With the price drop...what camera should I buy?

Well I thought I was going to buy the pocket one, but with the price drop..i really dont know.

Fact:
I dont own any MFT lenses. Just some old EF's from my dad.

But from what I read the BMCC MFT is passive... so that's what of question, I suppose.
I'm divided between the pocket and BMCC EF.

Is there going to be a BMCC MFC with active mount?

Whats your opinion on this subject? Should I wait for more news? Or buy one of these? I'm really confused.

Well I thought I was going to buy the pocket one, but with the price drop..i really dont know.

Fact:
I dont own any MFT lenses. Just some old EF's from my dad.

But from what I read the BMCC MFT is passive... so that's what of question, I suppose.
I'm divided between the pocket and BMCC EF.

Is there going to be a BMCC MFC with active mount?

Whats your opinion on this subject? Should I wait for more news? Or buy one of these? I'm really confused.

I've been thinking the same to be honest!

To me the cinema camera of course.. because if you break the pricing down for the bmcc it is a 995$ for Resolve and 1000$ for the Camera, which is almost identical to the price of the pocket camera.. You get a better form factor with better camera connection and better resolution for almost the same price..

To me the cinema camera of course.. because if you break the pricing down for the bmcc it is a 995$ for Resolve and 1000$ for the Camera, which is almost identical to the price of the pocket camera.. You get a better form factor with better camera connection and better resolution for almost the same price..

But What if you get the BMCC MFT?? Are the lenses easy to find? I"m a beginner so if I got the MFT BMCC what else would I need to make it work? From what I understand, if I pop on one of my old EF canon lenses I won't be able to control the aperture is this correct? What kind of lens/adapter would I need to make my Ef Canon lenses work??

Also, if I were to just look on craigslist for old non-EF lenses what would I be looking for?
So many questions when you're new!

To me the cinema camera of course.. because if you break the pricing down for the bmcc it is a 995$ for Resolve and 1000$ for the Camera, which is almost identical to the price of the pocket camera.. You get a better form factor with better camera connection and better resolution for almost the same price..

Don't forget the extra of buying a SSD card, do they all work in BMPCC? And do all EF lenses work?
Whats the crop factor for the BMCC?

I too am a newbie... so: lot's of questions!
Anything you found important to say (pros and cons) please say it.

I'm still getting the pocket cam, but it'll be likely relegated to b cam sooner than expected and replaced with a BMCC EF.

Gives me an opportunity to test the workflow and see if I like it before diving in.

Also seems the pocket cam needs much fewer accessories to get started.

But What if you get the BMCC MFT?? Are the lenses easy to find? I"m a beginner so if I got the MFT BMCC what else would I need to make it work? From what I understand, if I pop on one of my old EF canon lenses I won't be able to control the aperture is this correct? What kind of lens/adapter would I need to make my Ef Canon lenses work??

Also, if I were to just look on craigslist for old non-EF lenses what would I be looking for?
So many questions when you're new!

yes that is the down side of the bmcc mft mount is passive.. but it would depends on who is the user.. if he is only using manual lenses.. If your lenses are EF then why not get the EF version. Pocket camera has an active mount but if I am getting the pocket camera, it is not for the active mount but for the small form factor.. it doesn't make a difference to me cause most of my lenses are manual.. So it would totally depends on the buyer if he needs an active mount

Also seems the pocket cam needs much fewer accessories to get started.

What accessories are you talking about?

Also, if I were to just look on craigslist for old non-EF lenses what would I be looking for?
So many questions when you're new!

Old Zeiss C/Y or Leica R. Both have aperture rings, both focus the right way with cinelenses. You can just add adapter ring. You can even convert the lenses to EF mount yourself with Leitax.

