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Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - CONFIRMED! BMPCC 4K!


Samuel Berger

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Fitting 4k of photosites on a s16mm sized sensor means they are going to be very small, and that means a low base ISO and a loss of DR. The BM Micro Studio camera was ISO 200.

It's not a S16 sized imager anymore.

 

Panasonic says their GH5 imager is 17.3x13.0 (4x3 aspect ratio)

 

Blackmagic says their pocket 4k imager is 18.96x10 (16x9 aspect ratio)

 

It's telling that the base ISO on this new 4/3 sensor is 400, rather than 800. Time will tell how noisy it is.

It has double ISO like the Panasonic GH5S. So there will be TWO base ISO's.

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I mean for the price, it's a no brainer for anyone.

 

Sadly, it's no longer a "pocket" camera, they should have changed the name because it's more like a BIG DSLR in size/weight/features.

 

I'm impressed over-all with the design, I see what they're doing and what market they're going after. At the same time, I think a lot of what they've done is overkill and they again focused on a few of the wrong areas.

 

For instance, the battery system they used is yet again, a big problem. They say the battery will last 60 minutes, which means 40 minutes which is what I get with my pocket cameras now.

 

I don't understand the big display really... it's a nuisance and I hope manufacturers make the necessary components to make it work, but gosh is it big! I can't use my pocket cameras without the viewfinder adaptor loope. I'm glad the menu system can be run without touching the display as well.

 

So outside of those issues... I'm a fanboy! hehe XP

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I just hope you can "hot swap" external bricks with the camera defaulting to the internal battery via a plate, like the pocket and the cinema and production. If i pick this up for my birthday (also september) i'd be using a battery plate for it, but chances are i'lll give it a month or two to see how it plays out.

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I just hope you can "hot swap" external bricks with the camera defaulting to the internal battery via a plate, like the pocket and the cinema and production. If i pick this up for my birthday (also september) i'd be using a battery plate for it, but chances are i'lll give it a month or two to see how it plays out.

I'll be either getting one early or waiting as well.

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I preordered from B&H and was surprised when I got an email an hour later saying that my order has been shipped. Turned out that the shipped order was a small thing I ordered yesterday :) Is it September yet? Is it September yet? Is it September yet?

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I'd get int early if you want this in September. Normally I don't pre-order, but if the camera sucks it can be returned anyway - so no loss for me. Blackmagic isn't exactly known for their firm shipping dates.

Edited by Landon D. Parks
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I'm really worried about missing out on it or anything; it'll eventually be in stock when I go to buy it and I'm not about to plop down and lock up any cash until some more information comes out. Not to mention the bad taste I have last time I've pre-ordered from BH and Adorama only to have cancelled, but still getting charged and the item shipped and then costing me more to ship it back to them.

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It's not a S16 sized imager anymore.

I know that. I was responding to Mark Kenfield's post where he expressed regret that it wasn't a s16 sized sensor.

 

It has double ISO like the Panasonic GH5S. So there will be TWO base ISO's.

Dual ISO just means an additional gain circuit, it doesn't make the sensor any more sensitive. Adding gain brings noise. As I said, time will tell.

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They have confirmed the native dual-ISO's are 400 and 3200, at least that was from a video interview with Blackmagic from NAB I seen. I'll see if I can find the video again. I believe the GH5s has a native of 400 and 2500 or something, with the same pixel count and close to the same sensor size - the low light performance should be close to the same.

 

Still, I can now throw my standard .71 speedbooster on there, and combined with my CineDS lenses, can get less than f/1 - so I'll be plenty happy with its low-light performance.

 

Edit: Video

See 0:54

Edited by Landon D. Parks
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Frankly, I don't care what it looks like as long as the images are good. All the manufacturers have been going wacky with their designs - and honestly it doesn't look any different than most other DSLR's - just a little rounder maybe. Frankly, I would have liked a less DSLR-looking case, but it doesn't matter to me.

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Frankly, I don't care what it looks like as long as the images are good. All the manufacturers have been going wacky with their designs - and honestly it doesn't look any different than most other DSLR's - just a little rounder maybe. Frankly, I would have liked a less DSLR-looking case, but it doesn't matter to me.

