Relegating the OG BMPCC to Gimbal-only Duty

The original BMPCC is about the same weight as a mirror-less camera, so I thought pairing it with an semi-compact G\gimbal(crane 2, weebill S, Ronin SC) with follow focus on a wide angle Meike mini prime lens would make for a pretty cool little go-anywhere, affordable rig. But, at the risk of asking for tooo much -- I would also like to be able to address the camera's weak battery by choosing a gimbal that can power the camera via the 12v plug. I was just reading a thread here on the Moza 2 Air being able to power the bmpcc 4k, but with mixed reviews and talk of a 12v vs 16.8v gimbal version playing a part.

I wish to keep things simple, very simple -- like committing this full rig to being stand-alone, anti-modular, one and done, as if came from the factory as an all-in-one. Might even relegate an old iphone to be its permanent monitor.


Anyways, just wondering if anyone has been able to utilize their OG BM pocket with a power-sharing gimbal that could make any recommendations? Or to simplify the problem, could you confirm a gimbal's ability to power a BMPCC4K to be backwards compatible to the original pocket cam?

I just bought an OG BMPCC. It is piece of gem. feels so good in my hand. It will be used with a a very compact lens. The idea of having the OG BMPCC is to keep it as compact as possible. I will be using it with a small lens or a pancake from Panasonic.


I now look for idea for gimbal. and I found this post. It never gets answers probably because people at the time started to lose interest given the hype of the new P4K. The OG pocket is nowdays insanely hot. For decent shaped, you are looking at $600-800. Even the non-functional ones are be sought after. It is just crazy.

I would like to revive this post hoping to gather some advice from people who used one in the past. Ideally:

1. compact, one-hand held
2. with in-built LANC trigger
3. power the camera from the gimbal

thanks

I'm using mine with a Zhiyun Crane (1. Gen) and normally a 12.5mm f1.4 Cosmicar TV lens. Careful to get a 1" version or it'll vignette, there are dozens of TV lenses on the market which don't cover S-16.
For trigger, you can find cheap switches and a cable.
Another nice lens is the Cinegon 10mm f1.8, but it's already on the heavy side and hard to find, you'll need the 55mm filter thread version for S-16 with a 'silver nose'.

I've used mine on a glidecam, which adds to the simplicity factor since there are no batteries involved (I use the Tilta NP-F battery plate to power the camera), but it is more bulky than a gimbal. The main challenge I've found with the glidecam is that the Pocket is so light that even with all the weights taken off the bottom of the glidecam it's a bit too bottom-heavy. If I add an external monitor on an articulating arm so it sits in front of the camera's LCD, the extra weight helps it balance freely on the glidecam and also makes it less front-heavy. I use it with the SLR Magic 10mm. I've used this same setup for the Micro Cinema Camera as well.

Thank you Uli and Brad for your suggestions.

I have Ampex 12.5mm and I believe it is comparable to the Cosmicar. I also have a 25mm lens I bought from aliexpress which i like a lot. It is so compact, and it is an A-PSC lens. It works well with P4K well as well.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000180936584.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.cd9a4c4dqeAWcX

That 12.5 might even be the same lens, since Ampex never made lenses but was leading in the TV world.
Some of the Cosmicar lenses are labelled Cosmicar/Pentax, BTW. I like the 12.5 for its triangular bokeh, sometimes that looks like from a classic 16mm high-speed lens.

Taking advantage of this thread withouting creating a new one.

My BMPCC is on the latest firmware. What is the status of its image stabilization? What works? what doesn't? I have searched the forum and read the section in the manual. I am looking the information for a particular lens, the panasonic lumix 14-42 Mark II, not the PZ pancake version. I found the lens is perfect for this camera, except that i am not quite sure if the OIS works.

The manual indicates it does not work with lenses without a physical on/off switch. The manual says you have to turn on the switch on the lens. AND it only works when it is recording IF the camera is powered with internal battery.

