BMCC 2.5K - kit re-design for future

Hello

I have a loved BMCC 2.5K MFT camera. From time to time I think its outdated, but when I think about that a little fellow named something Lucas made a not so cheap movie on a camera that shoots 1080p, then I think for my needs the 2.5K RAW should be okay I also love the style and form-factor of the camera and the whole spirit of it, its trully an amazing filmmaking camera.

For my future plans I would like to re-design my gear and would like to hear your opinions on it! (I will have more questions from time to time, this is why I opened the topic, thanks for understanding).

I want to assemble a COMPACT and SIMPLE rig & workflow for narrative filmmaking.


QUESTION 01:
I had a monitor+Atomos Connect SDI-HDMI adapter for it, which I kinda sold, so I need a monitor. Then I checked out the Atomos products and I thought, that I should by a recorder, so I could SHOOT RAW IN CAMERA AND SIMULTANIOUSLY RECORD PRORES on external recorder.
(so I could playback and edit the Prores and final cut in RAW with timecode)

Is the Atomos Shogun Flame is a good companion for this purpose? For monitoring, focus, recording....

+
As audio recording is in question also, I also hope to record audio with the Shogun via XLR (lavalier, or shotgun as the scene requires)

What are your thoughts on this?

Shogun Flame with SDI costs about 1000€ now.... (it was around 1600€)

Most external recorders+monitors are 7", which in my opinion defeats the "compact" of the rig. I'd maybe go cheap & light with a BMVA. Simple, with lut support and false color.
Maybe mount it on a Tilta or Zacuto shoulder pad with VCT plate. Put the monitor to the side as an EVF. BP-U battery on the other side of the camera to balance the weight.
Ta da!

And as a side note, most films you see in theaters are shot on HD, your camera is still a good one.

The only gotcha on this, is when you set the BMCC to 24/25 fps and turn overlays off, the camera outputs a 1080i50/60 PSF signal. With the VA HD (5-inch) using the SDI input tomthe VA, it will pull down the PSF back to 1080p24/25. So that will work, but thought you should know what the output flow would be, as you will need to turn on PSF conversion in the VA, or any other monitor recorder.

I got a Video Devices PixE, which replaced my VA, so I could record good quality audio on the Pix, along with the ProRes video, to have a one stop recording/monitor/audio mixer solution. You add the PixE LR mixer to the monitor's bottom, bakes is a little larger, but still smaller than a VA4K monitor/recorder, and the Pix will delay the direct audio input signal to match the video from the camera (which will have a 1-3 frame delay).

But Gabe, any of the new monitor/recorders should work, Atomos had a SDI signal compatibility issue at first, but I think this has been sorted in the Shogun. I did the same thing to keep my AF100 HD camera working longer, giving it a "Recording Codec" upgrade with the Pix 220 I used (also with the Connect SD/HD) to get 1080p24PSF recorded. However, the Pix220 is a thicker, heavier solution than the VA, using Both CF/SSD recording media. The Pix220 rig with the SDI/HDMI converter (gives the Pix220 a SDI input) is for sale, if you are interested in using it with your PMCC.
Cheers

Danny

Pixi 220 is very expensive.... I could get Shogun Flame around 1000€...

I try to come up with a simple solution for narrative filmmaking. So beside picture, I must record good quality and usable audio also... If I buy a seperate recorder like TASCAM, then its 1 plus device... 1 plus battery, cable, media, etc...

I could buy SmallHD 500 or 700 series also or ome TVLogic, or Lilliput etc... but then I would have a monitor only, and for the buck, Shogun Flame looks better with the recording capability..

Gabe, I can sell you my Pix 220 kit, with all the extra bits for €900, plus shipping from USA, if you are interested. PM me if you like. However the Shogun F,some would be a little more compact, with a higher resolution monitor.
Cheers

Gabe, let me give my 2 cents. I also have a BMCC and think just like you when I see some not so old movies and the good ones.

