2K BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, active m43, $995

_gl

@foggy, I'm in the same boat, been shooting hacked GH2's for a few years. Loved them, but now want better image quality & DR. I've been drooling over the Pockets since they were announced, but didn't have the cash until the price drop. So that made up my mind for me : ). It's amazing how many other things you then have to do that you hadn't planned for, it's never just plug & play is it.

I'm used to doing RAW for stills and have programmed a bit of colour processing stuff, so I'm looking forward to having the same flexibility (I love colouring GH2 footage but it looks ugly fast). I also do lens flare/glow type processing, where you really want detail in highlights even if you end up clipping them in post, so the extra DR should be awesome for that.

If I had the cash, the A7S looks beautiful + small file size, good DR, superb lowlight. But with the discount it's comparing apples with space debris.

foggy

No worries @_gl . I have a hacked gh2(with Vitalys hack) which I love and use for all my run and gun, ENG, Doc, Wedding type stuff, but now I am looking at doing more narrative stuff the BMPCC seemed the perfect fit at the price, use the same lenses and gear as my GH2 but give me much more leverage to make the film look how I want.Having said that, I tried grading the RAW for the first time today and I have so much to learn. As far as sensor issues my unit has had no issues.

SilverSurfer

_gl yes... I've already updated firmware and have played with other formats. I want to try out Raw and Prores HQ though.

_gl

@SilverSurfer, have you flashed the recent firmware with the extra ProRes modes? The lowest one (Proxy) should be around 40Mb/s only.

SilverSurfer

-Gl mine is fine. It is a fiddly camera to use and shooting out in daylight is next to impossible without an EVF or snap on View finder. Also a Lens with image stabilisation would be preferable for hand held shooting. All to be expected, and awesome other wise.

Now I'm just waiting on a faster SD card (95mb/s) to record Prores and Raw. It still records on slower cards but drops / skips frames.

_gl

nice @foggy, hope someone gets it.

Has anybody here had (or heard of) problems with sensor issues that developed over time? ie. that worked fine, but then developed a fault later? I ask because I'm planning to open my two Pockets to attempt a Genlock-type sync for 3D shooting, and I want to know when it's safe to void my warranties.

If you're interested in sensor-synced 3D with the Pockets, or know electronics and can help me out, check out our thread: http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/10902/bmd-pocket-cinema-camera-stereoscopic-collaboration/p1

foggy

Hi folks,

I was actually at the ProVision event in Manchester talking to a rep from BM when he got a call to say the price had dropped, I thought it was a sales ploy to get me to sign up but I checked on my phone to find it was just a coincidence and the price had indeed gone down. For anyone in the UK desperate for one right now, I bought a display model from HPreston for £350 unused in box with full warranty, it had just had the box open on display in a cabinet. They had 2 in and I took one so the other may well be available right now.

artiswar

My order according B&H will be fulfilled mid September having ordered in mid July. D:

_gl

My next worry is, how many will have faulty sensors and need replacing? Stripes, hot pixels... read some stories (was it here)? Though of course one bad report can skew the reality. @SilverSurfer, was yours OK?

SilverSurfer

I received my discounted bmpcc on the 30th July after having placed the order the day it was announced (thanks for the heads up PV!). The distributor (Lemac Brisbane Australia) said they had 26 orders the first 2 days... and mine was second. They also said they will be honouring all orders made while the deal was still offered.

_gl

So basically the retailers are not getting guarantees from BM that they will ever receive more stock at the discount price, and so have to put the prices up until they get a confirmed new batch? Way to run a sale. I've heard 'we didn't expect the demand' - 50% discount, what could possibly happen?? ; )

Still it's a superb offer, even if it comes with a little pain ...

arknox

It seems retailers are being given batches of cameras at the sale price. Once those are sold out the price goes back up. They then get allocated another batch and the price drops until those sell out also. The price has been up and down multiple times at CVP and 3D Broadcast at least. I ordered around a week ago from CVP and my order has went into the Blackmagic black hole as well. No idea when I will receive a camera. Typical incompetence from BM.

_gl

@Vitaliy_Kiselev agreed.

ProAV did have stock right at the start, and got a few more more a week later - but nothing since, and no firm dates yet from BM UK distributors it seems. I'm still waiting for mine ...

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@_gl

At first their move looked like very good thing. But as usual for BM it was just some manager fantasy, logistics sucks badly.

_gl

All the UK sellers I was watching have pulled the discount, except this one (can't vouch for it, Google):
http://www.ukdigital.co.uk/blackmagic-pocket-cinema-camera.html

belfryman

@Albertz I was feeling the opposite, though didn't do a lot with my BMCC before selling. Much happier with pocket cam all round.

_OZ

Since a beginner would likely load up a LUT anyway, I'm not sure that it's any harder from a starting point perspective.

AlbertZ

I have the impression that ProRes files from the BMCC are easier to grade for beginners, they looks less flatter directly straight of cam, while the BMPCC files are tricker to grade...is it only an impression? anyone can confirm this?

crowbar

This is my 2nd shoot with the BMPCC - 3rd color grade as my skills improve! No NR used, handheld...Ungraded/Graded clips at the end..

Oedipax

I didn't realize there was going to be a histogram in addition to audio meters and time remaining - that's great!

kingmixer

http://www.filmmakingstuff.com/blackmagic-design-updates/

We'll actually be able to see remaining card time!?

crowbar

@oli66, July 25 - I did a dual camera shoot of a live music performance using the hacked GH2 (Apocalypse Now) and the BMPCC and did my best to match them in post - not perfectly but acceptable? If you watch long enough, vocals enter later on...

I think you can get about 70 minutes of ProRes 422 (HQ) on a 128 GB card but with latest firmware, there are lesser ProRes codecs which may be fine for your needs and give you much more time on a card.

I cannot remember if I posted the video on this thread so here just in case not - the BMPCC is locked down on tripod with the Panny 20mm f1.7 and the GH2 is mounted on a Defy gimbal with the Olympus 12mm f2.0

crowbar

Awhile back I did a shoot with both the GH2 (Moon T7 hack) followed by the BMPCC. The 2nd part includes both ungraded/graded clips back to back. Now that I have the GH4 I will try before long to do another unscientific shoot using it along with the BMPCC for comparison.
I do plan to keep all 3 of those cameras - the BMPCC is way more work, not my grab quick and go camera - it requires external battery solution, external monitor, additional audio support, more difficult to gauge settings in the field and will take me more time to process in post but I do love it's organic/filmic look, most of all for people shots. However, when I am in a hurry, want to worry less and just go for it, the GH2/3/4 is what I grab. Nice to have all of these cameras which work with all my lenses and the combination of which offers opportunities for multi cam shoots - live music productions etc.

MikeLinn

tinyrobot

800ASA is not bad and you can push it higher if you denoise. GH2 wasn't much better.

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