Newbie BMCC 2.5k MFT (used) Questions

Hello,

I recently purchased a BMCC 2.5k MFT (used) and was wondering if the following were normal:

1) Battery Life: After charging for about an hour, the battery was at 100%. After about a minute, it shrunk down to 75%. After maybe 20-30mins of on-and-off usage, it was down to 10%. When I plugged it back in, it immediately jumped to 75%. I have the latest firmware installed, and was just wondering if this is 1) normal battery life off of a full charge, and 2) normal battery life behavior. I was also wondering what the ideal amount of charging time is before it reaches 100%?

2) Fan Noise: Coming from a Panasonic GH4 (which doesn't make any noise), I was surprised at how loud the fan in the BMCC 2.5k was. It's about as loud and constant as a MacBook laptop in heavy use. Just watching the internal audio channel meters, I see it's making between -30 and -36db of internal noise (this is with Microphone Input set to 6%). Is this normal?

Thank you!

The internal battery in the 2.5K camera has always been one of its biggest disappointments. Treat it like a UPS rather than a battery, and just use an external battery brick to power it. You'll be a lot happier that way.

IIRC the fan ramps down when the camera starts rolling, but don't expect clean audio out of the scratch mics anyway; that isn't what they're for. You'll never get good audio with them, but it's usually enough for syncing, which IS what they're for.

The internal battery in the 2.5K camera has always been one of its biggest disappointments. Treat it like a UPS rather than a battery, and just use an external battery brick to power it. You'll be a lot happier that way.

IIRC the fan ramps down when the camera starts rolling, but don't expect clean audio out of the scratch mics anyway; that isn't what they're for. You'll never get good audio with them, but it's usually enough for syncing, which IS what they're for.

Hi Rakesh,

Thanks for the reply! I let the BMCC run on standby and managed to get 1hr18mins out of it, which seems about right (I've been reading it normally gets around 90mins on a full charge). I'll definitely be picking up an external battery, thank you for the suggestion! Another newbie question: What does "treat it like a UPS" mean? (I'm super new to all this)

As for the fan— it's not as bad as I thought after I let it go for a while. It's constant (which will make it easier to edit out later) and, as you said, the mic really is just there to sync to.

Thanks again!

UPS = uninterruptible power supply... in other words, you can change batteries without powering down the camera.

I recommend a high capacity v-mount or two with a d-tap adapter. JuicedLink batteries are pretty inexpensive, and have a pretty good capacity, though their peak current draw is low compared to what more expensive batteries offer. I can run my Epic off of a JuicedLink 90wh battery for about the same length of time as with a HyperCore of the same power rating, but externals like a Paralynx Triton which draws quite a bit of power, not so much.

I recommend v-mounts because they'll translate nicely to nearly any camera you upgrade to in the future, and you can also use them to power field monitors via v-mount plates, and even field recorders.

Hi folks.
I didn't read al comments but I got something maybe that can help you.
I needed to record sound directly into the BMCC. I purchase the Zoom U-23, not expensive, around 85$ here in Switzerland.


For my tests I got my good old BMCC, the brand new preamp Zoom U-23 and a Beyerdynamic MCE72 stereo microphone. Connected with XLR - XLR (mike > preamp) and TRS (preamp > cam).

After just a few tests, it works really well, level-wise. I didn't test it to preamp another device, for the sake of comparison.
Because the BMCC is generating a base hiss sound, we have to turn down to 20% input sound level on it. At 40% the hiss starts to be a little too present, still fixable in post but if you stay around 20%, you're good. At 90% level, the hiss sound reads -79 dB. Fixable too but the "fix-it in post" is our enemy right?
The zoom can bring up the level and the gain high enough to counterbalance the low input signal on the cam without creating ground noise.

- So for now and before more tests: I recommend
BMCC > MIC level, input level 20%
Zoom U-23 > volume and gain 8

Important: the sound quality (beside audio level or hiss sound) inside the BMCC is not great anyway. It brings up some mids and highs, the lows are a little weak. To test that, try to record with the BMCC with a preamp, a song you know well and then you realize how much it's not really good.
The good news is that you can fix in post (sometimes we have to do it) with a dynamic EQ or Fast Fourier filter.

Another trick: we can power the Zoom U-23 with the cam battery. I use a Globalmediapro Li95 and this adapter:

I put the Zoom, the battery inside a little wraist bag, the BMCC on a monopod (or any single tube) in an holster on the waist belt and and so I can shoot freely. Not that much shaky cam, looks good for a 1-man crew.

JUNE 4 2020

actually have same camera...

looking for a new replacement internal battery for this camera.

Hints on where to look?

Cannot find it online simply by googling.

Tried charging the camera over note many times...it will no longer hold the charge.

Will get a new external battery once this internal battery mess gets taken care of.

This camera sat on shelf for almost 10 years...less than 20 hours use out of it.
It's truly almost band new...will get the new ursa by summer's end unless a new model comes out.

Thanks.

MARK

Hi Mark,
I couldn't answer your PM since your settings don't allow a reply.
But I can't help you anyway, our battery is long dead and we just use external power.