Introducing Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera

Yeh that would be the case if they didn't say that the footage would be available by the end of NAB.

I don't recall anything official about that. Care to link it? I've seen nothing about when footage will be available apart from a mention by JB that the camera isn't finished enough to give footage that is representative of the final state of the camera.

Hm I too recall that somewhere/sometime somebody from BM said by end of NAB we would see footage. Was it perhaps in one of the interviews? (by Marco Solorio or somebody else)

But I immediately thought that it would be a "usual BM rough estimate"

Darkfable, I think you're over reacting a tad. It's a camera, this is not life or death. The camera is still several months away from being available. John Brawley has said that there will be Pocket Camera footage soon. Can you occupy yourself for the time-being?

Hello all!

I'm coming from the world (somewhat a noob still) of the 5D3 for video. I have started a decent collection of cannon glass with plans to expand that coming up.

I'm quite excited about the BM Pocket Cinema Camera as most of your are here too. I'm trying to research...and seeing right off to bat, that I'll need to get some sort of MFT wide lens. I'd been looking at the panny 7-14mm (which would be roughly equivalent to FF EF lens of about 21 - 42mm. Right now, I'm shooting mostly a one man cooking show, so guessing that would be good to start.

I'm excited about this BMPC having a powered MFT mount, rather than the apparent non-powered variant of the original BMCC...I'm wondering, will this with an adaptor, work the iris of the Canon lenses I have? With video, I'm doing manual focusing, but that iris change is imporant.

That leads me a bit more to what I'm not seeing many answers too (I know, camera hasn't even been released yet), with regards to adapters!!

What's ya'lls take on what adapters will be out there for the EF mount lenses? I'd very much, of course, like to use what glass I currently have in inventory.

I'm also not knowledgeable about MFT lenses...and some have been talking about c-mount lenses (will this fit MFT or is there an adaptor required for this too?)

I'd only really heard about MFT mounts with respect to this camera and reading about the MFT version to come of the BMCC..so, I have no idea about these lenses, but there are those that keep saying that MFT is so versatile and with adapters, you can find tons of lenses, many very GOOD ones at reasonable prices.

Trouble is, to a noob...I've not found much info on adapters or what lenses would likely be the best to mate with this new BMPC.

Can someone give some insight about what is projected for:
1. Canon EF lenses, working with some adapter? What adapter? What will work with the powered MFT of the new BMPC?

2. What other adapters are out there, or likely to be out there?

3. What would be some good lenses to plan for? I hear many say you could find cheaper, old lenses out on the market (ebay maybe) and with adapters, would prove GREAT for video. What would example of these be?

Thanks in advance,

I'm not likely to pre-order...I'm still paying off the last round of my L lens gifts to self last xmas, but I am very much into trying to gather info and plan my next video $$'s. I'd LOVE to have this as a 2nd camera to my 5D3 to set up some good shots...and I'm teaching myself to work with Davinci Resolve Lite, and well, with the greater DR of this new BMPC, I'd finally have some real range to work with as that there isn't much to work with from the 5D3, even with a very flat setting.

Thanks in advance,

cayenne

Hm I too recall that somewhere/sometime somebody from BM said by end of NAB we would see footage. Was it perhaps in one of the interviews? (by Marco Solorio or somebody else)

But I immediately thought that it would be a "usual BM rough estimate"

That was me on Twitter. I had hoped to release footage, but we keep finding little things that mean it's not ideal to release what we have. Again, totally normal stuff when you're shaking out a new camera, like with the original BMCC. So every time things get tweaked a little better, it means you have to go out and TEST the camera some more and also then shoot more demo style footage. These things take time. We should have some footage everyone is happy to release soon.

jb

That was me on Twitter. I had hoped to release footage, but we keep finding little things that mean it's not ideal to release what we have. Again, totally normal stuff when you're shaking out a new camera, like with the original BMCC.

So we should avoid shaking our cameras when we get them, eh?

Though my excitement about getting my MFT BMCC hasn't waned, I'm actually even more excited about the Pocket camera. In spite of the suspense, we appreciate the fact that you're putting in a lot of time and effort to help BMD shake the bugs out.

... Can someone give some insight about what is projected for:
1. Canon EF lenses, working with some adapter? What adapter? What will work with the powered MFT of the new BMPC?

2. What other adapters are out there, or likely to be out there?

3. What would be some good lenses to plan for? I hear many say you could find cheaper, old lenses out on the market (ebay maybe) and with adapters, would prove GREAT for video. What would example of these be? ...

