First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Lens

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robedge

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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostSun Apr 05, 2020 4:19 am

Some comments on the recording discussed in the above post, now that I’ve opened it in iZotope RX and had a listen...

Omnidirectional mikes are clearly the way to go with this. The sound field is very large, people at their apartment windows, people on the sidewalk, people well to the left and right of the mike setup shown in the photos above.

I used the conventional AB spacing for the mikes, which is 40cm/16”. I’m quite happy with the stereo field. I’ll try 60cm/24” tomorrow. That opens the possibility of a hole in the centre, but that may not be an issue given the size of the sound field. The only way to find out is to try it.

I’m also going to record at 192kHz because I think that there is potential down the road for using extensive processing to create a quite different sound experience with parts of this recording.

I now want to film this with the Pocket 4K. For an event that lasts less than three minutes and involves people who are well-spaced out, that’s tricky. Ideally, there’d be two or three camera operators, which is not realistic. When I record tomorrow night, I’ll look around more at what’s happening (tonight I was mostly listening) and focus on how I might film it.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostTue Apr 07, 2020 7:53 pm

Just wanted to report on my experience with the Miller CX6, Miller CX10, and Cartoni Focus 12. It was a really difficult task to compare performance because the differences, while not negligible, are also tough to quantify. I would have to essentially say that it's a wash in terms of performance once everything is set up right. There are situations in which the Miller might give some bounce back when the Cartoni does not and vice versa. I'd therefore like to instead focus on usability and ergonomics.

The first thing to note is that these two systems seem like they each incorporate complimentary features which do not make much sense in the absence of the other. The Miller has 16 discrete counterbalance settings, which only allow for a faster workflow if you can reliably place the payload each time, which is made more difficult than it needs to be due to the plate design. To be fair, it's not that difficult to eyeball a particular landmark in the plate's travel (e.g., the end of it lines up with X), but it seems an oversight not to include measurement markings on the body of the fluid head so that you can quickly and reliably place the plate each time, especially if you're working with somebody who doesn't know your gear. On the complimentary end of this equation, the Cartoni has continuous counter-balance controls but with discrete plate placement (with the Euro style plate at least), the latter of which is not that helpful unless you can quickly dial in balance settings. There are 16.5 turns of the counterbalance control in my observation with each turn consisting of 24 clicks of the dial. Much like placing the Miller plate, you can get close to where you might have had it previously for a different setup, but it is tedious to count out turning the counterbalance wheel and it will inevitably require some fine tuning once it's set. The positive that must be said of this is that you at least can fine tune.

One other thing that is notably present in one that the other does not have is a zero drag setting. Center of Gravity is much easier to establish on the Miller because you can set tilt drag to zero and get a much clearer sense of where the weight is overtop the fluid head. On the Cartoni, the minimum drag setting is comparatively substantial, so getting a clean center of gravity is tough to do, especially with a light camera. If there were angle notches so that you could see where +/-5 degrees is, for example, and compare how quickly the head fell to +/-90 degrees respectively, then it might be a bit easier to place the package at the center, but there aren't any such markings. Consequently, I found that my counterbalance was difficult to get correct. I would find after some time of using it under higher drag settings, that things just weren't right and I'd nudge the plate a bit forward or backward to compensate. This is really not ideal as it's just throwing more variables in to a process that should be minimizing variables as it progresses.

I also found through this testing that I prefer discrete drag settings. I do not need an analog control for this and, in fact, I think usability suffers due to the fact that getting even pan and tilt drag settings is harder than it needs to be. You just have to set it, try it, and then re set it. The Focus 12 also has a tedious pan drag control. It is not easy to manipulate and requires extensive rotation to move across its entire range.

To address the drag range of the heads, I would say that the CX10 with its 0-5 drag settings is a simple extension of the 0-3 drag settings on the CX6. That is, 3 is equal on both. 4 and 5 on the CX10 go beyond the drag of the CX6. The CX10 and the Focus 12 feel similar in their range of drag. The Cartoni tilt drag control turns 2.5 times and I found turning it once from minimum feels roughly equivalent to the 2 setting on the CX10 (1/2.5 = 2/5, so that makes some sense) and the pan drag control has 50 clicks and I found that clicking it 20 times feels equivalent to the 2 pan drag setting on the CX10 (again, 20/50 = 2/5).

On the Miller, both the pan and tilt lock levers are tightened in the reverse direction than is typical (you have to turn them counterclockwise to tighten). The tilt lock lever feels more like a knob, as it has what I would call an excessive range of travel. The pan lock lever feels more like a lever, but again, it's reverse. The Cartoni locking levers both function like levers in that you just need to move them a little bit to engage, however they are a bit small, made of plastic, and feel somewhat fragile. Having said this, the locks actually do their job better on the Miller. I can fairly easily pan and tilt with the locking levers engaged on the Cartoni.

Overall build quality I would say is about even. Though the Cartoni has more plastic on it than the Miller, it still feels very robust (aside from the locking levers). The camera platform is a good deal larger and has about double the travel of the sliding plate on the Miller. The Cartoni also has fewer clinking and clunking moving internal parts. On the CX10, I accidentally slipped drag settings into spots that were in-between discrete steps and it severely mars the performance. You might not notice this because things appear engaged, but a small extra push might be needed to get it fully engaged. This doesn't become obvious until you go to pan or tilt and there's a bunch of slop present that you might not expect. Easy to fix, but also easy to do by accident as the tilt drag and counterbalance controls are a bit difficult to manipulate.

