Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:43 pm
This won't be a popular post, but I have to disagree.
I bought a BMPCC4K and by itself, a lens (top-heavy) and a battery, you CAN NOT shoot professionally. It's too awkward to shoot and with no image stabilization, no matter how good the stance and lens, shake is inevitable. Awkward may be fine for youngsters, but at 51, I can not hold that puppy very long with the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 art lens and just a battery that lasts for 30 to 40 minutes.
The battery life is dismal (coming from Panasonic GH5 and JVC LS-300 where battery life is excellent), so I would have to have 6 to 10 of them on hand and switching constantly is just unprofessional.
I love the BMPCC4K but it's just waiting to break with one or more drops. I will not spend that kind of money, regardless of how inexpensive the camera seems to be, without proper protection (ah the jokes I could make right now).
So.....
I bought a cage, top handle, 15mm rods, a large V-Mount battery and what it needs to be attached - for a solid 6 hours of recording time. I bought a 7" monitor with a swivel so I could do all kinds of shots - from up in the air to down low - and with glasses, since there is no viewfinder, I can actually "see" what I am doing so I can frame the shot, focus it properly, etc.
After all was said and done, my $1,300 investment (actually $1,600 because it was a combo with a metabones speedbooster ultra XL Canon EF to MFT - needed for the Sigma lens), I spent an additional $2,400 on various parts (mostly smallrig) and hardware.
NOW it is worthy of taking on a professional shoot, rock solid, so if dropped, should not break (except maybe the lens) and can last for hours without swapping a zillion batteries - because shoots don't take an hour - they're usually full day affairs. AND you have to look professional to boot. Clients won't want to pay you if you look like you're bringing a consumer camera to a pro shoot (really, what do they know???). It's all image and assumption.
You know what else. Now it's heavy as hell. Damn...
At least the way it's rigged, I can take it off the rig, put a camera strap on it and look like a typical tourist rather easily.
99% of the time it's on tripod or on my A2000 gimbal, however.
Mike