4k bmpcc

Lots of value in this little camera. Dual native ISO at $1,300 is half the price of the GH5S dual native ISO. The 5" 1920x1080 display on the rear is like having a 5" external 1920x1080 monitor which again based on the Atomos Ninja V is another $700 savings. XLR with phantom power means not needing the audio adapter from the GH5S which saves another $400. This is basically a $3,600 bundle of gear based on the GH5, Ninja V and audio adapter all for $1,300. I would call that value. On top of that you no longer need an external recorder. Just buy a USB-C SSD drive and velcro the thing to the camera or tripod and you are good to go to record as much as you want. BMD may have just killed the external recorder market. No more goofy HDMI spec handshakes between devices. Just a dumb storage device and a USB-C cable.

With that said I don't care how cheap the batteries are. 20min, 40min and 60min just doesn't cut it. I think they really dropped the ball here. I'm sure many of us would have been fine if the camera was another mm or two larger to fit a larger battery.

As awesome as raw and ProRes are, the 150mbps and 400mbps from the GH5 is holding up exceptionally well next to those formats. Once you get to a certain quality level the ROI on going any higher doesn't really yield any extra benefit. So suddenly shooting a lot of events will take up 2x, 3x 4x or more the storage requirements with no option to ever go smaller. GH5 can always go larger with an external recorder but the Pocket is forever locked into large files. Storage is cheap however so maybe that isn't a big deal to some people. That is something to factor in for long form project people however. Will you be ok shooting 800mbps for the same overall level of quality that 150mbps can deliver? I will say that 800mbps ProRes file will edit a heck of a lot easier and render faster vs the native GH5 10bit files.

I think there is still a world where both the GH5S and 4k Pocket can be relevant. The Pocket has a ton of value but that doesn't make the GH5S any less value. Still a phenomenal camera and a more realistic choice for some users. Perhaps the GH5S price will come down now. The Pocket is very tempting in deed.
 
I wouldn't mind a bigger battery either, but they have multiple products with LP-E6s and many users will probably use their batteries from the Micros and VAs, so they are just keeping consistent with the product line.

Fortunately, you can also shoot UHD ProRes Proxy (30p) at 22.4 MB/s (180 mbps) if you needed to conserve every last bit. And even 5.6 MB/s 1080p.

This is really not the camera to shoot lectures and such with...it's definitely a creative camera for pure cinematic motion pictures.
 
Love the new Pocket or hate it (I love it!), I hope we can all agree that Blackmagic just schooled Sony on how to do a proper v2 / Mk II of a camera!!

I mean, bunch of new picture profiles and a black knob vs. NEARLY EVERY SINGLE THING THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE CRAMMED IN THERE!!

It’s nuts!!
 
NorBro said:
I wouldn't mind a bigger battery either, but they have multiple products with LP-E6s and many users will probably use their batteries from the Micros and VAs, so they are just keeping consistent with the product line.

Fortunately, you can also shoot UHD ProRes Proxy (30p) at 22.4 MB/s (180 mbps) if you needed to conserve every last bit. And even 5.6 MB/s 1080p.

This is really not the camera to shoot lectures and such with...it's definitely a creative camera for pure cinematic motion pictures.
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ProRes Proxy is absolutely no substitute for the quality 150mbps gives you from the GH5. Not even close. Not an option at all for anything that is remotely considered important.
 
Re: battery life - I believe you can power the Pocket with mobile battery packs via the USB-C port, so you do have that option, and I’ll bet there will be third party solutions as well.

Some clever company will figure out how to charge it and keep the port open for a drive.
 
Trust it holds up well...and if not, you have your options.

But I agree a GH5/S is a video camera that's totally better for the long form.
 
When a rep says 20, 40, 60, depending on use what I usually hear is "average 30 minutes, and 60 minutes in a vacuum sealed chamber full of unicorns".

Batteries are cheap. I have 12 batteries for my 2 GHx cameras, or about 6 each, with a 3-4 hour runtime. At that rate I would need 30+ batteries and a bunch of chargers to keep this pocket camera going at full power use for a full shoot day on location (ie traveling/docu work without power), which is more a workflow issue than a cost issue. And inconvenient for a longer form interview without external power options since it's not a dual battery swap.

I think it's a fantastic piece of tech and at a super compelling pricepoint so it's less a criticism and more just a reflection on tools and their limits.

My biggest takeaway is actually how much potential there remains in the m43 market and small form factor market. Wouldn't it be great to see such recording and XLR options on all DSLRs? And this quality of a screen on all small cameras? Love that about BMD and they are really pushing the envelope here for $1300.

And as one more plus for BMD: I am assuming that on this camera the electronic lens correction that results in digital sharpening from native electronic m43 glass will not be present here? In theory that should make the native electronic glass look more organic as well, yeah?
 
"The 5" 1920x1080 display on the rear is like having a 5" external 1920x1080 monitor "
Not when holding it other than straight on.
 