What the Cartoni does have going on in terms of build is some off-putting "things reaching their limit" type concerns. I'll explain. When tightening down the the pan drag to its max, for example, I can hear a popping noise. I think it's an air bubble in the fluid getting compressed and popped, but the whole notion of continuous controls leads to this; the pan/tilt drag knobs, the counterbalance knob, and the tripod legs too (the tripod is Cartoni's Stabilo) all have controls where you tighten things down or loosen them up. It is hard to know where the end of the movement should be, as tightening them makes them progressively harder to manipulate anyway. Sometimes they are difficult to get unstuck from the end of their travel. I can state confidently that there is no way my girlfriend, for example, would be able to manipulate the Cartoni tripod legs or controls on the head if it was me who just tightened things down. The Miller's controls slide comparatively easily from one setting to the next and the Manfrotto 536 tripod I paired the CX10 with has lever locks that are much easier to use than the friction locks on the Cartoni Stabilo. I think this is going to be a matter of getting used to how things "stick" and not tightening them down quite as much as I might otherwise. The tripod legs in particular are a complete pain in the ass in this regard.

A comment on the mounting plates. I was able to slide Miller's mounting plate into a Manfrotto head, so that's nice. In order to mount my DSLR with the Miller, I had to remove one of the mounting screws on the mounting plate. On the Cartoni, while I only used one of the screws, I didn't need to remove the other one for there to be room enough to mount it to my 7D mark ii. I also think the Cartoni handled lighter loads better than the Miller, for one because the plate on the euro style head actually has considerably more travel than the sliding Miller plate does and the continuous counterbalance has a bunch of steps in between 0 and 1, which the Miller does not. The screws in the Miller plate are also recessed quite a bit, to the point that I couldn't get in there with a US quarter to adjust the screws. A penny worked though.

The pan bars are each a bit different. Neither are Manfrotto compatible (though in the case of the Miller, it's just the screw on the Miller being larger; the rosette is the right size). The Cartoni comes with a telescoping bar, the Miller's is not. The Miller's handle is made of a substantially thicker rubbery material than the Cartoni. It's certainly a nicer, slightly plusher feel, but it might not actually matter or buy you any performance, particularly when you consider that the more elastic materials there are interfacing between you and the camera movement, the more opportunity for elastic looking movement there is. Not noticeable in this case. I probably would not use a telescoping bar for the same reason. It introduces more elastic play and it also changes the balance of the package.

The one thing I'll comment on in terms of performance is that my Cartoni has more static friction than the Millers did. What I mean is that it takes more force to get started from a standstill, at least for pans. Using a rubber band to pull the pan bars sideways shows it stretching considerably more when pulling the Cartoni than the Millers. The Cartoni gets going with a bit of a start whereas it feels smoother on the Millers. I think this matters alot, but I think it could also be unique to my copy of the Focus 12. I previously used one that did not have that feeling to it.

On adapting the CX6 to a 100mm ball mount: I used the Miller 378 75mm to 100mm mount adapter that they provided with the loaner and found that it did not fit very well at all with the Manfrotto 536. It worked in that it kept the CX6 attached, but the adapter did not seat into the 100mm ball mount nicely (it was sitting lopsided) and it felt a bit janky. Perhaps Manfrotto's own 75mm adapter would be better here.

To sum up, I have to decide if I'm returning the Cartoni in favor of the Miller or not. I would perfectly happy with the Cartoni if it had a zero tilt drag setting. Not having this feels like active sabotage of its usability. It's real-deal continuous counterbalance feature is completely hamstrung by balance being difficult to gauge on it and I'm a bit mystified that this hasn't been obvious to those who have used this system in the past.

To further conclude, I'm settling up to the fact that fluid heads in this range do not perform as I would hope at telephoto focal lengths. Settling and rebound is noticeable on both the Miller and Cartoni. Perhaps it's different on an O'Connor :P
Last edited by philglaser on Fri May 22, 2020 8:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostTue Apr 07, 2020 9:50 pm

Great feedback.

Not having a zero tilt drag may just take a little different technique to find the best balance. You can set it where it appears to be horizontally balanced and then give it a little nudge in both directions. One of those nudges will be stronger than the other and you’ll know you’re not balanced. When it falls forward and backward with the same nudge, you’re in balance.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostWed Apr 08, 2020 12:09 am

rick.lang wrote:Great feedback.

Not having a zero tilt drag may just take a little different technique to find the best balance. You can set it where it appears to be horizontally balanced and then give it a little nudge in both directions. One of those nudges will be stronger than the other and you’ll know you’re not balanced. When it falls forward and backward with the same nudge, you’re in balance.


I think you're describing the same technique as you'd use to find balance on a system with no drag. The only difference with drag is that it's more difficult. If under a no-drag situation each millimeter off of COG translates to X acceleration on the head (visible as tilting up or down), then under a situation with drag that acceleration is X/(some drag coefficient) which means that the up or down tilting is much slower and harder to gauge. It's trying to find the difference between a slow tilt in one direction that took let's say 8 seconds to tip over and one in the other direction that took 10 seconds to do the same. It gets really difficult at a certain point because of this added to the fact that the payload can be off balance at 0 degrees tilt but not tip over due to drag. Then you have to start giving a little push in each direction to gauge which takes longer and the variables soon overwhelm a human's eyeballing precision.

The only difference I can see is that you just have less capacity to be accurate when there's no zero drag setting.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostWed Apr 08, 2020 4:50 am

You’re correct my method isn’t very accurate but it does give you a feel for it however the idea of timing movement is more precise. Once you think it’s in balance then you want to tilt up or down and see if it holds. I can be happy with horizontal balance but find it’s work to keep a position once you tilt the camera. That’s where the OConnor for example excels, gentle tilt and forget it it’s going to stay put.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostWed Apr 08, 2020 6:12 pm

Thanks to Phil for a great comparative overview and to Rick for observations.

I’d just like to make a couple of points.

