The 10 year milestone....

It was about 10 years ago that Blackmagic truly shocked all by announcing that they had made a cinema camera.

Some thought it was a joke.

Some said it was a toy.

It was announced the first day of NAB in 2012. There were no leaks. It dropped on the floor of NAB like a bomb.

During my early tests when I took the camera out of the lab for testing, the camera was in an improvised disguise, making the whole thing look like a high school science project

At the time it's worth remembering that the Blackmagic Cinema Camera was the first ever camera to shoot both raw and ProRes internally at any price.

The fact that it was only 3K and used off the shelf media and included a full copy of Resolve was just crazy on top of crazy.

I wanted to share images with you. It's from the first ever shoot I did outside of the BMD lab, with a real actor in a real environment. At the time, the camera was actually a sensor on a circuit board, running software and capture to a laptop. At the time I couldn't really frame or focus the image because there was no live view of what the camera could see. This was just an engineering test for the team to have some images that they could start to work with. It was a little bit of a test of dynamic range too considering the window.

It's been an honour to have been a part of this story, to have contributed a little and been along for the ride. I'm proud for my friends at Blackmagic who have truly made it possible for anyone of modest means to create very high quality images.

They’ve learned so much about making images in the last 10 years and so have I. I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years bring. Congrats to BMD and especially to the unknown camera team, many of whom are still working at BMD on this milestone and anniversary.

JB

bathroom_chart_frame0127.jpg (752.82 KiB) Viewed 2780 times

Amazing! I didn’t realize it was the 10 year anniversary. Thanks for sharing the photo and the story. It is really incredible what the blackmagic team have been able to do. Because people don’t realize that making cameras is really hard, and especially making cameras that give a filmic cinematic look with high dynamic range, and blackmagic nailed it right from the start. I love my blackmagic cameras and they’ve help me make a bunch of dough over the years. Cheers to blackmagic for making some of the best tools in the industry and the second best color science in cinema cameras behind Alexa which is truly a feat considering an Alexa is sixty times the price of Pocket 6K. Can’t wait to see what new cameras they introduce in the future.

Thanks John, we don't hear enough about the behind the scenes stuff from BMD. Quite a remarkable story.

Steve.

Fantastic history JB and glad you were are a part of it!

That first camera was unique in its physical appearance including a large monitor on the back. The images are still compelling. And then came the Pocket camera with lower resolution but also delivered a beautiful image from such a small package that also included the large monitor on the back. Although I didn’t purchase either camera, the images those cameras produced kept me enchanted as I resisted a sale until the irresistible seduction of the URSA Mini 4.6K a few years later which I have treasured since my first wedding shoot July 2016.

Good heavens, 10 years.
It has been a fun ride, so far.

I have waited every year for NAB to see what BMD would come up with, never been disappointed.
Remember that July thing? It became a bit of a running joke.

10 Years? WOW!

I am looking forward to the next presentation by Grant Petty, when he introduces a new product with a big smile and an excitement because he is looking forward to see what we will create with BMDs latest toys.

My BMCC from early 2013 does still work.

Happy 10 Year Anniversary!

Amazing! Wonderful work from the entire Blackmagic Design Team.

And, John, fantastic work on testing all the cameras. You’ve done a brilliant job.

Keep up the great work! And, I can’t wait till the next Blackmagic Camera is released to see what they have cooked up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Grant Petty and the new BMCC at NAB 2012

NAB 2012 fdtimes crop.jpg (107.48 KiB) Viewed 2480 times

BMCC at Sydney Harbour Bridge 2012

bmcc sydney harbour bridge.jpeg (189.95 KiB) Viewed 2480 times

BMCC at Apple WWDC 2012

BMCC WWDC 1.jpg (88.37 KiB) Viewed 2480 times

BMCC at NAB 2012

bmcc nab 2012.jpg (194.67 KiB) Viewed 2475 times

Casey the Pool Shark 2012

casey the pool shark 2012.jpg (551.43 KiB) Viewed 2475 times

Leah BMCC 2012

leah_1-20-2 cmp.jpg (417.54 KiB) Viewed 2473 times

Congrats, Blackmagic really did democratize filmmaking. I can honestly say their cameras changed the trajectory of my career: the fact that I could save up for a Pocket 4K as a law student and semi-bluff my way into larger productions with a camera that produced high end image quality is the reason I now work as a cameraman instead of as a competition lawyer

Indeed a milestone, JB.
Hoping another bomb will drop on the 10th Anniversary.
And JB, you must have tested that bomb too!

Surely JB has had time with whatever is coming. Ooh I couldn't contain the excitement hey! Geez it's gotta be hard!

It's been an honour to have been a part of this story, to have contributed a little and been along for the ride. I'm proud for my friends at Blackmagic who have truly made it possible for anyone of modest means to create very high quality images.