 

Okay, so that's two "frankly" and one "honestly", so it must be true.

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I will surely get one at some point, would be handy for plates and stuff.

 

is there any info yet how much the body actually weights and which batteries fit to it & how much run time per battery?

 

could be very usable as a drone camera I think when the weight is confirmed.

 

would not trust a Blackmagic product as a A camera unless there is enough time to continuously check the material on set and reshoot if needed. my impression of their products is that they are nice on paper and innovative and handy but they have lots of build quality problems and mechanical design faults (connectors not secured to the body etc which may lead to internal damage if having stress on the connectors, etc) . faulty touchscreens and stuff . firmware related stuff also but not more than with other manufacturers I think.

Like buying Maxtor/Seagate portable drives... they work and are kind of good but they are not just very high quality overall and are not as sturdy as better brands, just about OK for the price :blink:

 

The new pocket will be great value even if it's not super high quality or reliable or has image problems like noise and jellocam etc.

The manufacturer has had lots of delivery problems before (I think there was 1 or 1.5 year delay with the original Cinema Camera release and also long delays with the other later models) so I would not expect it to deliver this year though I hope it will :lol:

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is there any info yet how much the body actually weights and which batteries fit to it & how much run time per battery?

Battery is standard Canon LP-E6, same as the BMPCC. They say up to 60 minutes, but that is probably without using the screen and not providing phantom power. With both, you'll probably get 20-30 recording minutes. In terms of battery, this camera will suffer from the same issue the original did - it will need external power for any serious shoots.

 

Can't find an official weight yet --- but that is likely because they don't know yet. The body currently used is aluminum I believe, but the production model will be some form of carbon fiber. I'd say its probably on par with every other DSLR out there - around a pound.

 

 

could be very usable as a drone camera I think when the weight is confirmed.

 

Ehhh - possibility, but the low batter life and current lack of external control might not make it the best for that. Of course, things may change in 6 months.

 

would not trust a Blackmagic product as a A camera unless there is enough time to continuously check the material on set and reshoot if needed. my impression of their products is that they are nice on paper and innovative and handy but they have lots of build quality problems and mechanical design faults (connectors not secured to the body etc which may lead to internal damage if having stress on the connectors, etc) . faulty touchscreens and stuff . firmware related stuff also but not more than with other manufacturers I think.

 

Of all the complaints I have toward Blackmagic, I don't think reliability is one of them. There camera's all feature some trade-offs to get to the price point, but I haven't heard of any Blackmagic cameras randomly pooping out - at least in large numbers. Maybe there is more problems than I can recall right now, but I'd have no problem using a Blackmagic cameras as an A-cam.

 

I currently have my two micro cinema cameras out on a longer-term rental with a company that is shooting with them 12 hour days, and has not reported any problems with them so far.

 

Like buying Maxtor/Seagate portable drives... they work and are kind of good but they are not just very high quality overall and are not as sturdy as better brands, just about OK for the price :blink:

 

The best drives for this, right now, are the Samsung t5 500GB-2TB portal USB-C drives. Small, portable, and plugs directly into USB-C. Starts at $150 for the 500GB variant.

 

The manufacturer has had lots of delivery problems before (I think there was 1 or 1.5 year delay with the original Cinema Camera release and also long delays with the other later models) so I would not expect it to deliver this year though I hope it will :lol:

 

Yes, BUT they have been getting better with each subsequent camera. I don't think its fair to point back to the original Blackmagic camera and use that as reasons why a major delay is possible. All camera manufacturers have early-life delivery issues. How long did it take RED to deliver their first Red One, despite promised dates being missed?

 

The past few cameras have been released more or less on-time, but there has been a back-order problem.

 

Also, they mentioned at NAB the reason they are saying September is be conservative, so as not to disappoint. Apparently, the cameras are ready for manufacture right now. My guess is they want a sufficiently large supply so they don't have a back-order issue again. By 'releasing' the camera at NAB they can gauge interest in the next few months and ramp production accordingly --- smart move on their part.

Edited by Landon D. Parks
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