I always thought a 7 inch monitor was too small but the minimum to see a good thing. If possible, I'd have a 10 inch or more but I understood the portable side of things. So I was looking for a cheap monitoring solution until, after much research, I decided to spend the extra cash and go for the Video Assist 5 inch. I would have gone for the 7 inch version but money was the factor here, so I got the best I could, hoping the 5 inch version wasnt as small as I was affraid it could be. Then it finally arrived and after using it for a bit, I must admit: its quite useful as far as size is concerned and a joy to use. Very compact and feature rich. I dont think 5 inch is too small anymore. In fact, sometimes I get myself thinking a 7 inch is big and probably unecessary, even more when I think about battery consumption. So, for you case, I can really recomend it for you.

As far as energy goes, I'm getting a good 1 hour per LP-E6, much less than the manual states (before the update with the LUT monitoring and stuff) but seems to be the most I could get with any LP-E6 and the VA after some research, so 4 batteries give me 4 hours of straight use, which is probably all I would need for a full day shoot, as a monitor and camera dont stay on the entire day and even so, you still can find a power outlet to help recharging it in the breaks between shooting.

The only gotcha on this, is when you set the BMCC to 24/25 fps and turn overlays off, the camera outputs a 1080i50/60 PSF signal. With the VA HD (5-inch) using the SDI input tomthe VA, it will pull down the PSF back to 1080p24/25. So that will work, but thought you should know what the output flow would be, as you will need to turn on PSF conversion in the VA, or any other monitor recorder.

I got a Video Devices PixE, which replaced my VA, so I could record good quality audio on the Pix, along with the ProRes video, to have a one stop recording/monitor/audio mixer solution. You add the PixE LR mixer to the monitor's bottom, bakes is a little larger, but still smaller than a VA4K monitor/recorder, and the Pix will delay the direct audio input signal to match the video from the camera (which will have a 1-3 frame delay).

But Gabe, any of the new monitor/recorders should work, Atomos had a SDI signal compatibility issue at first, but I think this has been sorted in the Shogun. I did the same thing to keep my AF100 HD camera working longer, giving it a "Recording Codec" upgrade with the Pix 220 I used (also with the Connect SD/HD) to get 1080p24PSF recorded. However, the Pix220 is a thicker, heavier solution than the VA, using Both CF/SSD recording media. The Pix220 rig with the SDI/HDMI converter (gives the Pix220 a SDI input) is for sale, if you are interested in using it with your PMCC.
Cheers

Danny
So put it simple: can I use an external recorder with my BMCC 2.5k effectively? As I understand I only can record 1080p Prores. I thought of a workflow like this:
-record 2.5K raw internally
-record Prores HQ on external monitor/recorder for backup on the field + editing (later conform to 2.5K RAW)

And I still don't know about audio recording.... Recording picture and sound and monitoring in 1 device would be the best.... But maybe I better off with Tascam DR60D for audio + Samurai Blade for Prores and monitoringg, than Shogun Flame for all these alone...

What do you think?

I do not know about your choices. For me, I wanted good external video w/good audio sync'd together.
So I can only tell you what I did. I got a Video Devices Pix 220 for my AF100, and use it with my Pocket camera to solve audio issues. Recorded Raw in the Pocket and ProRes with sync'd audio (by passing audio in camera with a scratch track only). This worked great. Only drawback, was the Pix 220 is a little large for the Pocket camera (it about 2/3 times thicker than a Video Assist.

When I got my Micro Studio camera, I needed a good monitor/recorder that to do UHD, so I got the new PixE monitor/recorder and added the audio preamp LR unit. This is much smaller than the Pix 220, and can record full 4KDCS, so it will be useable for some time, with different cameras.

I do jot like buying and relearning new gear every year or two. So for me, spending $1200 to $1500 on a PixE was a better investment than buying a less expensive monitor recorder, that would I. Turn require an outboard audio recorder and try to match this all up in post. Also having and using high end Pro equipment, I can rent the kit out, and recoup my investment.

I have the Pix 220 kit with a Atomos SDI to HDMI (adds SDI inout to the Pix 220) converter for sale if you are interested, PM me.

To me Audio is just, if not more, important as Video. I do/did quite a few interview and some music performances, so good audio is very important to me. Video Devices, is a division of Sound Devices, makers of some very high end audio mixers and recorders used by the Film and Broadcast industries.
They use,the same high end mic pre and processing amps in the Pix recorders as they in their high end field mixers. Yiumalso get the benefit of syn'd audio (the recorder can delay audio to match video), excellent limiters, and cross fade, pan features between the two audio channels.
Cheers