema until announcements in April, unless you need to start shooting right away.
Shooting in 4K is a huge tax on resources/workflow currently due to hardware, storage rates etc and I'd suggest this product and site is aimed at guys starting out in video so 4K is probably something they should avoid for now. A 2.5k pocket camera would be very nice though for more creative cropping/reframing options in post production,
I do expect we will see an upgrade to the pocket camera soon but there are no guarantees. I usually disagree with holding off on purchases as there's always something new around the corner and this camera is ready to produce great images right now. That said NAB is weeks away so it does make some sense to wait on this occasion and see what's on offer.
But for those that do not shoot cinema, the BMPCC makes no sense, IMO. e.g. you can get broadcast quality (albeit the bare minimum) with a Sony PXW-X70. For the Sony (or any other professional-grade event camera), you typically only need to bring storage and a microphone to the table. Also around $3,000 for a decent setup.
Altogether, the BMPCC6K was offering a lot for its price even before the price drop. Now with the $500 off, it is a lot of camera for relatively little money in my opinion. If you are interested in buying the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, we will be happy if you use the following links to our partner stores. With no extra cost, we get a small commission from your purchase which helps us running cinema5D. 041b061a72