Tired of negativity towards BMD, bmcc and bmpcc

Is anyone else tired of hearing people yammer on about the shortcomings of the BMCC and BMPCC? I've been getting amazing results that are on par with way more expensive cameras thus far And the more I learn about color grading, the more I appreciate prores and raw. All the haters need to shut up. Buying this camera can't make you a good DP, quit blaming BMD for your lack of professional experience.

Is anyone else tired of hearing people yammer on about the shortcomings of the BMCC and BMPCC? I've been getting amazing results that are on par with way more expensive cameras thus far And the more I learn about color grading, the more I appreciate prores and raw. All the haters need to shut up. Buying this camera can't make you a good DP, quit blaming BMD for your lack of professional experience.

but making it easy to use sure would help!

Is anyone else tired of hearing people yammer on about the shortcomings of the BMCC and BMPCC? I've been getting amazing results that are on par with way more expensive cameras thus far And the more I learn about color grading, the more I appreciate prores and raw. All the haters need to shut up. Buying this camera can't make you a good DP, quit blaming BMD for your lack of professional experience.

but making it easy to use sure would help!

I find it incredibly easy to use. Even if BMD didn't release another Firmware update ever I would still buy another one.

Is anyone else tired of hearing people yammer on about the shortcomings of the BMCC and BMPCC? I've been getting amazing results that are on par with way more expensive cameras thus far And the more I learn about color grading, the more I appreciate prores and raw. All the haters need to shut up. Buying this camera can't make you a good DP, quit blaming BMD for your lack of professional experience.

but making it easy to use sure would help!

Uh. The camera is probably the easiest to use out there. Getting the footage to look good is up to you.

What people are going through with video cameras is the same for what happened with photography when DSLR became cheaper. Everyone bought great cheap cameras thinking they would get pro results but the only thing that came from it was a bunch a crap pictures,,,, and then came Instagram.

The OP misses the point again. This is not a matter of what can be done with the camera as it sits. Its a matter of being promised certain levels of performance that are not there. Its like ordering a VW Rabbit and getting a Yugo. You can still get there, but the trip is certainly a bit more uncertain.

The OP misses the point again. This is not a matter of what can be done with the camera as it sits. Its a matter of being promised certain levels of performance that are not there. Its like ordering a VW Rabbit and getting a Yugo. You can still get there, but the trip is certainly a bit more uncertain.

Then go buy another camera if your unhappy, It's that simple. Maybe a c300 for $15,000 that has all the features that you are demanding.

sure joe....those of us who have propped up BM for the pocket build can just toss our $3K investment in the trash and go buy a camera from another manufacturer THAT WORKS AS PROMISED!

If you don't like reading negative posts about BM products then stay off these forums. Almost EVERY owner of the 1st gen BMCC has complaints about its features or lack of, especially lack of promised features. Just because you are able to make it work for your buisness (assuming you are in this buisness to make a living) does not mean the rest of purchasers are. If I were shooting RAW MOS then this camera is fine for that. IF I were trying to use it's pre-colored rec709 ProRes footage with embedded audio to hand directly to a client ready to edit, I STILL can not do it after owning this thing for almost a year.

What most people seem to complain about is the way he company treats us. Many find the camera to be workable, but only if they purchase many additional pieces of hardware to make up for the undelivered promises of the camera itself. Need good audio....buy a double system recorder.....want properly colored footage, shoot film mode and color it yourself to give to client (assuming you can get a budget for that on smaller gigs). Want BM to tell you when they will fix some things in the camera with a new firmware update....forget it. they will promise nothing on a forum to us owners, only on a box to a potetial customer. Poor sucker finds out later they were a victim of false advertising.

Forums are designed for users to share information with each other. Oddly, only BM decides not to share ANY info with their customers on their own forum. There is speculation if anyone from there other than Rivera (who is paid to do it) actually reads these threads. Telling people who are trying to find answers to problems to shut up is as helpful as tony rivera moving questions about this camera and it's lack of support to the off topic section.

It's difficult to be positive when I'm stuck at position 200 in a preorder queue 3 months after the 'release' of the BMPCC.

if you don´t want negativity don´t come to this forum.
The only one to blame for the "negativity" is Blackmagic and the lack of loyalty and respect for users
if BMCC is full of bugs is because of BM
if BMPCC does not shoot raw as promised is because of BM false advertisement
And if BM 4k camera...well.. that is just a joke.. it does not even exist.. but it was going to arrive last july!!

I could actually feel sorry for people who blame equipment for their lack of competence. Especially a BMD camera, which offers amazing quality for an unheard of price. While they bitch and moan, my camera paid for itself in just a few shoots. How come? It's the same camera that "lacks" so many features... "It is not a professional tool"... "I can't shoot the sun without getting an artifact"... "I just threw thousands of dollars in the trash because it doesn't shoot RAW"... If one listens to the complaints here, it seems like these cameras are terrible.

But I don't feel sorry because of their arrogant, spoiled children attitude. These are clearly amateurs who have absolutely no professional experience.

We used to have to pay US$ 40,000 for a decent broadcast quality camera and it was far from perfect. There were absolutely no firmware upgrades. You got what you paid for. We didn't bitch about the manufacturer when the heads got clogged because "the company didn't warn us about that, and that's a serious flaw that made me throw my $40K into the trash"...

We didn't blame the manufacturer or the camera when we couldn't get decent footage. We were humble enough to admit that we didn't know enough or that we had screwed up. We hired professional sound guys when we wanted decent audio. And even though the cameras could record audio (as the BMD cameras can, if you know what you were doing), we recorded on a separate system because we wanted the best quality possible.

I haven't read anywhere from BMD that their cameras are 100% self sufficient and will not need any peripherals. Anyone with a bare minimum knowledge of production knows that the camera is just one of the many pieces of equipment necessary for the most basic production. If one wants to be a professional, one needs to invest. It's very simple. If one can't afford even the most basic equipment to honestly start charging clients, one should work for the professionals who do. It's always been like that. Working for people who know more than you do is no shame. You learn your craft, you make money and you don't have to spend a penny in gear. What a great concept, huh?

Most important, one must invest in good professional education. Which is clear that most people complaining here haven't had judging from their arguments. They clearly believe that they only need to buy a camera and it will turn them into instant Kubriks. Now, should I really feel sorry for them?...

I bet that most people who complain about the lack of RAW recording, for the time being, in the Pocket, have never worked with RAW footage before. They've just heard that RAW is the best, and they think it's absolutely necessary. If it's not there, they believe that they've just wasted thousands of dollars and they urge everyone else to sue BMD for that... It's pathetic! Buena Vista Social Club was shot on Mini DV with a prosumer camcorder without RAW! I've yet to hear audiences complaining about the technical quality. Did Wenders quit because the camera couldn't handle Panavision lenses? Did he sue Sony because he had to buy extra batteries? No! Because he is a brilliant professional and he can shoot a masterpiece with a cell phone. He studied his craft, he paid his dues, and he didn't blame others for his flaws and limitations.

If I should sympathize with anyone here, it should be with BMD. Because by offering such wonderful cameras for such low prices, they ended up selling to people who should be buying their cameras at KMart, instead. After all, they want easy to use, automatic cameras that they can shot with, edit and deliver without having to waste any time fixing anything. So now BMD has to put up with their ridiculous rants and lack of basic knowledge. All because they wanted to make great equipment affordable for real professionals...

All cameras have flaws! The ARRI Alexa can also be noisy! Sony and RED promise features that take months to be delivered! Do their buyers complain that they were cheated? No! Because they are expensive cameras and mostly professionals buy them. They work around their limits, produce awesome material and make money.

If you've purchased a BMD camera, you have in your hands one of the best cameras ever made. If you can't shoot anything decent with it, maybe the real problem lies behind the camera itself...

