BMPCC right for me

Hey guys! So I will try to keep this as short as possible, while still including all the questions and information I need.

I am in the market for a camera to use out while fishing on my boat for filming short films and documentaries. I have made several films in the past and used a combination of gopro's and a sony cybershot camera, which obviously is seriously lacking in quality. I would be perfectly fine using a camera that only does filming as that is really all I am looking for, as I can take captures of the video. In the three years of filming on the water, I have never gotten the camera wet or damaged it, however I would most likely use a rain cover just in case. I will still be using the gopro's for some footage as they are beyond useful in convenience while fishing. So I need something to replace the Sony as my main film camera to serve as the bulk of the filming that I will do. I would like to stay around $1000, as low as possible within that price range. Also, while not imperative, I would definitely like to have the camera as small as I can, to aid in mobility. I will be on a small flats boat fly fishing for tarpon and other flats fish with one or two people on the boat at a time. Here are some examples of the filming I will be doing with the edits: vimeo.com/worldangling

I have done a fair bit of research and I seem to be leaning towards mirrorless camera's due to the small size and quality for the price. While they take good quality video, they obviously don't have near the range that the BM has.

I have a mild background in film and photo editing using photoshop and premiere and am certified in photoshop. I would in no way consider myself an expert in premiere as I don't have much experience, and have never dealt with Raw film that the BM can do. I also have never color corrected in the way that the BM would require. My computer is a lenovo ideapad y500 with dual geoforce 650m GPU and a SSD with external usb 3.0 HDD.

So, with my research and knowledge that I have, it seems to me that if the questions I had about the BM will work, it is almost the obvious choice to get that camera. If you guys think that the learning curve is much to steep, or if my computer can't handle it, what DSLR/Mirrorless would you reccomend?

If anyone made it through the entire post, thank you so much for any and all feedback and advice as I definitely need it!!!

Once again, thanks a lot for any help,

Kyle

Kyle - I am pretty much in the same boat as you, except my boat is a duck boat. I've been making films with GoPro cameras and they are an invaluable resource for what I do. But i was in need of a more professional camera to allow me to get professional quality video. B&H had the BMPCC on sale for $495 so I went ahead and made the commitment. Not sure if the sale is still going, but if it is, now would be the time to make the purchase.

I film completely over water and in boats, but I needed somethibg better than the GoPro to get all of the scenery videos I need. I don't have any experience with DSLR's or lenses, but I went with the Panasonic 45-200mm MFT lens to be my first lens for the BM camera. The camera is out of stock currently, so I have to wait a few weeks before I get it, but I look forward to learning how to use it.

I'll be building a video editing computer capable of handling all the video and graphics, so that won't be an issue for me. But I do use Premier Pro, After Effects, and Cinema 4d for all of my editing and motion graphics.
I don't have any helpful info for you, but I just thought I'd share with you that you're not the only one who's got the idea. I'm hoping it's a good choice for the both of us, lol.

Hello,

I haven't done any work on the BMPCC yet as my first one was a dud and Blackmagic had to send me a replacement; which I wont get to open till tonight. That being said, I have dealt with Raw footage and have worked on two indie features that shot on DSLR cameras. The BMPCC can be used for what you want but you may want to take into account a few things before making the purchase.

Firstly, RAW takes up space. Alot of space at that. Its just the nature of the beast. Depending on how often you do these shoots you will need alot of drives space and alot of SD cards (which are pricey). That being said, you may not want to shoot raw. The size of the sensor and the new ability to shoot many different flavors of the Apple ProRes codec, you can shoot ProRes LT at lower data rates and still have an image that surpasses DSLR footage. Then of course, you always have the option of shooting raw.

Second, is optional; Color grading. The benefit is that you can make the video look extremely professional, like photoshop is to photos. That being said, it's just as tedious. Raw is the best for grading but the ProRes in Film color is still able to be pushed around a bit in the color world better then your typical smaller cameras. You can also shoot in Video color which means a more video like profile is baked into the file. Means you can get the footage out of the camera and just use it but it defeats the purpose of the camera a bit. Since it's $495 for a few weeks, its cheaper then alot of video cameras that shoot subpar images.

