FredP wrote:One more thing to look out for is shooting at 24 and then importing into a project that's is set to 23.98. This is guaranteed to make playback of moving footage look terrible. It's easy to think that 23.98 and 24 are the same, but they're not. Since there is no such thing as a partial frame, the computer will be forced to show some frames more than once, or skip some to maintain sync between the two rates. I have seen people go mad wondering why things look jerky, only to discover a discrepancy between the footage frame rate and the project frame rate.
As for the BMCC, no, it doesn't introduce motion problems during pans. 24P looks the way it does whether digital or 35mm film. When I used to shoot with Panavision film cameras, strobing was a potential issue that sometimes showed up still does with digital. Also, nothing shows flaws in an operator's skills like a slow pan across a static scene. There is nothing to hide your inconsistency. There's a reason camera operator is typically a separate, full time job on professional film crews.
If you don't like the smoothness of your pans, shooting with a Red or Alexa will look the same. The only advantage they have will be more mass, which will smooth your pans a bit.
It is an interesting observation. I have read a few people on this post say Alexa and RED will look the same. However, I received some contradictory opinions for that observation from a DP friend of mine who uses RED Scarlett on a regular basis. When I experienced this juddering phenomenon, I contacted him and asked him to have a go and tell me if it's just me or if the camera does in fact introduce a little more judder than normal. He tried it out for a little while and commented that comparing the BMCC to the RED Scarlett on the same settings, the Scarlett produced a noticeably smoother pan. He was in fact surprised at how much judder there was in comparison.
I guess there are many factors to consider. At the end of the day with 25p, you will always have judder but it looks like the amount of it depends on the camera, your technique and style you want.