The active Micro Four Thirds lens mount on the BMPCC will be compatible with an enormous number of lenses, both "native" MFT lenses designed for the MFT format, and also non-MFT lenses mounted via 3rd party adapters. There are hundreds of each type available. Most work fine together, but there can be exceptions.

A good place to start your research is in the "GH Hardware, Lenses, etc." section of the "Panasonic GH Cameras" sub-forum on DVXuser.com . That forum is dedicated to the popular Panasonic GH family of cameras (the GH3 being the latest), all of which have a MFT lens mount.

Because the BMPCC won't be shipping for >3 months yet, it may be a while before a reliable list of lenses, adapters and other accessories is put together. Use the MFT info on DVXuser.com as a starting point, and also MFT product info on dealer websites such as bhphotovideo.com and others.

And, of course, check here often on BMD's own forum, and also on John Brawley's blog:
http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... e-orginal/

I recommend against buying lenses and other accessories for a brand new model camera until you have the camera in your hand, or unless you buy the cam & accessories all at the same time from a dealer who allows incompatible items to be returned with a full refund.

That was me on Twitter. I had hoped to release footage, but we keep finding little things that mean it's not ideal to release what we have. Again, totally normal stuff when you're shaking out a new camera, like with the original BMCC. So every time things get tweaked a little better, it means you have to go out and TEST the camera some more and also then shoot more demo style footage. These things take time. We should have some footage everyone is happy to release soon.

Ah ok sorry, then I stand corrected and it wasn't an "official" BM quote - thanks John!
Of course totally understandable @ little things. You wouldn't want to release and sub-par footage at this point.
Btw will we ever get some (at least "inofficial") info on which Sensor this is? As I guess it's not totally custom made for BM it shouldn't be so important to keep it a secret. (hey can't blame me for trying)

Btw will we ever get some (at least "inofficial") info on which Sensor this is? As I guess it's not totally custom made for BM it shouldn't be so important to keep it a secret. (hey can't blame me for trying)

They'll never confirm it.

And even an off the shelf sensor still has to be *customised*. That's what gives the BMCC it's *look*

It's not really as simple as sourcing a sesnor and whacking it into a metal box.

jb

And even an off the shelf sensor still has to be *customised*. That's what gives the BMCC it's *look*

It's not really as simple as sourcing a sesnor and whacking it into a metal box.

Of course, and I know that from my own experience. But most part of the "look" comes from the sensor itself, another big part of course the signal processing afterwards and the way the data is read, the "color science" that goes into the DNGs or the internal processing before compression in case of Prores etc - no doubt about that! (and that BM are doing great work on that front, that's why I "love" my BMC)

I've read a lot of interesting comments regarding the use of wide-angle lenses for this camera but the thought of putting a Lumix 100-300mm on it would give a top end equivalent of 900mm.

Can anyone foresee any issues with this focal length?

... Can someone give some insight about what is projected for:
1. Canon EF lenses, working with some adapter? What adapter? What will work with the powered MFT of the new BMPC?

2. What other adapters are out there, or likely to be out there?

3. What would be some good lenses to plan for? I hear many say you could find cheaper, old lenses out on the market (ebay maybe) and with adapters, would prove GREAT for video. What would example of these be? ...

The active Micro Four Thirds lens mount on the BMPCC will be compatible with an enormous number of lenses, both "native" MFT lenses designed for the MFT format, and also non-MFT lenses mounted via 3rd party adapters. There are hundreds of each type available. Most work fine together, but there can be exceptions.

A good place to start your research is in the "GH Hardware, Lenses, etc." section of the "Panasonic GH Cameras" sub-forum on DVXuser.com . That forum is dedicated to the popular Panasonic GH family of cameras (the GH3 being the latest), all of which have a MFT lens mount.

Because the BMPCC won't be shipping for >3 months yet, it may be a while before a reliable list of lenses, adapters and other accessories is put together. Use the MFT info on DVXuser.com as a starting point, and also MFT product info on dealer websites such as bhphotovideo.com and others.

And, of course, check here often on BMD's own forum, and also on John Brawley's blog:
http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... e-orginal/

I recommend against buying lenses and other accessories for a brand new model camera until you have the camera in your hand, or unless you buy the cam & accessories all at the same time from a dealer who allows incompatible items to be returned with a full refund.

Thank you for the links and the excellent reply!


Right now, I'm just starting research, and I'm not generally the type to test the waters with new to the market tech with both feet.

I'll definitely wait till they get in the hands of the true early adopters, and all...and read up on what they have to say what works with what.

I couldn't, tho...buy the camera and not have at least ONE lens so I could play with it right out of the box...haha.

So, I'll see what actually is shown to work well before buying.

However, maybe a simple question would be worth asking here of everyone that is looking to buy one of these.