For people who care about price, it’s worth noting that the Cartoni heads are noticeably less expensive than the Miller heads. This is true even for the Focus 12 if one purchases an equivalent Euro/Touch-and-Go plate for a Miller. Also, for some reason the Focus 12, which differs from the Focus 10 only in that it has a Euro plate, is sold at a greater premium to the 10 in Canada and the U.S. than in Europe.

Not having tried a Cartoni, although I want to and intend to, I’m not going to question Phil’s view that a zero setting makes counterbalancing easier.

However, a couple of observations...

Miller, in its user manual, others (e.g. Abel Cine) and presumably Cartoni, say that one should determine the location of a camera’s centre of gravity before, not after, mounting the camera on the head. A handle can help facilitate this.

Regardless of whether one does that or tries to locate the centre of gravity with the camera mounted, once counterbalance is done for a given setup, it’s done for that setup permanently. I’d add that my experience with a Miller CX6 is that this is not a 2+2=4 game. For me, it takes fiddling around, including testing drag, until counterbalance and drag come together as a package. Also, there are clear telltale signs when counterbalance is wrong. However, my main point is that this is a once-and-done process for a given configuration.

From my perspective, the main point about the Cartoni and Miller heads is that they are well-supported in both Canada and the U.S., and that the people providing support are helpful.

I’d love to know whether an O’Connor works “better”, but having looked at O’Connor prices, it’s an academic, rather than practical, question :)
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First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Lens

PostThu Apr 09, 2020 3:03 am

OConnor 1030d is their entry-level and I expected it to drop in price significantly after the 1040 was released. Still waiting... and it’s truly entry level as I see heavier rigs using their more massive heads.

That Proaim gearhead you posted recently has me thinking given it’s price is well below the OConnor and might do what I need with greater precision and repeatability. It might be a baby’s gearhead but if it fits my bill, it won’t break the bank. I’d love to try the URSA Mini 4.6K on that Proaim for theatre recording and especially for narrative work. Just need to grow another hand or two as it appears one needs two hands to change focus and operate the Proaim on a diagonal movement which is needed frequently.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 09, 2020 6:02 pm

rick.lang wrote:OConnor 1030d is their entry-level and I expected it to drop in price significantly after the 1040 was released. Still waiting... and it’s truly entry level as I see heavier rigs using their more massive heads.

That Proaim gearhead you posted recently has me thinking given it’s price is well below the OConnor and might do what I need with greater precision and repeatability. It might be a baby’s gearhead but if it fits my bill, it won’t break the bank. I’d love to try the URSA Mini 4.6K on that Proaim for theatre recording and especially for narrative work. Just need to grow another hand or two as it appears one needs two hands to change focus and operate the Proaim on a diagonal movement which is needed frequently.


I really hope that you arrange with Proaim to try it and tell us how it goes. If a geared head can nail position as well as I suspect it can, one would be perfect for your theatre recordings. As you say, though, two hands on the head means another hand on the camera if one has to change focus during a diagonal or “L” camera movement. If I was in Victoria, I’d volunteer :)
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 09, 2020 7:32 pm

You know maybe I should dial back my assumptions about the OConnor fluid heads after reading Elisabetta Cartoni’s comments on the OConnor 2575 in Film & Digital Times (fdtimes.com). She is comparing the new flagship Cartoni Maxima 5.0 to the 2575 which she praised except for “the counterbalance performance the very moment you pass the horizontal point and invert the tilt—there is a slight sensation of a hollow point. The OConnor fluid is consistent and precise, but the fluid chambers are not sealed and the head may leak...”

I would suspect the 1040 and 1030 share the design principles of the 2575.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 09, 2020 7:40 pm

robedge wrote:I really hope that you arrange with Proaim to try it and tell us how it goes. If a geared head can nail position as well as I suspect it can, one would be perfect for your theatre recordings. As you say, though, two hands on the head means another hand on the camera if one has to change focus during a diagonal or “L” camera movement. If I was in Victoria, I’d volunteer :)


Kind of you, thanks! I’d hope to take you up on that when you “go west young man.”

I do have two potential assistant camera operators here that could be available if the timing doesn’t conflict with sports or school! One has already helped with the MixPre audio. And a neighbour also has helped with two camera shoots. So the Proaim gearhead is a feasible option.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostWed Apr 22, 2020 10:40 pm

Just updating on my Miller vs Cartoni posting based on some actual shooting experience.

Long story short, it's about six of one and half a dozen of the other. I was basically able to confirm that the Miller sets up a little faster (due to zero tilt drag) and the Cartoni has a higher performance ceiling (due to continuous counterbalance).

One interesting thing I had to do in my shoot was to follow the talent as they approached camera via stairs with a diagonal pan/tilt movement and then follow them while they moved past me and to the side. The talent then turned to face the camera and read off a teleprompter (all mounted on the tripod head). At this point the shot is static, but the talent needs a prop handed to them from out of frame and we didn't have anyone else on hand due to COVID, so I had to hustle my way on the floor between the camera and talent to work my around and behind talent in order to seamlessly deliver it (we were shooting in a hallway/stairwell type deal without much room for maneuvering). I did this shot with the Cartoni Focus 12 and I have to say it performed admirably. I was able to take my hands completely off the sticks after the diagonal shot and it remained where I put it while I did my other task. There was bounceback on the pan axis, but the tilt stayed in place and that was the important part. I probably spent a solid 5 minutes fine tuning all of the balance before that shot.

I did the next day of the shoot with the Miller CX10 and it did fine as well. I didn't need to do a shot where I took my hands totally off of the sticks and I do have my doubts over whether it would have done as well. I found myself dialing in counterbalance and wishing there was an in-between setting for the two out of the 16 that it was closest to. I cranked up the tilt drag to compensate, which is much quicker and more accurate to do on the Miller (who needs continuous drag settings?), and that let me control things well enough to not have any issues with my hands on it the whole time. Again, I think I would've had trouble with drifting if I had to redo the shot that I did the previous day that I described above.

