Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

While this is a fantastic and very welcome development, I notice that there does not appear to be an EVF. From experience shooting outdoors without an EVF can be very difficult, especially in run-'n-gun/event/doc. situations. Would Blackmagic consider producing a low-cost version EVF for this camera, perhaps sold separately? Otherwise, on paper, it appears to be 'perfect' Thanks.

Absolutely agree, I pre-ordered one as soon as Mr Petty had finished the press conference. My second click was to look at HDMI viewfinders and rigging options for 15mm bars and matte box. Totally happy to pay for a BM viewfinder and bars mounting kit. For me that's the beauty of his thing, it looks like it works as it is but on occasion some folks might need that eyepiece point of contact. Incredible value package that i'm very grateful is available, let alone at this extraordinary price point.

Just a word of warning, and I am the first person who hopes I am wrong, but until BM is actually shipping this camera, do not buy any accessories for it unless those accessories are useful to you without the camera. Otherwise, wait till the camera ships. You could end up with a lot cash tied up in stuff you can't use for a long time.

BM definitely means well, and no company is more ambitious, but they have a long history of over promising and under delivering.

And BM was doing so good, it's a shame they couldn't wait to announce until the camera was shipping. They just made things harder for themselves than it has to be. Everybody would have been just as excited, and even more so because they could expect to get a camera not long after ordering it if BM had just waited.

Now any hiccup, any snag, any unanticipated glitch or problem is gonna set them back. And they better hope they have enough buffer in their schedule, because people are gonna be camping on this website until they ship.

Does someone know if there is a small, light caddy/cage for SSDs that you can mount on or under the camera? At best it would have another mount available, so you could still use a tripod or a coldshoe-mount or something like that.

I made something like that from a simple 2.5“ HDD/SSD enclosure by just cutting off half an inch from the end without connectors for our UMP46. Now I can push SSDs into that and pull them out after shooting. The thing is so light you can attach it with Velcro.

Announcing a new camera after all the bugs have been worked out and a working pre-Production model on hand is an industry norm. Pannasonic did the same with the GH5S, and it shipped when promised. Also BM did this with the Micro Studio, and shipped it on time. So woe can assume, the new BMPCC4K will ship by Sept, or sooner.
Cheers

Announcing a new camera after all the bugs have been worked out and a working pre-Production model on hand is an industry norm. Pannasonic did the same with the GH5S, and it shipped when promised. Also BM did this with the Micro Studio, and shipped it on time. So woe can assume, the new BMPCC4K will ship by Sept, or sooner.
Cheers

Denny, we can make that assumption with Panasonic, or Sony because their history is good, but not with BM because their history does not support that kind of confidence. Which is why I'm disappointed with BM. If they had held to their principles and not announced until they could ship, they would build their credibility the easy way. The path they have chosen is risky. I hope they pull it off, but historically they have not shown the skills or ability to successfully call their shots well before they make them. They typically miss, and miss by a lot.

Taking guidance from their historical performance is useful to a point. They were rookies in the minors and stumbled many times. But now they’re in the pro league and have a better track record. Just going with a sensor that has a proven track record should help.

Let’s see what could possibly go wrong? Maybe their new space age carbon fibre polycarbonate shell will disintegrate after 10 years in the Aussie sun! Who knew? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.



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Taking guidance from their historical performance is useful to a point. They were rookies in the minors and stumbled many times. But now they’re in the pro league and have a better track record. Just going with a sensor that has a proven track record should help.

Let’s see what could possibly go wrong? Maybe their new space age carbon fibre polycarbonate shell will disintegrate after 10 years in the Aussie sun! Who knew? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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Who says they are not still making rookie mistakes? I'd say not waiting till it was shipping to announce the camera was a rookie mistake. And remember the delay on the UM over the enclosure not being on time as one of the several reasons why they didn't make their continually shifting delivery date? They don't even have a prototype of the new enclosure, otherwise they would have shown the camera in the enclosure at NAB. The technology in the enclosure is new for them. In standard project management that would be considered a high risk item. Something you do early on in the project, not four months before shipping. I've seen nothing to indicate that BM has learned that many lessons from their past mistakes.

Worst case, they would ship t with the same case used for the Pre-Production models. So you are saying announcing a new csmera before it is ready to ship is a rookie mistake. Then Panasonic and Sony are rookies also, they both have announced csmeras before they were ready to ship. Gh5S, EVA1, FS5, the list goes on...
Cheers

Worst case, they would shop,it with the same case used for the Pre-Production models.

Shopping for existing cases could be worse than using a new technology to fab a case that you don't even have designed yet. If they were gonna do that, they would have to do it now. Every manufacturer has lead times for large quantities of anything. And they need to get these cases in house well before they intend to ship. They do after all, have to put camera guts in them first. And to do that they've got to setup their lines, tooling, jigs and fixtures.

So you are saying announcing a new csmera before it is ready to ship is a rookie mistake. Then Panasonic and Sony are rookies also, they both have announced csmeras before they were ready to ship. Gh5S, EVA1, FS5, the list goes on...
Cheers

Those companies can do it because they are not rookie companies. Panasonic and Sony are huge electronic conglomerates that make everything electronic. They have whatever they need, in-house so to speak. BM is tiny by comparison. And other than assembly, BM has to order everything from distribution or fabrication and is at the whims of these companies for their parts.

And if, by chance Sony or Panasonic need something fabricated or from distribution, there isn't a fabricator or distributor on the planet that would not bend over backwards to the ground to get their business. BM, not as much.

