4k bmpcc

kurth said:
considering the iq is on par, when you can get 95-98% of the quality in a small handfriendly "box" even if I owned a rigged arri, I'd choose to shoot with a camera like the bmpcc4k. A director like sodenburgh is claiming he'll never use anything but an iphone again. Refer to my cocteau quote.
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What this connotes is that we're finally reaching the point of diminishing return with regard to camera IQ, at least as far as 99% of the viewing public is concerned. It will always take skilled craftsmanship to pull the most out of these tools, but today's camera hardware and software are producing remarkably nice images.

I also think there will always be "high end" conspicuous consumers, DPs and directors that just feel more comfortable specifying and shooting with nothing but the "best" (AKA most expensive).

I had a Panny GH5s in my BH shopping cart, but I think I'm going to wait for the BMPCC 4K instead. I can get by until then with my FS700R and old AF100a.

Onward and upward, ladies and gentlemen!
 
kurth said:
considering the iq is on par, when you can get 95-98% of the quality in a small handfriendly "box" even if I owned a rigged arri, I'd choose to shoot with a camera like the bmpcc4k. A director like sodenburgh is claiming he'll never use anything but an iphone again. Refer to my cocteau quote.
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To each his own... I hate the form factor. I've spent my career shooting with ENG cameras and that's the form factor I prefer for the vast majority of what I do. I really couldn't care less what Soderbergh chooses to use and I don't care if Arri started packaging an Alexa into an iPhone, it still wouldn't be fun to shoot with for the vast majority of what I do. We've had these camera ergonomics discussions many times. I liken it to cell phones and how they started to get to the point they were really too small to be effectively/easily used by actual people, then they started swinging back the other way(and some have gotten too big again). They may be able to shrink the electronics for cameras down to incredibly small sizes, but body, switches, lenses, etc. still need to be a certain size for people to interact with and use them effectively.
 
We are getting a superb image quality, with all the cool stuff like 60p,4k etc.

I would say the downsides are gonna be:
- moire and aliasing are gonna be there. No aa filter mentionned and shooting in 4k wont solve it. The ursa 4.6 is already terrible at it, cant imagine a s16 sensor doing better.
That said, im sure mosaic will make a filter for it, but they still havent solved the 4.6k fully. So get ready to wait for that.

- concerns about overheating and reliability of screen, like almost every blackmagic camera.

Exciting times.
 
People were asking here or in another thread about how smart phones can do 120fps and not have the power/heat issues that cameras have. I tried to find some information on that, but I was not able to find data sheets on Sony sensors, which would tell us a lot about the power consumption on that part of cameras. But one interesting note I read is that the display on a phone consumes 60% of the power. That got me thinking of the implications of a 5" screen and the demands that will have on the Pocket 4K compared to the smaller screens on other cameras. We may need to make good use of the included locking DC power connector.
 
FrancisT said:
- concerns about overheating and reliability of screen, like almost every blackmagic camera.
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No Blackmagic cameras have ever had any concerns with overheating or the reliability of their screens besides the first pocket's screen, which was terrible.

This 5" display is the same one used in their other products and I think it is going to be a pleasant surprise for many whom are coming from 3"-ish screens.
 
I use the Video Assist 5" as a monitor for my GH5 or Sony video cameras too and it is nice but eats batteries faster than the video cameras just as a monitor !! Uses one of the two batteries in about 1 hour. As a recorder I found it needed to be powered from AC charger. On this basis I think the rumored times for the BMPCC 4K of about 20 mins while recording may be about right and really needs that external battery for any real work in my mind. I do a lot of my GH5 shoots using my 10" tablet and the app which works great. Since for me the cameras are up higher than me most of the time there is less confusion for controls as well as they are well layed out in the application so I am not reaching up and pressing the wrong buttons !!!.
 
Paul F said:
People were asking here or in another thread about how smart phones can do 120fps and not have the power/heat issues that cameras have.
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qualcomm.jpg

Qualcomm Snapdragon phone system on a chip - ~ $50 ($15-70, depending on exact model)

It includes a CPU, GPU, GPS, cellular modem, WiFi modem, and video processing:


Image Sensor Processor: Dual 14-bit ISPs

Camera Features:

Active Depth Sensing
Multi-frame Noise Reduction (MFNR)
Hybrid Autofocus
Hardware Accelerated Face Detection

Photo Resolution

Support for 16MP image sensor operating up to 60 frames per second
Up to 16 MP dual camera
Up to 32 MP single camera

Video

Codec Support: HDR10, HLG, and H.265 (HEVC) video capture
4K Video Capture for Ultra HD Premium Displays (4K@60fps in HDR)
Slow Motion video capture (720p@480fps)
Accelerated Electronic Image Stabilization
Motion Compensated Temporal Filtering (MCTF)
Rec. 2020 color gamut video capture
Up to 10-bits per color video capture