Gweilo66 said:
"The 5" 1920x1080 display on the rear is like having a 5" external 1920x1080 monitor "
Not when holding it other than straight on.
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Excellent point. Not being able to move that display is a massive PITA.

The Pocket is extremely impressive but only if people have the luxury of shooting in just the right environment.

No IBIS
No practical auto focus
No flip out screen
abysmal battery life
no longGOP format for economical yet high quality recording to affordable media

These are all things that make the camera difficult to use in a wide range of shooting environments. Great camera in general but in practice may not always be the perfect choice. I'm sure people will find nice work arounds to make it work but in my experience not dealign with work arounds is just as valued as a little bit higher video quality. Most clients will accept 150mbps 10bit 4:2:2 material that looks as good as ProRes. They will not accept excuses why shots were missed.
 
Having only seen the camera in videos and not actually used it:

It's easy to compare the camera with the gh5 and although some people will only buy one or the other, I think by and large they'll be used in different ways. The gh5 is an amazing workhorse - its flip out, rotating screen and built in EVF are reasons alone to choose the gh5 for certain types of shooting. Adding your EVF is of course an option but you double the size quickly.

- I like the larger hand grip but if battery life sucks, why not make the hand grip slightly larger and use SONY L series batteries? While large cinema camera batteries don't last long either, they're usually powering a monitor and viewfinder, possibly other accessories too. Adding a brick battery behind the camera hugely compromises the touch screen's usability. I think the best option is to load up on batteries and also use smaller batteries if adding an EVF or small monitor.

- Cage makers will have a field day. Curved metal = more money. Speed booster manufacturers and BM UMP owners must be happy too.

- I'd rather pay a few hundred more for SDI and longer battery life.

The images from this camera are going to be amazing and overall the camera looks awesome despite the keyboard warrior cons I listed above. As a B-cam, where ergonomics may be less important (sits on tripod, not constantly shooting etc.) this camera could be used pretty much across the board for any brand A cam for those willing to match footage.
 
I had BMPCC for long and had no problem handling it.. It is a cinema camera..of course GH5 is more confortable to work with..but I have a big smile on my face when the BM material is on the timeline.. For me..GH5 is a no go
 
leteeci said:
I had BMPCC for long and had no problem handling it.. It is a cinema camera..of course GH5 is more confortable to work with..but I have a big smile on my face when the BM material is on the timeline.. For me..GH5 is a no go
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The crazy thing is that there is an entire community that thinks the GH5 is a toy but in other places it's so beloved...it's amazing to see both sides.

And RED people think the Pocket II is a toy, lol.

And ARRI people don't waste their time on forums, lol

Joking...kind of.
 
hoju said:
Love the new Pocket or hate it (I love it!), I hope we can all agree that Blackmagic just schooled Sony on how to do a proper v2 / Mk II of a camera!!

I mean, bunch of new picture profiles and a black knob vs. NEARLY EVERY SINGLE THING THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE CRAMMED IN THERE!!

It’s nuts!!
Click to expand...

Most of the conferences I shoot I plug into ac power, I don't see a problem there.
 
RedBlack999 said:
Claim by Grant Petty presenting .. "All the features of the URSA Mini Pro, albeit with a slightly smaller sensor"
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Well, it hasn't got built in NDs and missing lots more.

I assume what he meant is it is running the same software with the same features in the software.

As all the cameras from BMD shared exactly the same underlying operating software, up until the URSA Mini came along, as mid way through the life of the URSA Mini they came out with entirely new software which only ran on the URSA Mini (and full size URSA). So all the other older cameras got "left behind" (fair enough, the likes of the BMCC is getting very old!).

Thus it is good to hear the BMPCC4K should keep on getting updated for a long time just like the BMD URSA Mini is.
 
You're definitely right, but I don't think the 4.0 software ever ended up in the big URSA, which was really disappointing to many. Technically, the camera was discontinued along with the others, so maybe that's their reasoning.

The 'Generation 4' color science was introduced in the latest 'Broadcast' camera, and I believe Grant mentioned during the press conference it will be coming to the Minis (and the Pocket 4K will be shipped with it of course).
 
TheDingo said:
Battery life is mentioned by the BM rep at 3:02 in this video...

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A lot is being made about this Rep rating the battery life at 20-40 minutes, but he also states the BMPCC 4K uses the same batteries as the original BMPCC, & that’s incorrect.

Have other BM Reps made the same statement?
 
The short battery life is absolutely nothing new to BM cameras. And anyone who complains about it (not you) simply hasn't used a Blackmagic camera before.

The original pocket's Nikon battery lasted 15-30 minutes depending on temperatures. The built-in BMCC/PC battery lasted about an hour. The Micros last about an hour or so.

This is not a generic Japanese stills hybrid but a cinema camera. And Blackmagic makes their own LP-E6 batteries. Of course a bigger Sony would have been better like the BP-U30 in the Kinefinity SideGrip, but we'll have to deal with it.

Given the circumstances, it's an absolute afterthought for me, personally.
 
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