BMCC EF is sort of awkward camera with the crop factor it has. If you go with MFT mount and Metabones speedbooste, ryou get your crop ratio back to about what it is with S35 camera. EF to MFT speedbooster is not available yet and even if it was, the EF lenses that all have electronic camera body controlled aperture won't work with it so you need to adjust the aperture externally in a Canon body and then put the lens back to BMCC (but I think http://store.redrockmicro.com/livelensmft probably works without any camera electronics but then you are still stuck with the original crop factor). However, other mounts such as Leica R to MFT speedboosters are already available. But if you go with old lenses, you still first have to decide if you want to keep them in original mount or convert them all for example to EF mount (leitax.com) because if you do later (for instance to get better compatibility with other cameras) then you still have to wait for the EF to MFT speedbooster.

Don't forget the extra of buying a SSD card, do they all work in BMPCC? And do all EF lenses work?
Whats the crop factor for the BMCC?

I too am a newbie... so: lot's of questions!
Anything you found important to say (pros and cons) please say it.

Think about this.. getting an a Sandisk Extreme SSD 240gb is about 180 dollars.. Which gives you about 2.5 hours of compressed codec and 30 minutes of raw.

For the Pocket Camera I believe you would need fast SD card of 95mb/s like the SanDisk Extreme Pro 64 GB 95mb/s Class 10 which costs about 140$.. See how much a 64gb would give you of recording time

For the form factor the BMCC's crop factor to 35 sensor is by 1.6 and the BMPCC's crop factor to 35 sensor is by 2

Also seems the pocket cam needs much fewer accessories to get started.

What accessories are you talking about?

You are going to need external battery solution since BMCC does only have internal battery, then you going to need a rig where you mount both your camera and external battery solution.

You are going to need external battery solution since BMCC does only have internal battery, then you going to need a rig where you mount both your camera and external battery solution.

You would still need to rig the pocket camera.. maybe your wouldn't need an external battery but you would still need some accessories.. it wouldn't be as expensive the bmcc but yet the bmcc's accessories are not that expensive

Also, if I were to just look on craigslist for old non-EF lenses what would I be looking for?
So many questions when you're new!

Old Zeiss C/Y or Leica R. Both have aperture rings, both focus the right way with cinelenses. You can just add adapter ring. You can even convert the lenses to EF mount yourself with Leitax.

BMCC EF is sort of awkward camera with the crop factor it has. If you go with MFT mount and Metabones speedbooste, ryou get your crop ratio back to about what it is with S35 camera. EF to MFT speedbooster is not available yet and even if it was, the EF lenses that all have electronic camera body controlled aperture won't work with it so you need to adjust the aperture externally in a Canon body and then put the lens back to BMCC (but I think http://store.redrockmicro.com/livelensmft probably works without any camera electronics but then you are still stuck with the original crop factor). However, other mounts such as Leica R to MFT speedboosters are already available. But if you go with old lenses, you still first have to decide if you want to keep them in original mount or convert them all for example to EF mount (leitax.com) because if you do later (for instance to get better compatibility with other cameras) then you still have to wait for the EF to MFT speedbooster.

Thanks, man! This helped a lot.

You are going to need external battery solution since BMCC does only have internal battery, then you going to need a rig where you mount both your camera and external battery solution.

You would still need to rig the pocket camera.. maybe your wouldn't need an external battery but you would still need some accessories.. it wouldn't be as expensive the bmcc but yet the bmcc's accessories are not that expensive

I guess in this case for this user having audio in BMPCC would be necessary since it most like would be his only camera, so yes he might need to add it. It seems though that BMCC has some audio problems so to play it safe you might need external audio recorder in both cases. Personally, BMCC, I think is a camera you could still take to a professional job (when they don't have big budget and therefore are not expecting you to walk in with certain big tools in your hand) when BMPCC is more like a backup camera or specialized product for very small spaces or for example to stick on the hood of a car that is being driven around.

So let's see...
BMCC - 1995$
Switronix PB70-BMCC PowerBase-70 Battery Pack for Blackmagic Cinema Cameras- 300$
PR-1 Prime Video Shoulder Rig Kit - 300€
Manfrotto tripod - 60$
Sandisk Extreme SSD 240gb - 180$

That's almost 3000$. That's what I got... can't buy much more. Am I missing anything? What more do I need? I hope that my EF lenses will work, can anyone help me with that, is there any compability list? And can someone give me an example of what will happen because of the crop factor? For example I got a zoom lens that starts with 50mm...that will be how much in BMCC?