Third, Batteries. You will either need alot of batteries or a method of getting an offboard battery or to plugin to your boat. Batteries are cheap, but only last 30-60 minutes from my understanding. I bought five for mine and separate charger.

Lastly lens; a mirrorless sensor crops in a bit on standard lenses. This particular camera crops in x2.88 which is a lot. This means and 50mm lens (roughly what your eye sees) is a little less then 150mm or a telephoto. This means wide lenses are difficult to find. For your videos you may need some wider lenses as you won't have alot of room on a boat to back up if you cant zoom out anymore. You can use MFT lenses that work for existing camera and there are few decent ones (get one with IS image stabilization). You can also get Nikon/Canon lenses but you want to pair those with a Metabones Speed Booster for the lens type. The booster is a the cost a good lens on its own but it does have one benefit of reducing the crop from 2.88 to something smaller and closer to APS-C DSLR cameras that you would expect. The downside to the booster is that, in my case, the lenses are manual no auto focus no aperture control.

Lastly, the audio is bad. It won't be worth anything. I don't know if you use camera audio now but you won't be able to.

So in the end, will it plus up your video. Absolutely! Will you need to add to the $495 purchase price, Absolutely. Mine, ready to shoot, was $720 with one SD card which would hold like 10 minutes of Raw, the five batteries, the cheap metabones adapter which doesnt reduce the crop. Though I have three lenses and I will probably buy the speed booster later or some vintage 16mm lenses. I will probably spend another $500 in the coming months to get a decent portable kit to do some hunting videos with a friend. More SD cards, ND filters, good rail rig with a focus system. I will probably not shoot raw unless I need something specific. I also will spend a ton of time in addition to editing the video to properly color each shot.

I hope this helps you. It's a great camera at a great price, its just one piece of the puzzle though.

Kyle, you do realize all the caveats that come with the Pocket, right? A large lens crop factor, a need for top of the line and expensive SD cards, a need for lens stabilization, limited ISO, lots of batteries, etc, etc. I recently bought one because I'll always be on a tripod, won't be shooting people or anything moving and really need the color and dynamic range. Not that those are the best reasons to get it but to me it seems like there's a lot of people buying this camera that would be far better off with a good mirrorless camera or a DLSR. Something with great AF, white balance, high ISO, ease of use, less massive recording codec, etc. Where are you putting these videos that you need this quality? It seems to me that a lot of people listen to marketing hype and internet pundits more than making a list of what they want to do and what would be the best way to do it without making it equipment specific.

Not trying to beat down BM products because I think they're great and I think we're living in a time where digital is giving us great control and images (thought I think until manufacturers create a proper global shutter that we're not there yet in general) but these are all tools and though I may think it would be cool to own Thor's hammer if I'm just hanging a small picture on the wall a regular hammer would actually fit the job better.....I rented a Pocket and spent several days shooting with it before I committed to it but that was after researching a lot of other options.

Go look up Kendy Ty on Vimeo to see someone making great movies on a Canon T2i. It's easy to think if throw a ton of money at gear we're going to be a genius but that's not really the case.

I think you're on the right track in that you've found that you've reached the limits with your GoPro/Cybershot combo but the Pocket seems like an odd replacement choice....

Kyle, you do realize all the caveats that come with the Pocket, right? A large lens crop factor, a need for top of the line and expensive SD cards, a need for lens stabilization, limited ISO, lots of batteries, etc, etc. I recently bought one because I'll always be on a tripod, won't be shooting people or anything moving and really need the color and dynamic range. Not that those are the best reasons to get it but to me it seems like there's a lot of people buying this camera that would be far better off with a good mirrorless camera or a DLSR. Something with great AF, white balance, high ISO, ease of use, less massive recording codec, etc. Where are you putting these videos that you need this quality? It seems to me that a lot of people listen to marketing hype and internet pundits more than making a list of what they want to do and what would be the best way to do it without making it equipment specific.