If you've purchased a BMD camera, you have in your hands one of the best cameras ever made. If you can't shoot anything decent with it, maybe the real problem lies behind the camera itself...

+1

If you've purchased a BMD camera, you have in your hands one of the best cameras ever made. If you can't shoot anything decent with it, maybe the real problem lies behind the camera itself...

+1

+1

All I have to say is if your unhappy, buy a different camera. I personally own the bmcc ef mount and absolutely love it. The images are brilliant BUT, you have to know how to light and color correct properly. Which is something any basic DP should know how to do.

Agree with this thread. The entitlement of some people is very irritating. Go out, shoot some videos, have fun, make money.

If you've purchased a BMD camera, you have in your hands one of the best cameras ever made. If you can't shoot anything decent with it, maybe the real problem lies behind the camera itself...

I wish I could "like" this 1000 times. Absolutely PERFECT summary.

The name CINEMA camera implies a multitude of things. For those of us who grew up with film, or even those with big cinema camera experience, it typically means MOS. The fact that these cameras even HAVE provisions for sound amazes me, but it's likely just there for sync sound which is fine.

Half the people I've seen complaining about RAW couldn't handle the RAW data anyway. Which is why the next most prevalent conversation is about "compressed RAW" because the RAW the cameras shoot is "too much".

So I guess these folks won't be happy until we have an S35 camera, that shoots both uncompressed and compressed RAW and has 15 stops of dynamic range, and records 24bit audio in camera. Maybe THEN people can manage to shoot some cool cat videos.

So I guess these folks won't be happy until we have an S35 camera, that shoots both uncompressed and compressed RAW and has 15 stops of dynamic range, and records 24bit audio in camera. Maybe THEN people can manage to shoot some cool cat videos.

Well no it would have to do 1000fps also (without losing resolution)

So I guess these folks won't be happy until we have an S35 camera, that shoots both uncompressed and compressed RAW and has 15 stops of dynamic range, and records 24bit audio in camera. Maybe THEN people can manage to shoot some cool cat videos.

And I know where they can get this camera. It was a secret but I'll tell anyway, it is made by Red, lol.

I could actually feel sorry for people who blame equipment for their lack of competence. Especially a BMD camera, which offers amazing quality for an unheard of price. While they bitch and moan, my camera paid for itself in just a few shoots. How come? It's the same camera that "lacks" so many features... "It is not a professional tool"... "I can't shoot the sun without getting an artifact"... "I just threw thousands of dollars in the trash because it doesn't shoot RAW"... If one listens to the complaints here, it seems like these cameras are terrible.

But I don't feel sorry because of their arrogant, spoiled children attitude. These are clearly amateurs who have absolutely no professional experience.

We used to have to pay US$ 40,000 for a decent broadcast quality camera and it was far from perfect. There were absolutely no firmware upgrades. You got what you paid for. We didn't bitch about the manufacturer when the heads got clogged because "the company didn't warn us about that, and that's a serious flaw that made me throw my $40K into the trash"...

We didn't blame the manufacturer or the camera when we couldn't get decent footage. We were humble enough to admit that we didn't know enough or that we had screwed up. We hired professional sound guys when we wanted decent audio. And even though the cameras could record audio (as the BMD cameras can, if you know what you were doing), we recorded on a separate system because we wanted the best quality possible.

I haven't read anywhere from BMD that their cameras are 100% self sufficient and will not need any peripherals. Anyone with a bare minimum knowledge of production knows that the camera is just one of the many pieces of equipment necessary for the most basic production. If one wants to be a professional, one needs to invest. It's very simple. If one can't afford even the most basic equipment to honestly start charging clients, one should work for the professionals who do. It's always been like that. Working for people who know more than you do is no shame. You learn your craft, you make money and you don't have to spend a penny in gear. What a great concept, huh?

Most important, one must invest in good professional education. Which is clear that most people complaining here haven't had judging from their arguments. They clearly believe that they only need to buy a camera and it will turn them into instant Kubriks. Now, should I really feel sorry for them?...

I bet that most people who complain about the lack of RAW recording, for the time being, in the Pocket, have never worked with RAW footage before. They've just heard that RAW is the best, and they think it's absolutely necessary. If it's not there, they believe that they've just wasted thousands of dollars and they urge everyone else to sue BMD for that... It's pathetic! Buena Vista Social Club was shot on Mini DV with a prosumer camcorder without RAW! I've yet to hear audiences complaining about the technical quality. Did Wenders quit because the camera couldn't handle Panavision lenses? Did he sue Sony because he had to buy extra batteries? No! Because he is a brilliant professional and he can shoot a masterpiece with a cell phone. He studied his craft, he paid his dues, and he didn't blame others for his flaws and limitations.

If I should sympathize with anyone here, it should be with BMD. Because by offering such wonderful cameras for such low prices, they ended up selling to people who should be buying their cameras at KMart, instead. After all, they want easy to use, automatic cameras that they can shot with, edit and deliver without having to waste any time fixing anything. So now BMD has to put up with their ridiculous rants and lack of basic knowledge. All because they wanted to make great equipment affordable for real professionals...

All cameras have flaws! The ARRI Alexa can also be noisy! Sony and RED promise features that take months to be delivered! Do their buyers complain that they were cheated? No! Because they are expensive cameras and mostly professionals buy them. They work around their limits, produce awesome material and make money.

If you've purchased a BMD camera, you have in your hands one of the best cameras ever made. If you can't shoot anything decent with it, maybe the real problem lies behind the camera itself...

Yes.

Many of these things I've said myself, but nothing hits home more than the price point discussion.

I saw this coming after the first wave of 2.5K cameras in the beginning, and how the other forum began to go crazy. The price point brings the worst kind of hobbyist/forum user, doesn't matter which brand it is. You price things too low and you get customers like that.

Not all bad, though. Just the unpleasant ones are the loudest.

So I guess these folks won't be happy until we have an S35 camera, that shoots both uncompressed and compressed RAW and has 15 stops of dynamic range, and records 24bit audio in camera. Maybe THEN people can manage to shoot some cool cat videos.

And I know where they can get this camera. It was a secret but I'll tell anyway, it is made by Red, lol.

RED doesn't shoot uncompressed RAW.

So I guess these folks won't be happy until we have an S35 camera, that shoots both uncompressed and compressed RAW and has 15 stops of dynamic range, and records 24bit audio in camera. Maybe THEN people can manage to shoot some cool cat videos.

And I know where they can get this camera. It was a secret but I'll tell anyway, it is made by Red, lol.

RED doesn't shoot uncompressed RAW.

I wasn't aware it shot 15 stops of range either.

I have a problem. I have a "microphone" that only records audio. You think that with a software update? Images recorded?
I bought a truck to park in the city. but can not find parking for the truck.
Before you buy anything make sure you use will give.

The name says it all. "Cinema Camera". Will it coffee?

And here we go again...

I could actually feel sorry for people who blame equipment for their lack of competence. Especially a BMD camera, which offers amazing quality for an unheard of price. While they bitch and moan, my camera paid for itself in just a few shoots. How come? It's the same camera that "lacks" so many features... "It is not a professional tool"... "I can't shoot the sun without getting an artifact"... "I just threw thousands of dollars in the trash because it doesn't shoot RAW"... If one listens to the complaints here, it seems like these cameras are terrible.

But I don't feel sorry because of their arrogant, spoiled children attitude. These are clearly amateurs who have absolutely no professional experience.

Funny, when you call customer who raise legitimate concerns 'having arrogant spoiled children attitude' and 'amateurs with absolutely no professional'. Sounds pretty arrogant to me, doesn't it?