What will be YOUR first lens when you buy the BM Pocket Cinema Camera?

cayenne

I've read a lot of interesting comments regarding the use of wide-angle lenses for this camera but the thought of putting a Lumix 100-300mm on it would give a top end equivalent of 900mm.

Can anyone foresee any issues with this focal length?

I have the 100-300 and used it using the center-crop ("extended tele zoom") of the GH2.
(close ups of a talk from the very last row of a real giant lecture hall)
The stabilisation is good but you really have to clamp it down or hold it firmly pressed against something at this focal length.

First lens I'd get? I already have lots of mFT glass but I guess of the ones I have it would be the Voightländer 25mm f0.95 (super low light) or the PanLeica 25mm f1.4 (super sharp even wide open).
Or for handheld the Panasonic 14mm.
For artistic style maybe the Canon FD 50mm S.S.C. in f1.4 or f1.2 .
For the extreme low light, wait for the fully electronic version of the upcoming SpeedBooster and get f1.2 Canon glass.

I've read a lot of interesting comments regarding the use of wide-angle lenses for this camera but the thought of putting a Lumix 100-300mm on it would give a top end equivalent of 900mm.

Can anyone foresee any issues with this focal length?

better have a tripod lol

John Brawley has posted first BMPCC 1080p sample footage on his blog. Read his blog post for details:
http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... ur-pocket/


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John Brawley has posted first BMPCC 1080p sample footage on his blog. Read his blog post for details:
http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... ur-pocket/


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Looks pretty good. The loss in effective resolution from the 2.5K->1080p scaling of the BMCC is noticeable, but the footage still looks great, certainly much better than anything from a DSLR. I think we'll have to see some graded RAW footage before we'll know whether the image quality truly holds up to the BMCC though.

John Brawley has posted first BMPCC 1080p sample footage on his blog. Read his blog post for details:
http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... ur-pocket/


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Thank you, good sir.

Footage looks awesome.

John Brawley has posted first BMPCC 1080p sample footage on his blog. Read his blog post for details:
http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... ur-pocket/


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Looks pretty good. The loss in effective resolution from the 2.5K->1080p scaling of the BMCC is noticeable, but the footage still looks great, certainly much better than anything from a DSLR. I think we'll have to see some graded RAW footage before we'll know whether the image quality truly holds up to the BMCC though.

yes i really love noticing all the highlights that are retained whereas a DSLR would have blown them out. DR FTW!

Is anyone else seeing "Sorry this video will be available for viewing shortly" on http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/footage-in-your-pocket/ ?

Is anyone else seeing "Sorry this video will be available for viewing shortly" on http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/footage-in-your-pocket/ ?

nope. i can view it. try the direct link

Is anyone else seeing "Sorry this video will be available for viewing shortly" on http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/footage-in-your-pocket/ ?

Should be fine now, had that issue once when trying to post a comment, all clear now.

I recommend against buying lenses and other accessories for a brand new model camera until you have the camera in your hand, or unless you buy the cam & accessories all at the same time from a dealer who allows incompatible items to be returned with a full refund.

Unless you're buying manual lenses and checked focal lengths...

I'm looking at the SLR Magic 14mm and the Voigtlander 25mm to start. No way full manual lenses won't work on these cameras.

John Brawley has posted first BMPCC 1080p sample footage on his blog. Read his blog post for details:
http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... ur-pocket/


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Nice! Thanks Peter for posting.

And Thanks John for Shooting, (if you're out there) you've been a great friend to this whole process!

John Brawley has posted first BMPCC 1080p sample footage on his blog. Read his blog post for details:
http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... ur-pocket/


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Nice! Thanks Peter for posting.

And Thanks John for Shooting, (if you're out there) you've been a great friend to this whole process!

+1

Nice! Thanks Peter for posting.

And Thanks John for Shooting, (if you're out there) you've been a great friend to this whole process!

Cheers jo

jb

Vimeo doesn't seem to work on Android. (Firefox)
Only the sound starts but no video and pausing produces "oops, there was a error.

worked on the desktop later.
Any idea what f-stop this was shot at? (So I can get a feeling what still works handheld with peaking.)

Thanks John. Interesting image.
You know when we see something of his sister 4K?

Gracias John. Imagenes muy interesantes.
¿Sabes cuando podemos ver algo de su hermana 4K?

Vimeo doesn't seem to work on Android. (Firefox)
Only the sound starts but no video and pausing produces "oops, there was a error.

worked on the desktop later.
Any idea what f-stop this was shot at? (So I can get a feeling what still works handheld with peaking.)