This seemed like the Cartoni proving itself in essentially a worst-case scenario:

1. Ungainly teleprompter rig
2. Non-trivial movement
3. Needed to leave my post

I decided to keep the Cartoni and sent the Miller stuff back to the folks in New Jersey. All customer service was great from both parties.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostWed Apr 22, 2020 11:11 pm

Phil, that’s a great test you did! What camera were you shooting with and what all was attached to the camera?
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 12:00 am

Great info Phil, thanks for sharing your experiences. I am having good results with my new Miller head and the Pocket 4K rig, but I am not putting any long zooms on it either, the Duclos Tokina 11-16 PL is the biggest zoom I have used so far, as weight goes, the Panasonic Leica 12-60, which is the longest. I had already sold my big PL Cine zoom before I got the Pocket 4K.
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Last edited by Denny Smith on Thu Apr 23, 2020 12:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 12:10 am

Thanks Phil for taking the time to post about your experience. Threads on the internet about Cartoni and Miller heads are mostly pretty spare, and this one has become the most informative.

In case anyone is thinking of purchasing a Cartoni head, I'll mention that in the last two weeks B&H has had two offers for Cartoni heads and legs in its 24-hour "Deal Zone" listings. Because the Focus HD head is being rebranded as the Focus 10, and because of changes in Cartoni's tripod offerings, there may be more to come.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 12:26 am

Denny Smith wrote:I am having good results with my new Miller head and the Pocket 4K rig, but I am not putting any long zooms on it either, the Duclos Tokina 11-16 PL is the biggest zoom I have used so far, as weight goes, the Panasonic Leica 12-60, which is the longest. I had already sold my big PL Cine zoom before I got the Pocket 4K.
Cheers


My Miller Compass X6 with a Fujinon MK 18-55mm (20.63cm/8.12" long) works fine. I think that the rig is either within the load limit and horizontally balanced or it isn't. I suspect that the trickier issue is vertical balance for people with tall rigs, but that's not an issue that I have. The Miller User Guide has info on the effect of rig height on balance.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 12:53 am

philglaser wrote:Just updating on my Miller vs Cartoni posting based on some actual shooting experience.

Long story short, it's about six of one and half a dozen of the other. I was basically able to confirm that the Miller sets up a little faster (due to zero tilt drag) and the Cartoni has a higher performance ceiling (due to continuous counterbalance).

...

I did the next day of the shoot with the Miller CX10 and it did fine as well. I didn't need to do a shot where I took my hands totally off of the sticks and I do have my doubts over whether it would have done as well. I found myself dialing in counterbalance and wishing there was an in-between setting for the two out of the 16 that it was closest to. I cranked up the tilt drag to compensate, which is much quicker and more accurate to do on the Miller (who needs continuous drag settings?), and that let me control things well enough to not have any issues with my hands on it the whole time. Again, I think I would've had trouble with drifting if I had to redo the shot that I did the previous day that I described above.


This jives with my own post suggesting that achieving counterbalance is not necessarily the whole story and that counterbalance and drag have to work as a package.

Re your question “who needs continuous drag settings?”... Note that only the Miller CX8 and up have five drag settings. The CX2 and CX6 have three. From your posts, it sounds like all of the Cartoni heads have the equivalent of five. Who needs continuous drag? Someone who wants the equivalent of five settings but doesn’t want to spend US$1733 for a CX8.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 1:28 am

The earlier Miller heads had a continuous drag control. The new heads seem to not.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 3:18 pm

Yea, I'm glad that this thread has alot more information than I had when I was trying to make this decision to begin with.

robedge wrote:Re your question “who needs continuous drag settings?”... Note that only the Miller CX8 and up have five drag settings. The CX2 and CX6 have three. From your posts, it sounds like all of the Cartoni heads have the equivalent of five. Who needs continuous drag? Someone who wants the equivalent of five settings but doesn’t want to spend US$1733 for a CX8.


I feel like there it's more an issue of overall drag range than anything else. I wouldn't care if the CX8+ had 3 drag settings instead of 5, as long as the maximum was still the same. In the case of the CX2 and CX6 the lower number of settings happens to also mean a smaller range (roughly corresponding to 1-3 on the CX10), the latter being what I would identify as the limiting factor. Continuous drag on the Cartoni just makes it difficult to dial in settings on the pan/tilt axes that are equivalent. Give me low/medium/high (plus zero) and that's fine for me, so long as high is actually high.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 3:40 pm

philglaser wrote:In the case of the CX2 and CX6 the lower number of settings happens to also mean a smaller range (roughly corresponding to 1-3 on the CX10)...


That’s what I was trying to say. If it wasn’t clear, it is now. For someone who wants the Cartoni range, the choice in the Miller lineup is the US$1733 CX8 or higher.

That said, I think that the CX6, with its three steps, is fine for my needs, and I concluded from an in-store test that stronger drag settings have light camera/tripod stability ramifications that I don’t want to deal with.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 3:43 pm

rick.lang wrote:Phil, that’s a great test you did! What camera were you shooting with and what all was attached to the camera?


I was using a C100 mkii varying between the 17-55 2.8 and the 70-200 2.8, a Rodelink receiver, and the Magicue Mobile Prompter with an iPad sitting on the front. No external monitor, which would have been nice. I'd hazard the whole setup at a tall and long 14lbs. I should mention that the adjustability of the Euro plate on the Cartoni won out over the Miller's sideload plate. On the Miller, you probably get about half the travel of the Cartoni and then you have to take the plate off the package and mount it backwards to get a bit more travel distance if you can't find counterbalance on the first try. On the Cartoni, the plate always mounts the same to my camera, as the 1/4" screw is immobile, and the head itself accommodates for all of the travel.

