New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

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Morganza

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New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostWed Jan 13, 2021 10:59 pm

I just bought my camera from Amazon and it did not come with a Warranty card or anything mentioning a warranty, is that standard now?

Plus my camera's HDMI port did not work right out of the box, hooked it up to a computer monitor with it's own power, I used it with three monitors and the same result. All three are Dell, so it might not be compatible with that brand or is there a problem with the HDMI in the camera? I looked up BMPCC4K HDMI problems, people seem to think is has something to do with using a battery but I never used one.

Thanks in advance!
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robedge

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostWed Jan 13, 2021 11:19 pm

Who was the actual vendor? One vendor on Amazon - Adorama - is an authorised reseller and has a good reputation, but at least one other has a questionable reputation and may or may not be an authorised reseller.

Your camera should have come with a card bearing a license number to register it with Blackmagic Design and to get a free copy of DaVinci Resolve, Studio version.

I've never actually tried it, but as far as I know the camera's HDMI port will not feed a computer monitor. That port is to send a signal to a dedicated camera video monitor such as those made by SmallHD, Atomos and Blackmagic itself.

This B&H search shows the kinds of monitors that will work with your camera via an HDMI cable. Some are strictly monitors, others are monitor/recorders. They come at many different price points: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?q ... itors_1984
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Uli Plank

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 2:06 am

I don't know if this applies to the BMPCC4K, but in the UMP4.6K you can switch the output between interlaced and progressive.
Computer screens normally expect progressive.
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robedge

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 2:26 am

Uli Plank wrote:I don't know if this applies to the BMPCC4K, but in the UMP4.6K you can switch the output between interlaced and progressive.
Computer screens normally expect progressive.


I'm not one to say "never", but there is no such control on a Pocket 4K unless it's awfully well-hidden, and has eluded not just me, but the makers of several YouTube videos on the Pocket 4K menu, some of them in excruciating detail :)
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Morganza

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 3:20 pm

robedge wrote:Who was the actual vendor? One vendor on Amazon - Adorama - is an authorised reseller and has a good reputation, but at least one other has a questionable reputation and may or may not be an authorised reseller.

Your camera should have come with a card bearing a license number to register it with Blackmagic Design and to get a free copy of DaVinci Resolve, Studio version.

I've never actually tried it, but as far as I know the camera's HDMI port will not feed a computer monitor. That port is to send a signal to a dedicated camera video monitor such as those made by SmallHD, Atomos and Blackmagic itself.

This B&H search shows the kinds of monitors that will work with your camera via an HDMI cable. Some are strictly monitors, others are monitor/recorders. They come at many different price points: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?q ... itors_1984


Thank you for your response, the vendors name is SolidSignal, and thank you for the monitor list, I'll check them out now!
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Robert Niessner

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 3:48 pm

Morgan, the PCC4k does set the HDMI output to the same frequency like your project frame rate.
For example:
Camera set to record 24 fps -> HDMI out = 24 Hz
30 fps -> 30 Hz
60 fps -> 60 Hz

Most computer monitors do not support lower frequencies than 50 Hz.
So that might be the reason you don't get a signal.
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Howard Roll

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 5:20 pm

The lack of audio is a primary indicator of a dedicated PC monitor, a lookup of the monitors' model numbers will reveal the truth.

Since warranty is already a concern you might consider contacting Asurion, they're a company that extends camera purchases through Amazon. A three year extension for cameras priced $1250-$1499 costs $58 USD.

Good Luck
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robedge

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 5:51 pm

Morganza wrote:Thank you for your response, the vendors name is SolidSignal, and thank you for the monitor list, I'll check them out now!


The name Solid Signal is not on Blackmagic Design's list of authorised U.S. online resellers. It also appears that Solid Signal is not on Blackmagic Design's master list of resellers, which includes online resellers: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/resellers/

This is the description that Solid Signal has written for its Amazon storefront:

"Solid Signal offers our customers hundreds of products for home theater enthusiasts and installers, including a full line of antennas, satellite equipment, cell phone accessories, marine and commercial equipment. Consumers and professional media installers have found what they needed at Solid Signal since 2002. We’re a U.S. company located in Novi, Michigan and we take the time to understand the products we sell."

In your position, and if you still can, I would send the camera back to Amazon unless I had an assurance in writing from Blackmagic that it recognises this transaction for warranty purposes. If the camera didn't come with a card bearing a valid Blackmagic license number, I would send it back immediately.
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rick.lang

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 6:21 pm

The serial number of the camera should be on the fancy box in which it is packed.
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robedge

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 6:33 pm

rick.lang wrote:The serial number of the camera should be on the fancy box in which it is packed.


Right, I was thinking of the foldout card that contains, or did in my case, what's needed to activate DaVinci Resolve Studio. See screen capture.

IMG_0578.jpeg
IMG_0578.jpeg (288.02 KiB) Viewed 1024 times
Video Cameras: iPhone, Pocket 4K
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robedge

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 6:43 pm

This is the DaVinci Resolve activation card that came with my camera. It's plastic and a bit smaller than a credit card. There's a license/serial number on the back.


IMG_0580.jpeg
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Video Cameras: iPhone, Pocket 4K
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robedge

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 7:18 pm

In case others come upon this thread, I'd like to add that this is not the only vendor of Blackmagic cameras on Amazon U.S. that is not a Blackmagic Design authorised reseller. One of them is a vendor of photography gear, which may give people a false sense of security. This particular photo gear vendor is local to me, and I wouldn't purchase a lens cap from them.

Personally, in Morgan's position I would just return the camera to Amazon rather than spend time trying to get approval of the transaction from Blackmagic Design. There's no shortage of authorised resellers with good reputations who offer free shipping. If he has a particular reason to purchase via Amazon, Adorama is on Amazon and it's both an authorised reseller and well-regarded.
Video Cameras: iPhone, Pocket 4K
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rick.lang

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Re: New BMPCC4K owner with Questions

PostThu Jan 14, 2021 7:40 pm

All good.
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