1. Black spots appear also when shooting live stages with LED pars - and there it gets worse, because you do not have to deal with 1 black spot like with the sun, but with 10 or more, constantly appearing and disappearing. If I have to hand over the footage to the client - how should I explain that? Should I point him to your posting and tell him we are not professionals because we regard that as a problem?

2. Not seeing how much space is left on the SSD - that bit me last time when recording a 3,5 hour long opera with the camera left unmanned. Though an operator error the SSD had not been cleaned off all footage and the camera shut down the recording in the last 30 minutes. As the camera was running unmanned it was only detected when it was too late. If there would have been a display saying only 60% left or 2.5 hours left - that operator error would have been detected during the pause of the opera and the SSDs could have been exchanged. Yeah it was a dumb error, but easy to avoid if the tool would do what every other camera could do.

3. I am using an external audio device to record the audio. The signal is also routed into the camera, but even with that you cannot just hand those clips over to a client - you have to resync that in post. Costing time and money for nothing.

4. Error in the REC709 LUT - already acknowledged by BMD support several times. Reds get wrong. But you will tell us we are just a bunch of whiny, amateur nobodies. But hey - you know what? Clients do not like to have their company colors totally changed in camera. And I do not see why I have to work around that just because BMD can't get their a**es off and fix that for half a year or longer.

May I quote from BMDs website about the BMCC:

Use Standard Connectors

Say goodbye to annoying custom cables you can never find when on a location shoot because Blackmagic Cinema Camera uses only standard connections! You get jack mic/line audio inputs for recording the highest quality uncompressed audio, as well as 3 Gb/s SDI out for on set monitoring or for sending to live production switchers.

And again quoted from the tech specs:

2 x 1/4” jacks for professional balanced analog audio, switchable between mic and line levels.

Nothing proves you more wrong than BMD themselves.

We used to have to pay US$ 40,000 for a decent broadcast quality camera and it was far from perfect. There were absolutely no firmware upgrades. You got what you paid for. We didn't bitch about the manufacturer when the heads got clogged because "the company didn't warn us about that, and that's a serious flaw that made me throw my $40K into the trash"...

We didn't blame the manufacturer or the camera when we couldn't get decent footage. We were humble enough to admit that we didn't know enough or that we had screwed up. We hired professional sound guys when we wanted decent audio. And even though the cameras could record audio (as the BMD cameras can, if you know what you were doing), we recorded on a separate system because we wanted the best quality possible.

Whining about the good old times. Well yeah. But you do realize that today new firmware features and updates are VERY common among almost all manufactures? Nobody demands impossible features from BMD - just basic things every other camera out there does have.

I haven't read anywhere from BMD that their cameras are 100% self sufficient and will not need any peripherals. Anyone with a bare minimum knowledge of production knows that the camera is just one of the many pieces of equipment necessary for the most basic production. If one wants to be a professional, one needs to invest. It's very simple. If one can't afford even the most basic equipment to honestly start charging clients, one should work for the professionals who do. It's always been like that. Working for people who know more than you do is no shame. You learn your craft, you make money and you don't have to spend a penny in gear. What a great concept, huh?

Sounds pretty arrogant for me again, right?
And what does additional grip have to do with really basic things lacking in a camera? So basic, that every other product of BMD is able to have those things, but not their cameras? (e.g. audio levels, time counter)

Most important, one must invest in good professional education. Which is clear that most people complaining here haven't had judging from their arguments. They clearly believe that they only need to buy a camera and it will turn them into instant Kubriks. Now, should I really feel sorry for them?...

Again - in your arrogance you utterly fail again to recognize why people complain. Show at least a bit of thinking outside your box, please.

I bet that most people who complain about the lack of RAW recording, for the time being, in the Pocket, have never worked with RAW footage before. They've just heard that RAW is the best, and they think it's absolutely necessary. If it's not there, they believe that they've just wasted thousands of dollars and they urge everyone else to sue BMD for that... It's pathetic!

I love it how you assume to know what other people know or can do even if you never met those people. Sounds pretty arrogant again to me.

I just quote (it is so funny to destroy your arguments by just quoting BMD ):

Open File Format


Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera records into high quality ProRes 422 (HQ) and lossless compressed CinemaDNG files so you retain fine image detail with wide dynamic range for amazing images.

Buena Vista Social Club was shot on Mini DV with a prosumer camcorder without RAW! I've yet to hear audiences complaining about the technical quality. Did Wenders quit because the camera couldn't handle Panavision lenses? Did he sue Sony because he had to buy extra batteries? No! Because he is a brilliant professional and he can shoot a masterpiece with a cell phone. He studied his craft, he paid his dues, and he didn't blame others for his flaws and limitations.

Again your argument is that if the customers of BMD would be as brilliant as Wenders, they would not need the quality. Yeah sure - so everyone else is an untalented mo*ron not able to get good pictures...
Who cares what Buena Vista Social Club was shot on? If someone wants to shoot RAW than it is his decision to do that. If that person can handle that or not, is not your problem.

If I should sympathize with anyone here, it should be with BMD. Because by offering such wonderful cameras for such low prices, they ended up selling to people who should be buying their cameras at KMart, instead. After all, they want easy to use, automatic cameras that they can shot with, edit and deliver without having to waste any time fixing anything. So now BMD has to put up with their ridiculous rants and lack of basic knowledge. All because they wanted to make great equipment affordable for real professionals...

Oh yeah please let us build a shrine for BMD and prey every day to them, that they have been so kind to put those tools out there. I am sure they didn't do it for the money. It really baffles me, how someone can be such a fanboy for no reason.

All cameras have flaws! The ARRI Alexa can also be noisy! Sony and RED promise features that take months to be delivered! Do their buyers complain that they were cheated? No! Because they are expensive cameras and mostly professionals buy them. They work around their limits, produce awesome material and make money.

As someone who has worked with the RED ONE as soon as it was available in Europe I can tell you that it had almost all of the features in there which are no complained about with the BMCC. And there are constantly firmware updates bringing new features, improving things and an open flow of information what can be done, what not and which features will come. Everyone understands that sometimes a developer can work around a wall coming up - but keeping customers informed helps so much and earns the respect.

If you've purchased a BMD camera, you have in your hands one of the best cameras ever made. If you can't shoot anything decent with it, maybe the real problem lies behind the camera itself...

And maybe it is just that we do not want to work around problems which should not be there, because no client will pay for the extra work.

1. Black spots appear also when shooting live stages with LED pars - and there it gets worse, because you do not have to deal with 1 black spot like with the sun, but with 10 or more, constantly appearing and disappearing. If I have to hand over the footage to the client - how should I explain that? Should I point him to your posting and tell him we are not professionals because we regard that as a problem?

ND, Grad ND, re-frame, solve in post, use a different camera. Many solutions available. You shouldn't NEED to explain that to a client.

2. Not seeing how much space is left on the SSD - that bit me last time when recording a 3,5 hour long opera with the camera left unmanned. Though an operator error the SSD had not been cleaned off all footage and the camera shut down the recording in the last 30 minutes. As the camera was running unmanned it was only detected when it was too late. If there would have been a display saying only 60% left or 2.5 hours left - that operator error would have been detected during the pause of the opera and the SSDs could have been exchanged. Yeah it was a dumb error, but easy to avoid if the tool would do what every other camera could do.

So it's BMs fault that you failed to

A. Calcuate your recording needs.
B. Provide staffing for the camera so it wouldn't need to be unattended.
C. Check to ensure the media was formatted and ready.

I ran out of SSD space on set twice 2 weekends ago shooting a narrative. First day out with the camera. However, I "felt" I was getting close, warned the director before rolling the take in both instances, and simply popped in a new SSD when the full one ran out of space. At no time did I feel the need to blame BMD for that. Just as if I'd run out of Kodak film, I wouldn't blame Kodak, or if my SxS cards ran out in my Sony, I wouldn't blame them. In film, you call out your footage to script supervisor so they can calculate how much film is left. I should have been doing that with the BMCC but didn't. That's on me, not BMD. Would it be nice to have a "space left" readout? Sure. Most camera's do. Some more accurate than others. And no, not "every other camera" does this.

