Darryl Gregory wrote:...I'm not 100% sure of BMD's promise to deliver, as we all know they lack a serious & trusting relationship with us, But with that said they have delivered, just way off the mark.
Only future firmware will allow me to trust BMD as a camera manufacturer, Because if they release a version 2 with all the bells and whistles at NAB 2014 before we get a proper camera in version one, and are left trying to sell an obsolete camera I'm out forever, Nothing more to say.
Will be a big step if the BMPCC ships on schedule with the BMPC4K following shortly afterwards. However the firmware updates are crucial since we know that raw may wait a firmware update. As for being obsolete after NAB2014 announcements, BMD has said they plan to have essentially the same firmware applied to all of their existing and currently announced cameras within the limitations of the camera hardware. I expect that will apply even in 2014; whenever a new capability is implemented in firmware on a new camera or updated version of their current cameras, I wager they will also apply it to the older cameras within the limits of the older hardware.
You know the older cameras will still function, but inevitably they will be replaced. It seems other manufacturers update their physical cameras at least every year or two and rarely update a camera's firmware let alone release new firmware for older cameras. Of course there are exceptions, let us hope BMD are one of the exceptions that keep value in their older cameras within the limits of the camera's ability. In the end though, it is people, including you presumably, who will rarely use their older cameras when newer and more capable cameras become available regardless of their firmware, who will no longer see a purpose in using older cameras and hence making them obsolete.
If BMD stays the course in their minimalist camera design, their cameras may tend to last longer than a camera with a dozen buttons to push being obsoleted by a camera with two dozen buttons. I can still use my manual fifty year old Nikon F film camera because it can be as capable today as it was fifty years ago and will continue to be so until film dies. Today's digital cinema cameras will function until you can no longer find computers and peripherals that accept its Thunderbolt, SATA, and SDI connections. And that could happen within ten years with the first generation Thunderbolt or SATA possibly the first to be replaced by something better and not fully backward compatible. Interfaces are the Achilles heel of digital technology, not the firmware. My current iMac supports Firewire but soon no Mac will and then my tape Canon HV20 will be a museum piece in less than ten years from its release. Thankfully before then, I'll have replaced it with a BMD camera and use it for another five to ten years.
Rick Lang
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