BMC App can only shoot HDR for Apple Log

Hi, I'm on ver 1.1, and have set the stock iPhone 15 Pro camera settings to record log for ProRes, but the BMC app only allows me to shoot in "Apple Log - HDR" instead of normal (SDR?) Apple Log as I have seen in Youtube demos. Trying to convert to Rec 709 gives me extremely dark footage even with proper exposure. New to iPhone and videography, is this the expected setting or is it a bug?

[Peter Chamberlain]

Use DaVinci Resolve to transform and grade the HDR to SDR 709.

I saw this too and decided that even though the native Apple camera app is better to use for a few good reasons. As a new iPhone 15 Pro user;
1. It is not stated anywhere in the documentation that I can find whether the BM app deletes the color tone correction like the Apple app does for Log recording natively. Love to hear whether this is the case with the BM app.
2. The Apple Log - HDR option in BM app is unacceptable and forces me to use the Apple app to shoot Apple log cleanly.

Love to hear if I am wrong about these things, the BM app has a lot of great features not found in the Apple native camera app, but I want clean log that I can process natively in DR and not have to transform to SDR 709.

Hi, I’m also having the same issue.

I’m just curious, which storage size iPhone do you have?

I have a 128GB iPhone 15 Pro. I’m wondering if it’s disabled because the 128GB can’t record directly. Also ProRes 4444 is unavailable for me.

[Peter Chamberlain]

The ProRes 4x4 selection has been deprecated as it was only a container for the source data, which isn't 4x4. Nothing has been lost by using 422HQ compared to the 4x4 selection.

I don't know what isn't clean about our Apple Log implementation. If it's just that it's HDR, that's how it is and it is clean, with less processing that many other apps use so you have fuller control in Resolve.

Thank you for that explanation Peter. I won’t be concerned about seeing the Apple Log - HDR choice in Settings/Codecs now. But does it mean that all Tone Mapping is eliminated as seems to be the case with using log in the native Apple iPhone camera app?

[Peter Chamberlain]

Log by its nature is mapping the image data levels so Im not sure why you would think it's not tone mapping. Or do you mean changing color? or?

Again, I'm not looking or familiar with other camera apps.

I am having the same issue as well. Only Apple log - HDR is showing in my iphone 15 pro max with the latest 17.1 update when using the Blackmagic camera app. Is there a fix for this?

[Peter Chamberlain]

I am having the same issue as well. Only Apple log - HDR is showing in my iphone 15 pro max with the latest 17.1 update when using the Blackmagic camera app. Is there a fix for this?

What do you think is broken?

The fact that you cant select HDR without Apple Log?
Or Apple Log?
or?

I am having the same issue as well. Only Apple log - HDR is showing in my iphone 15 pro max with the latest 17.1 update when using the Blackmagic camera app. Is there a fix for this?

What do you think is broken?

The fact that you cant select HDR without Apple Log?
Or Apple Log?
or?

I see what they mean here Peter. In the iPhone native settings, when you choose ProRes, you then have a encoding choice between HDR, SDR or LOG. In the BM app when you select color space, it says "Apple Log-HDR". I am assuming that there is a difference between Apple Log and HDR which is why that choice is listed in the native camera options? In the BM App there is also a Rec.2020HDR option, which I am guessing is "true" HDR? So it is confusing. Perhaps the label should be changed to just "Apple Log" if that's accurate?

[Peter Chamberlain]

The labels are accurate.
If you want HDR, you need to select 2020 or the Apple Log option in the color space selection.
If you want Apple Log, it will capture HDR.