From memory between F2.8 and F8.....more at the F8 end....

jb

Thanks John. Interesting image.
You know when we see something of his sister 4K?

Gracias John. Imagenes muy interesantes.
¿Sabes cuando podemos ver algo de su hermana 4K?

Soon.



jb

Thanks John. Interesting image.
You know when we see something of his sister 4K?

Gracias John. Imagenes muy interesantes.
¿Sabes cuando podemos ver algo de su hermana 4K?

Soon.



jb

Always the tease....

Funny.. and true!

BMPC s16.jpg (52.27 KiB) Viewed 14485 times

Funny.. and true!

BMPC s16.jpg

I think it's supposed to be a reference to the sensor being the same (actually a touch smaller than) an S16 film frame. Do people think it's ACTUALLY an S16 digital camera?

Funny.. and true!

Yeah and people talk about FULL FRAME for cinema when it's not even the right aspect ratio to calculate a crop factor from.

It's the same size as a 1.78 extraction of a super 16 frame size. I think everyone understands what that means.

jb

So, I am almost sold, but I would like to know some ideal lenes using an adapter. In other words, what is the potential type of lens that could effectively be used on this sharp little camera. If you choose to reply, please be specific with your example lens/adapter "scenario". Thanks.

With all the glass available for M4/3 I'd be looking at the native lenses before going the adapter route. Check out the 20mm 1.7 from Panasonic (examples below have no in-camera lens correction):

http://robinwong.blogspot.com/2011/11/p ... -lens.html

Looks like the perfect complement to the BMPCC for an all-round lens !

Ugh, I can't believe you CANNOT record in Pro Res LT!!! Please make this possible in a firmware update. Pro Res LT is almost half the file size of HQ. Thank you.

Ugh, I can't believe you CANNOT record in Pro Res LT!!! Please make this possible in a firmware update. Pro Res LT is almost half the file size of HQ. Thank you.

The whole idea of BMD's Cinema Cameras is to get away from overly-compressed video. 1080p 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes HQ, at up to 220 megabits/sec., uses about 64GB for about 42-min. of SD recording media (or about 128GB for 85-min.)

1080p 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes LT would about double the recording time for the same media storage requirements, but there'd be more compression artifacts.

I'm not saying the BMPCC should never or will never feature ProRes LT support, but in a way it's counter to the point of the BMD camera product line.

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Ugh, I can't believe you CANNOT record in Pro Res LT!!! Please make this possible in a firmware update. Pro Res LT is almost half the file size of HQ. Thank you.

i also wish to have more choice of ProRes for different user, ProRes, ProRes LT, ProRes Proxy. Some people like less compression, some people more care about storage space.

While most of the time I'll do short, staged or improvised scenes I do hope to use this camera to capture stunning imagery of stage events (where the 13 stops DR should be great).
I would not care about storage space... if I could swap SD cards more often then every hour or so during the breaks.

Me personally, I don't mind the 40min to a 64GB SD as I can get them for peanuts (perks of being an IT guy) and it's not so bad as I'm coming from an XL2, so 60mins of SD to a tape. I can deal with this. The battery is the killer for me, I'll just need a heap of spare batteries.

Though obviously you can't please everyone. Perhaps it may be a better idea for those who care more for storage to get larger SD cards.

given how cheap these Nikon batteries and chargers are, a heap of them is actually an option.

Or use large 10.000mAh USB battery packs that have a separate 9V/12V output.
I'm using such one to power my current camera with 9V and also the Zoom H4N with 5V.
given that it charges the internal battery, you can switch external battery packs without interrupting the recording.
(just stay silent)

Best bet is get the Lanparte Battery pinch ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lanparte-V-moun ... 564f37ebf7 $220 Approximately, then get the SWIT Pro Video Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, V-Lock Mount, 190WH This is more than double almost 3 times the Working hours of the switronix PB70 http://www.adorama.com/SWTS8160S.html

Hi, Christine! I'd like to know why the reseller where I pre-ordered the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera gave me a date by april 27th (obviously out now) as given by BMD for shipping the product to them. If BMD has officially said that they release the camera by july 2013, How can a reseller say that BMD gave them an estimated shipping date so earlier? Thanks for your help.

Hi, Christine! I'd like to know why the reseller where I pre-ordered the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera gave me a date by april 27th (obviously out now) as given by BMD for shipping the product to them. If BMD has officially said that they release the camera by july 2013, How can a reseller say that BMD gave them an estimated shipping date so earlier? Thanks for your help.

Perhaps there was a miscommunication about which camera you were talking about? It's possible that they were expecting a shipment of EF Cinema Cameras at that time. The Pocket Cinema Camera was definitely not shipped on April 27.

