Black Magic PocketHD and 4K production camera

Anybody want to take a guess at low light capability of the BMPC? In theory it should be very good. Native 1080p sensor at larger than 2/3". Each pixel should be one heck of a light gathering bucket at that size and resolution. Considering how good a 1/2" and 2/3" video camera can be in low light I would image decent performance. It may not be the sharpest camera we will see but it could be bright.
 
You can order a BMCC from Adorama right now:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blackmagic-...rofessional_Video_Cameras&hash=item4d0b65ef43

The people complaining about backorders now don't really want one because it's right there if you want to order it.

Yeah EF mount....the inferior model for good lens coverage between that and the m4/3......m4/3 back ordered....and has been for a while. I hope they do get production going, the pocket cam is something I think is awesome, but they clearly have had order fulfillment problems.
 
Red announced the 3K Scarlet five years ago. And how long did it take them to deliver it? That's right. They never did and never will. Even the Epic was more than two years late.

I didn't say anything about Red. BMCs issues with delivering product can't be blamed on another company who had failed promises and changed course.
 
I pre-ordered the BMPC. If i don't get it before the end of the year...oh well, no biggie. It can wait, this won't be my main camera.
 
Yeah EF mount....the inferior model for good lens coverage between that and the m4/3......m4/3 back ordered....and has been for a while. I hope they do get production going, the pocket cam is something I think is awesome, but they clearly have had order fulfillment problems.

Yes, the glass was bad on the the sensors they ordered from the manufacturer and getting that fixed set them back about 5 months.

It doesn't make me worry very much because it's not like they couldn't figure out production, were having problems with their plant, etc. They just needed a 3rd party part and couldn't get it. If that's solved then they are good to go.

For those that are worried about it, don't preorder.
 
Thank you for making a concise NAB video. This is probably the first NAB video that I've watched that just gives you the facts and gets to the points.

All props go to Luis Caffesse and Jason Adams who are making the rounds this year at NAB. They will be uploading more videos to the youtube channel there later today.

Thanks.
 
And you know this because.....

Because a SDHC card is cheaper than a SSD drive. Maybe not per GB but the price of entry is. 50mbit is also much cheaper because a smaller card can fit so much more video. If you are someone who doesn't have a problem with 50mbit video than shooting ProRes or raw does cost a lot more. Same concept as shooting on P2 cards compared to SDHC cards. P2 cards were expensive and could only hold so much video due to the higher bitrate. This brought the cost of production up higher. It is very simple to realize how much more expensive shooting on the BMPC is going to be compared to a GH3. Now if you eventually hack your camera to 220 mbits then that is another story.
 
Sorry, I inadvertently conflated your post with Ethan Cooper's. He said, "Red, Sony & the big boys" make high-end gear -- "the best stuff" -- that you have to be prepared to pay dearly for. Andrew Redid took issue with this blanket statement, pointing out areas where the 4K BMD camera may prove superior. You then raised the isuue of reliable delivery. I wasn't blaming Red for BMD's problems. My point was that late delivery and spotty availability of products aren't unique to low-end player BMD. "Big boy" player Red has been far guiltier of these problems than BMD ever was. But you're right, BMD does literally suffer from underdelivering. And the timing of the new product announcements couldn't have been worse for those who had ordered nearly a year ago but just recently received their cameras.
 
Sorry, I inadvertently conflated your post with Ethan Cooper's. He said, "Red, Sony & the big boys" make high-end gear -- "the best stuff" -- that you have to be prepared to pay dearly for. Andrew Redid took issue with this blanket statement, pointing out areas where the 4K BMD camera may prove superior. You then raised the isuue of reliable delivery. I wasn't blaming Red for BMD's problems. My point was that late delivery and spotty availability of products aren't unique to low-end player BMD. "Big boy" player Red has been far guiltier of these problems than BMD ever was. But you're right, BMD does literally suffer from underdelivering. And the timing of the new product announcements couldn't have been worse for those who had ordered nearly a year ago but just recently received their cameras.

And that is different from the sad availability of the Panasonic GH3's how? It is still hard to get my hands on a GH3 and this is a mainstream company and part of the consumer division on top of that. The big difference is the big companies keep everything a secret until they work out the kinks, usually. The smaller companies like RED and BM like to share what they are doing very early to generate buzz. RED may abuse this vapor ware style a little too much. BM almost always misses their target but the stuff eventually comes out a month or two later. BMCC is a bit different because it was new ground and they have to depend on so many external sources for parts. This will get better as they establish better relationships and perfect their process of making cameras. BM is an insanely agile company able to change directions like a speedboat and adapt to situations. They will learn from the last year and continue to make it better. Especially now that they need to produce three cameras.
 
Because a SDHC card is cheaper than a SSD drive. Maybe not per GB but the price of entry is. 50mbit is also much cheaper because a smaller card can fit so much more video. If you are someone who doesn't have a problem with 50mbit video than shooting ProRes or raw does cost a lot more. Same concept as shooting on P2 cards compared to SDHC cards. P2 cards were expensive and could only hold so much video due to the higher bitrate. This brought the cost of production up higher. It is very simple to realize how much more expensive shooting on the BMPC is going to be compared to a GH3. Now if you eventually hack your camera to 220 mbits then that is another story.

OK, I thought you were saying that the Pocket Camera's image is soft when compared to the 50Mbps recording on a GH3. Which is why I questioned your statement.

From what I understand, the camera will take 64GB cards that are currently just over $70 a pop. Yes, less recording time but with ProRes (HQ) at 220 Mbps I'm expecting the camera to return very decent footage.
 
Strangely, for me, this announcement has made me more enthusiastic about the GH3 (If I can find one at list...) in that, as you say, it's available now. And does 60p 1080, which is just lovely in the right place. That said, I can not wait to get my hands on the pocket cinema cam... though I'll be surprised if it's logistically possible within a year. For sure though, three cheers for BMCC!
 
two things to take into account:
* the pocket BMC has a 2.9x crop factor; on this sensor, the Voigtlander 17.5mm f/0.95 becomes equivalent to a 50mm f/2.8 on full frame, in terms of FoV and DoF; somebody will have to test how bad the distortion is, but the samyang 8mm fisheye may be the only cheap option for a wide angle on the pocket BMC
* the production BMC does not record RAW initially; and when it does, the bitrate will be astronomical, even compressed (18 minutes of footage on a 240GB SSD)

I still think it's an amazing and revolutionary announcement, but just to put things into perspective...
 
Panicked a bit when I saw the initial leaked BMPC this morning but I'm still happier waiting for my D16, I'd have to wait for the BMPC anyway.

D16 (2k RAW, CCD, Global Shutter, Form factor) still the camera I want, BMPC looks great though and I might get one as well when its available.

Glad I built up a good collection of Vintage C-Mount glass, wave goodbye to getting any of those cheap!
 
Back
Top