Maximum On-Device Display Support: 4K
Maximum External Display Support: 4K

CPU Clock Speed: Up to 2.8 GHz
CPU Cores: 8
CPU Bit Architecture: 64-bit


DSP Technology

Qualcomm Hexagon™ 685 DSP
Qualcomm All-Ways Aware™ technology


GPU Architecture: Adreno 630 Visual Processing Subsystem
GPU Name: Qualcomm Adreno™ 630 GPU
API Support: OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0 full, Vulkan, DX12

Peak Download Speed: 1.2 Gbps
Supported Cellular Technologies: LTE FDD, LTE TDD including CBRS support, LAA, LTE Broadcast, WCDMA (DB-DC-HSDPA, DC-HSUPA), TD-SCDMA, CDMA 1x, EV-DO, GSM/EDGE
Next-generation Calling Services: VoLTE with SRVCC to 3G and 2G, HD and Ultra HD Voice (EVS), CSFB to 3G and 2G

Secure Processing Unit

Biometric Authentication (Fingerprint, Iris, Voice, Face)
Mobile Payments
WiFi-Protect

Security Features

Qualcomm Mobile Security
Key Provisioning Security
Qualcomm Processor Security
Qualcomm Content Protection
Qualcomm Trusted Execution Environment
Camera Security
Crypto Engine
Malware Protection
Secure Boot
Secure Token

--- https://www.qualcomm.com/products/sdm845
 
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Ron Evans said:
I use the Video Assist 5" as a monitor for my GH5 or Sony video cameras too and it is nice but eats batteries faster than the video cameras just as a monitor !!
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The 4K Video Assist is also awful with battery life as a monitor. I go through 4 batteries for every GH5 battery that I go through.
 
4K recorders are extremely power hungry; the Atomos Flames/Shoguns will last 1-2 hours of continuous 4K recording with a Sony F970 battery.

And here we're talking about a LP-E6...
 
I was just referring to using the Video Assist purely as a monitor not recording. When it records it consumes both batteries in less than 30 mins with any reliability. Both show red at that time so although still recording I do not know for how long !!! Useless for me which is why I gave up and use just as a monitor. Will last for 2 hours in this mode.
 
Big screen, 4k and small battery.
Well..pocket I owners already have battery bags..just need different batteries ;)
 
It seems the battery life is going to be as bad as the original with such a large screen and the power needed for ProRes processing. This is disappointing if it only lasts for 15 min.
 
could also belt-pack the battery brick (Core SWX, Hawkwoods Gripper/sticky), and just run a power cable to the camera. A bit tethered, but, works.

POSSIBLE BONUS: you could quickly untether for short bursts by keeping a Canon battery inside the camera if it allows seamless power switching (and especially if it could recharge while running). To be seen?
 
BMD claims Approximately 60 minutes run time on the specifications on their site. Seems generous but that's not very long.
 
I definitely expect 30 minutes max...but it's really not an issue with something like the aforementioned Core SWX PowerBase which should provide 6-8-10+ hours of power depending on how you shoot.

It of course adds bulk (although not much), which I do understand people may want to avoid...but there is really nothing else you can do with this camera (in terms of keeping the package small) besides stocking up on LPE6s. This is where the Panasonics (and others) have an advantage if you need to constantly keep rolling (or you simply don't want to spend the money on many batteries).
 
Can't wait to see all the ridiculous rigs for this camera. V-Lock Battery on a cheese plate mounted to rails with a baseplate blocking the 5" screen. Relocated 7" monitor with arm and EVF on articulating EVF mount. LOL! Fun times. Oh! and a breakout box for audio inputs with 4-fullsize XLR's with phantom powered by D-Tap of course.
 
They're obviously backing themselves on the battery life front. They know adding brick batteries directly behind the camera will be a HUGE pain given the screen placement but who knows?

What if a battery manufacturer comes out with a V-mount with a touch screen on the back, so you get the screen back again. Or what about a v-mount with a lens-sized hole in the middle so you can mount it in front of your camera?

I could think about these workarounds all day.
 
"Oh! and a breakout box for audio inputs with 4-fullsize XLR's with phantom powered by D-Tap of course. "
Heh..I see the glorious YAGH (aka Arrrrgg!) still marks you ;)
 
Power will be a drag on this camera along with the at least 5x file sizes. It is far from difficult to deal with those two issues but there will be users that don't want to mess with it.

I can see the potential for a lot of cool accessories however. Maybe something like a battery grip under the camera with a nice slot to slide a SSD into and a USB-c locked into the grip so it cannot be disconnected sort of thing. Takes care of the battery and storage issue for long form shoots. I love that they support using a SSD via USB-c but I'm not about to hire an assistant to stand around holding the SSD up all day. Velcro could do the trick in a pinch but velcro it to what? This camera almost needs to have a cage at the very minimum.
 
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