Get two SSDs and a dock.

Get two SSDs and a dock.

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-GoFlex-Th ... hunderbolt

Like this one? I didn't know I needed one of these... Is this a good one?

You say 2 SSD's...what would you recommend?

Thanks!

Whether you can go Thunderbolt or not depends on what computer you have. With my Windows laptop, I'd have to do Esata or USB3. Personally. I'd get the Sandisk 480 (the one on the approved for raw list) and I'd get two of them so one could be in the dock while the other is in the camera. But honestly, I'm not worthy to be giving you advice as I don't yet own a BMD camera.

Get two SSDs and a dock.

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-GoFlex-Th ... hunderbolt

Like this one? I didn't know I needed one of these... Is this a good one?

You say 2 SSD's...what would you recommend?

Thanks!

That one with thunderbolt.. if your system doesn't support thunderbolt get a USB 3 or whatever your system support

SSDs get this one.. they seem to be reliable

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006EKJ8UI

So let's see...
BMCC - 1995$
Switronix PB70-BMCC PowerBase-70 Battery Pack for Blackmagic Cinema Cameras- 300$
PR-1 Prime Video Shoulder Rig Kit - 300€
Manfrotto tripod - 60$
Sandisk Extreme SSD 240gb - 180$

That's almost 3000$. That's what I got... can't buy much more. Am I missing anything? What more do I need? I hope that my EF lenses will work, can anyone help me with that, is there any compability list? And can someone give me an example of what will happen because of the crop factor? For example I got a zoom lens that starts with 50mm...that will be how much in BMCC?

Get second SSD so that you can keep shooting while you offload the first one. Get extra batteries (I'm not sure how convenient this switronix powerbase thing is if you need longer shooting times than it allows you to, don't know how much it costs in U.S in relation with V-lock battery plate and few of V-lock batteries (where I live the chinese v-lock batteries come cheap). Anyways would be good to have at least two batteries. You still need some sort of audio solution or a microphone at least but there's no proper audio monitoring as far as I know so you need to be careful not to break the sound. Make sure the tripod head can support the combined weight of everything you load on it or you won't be able to operate it smoothly.

If i remember correctly the crop factor will be 2.3. If you go with EF mount as your choice then your EF lenses should work. If I had to choose two lenses for BMCC EF, I would get Tokina 11-16 2.8 and Sigma 18-35 1.8

Thanks for all the info

..And can someone give me an example of what will happen because of the crop factor? For example I got a zoom lens that starts with 50mm...that will be how much in BMCC?

The crop factor to the Alexa sensor for example is 1.6.. so let's say you put a 50mm on the bmcc.. that would be the equivalent field of view of 76.6mm on the Alexa

see the calculator in this site.. it helps you see the difference

http://www.abelcine.com/fov/

Get extra batteries (I'm not sure how convenient this switronix powerbase thing is if you need longer shooting times than it allows you to, don't know how much it costs in U.S in relation with V-lock battery plate and few of V-lock batteries (where I live the chinese v-lock batteries come cheap). Anyways would be good to have at least two batteries. You still need some sort of audio solution or a microphone at least but there's no proper audio monitoring as far as I know so you need to be careful not to break the sound.

I have no idea about external batteries and so on. Not much for audio too
Can you give me some cheap solutions please?

If i remember correctly the crop factor will be 2.3. If you go with EF mount as your choice then your EF lenses should work. If I had to choose two lenses for BMCC EF, I would get Tokina 11-16 2.8 and Sigma 18-35 1.8

So, for example, with a 50-100mm, I need to count as a 115-230mm?

I have no idea about external batteries and so on. Not much for audio too
Can you give me some cheap solutions please?