3. I am using an external audio device to record the audio. The signal is also routed into the camera, but even with that you cannot just hand those clips over to a client - you have to resync that in post. Costing time and money for nothing.

This is part and parcel for cinema cameras.

4. Error in the REC709 LUT - already acknowledged by BMD support several times. Reds get wrong. But you will tell us we are just a bunch of whiny, amateur nobodies. But hey - you know what? Clients do not like to have their company colors totally changed in camera. And I do not see why I have to work around that just because BMD can't get their a**es off and fix that for half a year or longer.

So you're a pro. Build your own 3D LUT. That's what pro's do. Tell me about Panavision's LUTs. Hell I've NEVER seen a LUT from Sony.

May I quote from BMDs website about the BMCC:

Use Standard Connectors

Say goodbye to annoying custom cables you can never find when on a location shoot because Blackmagic Cinema Camera uses only standard connections! You get jack mic/line audio inputs for recording the highest quality uncompressed audio, as well as 3 Gb/s SDI out for on set monitoring or for sending to live production switchers.

And again quoted from the tech specs:

2 x 1/4” jacks for professional balanced analog audio, switchable between mic and line levels.

Nothing proves you more wrong than BMD themselves.

Any pro in their right mind knows that a camera with 1/4" jacks is not doing pro level audio. I don't care what the marketing department writes on the webpage.

Whining about the good old times. Well yeah. But you do realize that today new firmware features and updates are VERY common among almost all manufactures? Nobody demands impossible features from BMD - just basic things every other camera out there does have.

Again, not "everyone" does this. Many do, that is true. Do you know how many requests went in to Sony for having the EX1/EX3 cameras record to two cards at once for backup purposes on high level pro shoots? Never happened. Didn't happen with Convergent Designs either which is why after speaking to the owner about it, I never bought one.

Sounds pretty arrogant for me again, right?
And what does additional grip have to do with really basic things lacking in a camera? So basic, that every other product of BMD is able to have those things, but not their cameras? (e.g. audio levels, time counter)

Audio levels probably wasn't a big deal to them because it's a CINEMA camera which in 99% of cases means sync sound. Not sure what you mean for time counter as my camera records time.

I just quote (it is so funny to destroy your arguments by just quoting BMD ):

Open File Format


Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera records into high quality ProRes 422 (HQ) and lossless compressed CinemaDNG files so you retain fine image detail with wide dynamic range for amazing images.

Video is compressed on the pocket camera so it can record to SD cards. Shouldn't be necessary with SSD.

As someone who has worked with the RED ONE as soon as it was available in Europe I can tell you that it had almost all of the features in there which are no complained about with the BMCC. And there are constantly firmware updates bringing new features, improving things and an open flow of information what can be done, what not and which features will come. Everyone understands that sometimes a developer can work around a wall coming up - but keeping customers informed helps so much and earns the respect.

Hell the RED ONE shipped with NO AUDIO enabled. It was at least a YEAR before it was turned on via firmware. No one cared because everyone shot sync sound on that CINEMA camera. If you were an early adopter on RED, you KNOW the pain they went through trying to get that thing going. Shutdown's on set. Monitoring was tricky, corrupted data, post was a royal PITA. The flow of information from JJ and others was excellent though, I must say that. But that's the difference between someone servicing clients buying $75k camera packages and servicing people buying $3k packages. It necessarily HAS to be different.

And maybe it is just that we do not want to work around problems which should not be there, because no client will pay for the extra work.

Clearly, you have bought a camera that does not meet your needs. If you are a pro, I have to ask why? Sounds like you want an F5 or Alexa, or something similar. I am not trying to slam you here. I understand you are frustrated, and certainly some things BMD has done can be frustrating if you're trying to use this camera in a production environment.

But that said, you are clearly using this $2k camera in a way it is not intended to work. And seemingly becoming angry with BMD because the camera won't work the way YOU want it to. That's patently unfair. The issues we are seeing with this camera are nothing we haven't seen before. And are a heck of a lot more workable than many of the things we've seen from popular cameras in the past. Whether those things were horrible rolling shutter (EX1, DSLRs), 11 minute recording times (DSLRs, P2), horrific recording media costs (P2 at $1500 per 12 minutes at the outset), basic recording issues (DVX100 didn't get a firmware update, the camera was literally re-released with the desired features and you had to spend another $4500 to get them).

If the issues are unworkable for you, ditch the camera. If I had to turn over media same day or perhaps even next day, the BMCC would not be a camera I would use. Frankly, I wouldn't use a RED or Alexa either.

Me ? I just want what I bought when I preordered. Simple. Not a spoiled child syndrome. Whether or not I know that I have to put a lens on the thing or not, or if I use it to take videos of my grandchildren on Sunday morning, is not the point. It is a matter of getting what was promised by the seller. Just because OP is willing to settle for less than what he paid for does not mean that we all should join him on his leaky ship....

Me ? I just want what I bought when I preordered. Simple. Not a spoiled child syndrome. Whether or not I know that I have to put a lens on the thing or not, or if I use it to take videos of my grandchildren on Sunday morning, is not the point. It is a matter of getting what was promised by the seller. Just because OP is willing to settle for less than what he paid for does not mean that we all should join him on his leaky ship....

There is merit to this. May I ask what was "promised" but not delivered? I am just looking for a bullet list here of things that you or others feel was promised but that don't appear in the camera. I've had mine for 2 weeks now and haven't found anything yet. I don't do in-camera audio though (other than built in mic) so perhaps that is a real sticking point.

Thanks.

And again the fanboys come to the rescue...
Blaming always the user - because BMD is perfect and does not need to improve things.

ND, Grad ND, re-frame, solve in post, use a different camera. Many solutions available. You shouldn't NEED to explain that to a client.

Oh really? I should have done that with an ND? Have you even ever recorded some live performances on stage where the light levels go frome pitch black to ultra bright follow spots in no time? What kind of advice is this?
And use a different camera - yeah sure - I get another camera although I have 2 cameras - I begin to wonder if you all here work so overpaid that it means nothing to you to rent other cameras or if you just have no idea what you are talking about.
And reframing? Seriously? Put the lightshow out of the frame? Did you even think for one second about your advice?

2. Not seeing how much space is left on the SSD - that bit me last time when recording a 3,5 hour long opera with the camera left unmanned. Though an operator error the SSD had not been cleaned off all footage and the camera shut down the recording in the last 30 minutes. As the camera was running unmanned it was only detected when it was too late. If there would have been a display saying only 60% left or 2.5 hours left - that operator error would have been detected during the pause of the opera and the SSDs could have been exchanged. Yeah it was a dumb error, but easy to avoid if the tool would do what every other camera could do.

So it's BMs fault that you failed to

A. Calcuate your recording needs.
B. Provide staffing for the camera so it wouldn't need to be unattended.
C. Check to ensure the media was formatted and ready.

And again here we have the Mr. know it all been there type of guy. I already admitted it was dumb - but it could have been prevented if BMD did their work too.
Maybe you have the luxury of filming trees and snails and get all the time in the world. But where I do my business time is money, money is tight and live jobs are stressful.

I ran out of SSD space on set twice 2 weekends ago shooting a narrative. First day out with the camera. However, I "felt" I was getting close, warned the director before rolling the take in both instances, and simply popped in a new SSD when the full one ran out of space. At no time did I feel the need to blame BMD for that.

That is great for you, but please do you realize that your situation does not compare to my specific situation.

