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2K BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, active m43, $995
  • 4493 Replies sorted by
  • @nomad. We are going to try our team's PL cine glass on it, as well as S16 lenses.

  • @philiplipetz Which PL glass do you have? Zeiss/Arri Superspeeds?

    Both cameras have massive rolling shutter, but the BMPCC (right) has a bit less:

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    RS_BMPCC.jpg
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  • @kazuo

    hey there fellow singapore member. is the wait that long from The Media Village? i ordered mine off bhphotovideo the day it was announced.

  • Seems legit. Looks good, but overly sharpened in my eyes.

  • Isn't that guy on this board? His username looks familiar.

  • @Brian202020

    Have you used a GH2 with Century Optics' digicon filters? Have you seen any of such footage acquired? Do you know what a digicon filter does? Pl read my comment in its full context.

  • More BMPCC footage from wooden camera that I quickly graded...

  • @kazuo

    I used to own a GH2 for specialty shots, but I since gave it to my wife for her to film our son during sports. I have used digicon filters back when they first came out several years back on a Sony F950 while shooting a national Comcast commercial. Tho I haven't used the two together I've shot enough using both tools to know what the image would look like. I did read your full context.

  • @nomad Thanks for your unbiased information. Keep'em comming!

  • Since I'm currently testing a lot of lenses on the BMPCC, I'll open a separate thread for those.

    Stay tuned, I just need to finish my review of the Sony F55 and lenses first.

  • Our team's BMPCC is being prepped for shipment, it is at my retailer, but I am off shooting so it will be delayed. I could have had it tomorrow but teleportation to inflight airplanes is still experimental.

  • Lens test thread opened under "Lenses".

    First test of dynamic range at daytime. The BMPCC shows considerably more detail in the shadows when I expose both just before clipping in the white clouds. GH2 was shot with Moon T7 and "Standard" -2-2-1-2.

    (Yes, I know there was a reflection). Nightime and charts to follow.

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  • Funny... you could actually see the curtain in the window below from the BMPC shot vs just blackness in the GH-2 shot.

  • LOL, moon T7 doin' well against the RAW'sters I see!

  • Driftwood took the words outta my mouth. That's pretty close.

  • I'll soon post some night shots and color chart exposure tests too.

  • @Driftwood IMO....T7 blew it away in the shots above. I suspect after post they'll swap ends but out of camera, I'll take a little less shadow detail for the overall image.

  • Unboxing video:


    Video kinda sucks actually, but you get to see the cam and stuff.

  • IMO....T7 blew it away in the shots above. I suspect after post they'll swap ends but out of camera,

    You're right on the second point: all the posted footage out of the BMPC has that washed-out "log" quality -- you can't judge what the camera's actually recording, without grading it. Comparing it to GH2 footage, which has already gone through camera processing, won't tell you much.

    Sit down to grade, and you'll see the difference.

  • IMO....T7 blew it away in the shots above. I suspect after post they'll swap ends but out of camera,

    You're right on the second point: all the posted footage out of the BMPC has that washed-out "log" quality -- you can't judge what the camera's actually recording, without grading it. Comparing it to GH2 footage, which has already gone through camera processing, won't tell you much.

    Sit down to grade, and you'll see the difference.

  • @nomad

    I have a question about those two tests. Yes, there's that reflection there. Is that on the window you were shooting out of? If so am I the only one that thinks that reflection is causing the spike in the waveform monitor at that point? It looks like it's in the same spot as the reflection. Yes, no?

  • Yes. But this was a crappy first test. I'll have night shots to show tomorrow without glass in between and exposure series of color charts. I can already say that the BMPCC has lots of leeway for correction.

    BTW, if I switch it to "Video" (rec 709) instead of "Film" (log), I like the GH2 better. But any camera that shoots in log only makes sense if you have the time (and talent) for grading.

  • @nomad Wasn't bashing your test, sorry if it came out that way brother :)

    Agreed that the rec 709 is not as good as the GH2 for sure. Not pretty by any standards. And yep, the Pro Res Log is niiiiiiiiccccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :)

  • does it always have to be gh2 vs the world? both cameras have a nice image, but other than that, these cameras in all other category's are so far apart that it shouldn't be looked at as "this camera is better than that camera" but more importantly which tool is more important for the kind of job you are trying to do. And honestly, unless you need better slow mo or a stills cam, the pocket should be a no brain'er. I realize there isn't a "vs" conversation going on here, but in the back of our minds it's what we do when we see "compare test" videos. ; )

  • @GravitateMediaGroup Good point and one I've been wrestling with since this camera was announced. I don't do cinema. I make documentaries, mostly run and gun and mostly in 1080 60p.

    Most of what I use are an AC160 and a GH3 and two GH2's for B&C. I'd love to have one but I swear I'm afraid it's a fine carving knife when I need a chainsaw.