pocket camera and 4k camera update

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jasonxinzhou

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pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostTue Jul 30, 2013 5:19 am

From Hot Rod Cameras


Dear Customer,

Greetings everyone, I hope this message finds you all enjoying your summer!

This past week we attended the Blackmagic “demo” event here in Los Angeles and while there was a lot of buzz still about the initial announcements surrounding their Pocket Cinema Camera and the 4K Production Camera, we went in search of more concrete information.

As stated by Blackmagic the Pocket Cinema Camera was scheduled to ship this month, however, July is almost over and, well, Blackmagic is not exactly going to meet their target date. Blackmagic will, go so far as to say that Pocket Cinema Cameras will begin shipping in a few days, however, exactly where and how many units that will ship is up for debate.

To be blunt, dealers who don't talk to the right people at Blackmagic or ask the hard questions I believe are currently mistaken in their belief that a number of cameras are arriving at all the dealers in the next few days. I can't blame them, this has been widely purported on the Internet. However, from a trusted source at Blackmagic we've learned that the “limted run” of Pocket Cinema Cameras that will ship in the next few days is as follows:

Pocket cameras will ship to select dealers (first ordered, first received) and “limited” not only means a small number, the limited quantity for early order dealers is exactly one Pocket Camera. This is what Blackmagic did for their original EF mount Cinema Camera and it appears that history will repeat itself with the Pocket Cinema Camera as well.

Thankfully, Hot Rod Camera's has been one of Blackmagic's "select" dealers in the past, and we ordered within just minutes of the Pocket Cinema and 4K cameras were announced at the Blackmagic announcement event. So we expect to receive our single Pocket Cinema Camera as soon as anyone else!

We've already spoken to our customer #1, and in exchange for store credit and washing their car for a year (don't ask) our customer #1 has agreed to allow us to keep our first Pocket Cinema Camera in our showroom until pocket cameras start shipping. We will use camera number 1 for demonstrations on the DEFY G2 camera gimbal and the new View Factory Pocket Cinema Cage (coming very soon!) Some short term (weekend) rentals on the demo camera will also be made available to any our pre-order customers at a extremely special discounted rate while you are waiting for your pocket camera to arrive.

Once these initial few cameras make their way into select hands, we've been told production on the camera will begin in earnest, which if we had to put a date on it, would be sometime in the next three to four weeks. That would traslate to dealers receiving the second round allocation of stock mid to late August.

As for the 4K Production Camera, the news isn't as quite as "positive". Based on what we were told, production is likely to begin in four to six weeks, with a final production model likely to be unveiled around the time of IBC in mid-September. Rumors swirling around the Internet about the 4K Production Camera shipping without true RAW capability look to be proving true, with ProRes 4K being the only option at launch. Blackmagic reps claim that 4K RAW recording will be available shortly after launch and likely come via a user firmware update.

What all this information means for you is rather straightforward. If you had your heart set on one of Blackmagic's new Pocket Cinema Cameras your wait, while maybe slightly prolonged, is going to be coming to an end sooner than later -hopefully.

If you've been holding out for a 4K Production Camera, well, signs point to maybe a September (or later) release date. In order to ensure that we fulfill all your orders just as soon as possible we're going to be implementing a new program whereby we'll be asking those who are truly serious about getting their hands on one of these great cameras first, to place an additional deposit above and beyond the $1.00 many of you have spent with us.

For our would be buyers of the Pocket Cinema Camera, we are requesting an additional deposit of $49 whereas the 4K Production Camera is $249. We're doing this neither to penalize you or to pad our wallets, but rather to streamline the waiting list in order to ensure that those who are truly serious about acquiring one of these great cameras are given first crack at doing so. We suspect a lot of customers likely got caught up in the excitement over the news of either camera and simply threw down a buck because, well, it's a buck. Now we want to make sure those who are on the list, truly wish to stay there and have their order fulfilled. Detailed instructions on what your place is currently in our pre-order line and how to upgrade their $1 deposit to our round-2 deposit is located at the end of this email. Keep in mind that we suspect that many people will bail out now, and it is likely you will get moved up our pre-order list. Should you change your mind anytime between now and when your camera ships from the factory we can still refund your deposit minus a 5% cancellation fee.

Those who fulfill their round 2 deposits for the Pocket camera by August 12, you will receive a free bonus when taking delivery of your new Blackmagic camera. For pre-order Pocket Cinema Camera customers, you will receive an additional EN-EL20 battery for your camera for free, this is a value of $24.95! For 4K Cinema camera customers, you will receive a Powerbank 10K battery, a value of $79.99.

So that is the update for now. Sorry some of it isn't the most exciting (or maybe positive) but we wanted to make sure we gave it to you straight. If you have any questions regarding your pending order, or simply wish to speak to us regarding any Blackmagic product then please email us or give us a call at (323)230-3589.