Just as if I'd run out of Kodak film, I wouldn't blame Kodak, or if my SxS cards ran out in my Sony, I wouldn't blame them. In film, you call out your footage to script supervisor so they can calculate how much film is left. I should have been doing that with the BMCC but didn't. That's on me, not BMD. Would it be nice to have a "space left" readout? Sure. Most camera's do. Some more accurate than others.

Ok next time I will call my script supervisor - oh wait - I do not have one because no one would pay for that person for recording live shows. Can you come down from your high horse Sir, please?

And no, not "every other camera" does this.

Tell me, which one don't do that (and we are not talking consumer cameras). Over more than a decade I have used a long range of cameras and the BMCC is the first one with the lack of remaining time display.

3. I am using an external audio device to record the audio. The signal is also routed into the camera, but even with that you cannot just hand those clips over to a client - you have to resync that in post. Costing time and money for nothing.

This is part and parcel for cinema cameras.

And this is the excuse for everything or what? Should I quote the BMD website again?

4. Error in the REC709 LUT - already acknowledged by BMD support several times. Reds get wrong. But you will tell us we are just a bunch of whiny, amateur nobodies. But hey - you know what? Clients do not like to have their company colors totally changed in camera. And I do not see why I have to work around that just because BMD can't get their a**es off and fix that for half a year or longer.

So you're a pro. Build your own 3D LUT. That's what pro's do. Tell me about Panavision's LUTs. Hell I've NEVER seen a LUT from Sony.

Oh sorry - so I have to fix something that BMD could have easily fixed for months? Because I am a pro? As a pro I expect the manufacture to do that for me if they already have it build into the camera but made a mistake they already have agreed to also.

I would create my own LUT if it just would be possible to download it to the camera and shoot with it. Oh damn, it doesn't support that feature either. Good luck, when you were only paid to shoot and handle over the files to the client afterwards. Welcome to reality.

May I quote from BMDs website about the BMCC:

Use Standard Connectors

Say goodbye to annoying custom cables you can never find when on a location shoot because Blackmagic Cinema Camera uses only standard connections! You get jack mic/line audio inputs for recording the highest quality uncompressed audio, as well as 3 Gb/s SDI out for on set monitoring or for sending to live production switchers.

And again quoted from the tech specs:

2 x 1/4” jacks for professional balanced analog audio, switchable between mic and line levels.

Nothing proves you more wrong than BMD themselves.

Any pro in their right mind knows that a camera with 1/4" jacks is not doing pro level audio. I don't care what the marketing department writes on the webpage.

So you are telling me that all those pros in the audio studio have no idea what they are doing - because the 1/4" balanced jacks get used a lot there. And what exactly do the jacks have to do with the internal ability to record audio?

Sounds pretty arrogant for me again, right?
And what does additional grip have to do with really basic things lacking in a camera? So basic, that every other product of BMD is able to have those things, but not their cameras? (e.g. audio levels, time counter)

Audio levels probably wasn't a big deal to them because it's a CINEMA camera which in 99% of cases means sync sound. Not sure what you mean for time counter as my camera records time.

The name CINEMA camera is not an excuse for everything.
I meant the display of the remaining time.
Sorry, I am not a native speaker, so sometimes I use wrong terms which might be confusing.

I just quote (it is so funny to destroy your arguments by just quoting BMD ):

Open File Format


Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera records into high quality ProRes 422 (HQ) and lossless compressed CinemaDNG files so you retain fine image detail with wide dynamic range for amazing images.

Video is compressed on the pocket camera so it can record to SD cards. Shouldn't be necessary with SSD.

You missed my point. It is advertised as a working feature in the BMPC, but it has not been implemented yet.

As someone who has worked with the RED ONE as soon as it was available in Europe I can tell you that it had almost all of the features in there which are no complained about with the BMCC. And there are constantly firmware updates bringing new features, improving things and an open flow of information what can be done, what not and which features will come. Everyone understands that sometimes a developer can work around a wall coming up - but keeping customers informed helps so much and earns the respect.

Hell the RED ONE shipped with NO AUDIO enabled. It was at least a YEAR before it was turned on via firmware. No one cared because everyone shot sync sound on that CINEMA camera.

I know that. But it was not advertised as having working, professional audio out of the box.

If you were an early adopter on RED, you KNOW the pain they went through trying to get that thing going. Shutdown's on set. Monitoring was tricky, corrupted data, post was a royal PITA.

Well, all three cameras we have been working with did not have those problems. No shutdowns, no corrupted data. Maybe we where just a bunch of lucky guys - I heard horror stories from others too. But I also found out that some of those were clearly fabricated by some ARRI fanboys (nothing against the Alexa - wonderful camera!). And I knew how to handle RED RAW post - was not a big deal for me, as I had prepared myself and worked with RAW data before.

The flow of information from JJ and others was excellent though, I must say that.

That was exactly my point. Everyone here would be happy with a beep of information from time to time, that's all. If you keep your customers in the dark, their opinion gets dark as the night.

And maybe it is just that we do not want to work around problems which should not be there, because no client will pay for the extra work.

Clearly, you have bought a camera that does not meet your needs. If you are a pro, I have to ask why? Sounds like you want an F5 or Alexa, or something similar. I am not trying to slam you here. I understand you are frustrated, and certainly some things BMD has done can be frustrating if you're trying to use this camera in a production environment.

I am quite happy with the camera and what it delivers. So the more I am frustrated with those few quirks I have to work around because BMD is so lazy.

But that said, you are clearly using this $2k camera in a way it is not intended to work. And seemingly becoming angry with BMD because the camera won't work the way YOU want it to. That's patently unfair. The issues we are seeing with this camera are nothing we haven't seen before.

BTW - I paid the original price of $3k.
I am not angry with BMD because the camera won't work as I want it to, that's ok if it is new on the market. I am angry because they constantly ignore their customers since a year. Hey, they where able to fix the black spot with the BMPC, but not with the BMCC? What kind of nonsense is that? They update the audio to fix the offset and suddenly decide to lower all low frequencies? They admit that this is not ok, but do not fix it again? They admit that there is an error in their LUT but hey, no one pushes out a tiny update to change that. Are you gonna tell me, that this will take more than a few days to change, test and roll out? I have worked in imaging hardware development long enough to know what is possible and what not.

And are a heck of a lot more workable than many of the things we've seen from popular cameras in the past. Whether those things were horrible rolling shutter (EX1, DSLRs),

The BMCC has the exact same rolling shutter as the DSLRs and a bit more than the EX1. I have done tests clearly showing that and there are other people out who came to the same conclusions.

11 minute recording times (DSLRs, P2), horrific recording media costs (P2 at $1500 per 12 minutes at the outset), basic recording issues (DVX100 didn't get a firmware update, the camera was literally re-released with the desired features and you had to spend another $4500 to get them).

Pointing at other cameras failures does not help here and should not be an excuse to not do it better.

If the issues are unworkable for you, ditch the camera. If I had to turn over media same day or perhaps even next day, the BMCC would not be a camera I would use. Frankly, I wouldn't use a RED or Alexa either.

Seems like some people here do not have to work hard for their money, because they all are so fast with ditching something. I had done that ditching with a Sony camera which turned out not to be what it promised to be and that camera was much more expensive than the BMCC. When I tried to sell the camera, guess what? Sony dropped the price suddenly so I lost a lot of money by selling it.

Tell me: Do you think it is the customers duty just to pay for the product and then to keep silent? Not pointing out problematic things with the product? Eat up everything fed by the manufacturer? Do you put up with everything the government does?

"Blah blah blah."

"Blah blah blah?"

"BLAH blah blaaaah!"

H8rz gonna hate.

"Blah blah blah."

"Blah blah blah?"

"BLAH blah blaaaah!"

H8rz gonna hate.