On the Magicue Mobile, I wouldn't recommend it unless you've got a cheeseplate or something to go between the tripod plate and the prompter's mount because they arrange their mounting holes 90 degrees off-axis of the direction the camera is pointing. So while both the Miller and Cartoni have a 3/8" and 1/4" screw in the mounting plates, I could only use the 3/8", because the the 1/4" screws on the prompter are offset to either side of the centrally located 3/8" screw instead of inline with the lens. Because the thing is so long, it generates some torque on the screw each time you move it around that eventually works the lone screw loose. After about 30 minutes to an hour, the screw gets loose enough that the whole thing is loose on the pan axis and wobbles back and forth on the tilt axis. Very stupid design on the mount. I bought it straight from Draco Broadcasting while B&H was closed. I called them after receiving it to ask about this issue and they basically just said that it's a known a issue and they've told the designers :shrug:. It was a decent price and I got it in time for my shoot, but it had that unexpected usability issue in addition to being slow and cumbersome to assemble, but I think the latter is just part of the game with teleprompters. Once securely mounted, it did the actual teleprompting bit quite well. My talent was always able to read their lines, even at 20 feet out or so.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 3:53 pm

philglaser wrote:I should mention that the adjustability of the Euro plate on the Cartoni won out over the Miller's sideload plate. On the Miller, you probably get about half the travel of the Cartoni and then you have to take the plate off the package and mount it backwards to get a bit more travel distance if you can't find counterbalance on the first try.


Phil, were you using Miller’s standard plate or its long plate?

Miller also makes a Euro plate, but the upshot of a discussion with Miller New Jersey is that I don’t think that I need one.

On price, the long plate, if needed, is US$70, and the Euro assembly and plate is $275.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 6:35 pm

Thanks, Phil, for the details. I agree 1/4” single mounting point solutions can be problematic for larger items. I think my Bright Tangerine Titan Arm would help though it’s not cheap. I just wanted my arm to work without issues so went for it even though the salesperson suggested much more economical solutions to his credit.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Apr 23, 2020 9:14 pm

robedge wrote:Phil, were you using Miller’s standard plate or its long plate?


I had the standard plate.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostMon May 04, 2020 6:18 pm

CVP in the UK is hosting a webinar on Discord and YouTube this Thursday, May 7, 2:00 pm UK time called:

Shooting with Fujinon MK Lenses - with JIM MARKS AND MARC CATTRALL

Link: https://cvp.com/events/shooting-with-fu ... c-cattrall

Marc Cattrall is head of sales and marketing for Fujinon Cine products in the UK.

Jim Marks is a UK DP, info on his background in the link above.

YouTube link:

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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostMon May 04, 2020 6:59 pm

Thanks very much. If it starts at 7:30 pm GMT, I can certainly watch as that’s 12:30 pm PDT or 3:30 pm EDT for you in anew York. Or are you back in Newfoundland?
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostMon May 04, 2020 7:20 pm

rick.lang wrote:Thanks very much. If it starts at 7:30 pm GMT, I can certainly watch as that’s 12:30 pm PDT or 3:30 pm EDT for you in anew York.


A wee bit earlier for you. It’s scheduled for 2:00 p.m. London time, 6:00 a.m. for those of you on the wrong coast :)

But I imagine that it will be available for replay on YouTube, and maybe Discord.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostMon May 04, 2020 7:33 pm

I may be able to catch that live but not sure when I’ll wake up.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostWed May 06, 2020 9:57 pm

The CVP/Fujinon webinar on shooting with the Fujinon MK lenses is tomorrow, details four posts up.

As Rick Lang has pointed out, there’s now an L-mount adapter for these lenses. This means that they can be used with the Panasonic S1H and Leica SL2. Panasonic/Atomos will include ProRes Raw support starting May 25. Leica/Atomos support ProRes for the SL2, but at a webinar that I watched today a representative of Leica declined to say whether it will be supporting ProRes Raw.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostWed May 06, 2020 10:01 pm

Love the lens but 6 a.m.is before breakfast for me.
I am using mostly Nikkor lenses so have an F mount in my Ursa G2. Anyone know if Fugi take an F mount adapter?
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostWed May 06, 2020 10:04 pm

Overlander wrote:Love the lens but 6 a.m.is before breakfast for me.


I imagine that the webinar is likely to be available for replay on YouTube and/or Discord.

For the east coast of North America, the seminar is at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. depending on location.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu May 07, 2020 2:27 pm

Just finished watching this live and anyone who wants to understand Fujinon’s goals designing their zoom lenses will appreciate watching the video. The video goes beyond just the MK zooms and includes some announcements including support for the RED Komodo. The MK lenses can be adapted to work with six different mounts including shooting 4K on large format cameras. Live broadcast has some rough edges, but overall very well done.

Particularly enjoyed the inclusion of the MK zooms with the BMPCC4K and the SLR Magic 1.33x-65 Anamorphot and the PD Movie dual follow focus with single thumb controller. You can also shoot with the SLR Magic Vari-ND mark II while using the MK front hood. Looking forward to acquiring at least the MK 18-55mm next year.

The link to the video posted May 4th now will show you the presentation on demand.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu May 07, 2020 3:55 pm

rick.lang wrote:Just finished watching this live and anyone who wants to understand Fujinon’s goals designing their zoom lenses will appreciate watching the video. The video goes beyond just the MK zooms and includes some announcements including support for the RED Komodo. The MK lenses can be adapted to work with six different mounts including shooting 4K on large format cameras. Live broadcast has some rough edges, but overall very well done.