The power consumption of the blackmagic cinema camera is about 18w.. so let's say your battery is 95wh.. that will power the camera for up to 5 hours.. for battery solution there are varieties, you could go with the Viewfactor or Bebob or Ikan have some cheaper solution.

our friend Frank Glencairn made a review for the juicedlink bmcc366 pre-amplifier
http://frankglencairn.wordpress.com/201 ... c-cameras/

if you need to know more about sound search for Robert from juicedLink on his channel on youtube.. he has some valuable information on sound on the blackmagic cinema camera

Like this one? I didn't know I needed one of these... Is this a good one?
You say 2 SSD's...what would you recommend?

I'd get 2x 240GB SanDisk Extreme, or 2x 480GB SanDisk Extreme. A 480GB SSD will give you about 50-60 minutes of RAW footage and a few hours of ProRes.

If you want to save some money initially, you can go with a USB 3.0 enclosure. This one for example has a sliding part, so you can just leave the top open:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ORICO-External- ... usb+3+case

So, for example, with a 50-100mm, I need to count as a 115-230mm?

to a 5D to be exact it is 113.8-227.7mm
to a 7d to be exact 73.9-147.7mm

again use the abelcine calculator.. it is helpful

to a 5D to be exact it is 113.8-227.7mm
to a 7d to be exact 73.9-147.7mm

again use the abelcine calculator.. it is helpful

Sorry, but I don't get what you mean when you say: "to a 5D" or "to a 7D"...

Sorry, but I don't get what you mean when you say: "to a 5D" or "to a 7D"...

what i meant is that how the field of view would look like to a 5d and to a 7d sized sensors.. Crop factor is a bit confusing subject at first.. It would depends to what you are comparing to. but here i try to explain it.. a 50mm lens on a bmcc is still a 50mm lens on the full frame and is still a 50mm lens on a S16 sensor.. what changes is the field of view. So when you are saying that, what my 50mm lens equivalent field of view would be to a 7d sized-sensor? if you put a 10mm on the bmcc the field of view would be as if you are putting 15mm lens on the 7D.

so the crop factor would depends to what you are comparing to. to a S35 it is 1.6. to full frame it is 2.3

I hope this help

Whether you can go Thunderbolt or not depends on what computer you have. With my Windows laptop, I'd have to do Esata or USB3. Personally. I'd get the Sandisk 480 (the one on the approved for raw list) and I'd get two of them so one could be in the dock while the other is in the camera. But honestly, I'm not worthy to be giving you advice as I don't yet own a BMD camera.

Marc haha.. your advice is still worthy, Your part of the family even if your missing DNA.

Whether you can go Thunderbolt or not depends on what computer you have. With my Windows laptop, I'd have to do Esata or USB3. Personally. I'd get the Sandisk 480 (the one on the approved for raw list) and I'd get two of them so one could be in the dock while the other is in the camera. But honestly, I'm not worthy to be giving you advice as I don't yet own a BMD camera.

Marc haha.. your advice is still worthy, Your part of the family even if your missing DNA.

haha i absolutely agree to that too.

Let's see if my "shopping list" is complete!

BMCC (EF) = 1995$
PR-1 Prime Video Shoulder Rig Kit = 300$
Manfrotto Trpod MKC3-P01 = 60 $ (Will it work smoothly with the weight?)
Sandisk Extreme 240 GB (2x) = 346$ (173$ each)
Dock ORICO 2588us3 2.5 inch USB 3.0 = 13$
Switronix Power Base = 299$ (Is it a good solution to the batteries "problem"? Does it need anything else?)
Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro = 299$
Some chinese mattebox on ebay = 13$

So that's a total of: 3026$. I'm from Portugal, so that should be like 2 278€. (That is supposing that my old EF lenses will work in the BMCC...)
That sounds like a good price and a decent starter kit? Or not?

You're going to need a head for the tripod and frankly, I'd spend more on the tripod/head and wait on the shoulder mount rig (unless you do mostly handheld stuff). And a $13 mattebox is not likely to be very useful...need to spend more there.