Thank you for your insights. Maybe you wanna elaborate why you call me a hater?
It is exactly that kind of attitude which kept me away from RED user forum and is likely going to keep me away in the near future from this forum.
I raised my voice about what concerns me with a product I paid for - you can continue to make fun of that if you think it will help anyone. Or you can come up with some valuable arguments/solutions.

If you've purchased a BMD camera, you have in your hands one of the best cameras ever made. If you can't shoot anything decent with it, maybe the real problem lies behind the camera itself...

I love the fanboys!!!
who said those who complaint can not shoot "decent" things?.. Maybe the are just more demanding than you are, that does not make them less professional at all.

The only thing that bugs me is the weekly crop of new topics complaining about BMD cheating customers, or lying.
It would have been preferable if a couple of threads had been kept alive by people voicing their irritation or disappointment, but no, it seems every forum member has to have their own thread venting anger at BMD.
Another slight annoyance is people not reading the manual, which is a free download, then complaining they don't understand why the pocket camera isn't doing what they think it should.
The last surprise for me is the number of people who apparently never knew google existed, or forums such as this, bought the camera having done zero research, but are amazingly capable of finding forums such as this to voice their anger.
No, I'm not 'a fanboy'. I did a little research before buying the camera.
I've seen amazing footage posted on Youtube and Vimeo. The camera is working for me, for the purpose I intended to use it for.
I didn't intend to point it directly at the sun, I didn't intend to shoot in almost no light. I didn't intend to upload my ProRes footage to the web with no processing/grading.
I realised there was a learning curve working at this level. No audio meters, no histogram.
Pretty much all of this info was out there in July or August.

The OP misses the point again. This is not a matter of what can be done with the camera as it sits. Its a matter of being promised certain levels of performance that are not there. Its like ordering a VW Rabbit and getting a Yugo. You can still get there, but the trip is certainly a bit more uncertain.

Then go buy another camera if your unhappy, It's that simple. Maybe a c300 for $15,000 that has all the features that you are demanding.

Kinda like if you're tired of seeing the negativity on forums, stop looking at the forums, right?

The OP misses the point again. This is not a matter of what can be done with the camera as it sits. Its a matter of being promised certain levels of performance that are not there. Its like ordering a VW Rabbit and getting a Yugo. You can still get there, but the trip is certainly a bit more uncertain.

Then go buy another camera if your unhappy, It's that simple. Maybe a c300 for $15,000 that has all the features that you are demanding.

Kinda like if you're tired of seeing the negativity on forums, stop looking at the forums, right?

Jerk comment from a hater.

Kinda like if you're tired of seeing the negativity on forums, stop looking at the forums, right?

Or the negativity could be contained in a handful of threads. Unfortunately, many otherwise interesting and educational discussions about general use of the camera are often hijacked by a couple people venting their anger, and claiming they were lied to.

And now I'm the arrogant fanboy... Just because I'm praising a product that's been working very well for me and countless others and I don't agree with the senseless complaints.

FYI, I've been in this business for 30 years, have shot on all film formats except 65mm, have worked with electronic cameras (analog and digital) from virtually all manufacturers. To me, cameras are just tools. I have a pretty deep technical understanding and a considerable artistic career. Both of which I have conquered along the years, working hard, often with people who knew more than I did, and studying a lot. Mostly because of that, I know what kind of equipment suits me, and I have told many people who were blown away by the BMCC that this is not a camera for them. It is a camera that requires a heavy post workflow, at least some basic knowledge about proper exposure, fast computers, additional hardware, etc. There are lots of cameras on the market better suited for people who want something easy to work with.

Quality comes at a price, even if the camera body itself is affordable. Synching audio in post is a must with these cameras and it is considered part of the workflow. If one can't handle that, which is so simple, than a regular camcorder is a much better buy.

BTW, two weeks ago I shot a live performance with those dreaded LED lights and haven't had a single black spot. Proper exposure, maybe? I did get the black spot the very first time I tried the camera because I wanted to see if it was really there and find out how I could avoid it. But I had to overexpose the shot and point the camera directly at the sun (very briefly, of course) in order to get it. I stopped it down and it was gone. Zebras are our friends.
I can imagine that under very specific conditions the black spot may show up again. But this is easily fixed in post and I've worked with Blackmagic products long enough to trust that they'll fix it in the camera whenever they can. They are usually pretty good with firmware updates.

I haven't ordered this camera sight unseen, regardless of the low price. I've waited for people to try it first, learned about its drawbacks and advantages and only then did I go ahead with my purchase. As it was said here, it's all on the internet. If one does some basic research, one finds out about all of its limitations. And, being aware of those, one only buys the camera if he/she is willing to put up with them.

It's also good financial practice to try equipment before you buy. Do you complainers always make blind purchases? Is this how you invest in your careers?

I don't believe that anyone who is smart enough to join this forum had no idea about the cameras' current issues before they purchased them. So, no matter how hard you try to convince me that this camera is no good, you won't succeed because I know better.

There are feature films, shorts, TV series, commercials, music videos, all being successfully shot with these cameras right now. The people using them are not screaming and bitching and demanding answers. They are just doing it. They are the ones who deserve my respect.

And again the fanboys come to the rescue...
Blaming always the user - because BMD is perfect and does not need to improve things.

Fanboy eh? I have over a dozen cameras. Nikon, Canon, Panasonic, Sony, Blackmagic. Does that sound like a "fanboy" to you? I buy the best tool for the job at hand. Period. NONE of my cameras is perfect. They all bring different things to the table, and I use them where appropriate.

Oh really? I should have done that with an ND? Have you even ever recorded some live performances on stage where the light levels go frome pitch black to ultra bright follow spots in no time? What kind of advice is this?
And use a different camera - yeah sure - I get another camera although I have 2 cameras - I begin to wonder if you all here work so overpaid that it means nothing to you to rent other cameras or if you just have no idea what you are talking about.
And reframing? Seriously? Put the lightshow out of the frame? Did you even think for one second about your advice?

I wasn't at your shoot. I don't know the particulars of your shoot. I offered generic advice about shooting into bright light that cinematographers have employed for over 75 years. Sorry if none of those meet your needs.

And again here we have the Mr. know it all been there type of guy. I already admitted it was dumb - but it could have been prevented if BMD did their work too.
Maybe you have the luxury of filming trees and snails and get all the time in the world. But where I do my business time is money, money is tight and live jobs are stressful.

No sir, I film narrative and sports. I am also a sports photographer who's work must be on the wire no more than 15 minutes post event. If I don't meet my deadlines, I don't get paid. I get it, believe me.

Ok next time I will call my script supervisor - oh wait - I do not have one because no one would pay for that person for recording live shows. Can you come down from your high horse Sir, please?

No, I cannot. Because I am not on one. I do realize however, that trying to use a cinema camera in a live production environment is going to be filled with problems. It's not built to do this, and likely will never work well. Sadly, I am sure you will continue to have frustrations and will likely never be happy.

And no, not "every other camera" does this.

Tell me, which one don't do that (and we are not talking consumer cameras). Over more than a decade I have used a long range of cameras and the BMCC is the first one with the lack of remaining time display.

Anything with film. Or anything that uses and external recorder. In both cases, the camera cannot tell how much recording time is left, and it is left to the operator to ensure that recording will continue.

So you're a pro. Build your own 3D LUT. That's what pro's do. Tell me about Panavision's LUTs. Hell I've NEVER seen a LUT from Sony.

Oh sorry - so I have to fix something that BMD could have easily fixed for months? Because I am a pro? As a pro I expect the manufacture to do that for me if they already have it build into the camera but made a mistake they already have agreed to also.