Particularly enjoyed the inclusion of the MK zooms with the BMPCC4K and the SLR Magic 1.33x-65 Anamorphot and the PD Movie dual follow focus with single thumb controller. You can also shoot with the SLR Magic Vari-ND mark II while using the MK front hood. Looking forward to acquiring at least the MK 18-55mm next year.


As Rick says, the webinar was very informative. People who missed it live can watch it on YouTube. CVP ran into a technical problem with Discord, so the webinar was only streamed on YouTube. CVP trimmed the stream so the webinar starts right at the beginning of the video:


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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu May 07, 2020 4:54 pm

Further on CVP's Fujinon MK webinar...

I was particularly interested in the discussions about conversion to Leica's L-mount , which are at 0:19:55 to 0:23:12 and 1:09:30 to 1:10:15.

The UK's MTF Services makes the conversion kit, which is priced at £225 ex-VAT or about US$280: https://www.lensadaptor.com/leica-l-mount-fuji-mk-lens

The converter makes it possible to use the Fujinon MK lenses to shoot Super35 on a Panasonic S1H, Leica SL2 or other L-mount camera. Both cameras can be used with an Atomos monitor/recorder, and as of May 25 Panasonic/Atomos will support ProRes Raw.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu May 07, 2020 5:03 pm

One of the most interesting demonstrations was the item related to flaring and how these zooms are designed physically in a way that reduces flaring, not just relying on lens coatings and a matte black interior finish. And the controlled flaring was demonstrated using the SLR Magic Anamorphot. This combination suits my personal taste in that a controlled flare can be very beautiful without dominating the frame. I don’t want the filmed story to be about the lens, but where appropriate some flare supports the film of course. I’ve been happy with the Anamorphot and the PD Movie as described in the SLR Magic thread, but it’s great to see these items mounted against a good quality Fujinon zoom.

If I want flares to be more pronounced. the Tokina 11-20mm takes care of that!
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu May 14, 2020 7:58 pm

ProAv's Carl Yates is hosting a webinar with Marc Cattrall, Market Development Manager, Fujinon Cine Products on Monday, May 18, 2:00 p.m. UK time.

Details: https://www.proav.co.uk/events/fujinon- ... -18th-2pm/

Direct YouTube link:

Why Fujinon Cinema Glass? with Marc Cattrall

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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostSun May 17, 2020 10:00 pm

Just a reminder that Carl Yates (ProAv) and Marc Cattrall (Fujinon) are doing a webinar tomorrow on Fujinon cine lenses, including the MK lenses. Details in the post just above.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostTue May 19, 2020 12:31 am

robedge wrote:Just a reminder that Carl Yates (ProAv) and Marc Cattrall (Fujinon) are doing a webinar tomorrow on Fujinon cine lenses, including the MK lenses. Details in the post just above.


Good webinar, similar to the one that Marc Cattrall did with CVP on May 7 (see above).

During the session, Cattrall said that Fujinon should be able to convert MFT MK lenses to Fujinon X-mount. With MFT Services' L-mount converter, that means that there are two conversion options. The caveat on an X-mount conversion is that it wouldn't include the electrical contacts, but that's the case for the MFT and L mounts anyway.

The webinar is now on ProAv's YouTube channel, available for viewing.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostTue May 19, 2020 7:53 pm

In case anyone is interested in Miller, its products are 15% off at B&H, and perhaps other retailers, until midnight Thursday, May 21.
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First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Lens

PostWed May 20, 2020 5:00 am

Interesting this second presentation of the MK lenses spent a little more time on the 20-120mm XK lens. That range is convenient for a lot of uses, but the 18-90 Cabrio gives you a very much more useful range at the wide end. Offering 6x zoom in a quality lens is great but it’s just not wide enough.

I like the Fujinon MK 18-55mm a bunch, but something like a single 14-85mm or even perhaps 15-90mm feels ideal to me for my purposes on the BMPCC4K. Having the Tokina 11-20mm has been an educational about the importance of a wider look. Now if could just stretch out to 14-85mm I might not need to change lenses on narrative or event shoots.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostSat May 23, 2020 1:36 am

If you live on the eastern seaboard, one thing in Miller's favour is fast delivery. Purchases from B&H, for a fair number of Miller products, are drop-shipped, and today was the second time in a row that I've had delivery from Miller the day after making an order.

I'm finding that the Pocket 4K and Fujinon MK lens work fine with Miller's standard plate, but I decided to purchase the long plate to find out if it makes any positive difference when handling and balancing the camera and lens. The interesting thing is that Miller New Jersey effectively told me to go with the long plate, if I wanted something other than the standard plate, rather than a Euro-style plate. I was prepared to purchase the Euro assembly and plate, which is much more expensive, and I appreciated receiving that kind of advice.

Over the weekend, I'll try to find time to write a post about my impressions, and include a couple of photos.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostSat May 23, 2020 3:21 am

Very nice dealing with vendors you can trust.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostSat May 23, 2020 4:33 am

rick.lang wrote:Very nice dealing with vendors you can trust.


Yes. I phoned Miller about plates because it makes two Euro assembly/plates (standard and something called mini Euro) and a couple of long plates. The dfferences between them, and which ones work best with Compass X heads, are a bit fuzzy.

In any event, I got clear advice to go with a long plate, which saved me a substantial amount of money. The correct long plate for Compass X heads is this one, which I ordered at a small discount due to this week's 15% Miller sale, now over: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... e_for.html

My experience so far is that Miller New Jersey is on top of orders via B&H and will get an order shipped the same day, with free next day delivery to at least the New York area.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostTue Sep 01, 2020 4:29 pm

Steve Chan (DSI Pictures) regularly posts lens example footage to YouTube. Today he uploaded footage from the Fujinon MK 18-55mm, mounted on a Fujinon X-T4:



About a month ago, he also posted footage from the Fujinon MK 50-135mm, same camera:

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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostFri Oct 02, 2020 2:38 pm

First update in awhile, this one about powering my pocket 4K.