Let's see if my "shopping list" is complete!

BMCC (EF) = 1995$
PR-1 Prime Video Shoulder Rig Kit = 300$
Manfrotto Trpod MKC3-P01 = 60 $ (Will it work smoothly with the weight?)
Sandisk Extreme 240 GB (2x) = 346$ (173$ each)
Dock ORICO 2588us3 2.5 inch USB 3.0 = 13$
Switronix Power Base = 299$ (Is it a good solution to the batteries "problem"? Does it need anything else?)
Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro = 299$
Some chinese mattebox on ebay = 13$

So that's a total of: 3026$. I'm from Portugal, so that should be like 2 278€. (That is supposing that my old EF lenses will work in the BMCC...)
That sounds like a good price and a decent starter kit? Or not?

You would need a d-tap cable to power the camera of the battery. That battery will run you for up to 4 hours.. plus you have the 1.5 hours of the internal battery.. so that's total of 5.5 hours of run-time

You're going to need a head for the tripod and frankly, I'd spend more on the tripod/head and wait on the shoulder mount rig (unless you do mostly handheld stuff). And a $13 mattebox is not likely to be very useful...need to spend more there.

Hmm, I understand and agree with you, but in this case I'll really need the shoulder mount rig.
What advice can you give about choosing the tripod/head?
Thanks again!

You would need a d-tap cable to power the camera of the battery. That battery will run you for up to 4 hours.. plus you have the 1.5 hours of the internal battery.. so that's total of 5.5 hours of run-time

So I must add one d-tap cable? Any specific? How much is one of those?

You're going to need a head for the tripod and frankly, I'd spend more on the tripod/head and wait on the shoulder mount rig (unless you do mostly handheld stuff). And a $13 mattebox is not likely to be very useful...need to spend more there.

Hmm, I understand and agree with you, but in this case I'll really need the shoulder mount rig.
What advice can you give about choosing the tripod/head?
Thanks again!

Mainly that the tripod and head should match up with the total weight of your rig + 30% or so. I'm still using a set of Manfrotto sticks that I got eight years ago and the Bogen 501 friction head. I think I got both in the $300 ballpark. Again, there are others here who will have much better advice than I about the BMCC.

So I must add one d-tap cable? Any specific? How much is one of those?

Globalmediapro sells it for about 20$.. Zacuto and as well Hawk-Woods sell it for about 40$..

Mainly that the tripod and head should match up with the total weight of your rig + 30% or so. I'm still using a set of Manfrotto sticks that I got eight years ago and the Bogen 501 friction head. I think I got both in the $300 ballpark. Again, there are others here who will have much better advice than I about the BMCC.

Thanks But it seems that a better tripod will have wait, no budget for a really good one, from what I found out the ideal one for the BMCC and the rest of the gear would be something like 800$...

Globalmediapro sells it for about 20$.. Zacuto and as well Hawk-Woods sell it for about 40$..

And thank you too for the info

Thanks But it seems that a better tripod will have wait, no budget for a really good one, from what I found out the ideal one for the BMCC and the rest of the gear would be something like 800$...

Spend the money. Your tripod will last forever, and the first time you try to pan you'll get angry with anything cheaper you buy.

Why Stereo VideoMic Pro? What are you shooting? Depending on what you're shooting, you may want to look at a separate audio recorder/interface and a lapel mic or proper shotgun.

Remember your audio gear and tripod will last much longer than the rest of the kit.

Also, depending on what you're shooting, you might be able to save some money up front and power the camera from mains and buy the external battery solution later.

Maybe you would be better off with a BMPCC and EF to MFT Speedbooster, which will cost you less up front allowing you to invest in gear like tripod, audio, rigs etc that will last a lifetime and be usable on different cameras.

Mainly that the tripod and head should match up with the total weight of your rig + 30% or so. I'm still using a set of Manfrotto sticks that I got eight years ago and the Bogen 501 friction head. I think I got both in the $300 ballpark. Again, there are others here who will have much better advice than I about the BMCC.