Best Regards,

Illya Friedman

President, Hot Rod Cameras
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Gan Eden

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Re: pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostTue Jul 30, 2013 5:31 am

Totally unessesary all this. If BMD didn't blow the trumpets back in April with huge announcements then this BS wouldn't be happening and people getting pissed off! Take some advice from Apple, BMD, keep schtumn until you actually have the product ready!
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Adam Simmons

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Re: pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostTue Jul 30, 2013 5:42 am

You mean like Apple have done with the new Mac Pro that's been shown off but hasn't even got a release date yet due to the fact that it uses hardware that hasn't been finalised or released yet
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Jace Ross

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Re: pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostTue Jul 30, 2013 11:30 am

Adbear wrote:You mean like Apple have done with the new Mac Pro that's been shown off but hasn't even got a release date yet due to the fact that it uses hardware that hasn't been finalised or released yet


Beat me to it. Apple are shocking for hype.
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ungovernedreason

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Re: pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostTue Jul 30, 2013 11:30 am

Non helpful randomish comment of my own...But why the heck does everybody on here love Apple so much anyway? I can't stand their hipster "easy to use" but no control over anything, way to expensive way under powered view on business...That is all...carry on...
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Jace Ross

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Re: pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostTue Jul 30, 2013 12:05 pm

ungovernedreason wrote:Non helpful randomish comment of my own...But why the heck does everybody on here love Apple so much anyway? I can't stand their hipster "easy to use" but no control over anything, way to expensive way under powered view on business...That is all...carry on...


There's 3 reasons people here would love it:

1. Because of the old "Mac is better for editing" myth
2. Because they use FCP
3. Because they don't care if they're locked into a closed environment at extra expense, they just want a simple OS set up from the get go without hoardes of bloatware.

Disclaimer: I have nothing against Macs, I just don't own one for my own reasons.
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David Fernandes

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Re: pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostTue Jul 30, 2013 12:27 pm

Haha. Hipster computers. nice. Very original complaints about macs. Over priced, under powered and not 'controllable'. Ok, I'll take the bait, and I'll answer honestly.

We love them because they are stable. Because we're used to the interface and it feels smooth and integrated with the OS, like all their products. They are easy to use, yes, and that's a good thing because frankly, I couldn't give a crap about spending hours troubleshooting stuff not working properly. I've been using macs since 1989 and Apples since the 80's. I've probably owned over 15 models at this point. Every single one of them memorable and a delight to work with precisely because they don't get in the way of working with them.

EVERY TIME I get on a Windows machine I last about 5 minutes before I want to throw it out a window. But I guess you can eventually get used to the constant harassment from interface messages, the random hardware problems, the extra steps it takes to do anything and everything. And the last time I installed Linux, all I did was spend time trouble shooting stuff that wasn't working right. So yeah, go with what you know right? I know macs and have no problems dealing with any issues that come up. That keeps me productive and that is worth a lot to me.

In terms of power to price, it's a pretty lame argument. Yeah they cost more when you compare prices based on specs alone. But we Mac users gladly pay the difference for product satisfaction, for beautiful and functional design, for the best customer support in the industry, and for well-made, long lasting gear.

My last Mac Pro tower, bought in mid 2007, is still completely functional as an editing system and I just sold it to a friend for a decent price. So they also retain some of that inflated price over time too. If I had a 2007 PC, my only option would be to drop it off at the recycling centre - who would buy it?

And in terms of control, I have never understood this complaint. It's unix and there's a command line. Like seriously, what do you need to control? There's a way to do it.

Anyway, I know you were ranting. The hipster comment was funny to me because it seems like if you really think that, you probably don't know much about macs. They were extremely uncool not so long ago, but Mac users kept buying them and have been and will continue to do so because Apple macs excellent, award-winning computers, a rock-solid OS and provide the best customer support anywhere. And they have consistnely done this for decades. That's how you build loyalty, and yes, we are loyal. Not because we're stupid and can't see that it's obviously cheaper to buy a PC. But because the whole computing experience is better on a Mac and we don't mind paying extra for it. That's the truth.

Cheers.
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bhook

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Re: pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostTue Jul 30, 2013 12:33 pm

Platform wars are so '90s. :roll:
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David Fernandes

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Re: pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostTue Jul 30, 2013 12:39 pm

And boo on Blackmagic for out-right lying about the shipping date, providing 0 updates, and leaving current and potential customers in the dark.

It *is* ok to announce something and just admit you are working on it right now and don't have a solid release date. Lightworks is doing this with their Mac version of their editing software. They announced TWO YEARS ago that they are working on it. They showed it at NAB this year. And they STILL haven't said when it's coming out. And that's a good thing. Because no one is making plans around using it until it is actually available.

This is much better than announcing over-ambitious dates and then giving yourself a reputation of failing to meet deadlines. You say something is out in July and then people start planning around it. It pisses people off and creates distrust and resentment.

I for one am glad I decided to get the EF 2k version instead, as it was in stock at B&H. I had a feeling they would miss July with the 4K. Seems I was right.
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rick.lang

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Re: pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostTue Jul 30, 2013 6:48 pm

mhood wrote:Platform wars are so '90s. :roll:


Amazing how quickly a thread becomes derailed!

Back on topic, it looks like the free bonus from Hot Rod Cameras is this 5V battery from Gruptech, GTI-PB-10K-HB-S002A, rated at 10,000 mA, and retails for $89 so a nice bonus for showing one's commitment given that so many people order from multiple vendors to get in line and then cancel most of their orders when they are ready to ship or after receiving the first one.

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John Bartman

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Re: pocket camera and 4k camera update

PostThu Aug 01, 2013 1:39 pm

4k cam probably in sept or later ... still being tweaked
Pocket cam probably in aug ...

http://bmcc.tv/blackmagic-exclusive-int ... -la-event/

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