I use Canon’s LP-E6N batteries. However, I’m starting a project where I want to run the camera longer than it can on an LP-E6N, which provides only 13.4 Watt hours of energy, and avoid battery changes. I've chosen a Hawk-Woods Mini V-Lok battery that provides 50 Watt hours. For me, this is a good compromise between battery weight and size, on one hand, and camera runtime on the other. In practical use, I think that the Hawk-Woods is the equivalent of five LP-E6Ns, which I tend to change out several minutes before empty.

In the Pocket 4K Operation Manual (see the first screen capture), Blackmagic says that the camera consumes 16 Watts when it’s idle, and 22 Watts - an additional 6 Watts - when it’s doing the following hypothetical work:

1. powering an external solid state storage drive (I use a combination of CFast and SSD);
2. communicating with an electronic lens (my lenses are manual);
3. maintaining full screen brightness (I'm usually well below full);
4. maintaining full tally light brightness (I don't use this light); and
5. recording at a high frame rate (for me, rare).

I also don't use my camera to record sound/power microphones, and Bluetooth is off.

With the Hawk-Woods 50Wh battery, the arithmetic (50Wh/16W) says that my Pocket 4K should idle for about 3 hours 8 minutes. In Blackmagic’s hypothetical example, it should run for about 2 hours 16 minutes. Considering how I use the camera, I hope to get at least 2 hours 30 minutes of runtime. Some people have reported getting about three hours with ~50Wh. Great, if true, but to me that sounds optimistic.

The table in the second screen capture compares the Hawk-Woods 50Wh to a number of other batteries ranging from 43Wh to 98Wh. Apparently, air travel regulations require under 100Wh, which explains 98Wh. For me, an important criterion is the convenience of running the battery from a coat pocket, clipped to a belt or mounted on my tripod. I do not plan to mount it on a camera cage or rods. This means that battery weight and dimensions are major considerations. I also don't have a use for a USB-A port. Finally, I wanted to make the decision now. Three of the batteries in the table - the Core SWX Nano Micro 98Wh and the two Anton Bauer batteries - are new and only available for preorder.

The Hawk-Woods battery can be charged with a generic wall charger that connects to the battery’s D-Tap port. These run anywhere from US$40 to $80. I chose to purchase Hawk-Woods’s own, rather expensive, fast charger. It remains to be seen whether this was a wise purchase. It will be defensible if I purchase another of these batteries, which is likely if I get on with this one.

Finally, I purchased a Blueshape 1m (39”) power cable. This cable runs from the Hawk-Woods D-Tap port to my Pocket 4K’s DC port. For me, Kondor Blue’s 1.2m (48”) cable is a bit long. Given how I plan to use the battery, I also prefer a straight cable to coiled, of which there are a number available. Once I have some experience with the battery, I'll probably purchase a V-mount belt clip or ordinary pouch, and a way to attach the battery to my tripod. My Miller fluid head's accessory mount may be a good place to park the battery. For the moment, especially since we're into the fall, I'm happy to just slip the battery into my jacket pocket.

Some people have had electrical problems, resulting in damage, when using an external battery. There is debate on this forum and elsewhere about whether this is a user problem or a camera design problem. My solution is to sidestep the whole question.

First, I’m going to follow Blackmagic’s advice in the Pocket 4K Operation Manual (first screen capture, bullet #5). If I have a Canon LP-E6N battery in the camera, I’ll remove it before connecting the Hawk-Woods battery.

Secondly, I’ll use the Hawk-Woods solely to provide power to the camera, not to power additional equipment at the same time. I’m happy to use Sony L-series batteries to provide power to my Sound Devices audio recorders and microphones, and to my Sound Devices PIX-E5H monitor/recorder. When I use a battery to power the camera, rather than mains, I haven't been using the PIX-E5H anyway.


BM User Manual.jpg
BM User Manual.jpg (123.19 KiB) Viewed 24062 times



Note: It's a good idea to check warranty periods carefully. For example, Bebob says that it warrants mechanical components for 24 months, but cells to 70% capacity for 12. I have not looked at other warranties in detail.

Screenshot 2020-10-02 at 10.34.17.jpg
Screenshot 2020-10-02 at 10.34.17.jpg (206.53 KiB) Viewed 24062 times
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostSat Oct 03, 2020 12:09 am

Speaking of updates, I'd like to include a link in this thread to a recent discussion titled "What's Your Trigger To Use An IR Cut Filter?": viewtopic.php?f=2&t=122408

Interesting views on IR and addressing it.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostSat Oct 03, 2020 1:58 pm

This might interest people who wonder about genuine Canon LP-E6N runtime estimates, and the cost of Canons compared to V-mounts.

For my post about the Hawk-Woods 50Wh battery (two above), I calculated Watt hours for a genuine Canon LP-E6N battery as 13.4Wh.

If one applies Blackmagic's statement that a Pocket 4K draws 16W at idle, the arithmetic result is 50.3 minutes of runtime: (13.4Wh ÷ 16W) × 60 = 50.25 minutes.

For Blackmagic's hypothetical example of the camera in operation, in which it draws 22W, the arithmetic result is 36.5 minutes: (13.4Wh ÷ 22W) × 60 = 36.54 minutes.

This seems pretty close to real world experience, and gives me reasonable confidence in my expectations for the Hawk-Woods battery.