Thanks But it seems that a better tripod will have wait, no budget for a really good one, from what I found out the ideal one for the BMCC and the rest of the gear would be something like 800$...

Globalmediapro sells it for about 20$.. Zacuto and as well Hawk-Woods sell it for about 40$..

And thank you too for the info

Honestly, we have all learned by experience when it comes to video tripods. As Marc and others said, you need to get a better tripod/head if you expect to do any pans and tilts. If you keep the camera fixed, yes, almost anything may do, but fluid controlled camera movement is not easy on a cheap tripod. Even locking the camera position on a cheap tripod can be a problem as the weight of the camera can drift the camera out of position. You know you can get creative and use things like walls and posts and trees and mailboxes etc. to steady your camera when they're available. Another skill while you save for something more reliable. You will likely spend much more on all the gear than the cost of the camera. Fortunately you have lenses.

You don't need to buy everything day one though. I'm going to save for a quality tripod but until then the Manfrotto kit I have will have to suffice.

Rick Lang
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Mainly that the tripod and head should match up with the total weight of your rig + 30% or so. I'm still using a set of Manfrotto sticks that I got eight years ago and the Bogen 501 friction head. I think I got both in the $300 ballpark. Again, there are others here who will have much better advice than I about the BMCC.

Thanks But it seems that a better tripod will have wait, no budget for a really good one, from what I found out the ideal one for the BMCC and the rest of the gear would be something like 800$...

Globalmediapro sells it for about 20$.. Zacuto and as well Hawk-Woods sell it for about 40$..

And thank you too for the info

Honestly, we have all learned by experience when it comes to video tripods. As Marc and others said, you need to get a better tripod/head if you expect to do any pans and tilts. If you keep the camera fixed, yes, almost anything may do, but fluid controlled camera movement is not easy on a cheap tripod. Even locking the camera position on a cheap tripod can be a problem as the weight of the camera can drift the camera out of position. You know you can get creative and use things like walls and posts and trees and mailboxes etc. to steady your camera when they're available. Another skill while you save for something more reliable. You will likely spend much more on all the gear than the cost of the camera. Fortunately you have lenses.

You don't need to buy everything day one though. I'm going to save for a quality tripod but until then the Manfrotto kit I have will have to suffice.

Rick Lang
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I still don't own a tripod.. whenever i try to buy one, and i try to test it at the shop, i would hate it.. Some are good at locked up shot, but when once you pan, it becomes a disaster.. Whenever i need a tripod i would borrow the one at a work or from a friend until i am able o buy a good one. For now I'm just focusing on getting what's priority to me of lenses and other accessories.

I'm trying to remember the last time I didn't shoot on a tripod.

I'm trying to remember the last time I didn't shoot on a tripod.

It's true.. Having tripod is really important.. Most of the job i would have it on a tripod. but the thing is owning a good tripod is not cheap while you are short with some other accessories.

http://www.camerakings.co.uk/acebil-i-7 ... dle-brace/

Found this one. Is it a good option to start?

If you're looking for a cheap little head, I like these:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=manfrotto+502HD+Pro+tripod&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

I know it's blasphemy not to have manfrotto but if you don't have a spare thousand dollars it's not always an option. I've been using this for over a year with no issues at all. Using a canon 60D and rig. http://bit.ly/1cnwJXG

I know it's blasphemy not to have manfrotto but if you don't have a spare thousand dollars it's not always an option. I've been using this for over a year with no issues at all. Using a canon 60D and rig. http://bit.ly/1cnwJXG

Sounds like a great deal! Thank you!

I know it's blasphemy not to have manfrotto but if you don't have a spare thousand dollars it's not always an option. I've been using this for over a year with no issues at all. Using a canon 60D and rig. http://bit.ly/1cnwJXG

Sounds like a great deal! Thank you!

Happy to help

Any cheaper option to the Switronix Power Base (300$)?