Blackmagic lenses in future?

I think the next great product Blackmagic could make would be its own cinema lenses to go with its URSA and Pocket Cinema series cameras. Think about it - BMD could be the first cinema/video company in the world to have affordable Super 35 zoom lenses like DZOFilm, T2.9 constant max aperture or above (Sigma has constant T2.0), parfocal, but with advanced autofocus (switchable to manual) that would work well specifically with their cameras like Canon and Sony do (including continuous face detection AF) and maybe even offer auto iris (ahem, I mean aperture, sorry, I come from the ENG video world) and a tripod-mountable lens remote like Canon and Fujinon use for their ENG B4 lenses. It could work either wired or via Bluetooth.

Such a lens, or series of zoom lenses of different focal lengths, could truly enable BMD to have hybrid acquisition for both cinema and broadcast, as touted by their URSA Broadcast G2.

Finally, I really like that BMD has interchangeable lens mounts on their URSA series. However, it needs to be easier to swap out mounts, maybe with a quick-release twist-lock mechanism on each mount that already includes all the necessary shims. That way, you could go quickly from a high-end corporate shoot (i.e., with a cinema lens) on one day to shooting a corporate event in a large hotel ballroom or other large venue, where you need that 20x ENG B4 lens with servo zoom for adequate reach.

Also...would love to see quick-release interchangeable lens mounts on the Pocket Cinema camera series as well. And maybe a smaller/lighter version of the URSA Mini Pro and URSA Broadcast G2? Closer to 2 lbs. rather than 6-8 lbs.? Maybe call it URSA Micro Pro and make it a box camera!

I doubt that BM will ever go into making lenses. The field is getting wider and wider by the day, look at all the new Chinese lenses discussed around here with very competitive prices.
Red once tried that and gave up after a year or two. I don’t think they made money from that, rather losses. Why should BM copy a mistake?

Improved exchangeable mounts? Why not.

I have doubts Blackmagic will go this route. First there’s a ton of work to be done in order to do autofocus like you’re asking. The companies doing it have been manufacturing cameras and lenses far longer than Blackmagic has been in the camera business. And, those companies also acquired other companies along the way. For example Sony acquired Minolta at one point. They also are doing all the advanced autofocus stuff with their own mounts.

Going the route of making cinema lenses is more plausible, but also unlikely. RED is a good example as stated above. No one ever liked the RED lenses, and instead opted for the brands they knew and loved. The new more affordable lenses are doing a great job gaining traction and love. I’m a big fan of DZOFilm right now, but given the chance I’ll still shoot with a more expensive named brand that has more reputable history.

Last, the interchangeable lens mount being easier. I’m for it being a little simpler. Not sure if the shim part is doable, but ARRI seems to do it with their PL to EF switch, so I guess it should be. I think the main key here is having the baffle built into the mount to help make the swap a little faster. So I’m open to an update for the lens mounts to have quicker swaps.


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I hope that Blackmagic Design do some agreement with fujifilm.
Fujifilm had fujinon brand for great lenses for broadcast, they had excellent tech for lenses on apps-c and large format under Fuji brand, they had a good autofocus on their photo cam.
Fuji had a good color science, good photo cam that not are directly a fighter for Blackmagic Design cameras line.
They could collaborate to have benefit each other.


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I don't think BM will design lenses just because the market is so saturated right now.
But I hope they will jump onto a mirrorless mount soon because there's the real cool stuff going on. AND you can adapt to DSLR-lenses. Electronics for adapted lens communication is one thing but the DSLM market is growing to much right now, this cannot be ignored.

And maybe they will release a new camera this year with film emulation built in. This would be a killer feature for A LOT of people just like Fujifilms film emulations are for photographers.

And maybe they will release a new camera this year with film emulation built in. This would be a killer feature for A LOT of people just like Fujifilms film emulations are for photographers.

I don't think we'll see film emulation inside a cinema camera. I think that will remain a post production tool. Especially because the idea of allowing more flexibility to manipulate in post is a large part of filmmaking these days. It's increasingly becoming common for small VFX to be in projects, and having a more clean image to start with is better so that you can composite and then add the emulation on top.

Photography and Cinema are very different beasts. I think it's time for people to start accepting that.

If you want film emulation, there's FilmConvert (pretty good for quick results) or Look Designer 2 (more professional, going deeper). I'd never want to bake those in, since you can so easily overdo it.

Dehancer is also very good (Better IMO than FilmConvert but more expensive). Stuff I've done with Dehancer is very, very convincing. Not tried Look Designer but will download a trial.
I don't want BM to waste time and money on lenses as we are not short of lenses of any type or price. BM is unique in providing cameras that can create broadcast/cinema/pro quality images at budget prices but doing the same with lenses is a different matter and arguably is already being done by several manufacturers.

Filmbox is great (as is its companion, Scatter). It's only available for macOS but Linux and Windows support is in the works.

Film emulation in camera might actually be coming. There a new feature in the new ARRI Alexa 35 4.6K camera: ARRI Textures

ARRI Textures provide a new and unique way for cinematographers to exert greater creative control on set. A texture defines the amount and character of grain in an image, as well as the amount of contrast at different levels of detail, perceived by the viewer as sharpness. Previous ALEXA cameras were pre-programmed with a default texture, but with ALEXA 35 you can choose from an evolving menu of custom ARRI Textures, either to suit a specific shooting environment or to hone your look. This allows you to fundamentally alter the way the camera records images, much like selecting a film stock.

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Let’s reign in this tangent with its own thread on the ARRI 4K Super35 Impact or this is going to turn into a 2K thread where 1,990 posts have nothing to do with BMD lenses.