When I looked at V-mount batteries, my initial reaction was sticker shock. However, I think that the Hawk-Woods is the equivalent of five genuine Canon LP-E6N batteries, which would cost US$315 ($395 for Canon's new LP-E6NH version). The Hawk-Woods cost me $250. I'll also gain in charging convenience. Hawk-Woods's web site doesn't provide charging time for the 50Wh, but it says "just over 3 hours" for the 98Wh. I'd have to run at least three chargers for Canon batteries (two dual and a single) to even approximate that result. Feeling better about shelling out for Hawk-Woods's own charger.

I should receive the new battery and charger by Wednesday. When I've had some experience with them, I'll write a follow-up post.
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostTue Oct 06, 2020 1:28 am

FedEx says that I'm on track to receive the Hawk-Woods Mini V-Lok 50Wh battery on Wednesday.

I spent some time today looking at what's involved in using a single V-mount battery to power a Pocket 4K plus a video monitor/recorder and/or an audio recorder. It clearly means exchanging the 50Wh battery for a 98Wh, which is bigger, heavier and more expensive. It also means rigging the camera differently and adding more adapters/cables, which also translates to more money. In addition, I would consider the purchase of a power distribution box with power regulation.

Here’s a concrete example. Hawk-Woods, Sound Devices and Cable Techniques all sell a MixPre adapter that I could use with the Hawk-Woods battery and a D-Tap to Hirose cable. The adapter regulates the amount of power sent to a MixPre and costs US$100 or $130, depending on brand and materials. Add the cost of specialty cable, probably in two lengths. Total cost with two cables is $160 to $210. This would reduce weight by about 250g/9oz compared to using one of my 47Wh Anton/Bauer NP-F976 batteries on my MixPre L-mount sled. However, moving from Hawk-Woods’s 50Wh battery to its 98Wh would itself add bulk, weight (200g/7oz) and cost ($96). That’s right, by spending another $255 to $305, plus the cost of rigging the camera differently and ignoring the additional weight of that rigging, I’d reduce weight by about 50g/2oz. I’d also now be tethered to the MixPre by yet another cable with two more connections that have to be monitored.

What if I use a V-mount just to power the camera and my Sound Devices PIX-E5H monitor/recorder? Assuming that I’m replacing one 47Wh Anton/Bauer battery on the PIX-E5H, the weight reduction achieved by purchasing Hawk-Woods’s 98Wh, plus connection, etc. is at best the same - about 50g/2oz. Looking at options, there is in fact likely to be an increase in weight.

I realise that for many people on long shoots it makes sense to power everything from a single battery. For the way that I use a Pocket 4K, it's costly and the practical upside is not obvious. That said, I already have enough Anton/Bauer batteries to power my audio recorder/phantom powered mikes and video monitor/recorder. If I didn't, maybe I would take this option more seriously.

When the battery arrives, the first thing I plan to do is test runtime against Blackmagic's stated 16W draw when the camera is idling. In theory, I should get about 3 hours (50Wh ÷ 16W = 3 hrs 7.5 min).
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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostWed Oct 07, 2020 2:25 pm

The Hawk-Woods battery arrived this morning. As the table shows, it's quite a bit shorter than my iPhone, and not as wide. It's just over 2.5cm/1" thicker and only 74g/2.56oz heavier, less if one includes the weight of an iPhone case. Not major, but using this battery instead of a Canon LP-E6N shaves 80g/3oz off camera weight .

The battery fits with ease in a jacket pocket. It will also be easy to use from a belt pouch or clip, or with my Miller fluid head's accessory mount.

Happy at the moment that I ordered 50Wh rather than 98Wh. It wasn't part of the plan, but I can see this battery replacing Canon LP-E6Ns in most circumstances.

Once the battery is fully charged, I'll post the results of a Pocket 4K runtime test, and how long it takes to re-charge the battery from empty.

Photos are from the Hawk-Woods web site.

There's a table four posts up that has specs and prices for a number of V-mount batteries under 100Wh, but I should stress that it's by no means exhaustive.


iPhone vs Hawk-Woods Specs.png
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VL-M50_3_3_HiRes_Hawk-Woods.jpg
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VL-M50_4_4_HiRes_Hawk-Woods.jpg
VL-M50_4_4_HiRes_Hawk-Woods.jpg (335.75 KiB) Viewed 23773 times
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Chris Leutger

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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Oct 08, 2020 7:27 pm

Thanks for the table, that's pretty helpful. I didn't realize how small it was until I saw that in context. Looks like I could bundle three of these and they would be same size as my Gen 1 Magic Power Juicebox. Though there is a much smaller version of that these days...
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robedge

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Re: First Impressions: Blackmagic 4K + Fujinon MK 18-55mm Le

PostThu Oct 08, 2020 8:44 pm

Chris Leutger wrote:Thanks for the table, that's pretty helpful. I didn't realize how small it was until I saw that in context. Looks like I could bundle three of these and they would be same size as my Gen 1 Magic Power Juicebox. Though there is a much smaller version of that these days...


Yeah, the battery will fit in a shirt pocket.

I plan to travel locally and beyond with the battery and charger. When the battery is mounted on the charger, it locks and there's a latch to release it. The table below shows combined weight and dimensions. This doesn't include the power cable, which is 2m/79". To avoid the need for a fan (noise), the charger has a lot of vents.

Here's a screen capture of the table and four photos of the battery and charger, split over two posts due to forum limits.


Screenshot 2020-10-08 at 2.03.13 PM.png
Screenshot 2020-10-08 at 2.03.13 PM.png (57.34 KiB) Viewed 23662 times



When plugged in, the charger recess on the left shows lights corresponding to the legend on the right (Power/Charging/Ready).

side.jpeg
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Last edited by robedge on Thu Oct 08, 2020 11:49 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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