I would create my own LUT if it just would be possible to download it to the camera and shoot with it. Oh damn, it doesn't support that feature either. Good luck, when you were only paid to shoot and handle over the files to the client afterwards. Welcome to reality.

And again, trying to force a cinema camera into a role it was never designed for is causing you pain. That's the reality.

Any pro in their right mind knows that a camera with 1/4" jacks is not doing pro level audio. I don't care what the marketing department writes on the webpage.

So you are telling me that all those pros in the audio studio have no idea what they are doing - because the 1/4" balanced jacks get used a lot there. And what exactly do the jacks have to do with the internal ability to record audio?

Dude seriously? We are talking field production here. Not in the studio.

Hell the RED ONE shipped with NO AUDIO enabled. It was at least a YEAR before it was turned on via firmware. No one cared because everyone shot sync sound on that CINEMA camera.

I know that. But it was not advertised as having working, professional audio out of the box.

Fair enough.

Clearly, you have bought a camera that does not meet your needs. If you are a pro, I have to ask why? Sounds like you want an F5 or Alexa, or something similar. I am not trying to slam you here. I understand you are frustrated, and certainly some things BMD has done can be frustrating if you're trying to use this camera in a production environment.

I am quite happy with the camera and what it delivers. So the more I am frustrated with those few quirks I have to work around because BMD is so lazy.

I see, so your point of contention is that BMD is lazy. Not that they are busy. Not they they are overworked with demand they didn't anticipate. Not that they are having supply issues, or that they are likely stretched paper thin. It's laziness. Ok.

11 minute recording times (DSLRs, P2), horrific recording media costs (P2 at $1500 per 12 minutes at the outset), basic recording issues (DVX100 didn't get a firmware update, the camera was literally re-released with the desired features and you had to spend another $4500 to get them).

Pointing at other cameras failures does not help here and should not be an excuse to not do it better.

Pointing out the simple fact that some of these challenges are difficult to solve within the budget not on for BMD, but for many greatly experienced camera manufacturers SHOULD be taken into consideration. Yes, BM needs to try to do better. As should Canon, Nikon, Sony, RED, and others. Canon has had the assistance of most of Hollywood, and they STILL can't do RAW except for a hack by a third party. And it's been what... 5 years now? From a company that is larger than all of the others I've mentioned combined? If this was easy, it would have been solved long ago.

If the issues are unworkable for you, ditch the camera. If I had to turn over media same day or perhaps even next day, the BMCC would not be a camera I would use. Frankly, I wouldn't use a RED or Alexa either.

Seems like some people here do not have to work hard for their money, because they all are so fast with ditching something. I had done that ditching with a Sony camera which turned out not to be what it promised to be and that camera was much more expensive than the BMCC. When I tried to sell the camera, guess what? Sony dropped the price suddenly so I lost a lot of money by selling it.

I take exception to this. A LOT. I work DAMNED hard for my money. 70-80 hour weeks. But I have enough sense to buy the correct tool to do my job, and I don't waste time shooting off my mouth on internet forums when my tool isn't working the way I want. If I can't make it work, or it costs me time and money, I go find a different and better solution.

Tell me: Do you think it is the customers duty just to pay for the product and then to keep silent? Not pointing out problematic things with the product? Eat up everything fed by the manufacturer? Do you put up with everything the government does?

I think it is the customer's job to research what they are about to buy, evaluate whether it will meet their needs, and then buy the best tool available to do that job. Something you clearly did not do.

[Tony Rivera]

This is quickly spiraling downwards. Venting your issues with the company is one thing but anything negative towards other user will get this thread locked if it continues.

And now I'm the arrogant fanboy... Just because I'm praising a product that's been working very well for me and countless others and I don't agree with the senseless complaints.

Maybe you just re-read what you wrote before. You came over arrogant because of what you said about others not agreeing to you - not for praising the camera.

FYI, I've been in this business for 30 years, have shot on all film formats except 65mm, have worked with electronic cameras (analog and digital) from virtually all manufacturers. To me, cameras are just tools. I have a pretty deep technical understanding and a considerable artistic career. Both of which I have conquered along the years, working hard, often with people who knew more than I did, and studying a lot. Mostly because of that, I know what kind of equipment suits me, and I have told many people who were blown away by the BMCC that this is not a camera for them. It is a camera that requires a heavy post workflow, at least some basic knowledge about proper exposure, fast computers, additional hardware, etc. There are lots of cameras on the market better suited for people who want something easy to work with.

Glad you were able to do some self shoulder patting.
You are not the only one here with a long career and a deep understanding of technology.

Quality comes at a price, even if the camera body itself is affordable. Synching audio in post is a must with these cameras and it is considered part of the workflow. If one can't handle that, which is so simple, than a regular camcorder is a much better buy.

Is it really so hard to read what I wrote and in which situation it becomes an unnecessary problem? Do I have to repeat myself again? Would it be possible that you might eventually maybe consider your situation is not everyone else's situation?

BTW, two weeks ago I shot a live performance with those dreaded LED lights and haven't had a single black spot. Proper exposure, maybe? I did get the black spot the very first time I tried the camera because I wanted to see if it was really there and find out how I could avoid it.

I am glad for you that you did not have that problem - I encountered it anyway. As soon as the moving heads hit the camera you experience black confetti.

But I had to overexpose the shot and point the camera directly at the sun (very briefly, of course) in order to get it. I stopped it down and it was gone. Zebras are our friends.

And I didn't have to point the camera into the sun. Why is it so hard to believe that there are situations where you cannot do anything against the black spots while recording?

I can imagine that under very specific conditions the black spot may show up again. But this is easily fixed in post

Great - so I can send you two hours of footage and you will fix those hundreds of black spots for free? Shouldn't be much work if it is so easy.

and I've worked with Blackmagic products long enough to trust that they'll fix it in the camera whenever they can. They are usually pretty good with firmware updates.

Which they have proved every day since the roll out of the camera.

I haven't ordered this camera sight unseen, regardless of the low price. I've waited for people to try it first, learned about its drawbacks and advantages and only then did I go ahead with my purchase. As it was said here, it's all on the internet. If one does some basic research, one finds out about all of its limitations. And, being aware of those, one only buys the camera if he/she is willing to put up with them.

So what?

It's also good financial practice to try equipment before you buy. Do you complainers always make blind purchases? Is this how you invest in your careers?

Could you please just stop assuming things about other people you never met?
I always do a deep and long research for every investment. But there was no try before buy - the camera did not exist. Black spots did not occur in first online tests (at least I do not remember heaving heard of them). Audio glitches haven't been mentioned. Error in LUT hasn't been mentioned.
I was one of the first here to receive the BMCC in February. I ordered it early (May 2012) because I knew it would be delayed and I wanted enough time to test the camera.

I don't believe that anyone who is smart enough to join this forum had no idea about the cameras' current issues before they purchased them. So, no matter how hard you try to convince me that this camera is no good, you won't succeed because I know better.

Don't play the 'you say all is bad' trick. I never said the camera is useless. Otherwise we would not have this discussion because I would have sold the camera as soon as I did my tests.

There are feature films, shorts, TV series, commercials, music videos, all being successfully shot with these cameras right now. The people using them are not screaming and bitching and demanding answers. They are just doing it. They are the ones who deserve my respect.

Did I scream? Did I bitch?
So I deserve no respect from you because I say there are problems which have to be solved by BMD?
Seriously? That statement of yours is just plain laughable. So by your thinking all those people out there who had complained about the RED ONE crashing, having long bootup times, having noisy vents - they do not deserve your respect because they did complain? Thank you - I learned to know a new level of arrogance!

I tell you what: I have no respect for someone coming into a forum, claiming all others who have experienced a problem with a product are lame amateurs with no knowledge.

Robert, you are right! Happy now?

BTW, I didn't write about you in particular in my first post. Did I mention your name? I guess you just saw yourself in my post.