Throughout the forum, in the camera's early stages, the above is true as Kristian indicated. However, members were saying in the later FW, this has been enable automatically (Kristian said the same thing in early Aug 2013, and he later corrected himself about this statement. ) So, I am not quite sure what is exactly is the state. To me, it is not really there, even when recording. So subtle, even with lenses with a physical switch, not much difference.

Can someone clarify this for me?

My Panasonic 12-35mm is clearly stabilizing when the switch is on and I'm recording. Latest firmware.

My Panasonic 12-35mm is clearly stabilizing when the switch is on and I'm recording. Latest firmware.

Yes, same here -- the switch has to be on and you have to be recording in order to see any difference.

For OIS to work on a lens without a physical switch you'd need some way to activate OIS using a menu in camera (this is what the BMPCC 4K does, for example; you can choose to activate OIS in a menu, and that command only works for lenses without a physical OIS switch). Since there is no menu item for OIS in the original BMPCC, even when using the latest firmware, I don't see any way to activate OIS in your particular lens. You wouldn't want it turned on all the time the lens is mounted to the camera; that would be a worse option than having it turned off all the time! For example, when panning or tilting with a tripod, you should have OIS turned off otherwise you can see lags as the OIS tries to correct the movement. And OIS consumes more power so your battery will need to be recharged more frequently.

Thanks Uli and Brad for confirming that.

It was really unfortunate. I really like the lens for this particular camera. Its size, range and style and concept matches well with the camera. A truly pocket combo.

I have just briefly compared it with a manual lens. It appears to me there might be some stabilization with panny zoom.

I think i can live with not being able to turned off. This camera will be used mostly as travel camera, not likely i will put it on a tripod and pan.

thanks

I've been tempted to get the OG pocket cinema camera for my gimbal. I want a light weight setup, and I've been using a Ronin SC and a Sony APS-C camera.

My worry is the low light capabilities. I shoot events, and I'm addicted to dual ISO from my Pocket 4Ks for times when I can't set up lights.

My plan from a few years ago was to wait for an updated Micro Cinema camera to put on a lightweight gimbal, but I'm not sure if that is even going to be a future product.

Can anyone who has used the original Pocket Cinema camera as a gimbal camera share their experiences, or link a video that helped you figure out a workable setup?

My worry is the low light capabilities. I shoot events, and I'm addicted to dual ISO from my Pocket 4Ks for times when I can't set up lights.

Let's just say this camera has no low light capabilities. That tiny Super-16 sensor needs a lot of light, otherwise you're going to have to deal with noise and plenty of it. A fast lens helps, but only so much.

No experience with it but I’m leaning towards the moza aircross 2. The power output is listed as 7.8v which is enough to power the original pocket, won’t charge internal battery but will power the camera fine. I usually don’t even run my cameras with the internal battery anymore as it’s much less hassle, the little battery runs for such a short time.

I’m oldschool and currently us a sreadicam Merlin, which works pretty great. A Sony npf plate on top of the camera adds too the inertial mass and makes balancing easier, the move to a gimbal is mainly for follow focus and the ability to rig a monitor, also being able to stabilize on longer lenses is a bonus as traditional steadicam types only really work wide.

No experience with it but I’m leaning towards the moza aircross 2. The power output is listed as 7.8v which is enough to power the original pocket, won’t charge internal battery but will power the camera fine. I usually don’t even run my cameras with the internal battery anymore as it’s much less hassle, the little battery runs for such a short time.

the Original Pocket's DC input is very flimsy and unreliable. It wiggles and turns off the camera if there is no internal battery. The camera also runs very hot with internal battery. A better solution might be a dummy. I don't have one and don't whether that will run hot as well. You will have to drill a hole in in the bat door to have the wire out.

the Original Pocket's DC input is very flimsy and unreliable. It wiggles and turns off the camera if there is no internal battery. The camera also runs very hot with internal battery. A better solution might be a dummy. I don't have one and don't whether that will run hot as well. You will have to drill a hole in in the bat door to have the wire out.[/quote]

I use a cage that locks the DC cable into place and have never had issues with interruptions.

For those who are interested: The OIS was added to lenses without a physical switch in 2014 Firmware V1.8.