Good points, Gene. In less than half a year, I pour you a digital beverage or you can eat your digital hat!



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Rick, nobody will be happier to eat digital hat than me. But we've all seen this scenario play out before, many times.

There is another big risk factor for this camera, I've seen no footage, not even frame grabs. Which bothers me. This is so reminiscent of BM releases of the past that went well past their original, confidently estimated, ship date.

Yes, the lack of official footage from a camera that’s essentially “done” and ready to go to production with a new carbon fiber polycarbonate chassis. We’re ready to see footage and don’t mind if it’s shot with a metal body or CFPC frame.

Remember Grant did the footage with the BMPC4K back in the day. Let the man have a go at it again!


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Did any of you guys knows the nits of the 5" screen??

It says high brightness but I didn't find the actual cd/m2 specs...

There are screen grabs on another website, but off the top of my head I can’t remember which one (I know they ended up on Reduser). Apparently the media doors were open at NAB, and someone had a spare SD card. They are stills, but still.

it's a shame they couldn't wait to announce until the camera was shipping.

I'm very happy they didn't. This announcement completely changed my planned equipment purchases for the year.

it's a shame they couldn't wait to announce until the camera was shipping.

I'm very happy they didn't. This announcement completely changed my planned equipment purchases for the year.

I hope they do what they say, but I can't tell you how many people said that very same thing for previous BM cameras, only to wait for almost a year without a camera when they could have bought the other camera and created content.

Whatever you do, don't pre-order from a vendor that takes your money, and don't sink money into accessories that you can only use with the camera. There are a lot of user stories of woe from people that did just that.

I'm looking at the camera and I have the smallest of complaints. Underneath the camera you have the 1/4-20 mounting thread. But on most dslr cameras there is also another hole towards the front of the camera for the tripod quick release plate's registration pin to keep the camera from twisting.

Like I said, it is a small thing. Either way I am still purchasing the camera.

Yes, i suspect that single point of contact will be an irritant. It would seem to be so obvious. How did that get the green light from the lead designer? Back to school and enroll in Principles of Mounting Points 101.


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I wish I knew this. I would have added the appropriate size drill bit to my pre order

Do Blackmagic bundle Gaff Tape along with Resolve 15?

only to wait for almost a year without a camera when they could have bought the other camera and created content.

I have two Pockets now. I was going to buy two more. Instead, I'll focus on upgrading my audio this year and buy two P4K's next year.

I'm very happy this announcement came when it did.

Yes, i suspect that single point of contact will be an irritant. It would seem to be so obvious. How did that get the green light from the lead designer? Back to school and enroll in Principles of Mounting Points 101.


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My experience has been that the cage manufactures take that into consideration.
Once you attache the cage to the camera with the top and bottom screws , all the weight is on the cage.

I would recommend using a cage.

If you plan to hang a lot of stuff off the camera, then a cage is needed.
But, yiu also have the option of using this camera without a cage, for a more simplified shooting setup.

The top mounting point is good enough for a small shotgun mic like the ME66, and you are good to go, or if you want a second monitor, attach the SmallHD new Focus OLED, to the camera top, and yiu have a second daylight monitor with an additional power source.
Cheers

How feed the SmallHD new Focus OLED? No HDMI....

It has a HDMI input, here are the specs:

Model: MON-FOCUS-OLED
Display: 5.5-inch OLED, 1920x1080, 402 PPI
Brightness: 350 nits
Input: Micro HDMI, Micro USB
Output: ⅛” Headphone Jack, 7.2v Power
Power: Sony L Series Battery (Not Included)

I have two Pockets now. I was going to buy two more.

Hey Simon. I traded in my BMPCC a few years back but still have a MovCam cage for it. PM me (or anyone) if interested. Just don’t have a need for it; it’s either I give it away or the recycle bin.

Not really surprised the camera doesn’t have an EVF. This is a small camera, and in body EVFs are more for taking a picture then continues shooting. You’d need a real External EVF, or for Zacuto to make an Z-Finder for it like the original pocket. But I doubt Blackmagic will make a cheap one.

Out of all my nickpicks, the only thing that’s not there that I wish they added was a flip out screen. Without it, it makes the selfie button kinda pointless. I like that they came up with it, but without a flip out screen and continuous auto focus, I doubt that button is gonna get much use. Especially since an external monitor will add more weight and bulk to this already big camera. Hopefully they’ll add it in a Pro version.

Just a word of warning, and I am the first person who hopes I am wrong, but until BM is actually shipping this camera, do not buy any accessories for it unless those accessories are useful to you without the camera. Otherwise, wait till the camera ships. You could end up with a lot cash tied up in stuff you can't use for a long time.

BM definitely means well, and no company is more ambitious, but they have a long history of over promising and under delivering.

And BM was doing so good, it's a shame they couldn't wait to announce until the camera was shipping. They just made things harder for themselves than it has to be. Everybody would have been just as excited, and even more so because they could expect to get a camera not long after ordering it if BM had just waited.

Now any hiccup, any snag, any unanticipated glitch or problem is gonna set them back. And they better hope they have enough buffer in their schedule, because people are gonna be camping on this website until they ship.

I’d rather know now, then later and have buyer remorse for getting a GH5s. However, I just hope the wait is worth it, and we don’t discover all kinds of early adopter issues that need to be fixed later. Or worse, it’s delayed a year.