Not trying to beat down BM products because I think they're great and I think we're living in a time where digital is giving us great control and images (thought I think until manufacturers create a proper global shutter that we're not there yet in general) but these are all tools and though I may think it would be cool to own Thor's hammer if I'm just hanging a small picture on the wall a regular hammer would actually fit the job better.....I rented a Pocket and spent several days shooting with it before I committed to it but that was after researching a lot of other options.

Go look up Kendy Ty on Vimeo to see someone making great movies on a Canon T2i. It's easy to think if throw a ton of money at gear we're going to be a genius but that's not really the case.

I think you're on the right track in that you've found that you've reached the limits with your GoPro/Cybershot combo but the Pocket seems like an odd replacement choice....

Thanks a lot, this is the type of reply that I am looking for, to check if I am on the right track or not! I'll go through your post and answer your concerns and give my thinking about them.

First off, the type of films I am talking about are like these: vimeo.com/worldangling and this: vimeo.com/27850253

I will eventually be entering fly fishing film contests, and the films I just linked use 3 full size studio camera's and one I believe, 5D.

Assuming I would get the BMPCC I would get a cage with it, and an external battery, so the short life is a non factor for me. While auto focus would be nice in some situations, I would use manual the majority of the time. A lense that is stabilized will definitely be a must, but wouldn't that be the case with a DSLR also? Limited ISO shouldn't matter since I will be shooting outside in the direct sunlight most of the time. I will probably use Prores and not full raw, so I think I can get away with the 128GB Sandisk extreme, so the storage should be fine, I would think.

The main factor in me leaning so strongly towards the BMPCC is the fact that while it is more difficult to use than a DSLR, I have a limited budget and thus can't afford a 5d or even a 7D for that matter. Plus the fact that the films that I will be doing, most people use full size cinema camera's to begin with.

Let me know if this sounds right, or if I am way off from where I should be!

Thanks again,
Kyle

Have you considered the crop factor? Because most people's answer to that is getting a Speedbooster and that's going to add significantly to the cost. Do you care about audio? If so then you're going to need either something like a Juicedlink pre or an external recorder because all reports is that audio out of this is a disaster. I don't use DSLR's for photography so I'm not up on all the models but the camera I was most considering against the Pocket was the GH4. You can get really nice video with a good viewing screen, audio, good file compression and internal recording etc etc. Something like that to me seems to be far superior for what you're doing.

I'm an analog photographer wanting to make experimental art movies without the hassle and expense of processing and editing 16mm and Super 8 film which I've dabbled in. For my needs, the Pocket wins over the GH4 because of the filmic look and color it gets. I've rented one and compared the footage to my Sony NEX-5R and a couple borrowed cameras that I didn't know how to use well enough to get the most of them so I won't name them but much more high end than my mirrorless. The Pocket won on all counts with my shooting work flow.

Speaking of which, I'll be shooting in very controlled situations with no real time or space constraints where my Pentax prime lenses will get me what I need. I will likely be shooting silent or perhaps recording field audio to be added later. I think most people need something more convenient than this camera but for my purposes it's simplicity and image quality make it my choice. If I had more money and time I would be shooting 16mm film for sure so that's what I'm comparing against. Basically it's replacing my ideal which would be a Bolex. (Well, if I had money an Arri). I'm telling you all this to show what my thought process was when I made a list and worked it through.

If I was shooting something like what I see on the web sites you linked to I would be looking for something a little more Swiss Army Knife than the Pocket. Since I've never done anything like that though it's hard for me to imagine the scenario so take that with a grain of salt. But if rigging the Pocket up and figuring out audio, batteries, lenses and cards will work for you then go for it. My shooting scenario won't be requiring hours and hours of footage. My experience with film is in 3.5 minute increments and knowing what the costs are for every roll. So you get used to deciding what it is you really need to shoot as opposed to just randomly grabbing a ton of footage. Probably a good discipline to learn.

Brady, you may wish to reconsider your first lens which will have 135-600mm in 35mm format with BMPCC, unless you just want to shoot the distance. I would suggest you to try and get lens after your camera has arrived.