Anyway, not wasting at more time here. I've got actual work to do. Good luck!

This has gotten to be a crazy thread! Haha.

This has gotten to be a crazy thread! Haha.

OP is clearly a fanboy or BMD shareholder.

The OP is tired of negative 'yammering'.
Anything else we think about them is guesswork or projection.

The op just thinks that BMD made a great product at a completely reasonable price and is excited for new free firmware updates that make the camera even better.

Most would be happy with just free firmware updates that made the camera as good as it originally was supposed to be.

I went to post last night, but couldn't log on due to this boards stupid verification system gotten out of synch again. I've never had so much trouble login onto a board in my life so that often.

Anyway, I was going to post, it is an issue of not having features promised that it was bought for, delays (that allow competing products to cone out that you might have wished you bought instead eventually) no information, and inadequate features for future proofing (p50) etc. BM, should have had Raw day one, no delays and release of Camera at announcement, otherwise announced they would eventually have one latter in the year, more in for when they are ready to release. Now they should have given a estimated soonest time of Arrival ESTA (my term) of RAW updates. Nothing to be too disappointed about using this language, because it is not promising but giving a possible minimum time. They should also clarify if ever p50, because they did say they were looking into it. They should release updates with whatever enhancements before the enhancement/raw that maybe holding up the updates is finished, and release the update for that latter.

They should have taken advantage of the 4k delay to change parts and get p50-p120 working, and gone to cineform and begged for a cineform raw license. Now Panasonic is possibly releasing this year, early next, a 4k pro 4/3rds camera at $2.7k ($1.7k if they had more sense as a prosumer), trusted name, provided support department, total ease of setup and use for non cinema applications. I know which I would lime to buy without p50. Anything with p30 is a product you want to replace with p50/60 sooner.

I'm only here to see if p50 comes out with the updates, only.

Most would be happy with just free firmware updates that made the camera as good as it originally was supposed to be.

I went to post last night, but couldn't log on due to this boards stupid verification system gotten out of synch again. I've never had so much trouble login onto a board in my life so that often.

Anyway, I was going to post, it is an issue of not having features promised that it was bought for, delays (that allow competing products to cone out that you might have wished you bought instead eventually) no information, and inadequate features for future proofing (p50) etc. BM, should have had Raw day one, no delays and release of Camera at announcement, otherwise announced they would eventually have one latter in the year, more in for when they are ready to release. Now they should have given a estimated soonest time of Arrival ESTA (my term) of RAW updates. Nothing to be too disappointed about using this language, because it is not promising but giving a possible minimum time. They should also clarify if ever p50, because they did say they were looking into it. They should release updates with whatever enhancements before the enhancement/raw that maybe holding up the updates is finished, and release the update for that latter.

They should have taken advantage of the 4k delay to change parts and get p50-p120 working, and gone to cineform and begged for a cineform raw license. Now Panasonic is possibly releasing this year, early next, a 4k pro 4/3rds camera at $2.7k ($1.7k if they had more sense as a prosumer), trusted name, provided support department, total ease of setup and use for non cinema applications. I know which I would lime to buy without p50. Anything with p30 is a product you want to replace with p50/60 sooner.

I'm only here to see if p50 comes out with the updates, only.

So why not just go buy a Panasonic? Why even creep around on these boards if you don't like the products and service? That is what I don't get.

"Blah blah blah."

"Blah blah blah?"

"BLAH blah blaaaah!"

H8rz gonna hate.

Thank you for your insights. Maybe you wanna elaborate why you call me a hater?
It is exactly that kind of attitude which kept me away from RED user forum and is likely going to keep me away in the near future from this forum.
I raised my voice about what concerns me with a product I paid for - you can continue to make fun of that if you think it will help anyone. Or you can come up with some valuable arguments/solutions.

Yep! A few tossers over there. You should try BMCC user, the monkeys are running the show.

Most would be happy with just free firmware updates that made the camera as good as it originally was supposed to be.

I went to post last night, but couldn't log on due to this boards stupid verification system gotten out of synch again. I've never had so much trouble login onto a board in my life so that often.

Anyway, I was going to post, it is an issue of not having features promised that it was bought for, delays (that allow competing products to cone out that you might have wished you bought instead eventually) no information, and inadequate features for future proofing (p50) etc. BM, should have had Raw day one, no delays and release of Camera at announcement, otherwise announced they would eventually have one latter in the year, more in for when they are ready to release. Now they should have given a estimated soonest time of Arrival ESTA (my term) of RAW updates. Nothing to be too disappointed about using this language, because it is not promising but giving a possible minimum time. They should also clarify if ever p50, because they did say they were looking into it. They should release updates with whatever enhancements before the enhancement/raw that maybe holding up the updates is finished, and release the update for that latter.

They should have taken advantage of the 4k delay to change parts and get p50-p120 working, and gone to cineform and begged for a cineform raw license. Now Panasonic is possibly releasing this year, early next, a 4k pro 4/3rds camera at $2.7k ($1.7k if they had more sense as a prosumer), trusted name, provided support department, total ease of setup and use for non cinema applications. I know which I would lime to buy without p50. Anything with p30 is a product you want to replace with p50/60 sooner.

I'm only here to see if p50 comes out with the updates, only.

So why not just go buy a Panasonic? Why even creep around on these boards if you don't like the products and service? That is what I don't get.

Pretty 'intelligent' question considering I wrote:

.

I'm only here to see if p50 comes out with the updates, only.

Rather have a 4k working at p50 then a Pana working at p30 for nearly the same price. Rather have a Pocket at p50 then a 4k at p30 (buy a professional 4k camera with p50 later)

Maybe you guts should pipe down, we are all stuffed, and have to wait to see what happens. The problem is the amount of waiting while gearing nothing.

All take a chill pill, and just wait to see what happens, unless BM says something, or something leaks, we can't do much but lodge our concerns. At this stage we are running into the time $1000 4k raw cameras are possible by the parts that are coming out (becoming available announced before). Which means that next NAB we might see BM announce a 4k pocket and p50+ s35 at least, and somebody else release one.

I am tired of reading complaints about people complaining about complaining.....!!!

I am also tired of waiting for BM to release a friggin firmware update to fix the PROMISED features on this camera that have yet to be delivered.

The argument against the OP here is that this camera is NOT perfect. Truly, it has nothing to do with the things the camera cannot do....but everything with the things BM PROMISED us in ADVERTISING it WOULD DO but does not. And not a single move to fix it. Oh, wait, they did make a change to the audio problem, by creating a new audio problem after fixing the original audio problem. Maybe all you BM strokers are correct.....they ARE awesome!!!

BM strokers.....heh....that is a bit more descriptive than fanboys, don't you think?

I am tired of reading complaints about people complaining about complaining.....!!!

I am also tired of waiting for BM to release a friggin firmware update to fix the PROMISED features on this camera that have yet to be delivered.

The argument against the OP here is that this camera is NOT perfect. Truly, it has nothing to do with the things the camera cannot do....but everything with the things BM PROMISED us in ADVERTISING it WOULD DO but does not. And not a single move to fix it. Oh, wait, they did make a change to the audio problem, by creating a new audio problem after fixing the original audio problem. Maybe all you BM strokers are correct.....they ARE awesome!!!

BM strokers.....heh....that is a bit more descriptive than fanboys, don't you think?

Isn't it pretty we'll know, by actual professionals before buying, that the audio in the bmcc is meant for a reference to sync the real audio that you took externally? Before the bmcc I was shooting on the 5d and still recorded audio on a zoom h4n. It's just better to use a device made for audio. Kind of like film except film records no audio at all. Cinema camera right? I haven't seen any advertisements stating that the bmcc is the greatest audio recorder on earth. Am I wrong????