You are Blackmagic's Ken Miles!

If you're in Philly there is a beer waiting for you. Congratulations to the team, waiting for the next release.

The Original BRAWLER

IMG_0736.jpg (776.29 KiB) Viewed 2277 times

Not gonna lie, I have a hefty sum of money waiting for a new camera purchase….

Not gonna lie, I have a hefty sum of money waiting for a new camera purchase….

I have room on my credit cards. So I’m ready. Otherwise I’m investing in more lighting gear.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It was about 10 years ago that Blackmagic truly shocked all by announcing that they had made a cinema camera.

Some thought it was a joke.

Some said it was a toy.

I purchased the BMCC 2.5K 4 months after its release but didn’t get it until April 2013. The the BMPCC OG came out and I also ordered it that April. It got to me October of 2013. It was the camera that turned my focus on narrative filmmaking till today. During those early times, I was ridiculed by some while others were amazed by the images I produced. It just got better from there on and everything else it gave me is now just history.

It's been an honour to have been a part of this story, to have contributed a little and been along for the ride. I'm proud for my friends at Blackmagic who have truly made it possible for anyone of modest means to create very high quality images.

I salute you mate. Thanks for helping them and helping everyone of us in this forum with your knowledge, thoughtfulness, and experience. Looking forward to the next ten years… I probably will be retired then.

Oh, during the early years, funny how we (or at least I) frankenrig the OG.

WP_20150820_001.jpg (1016.37 KiB) Viewed 2043 times

Blazing a trail ever since!

What a decade it has been! I remember myself 10 years ago; first year of high school and on my early journey to learning what it takes to make beautiful images and cinematography. I was on the cusp of a very big decision ( at the time ) what should my next camera be?... and as it was for many at the time; I was going to go the ways of the trusty Canon 5D MK3. That was until in my tireless research I stumbled across this review:


It blew my mind; that the images coming out of that camera could be so incredible and also so attainable to someone as young/eager to learn as myself.

These other two videos stand out to me with a sort of legendary status; as these also served to illustrate the incredible capabilities of this new camera:



Not so strange to think of it now, but no less true.. the release of this camera undeniably set me on the trajectory to where I am now today. Thank you Blackmagic and everyone along the way!

Cant wait to see what the future holds.

Not gonna lie, I have a hefty sum of money waiting for a new camera purchase….

Same here as I am itching to get my first cine camera so that I can say goodbye to mirrorless.

Might need to wake up very early in the morning to see what has been announced!! I can't wait!!!

Remember that NAB jaw-dropping announcement. The booth was electric with excitement.
Ended up purchasing and still occasionally use this original for it's picture. Wished it could have BRAW as CDNG is comparatively extra work. But what a picture!

That cam sold me on Blackmagic's family of products.
Resolve, Original Pocket, Ursa 4.6, Pocket 4k, Pocket 6k Pro, ATEM Mini Pro, multiple converters-interfaces-I/O's. All started from the 2.5 and included Studio Resolve.

Congrats Blackmagic. Like everyone here, cannot wait to see what innovations await.

10 yrs? Seems like it was longer than that because of all that has come after that anniversary.

JB - any chance you have a pic of that circuit board/sensor Frankenstein laying about?

Remember that NAB jaw-dropping announcement. The booth was electric with excitement.
Ended up purchasing and still occasionally use this original for it's picture. Wished it could have BRAW as CDNG is comparatively extra work. But what a picture!

Luckily CDNG is much easier to work with nowadays. I've just recently reworked some CDNG footage I shot on the BMCC in 2013. Back then I did this in After Effects via Adobe RAW importer and processing of the clips took a loooong time, now on the latest hardware and in DVR17 it just flies through the shots. So much easier now to get the look right. The shots are holding up very well to today's standards.

Remember that NAB jaw-dropping announcement. The booth was electric with excitement.
Ended up purchasing and still occasionally use this original for it's picture. Wished it could have BRAW as CDNG is comparatively extra work. But what a picture!

Luckily CDNG is much easier to work with nowadays. I've just recently reworked some CDNG footage I shot on the BMCC in 2013. Back then I did this in After Effects via Adobe RAW importer and processing of the clips took a loooong time, now on the latest hardware and in DVR17 it just flies through the shots. So much easier now to get the look right. The shots are holding up very well to today's standards.

Thanks Robert. Will check that out. Good to know as I have shied away from old CDNG footage and using the original Cinema and Pocket cams because of it.

I don't think it is hyperbole at all to say that Blackmagic completely changed the game with the BMCC release and continues to push the industry forward in ways that benefit all of us. I still have my BMCC and still find the footage from it holds up very well. A big thank you to everyone involved with the Blackmagic design team for all that they do!

Still rocking my 2.5K EF. What a special image!