Blackmagic Forum

Hello, I've been poking around, but not really finding the info i'm searching for. I'll start out with this. I've been shooting with 35mm film camera's, and a canon 5d classic for a couple of years. Just recently got into doing video. My wife and I shot a short interview for a local non profit with her Canon 5D miii. I helped set up lights and audio. I shot my first short doc with a friend who is traveling doing sound baths. Its amateur at best. Still editing it now. We only have the 5D miii that does video. I've been looking around at budget friendly set ups and ran into the BMPCC. This little thing looks amazing!!! The picture quality just blows me away from what I've seen on Vimeo. I've read a few places and have seen a YT video about stabilization. And that its very difficult to shoot hand held. I've been mainly using a tripod, but I did do some handheld, albeit shaky b-roll stuff for what I'm shooting now. I want some smooth movements. So I'm going straight to the source, those of you that have this camera. Whats a good set up for it? I don't plan on running any audio at this time. I'm wanting to learn how to shoot video. Mainly for now just shorts of different scenes while around town or traveling. And maybe pair it with some music while learning how to edit and color grade better. Very much appreciated in advance. I am looking at used, and so far have the BMPCC, and either a SLR Magic 12mm 1.6, or an Olympus 17mm 1.8 on my list.

You might want to re-post in the cinematography section.
You'll prob get a faster response.

Chad,
Not sure where you're located. The SLR Magic 10mm (MFT mount) is highly recommended by many on this forum (I don't have it myself) and it's only $519 at B&H at the moment. (Be careful when looking at the lens+filter bundles on B&H, those prices are not always kept current and may not be good deals.)

This lens is a fast, about-as-wide-as-you-can-get-for-the-price, cine lens.

Steve

When you ask "what's a good set up for it?" that's a really big question -- are you referring to a setup that allows for smooth movement or are you talking more generally?

I agree about the SLR Magic lenses, they're great and offer completely manual control. On the other hand, since they lack optical image stabilization, you'll never going to be able to use them handheld unless your hands are a lot steadier than mine.

Regardless, if you want "smooth movements" you should use a tripod with fluid head or you can look into gimbals or steadicams if those fit your needs better. Gimbals can take some practice and endurance to use, depending on how you plan to use them and what kind of lenses (think weight) you're using. There are also tripod-mounted sliders that can come in handy for some applications (Edelkrone markets these aggressively, you can look at their website to see what some of these things can do).

One thing that's very important to understand with the Pocket camera is that the image softens considerably at smaller apertures (i.e., beyond f 5.6 or 8) due to diffraction, which is something I learned the hard way. You will need to use a neutral density filter (variable or a stackable set) for most outdoor shots; the aim is to keep the aperture wider than 5.6 or 8, which will reduce your depth of field but at least whatever's in focus will look sharp instead of soft. Do some research on the pros and cons of variable vs. fixed ND filters before you buy.

Anyway, let us know if you're really just looking for advice on how to get smoother video when panning or moving around, or whether you're asking about general setup and tips for the Pocket, or both!

Steve Holmlund wrote:Chad,
Not sure where you're located. The SLR Magic 10mm (MFT mount) is highly recommended by many on this forum (I don't have it myself) and it's only $519 at B&H at the moment. (Be careful when looking at the lens+filter bundles on B&H, those prices are not always kept current and may not be good deals.)

This lens is a fast, about-as-wide-as-you-can-get-for-the-price, cine lens.

Steve

Can absolutely second this! Have mostly SLR magic lenses for my BMPCC and so far they have been a dream.

Reducing aperture too far (getting into diffraction) will be less of a problem with the larger sensor. Nevertheless, I would never go beyond f11, rather get some ND. The sweet spot of modern lenses is more like 5.6 or 8.

On the BMPCC and Micro Camera S16 sensors, defraction starts to set in after f/5.6. So I sue ND if,Ted to keep my f/stop at or be,ow f/5.6, depending on the lens.
Cheers

Also worth paying attention to is that BMPCC is sensitive to infrared, so IR cut is an absolute must at all times. And even more so when adding ND (including even full spectrum ND)

This blog post describes the issue and an internal filter solution in detail:
http://mattscottvisuals.com/blog/2016/7/14/bmpcc-optical-low-pass-filter-swap-no-more-ir-contamination

Filter doesn't have to be internal. You can also use easier to find external IR filters, like cheap(ish) screw on Hoya IR cut filters that work very well on the BMPCC.