Hi, Christine! I'd like to know why the reseller where I pre-ordered the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera gave me a date by april 27th (obviously out now) as given by BMD for shipping the product to them. If BMD has officially said that they release the camera by july 2013, How can a reseller say that BMD gave them an estimated shipping date so earlier? Thanks for your help.

Perhaps there was a miscommunication about which camera you were talking about? It's possible that they were expecting a shipment of EF Cinema Cameras at that time. The Pocket Cinema Camera was definitely not shipped on April 27.

Thanks, Christine. I just have to say that they understood clearly that we were talking about the BMPCC once the BMCC has a different SKU code. Not only that, but during the last week we hace made a long interchange of emails because I wanted to be sure that this was the date provided. Nevertheless, I'll appreciate if you assure me that there is no possibility of shipment before july. Thanks!

"Nevertheless, I'll appreciate if you assure me that there is no possibility of shipment before july. Thanks!"

Interesting, now we have people insisting that the product NOT be shipped . . . Go figure?

Thanks, Christine. I just have to say that they understood clearly that we were talking about the BMPCC once the BMCC has a different SKU code. Not only that, but during the last week we hace made a long interchange of emails because I wanted to be sure that this was the date provided. Nevertheless, I'll appreciate if you assure me that there is no possibility of shipment before july. Thanks!

Hmm, then perhaps the miscommunication was with your reseller and our distributor. It's highly unlikely that the camera will ship before July, and it's impossible that the camera will ship in April.

Thanks, Christine. I just have to say that they understood clearly that we were talking about the BMPCC once the BMCC has a different SKU code. Not only that, but during the last week we hace made a long interchange of emails because I wanted to be sure that this was the date provided. Nevertheless, I'll appreciate if you assure me that there is no possibility of shipment before july. Thanks!

Hmm, then perhaps the miscommunication was with your reseller and our distributor. It's highly unlikely that the camera will ship before July, and it's impossible that the camera will ship in April.

Must. Resist. Temptation. To. Screw it! You mean "it's impossible that the camera will ship THIS YEAR!" Sorry had to be done.

Must. Resist. Temptation. To. Screw it! You mean "it's impossible that the camera will ship THIS YEAR!" Sorry had to be done.

So, "spike", how much will you pay each of us if the camera ships before Dec. 31, 2013?

Wait, did I just inadvertently promise (again) to eat one of Marc Hood's shoes if the camera doesn't ship until after New Years Day 2014? Oops!

P.S.: Which camera are we talking about now, I'm losing track ...



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"Nevertheless, I'll appreciate if you assure me that there is no possibility of shipment before july. Thanks!"

Interesting, now we have people insisting that the product NOT be shipped . . . Go figure?

HAHAHAAHAHAHAA, Funny @dregenthal ... The fact is that's better to get an official statement from BMD than paying attention to the sales strategies of resellers, don't think so? Unless one wished to have a useless credit card for months while waiting for Santa Claus!

I've read through all 25 pages of this thread so far and have been searching through other sites and forums as well, but haven't yet been able to answer this question definitively:

Can anyone provide specific details about how the audio works in the pocket camera?

It would be stellar if more precise language could be used in the marketing materials. We've got all manners of specificity where the optics and video codecs are concerned, but there's no mention of what happens to the audio going through that external jack on its way to the storage card. I would love to know more!

Perhaps most people are just jumping to the conclusion that given it's "mirrorless" form factor and DSLR competitive price range, that we'll all be shooting with the pocket camera using sync sound and an external Zoom or Tascam (with the camera audio just a lossy compressed backup that will primarily be used for timecode purposes by Final Cut or Plural Eyes). I don't want to jump to that conclusion though, I'd like to know for sure.

There's no point in complaining if the camera forces AC3 or something similar like most similarly priced cameras do, that's not my intention and I'm super excited about this thing...but what if, just imagine, Blackmagic allowed this little gadget to record uncompressed LPCM? If that were possible, this could become the ultimate "stealth" run-and-gun camera for documentarians.

"Nevertheless, I'll appreciate if you assure me that there is no possibility of shipment before july. Thanks!"

Interesting, now we have people insisting that the product NOT be shipped . . . Go figure?

HAHAHAAHAHAHAA, Funny @dregenthal ... The fact is that's better to get an official statement from BMD than paying attention to the sales strategies of resellers, don't think so? Unless one wished to have a useless credit card for months while waiting for Santa Claus!

Indeed, you caught me . . . trying to inject a little humor into the thread . . .

It's either that or amuse ourselves by looking up "troll" in Wiki (I suspect we'd find Spike's picture right under the heading), muh-ha ha ha ha!