Blackmagic Production Camera 4K Goes Head-to-Head with the Canon 1D-C & RED EPIC
Last week, Blackmagic Design once again shook up the cinema camera market with their announcement that the BMPC 4K would begin shipping immediately at $1000 cheaper than expected. Cut to one week later, and the first of many forthcoming camera comparison videos have hit the web. If you're wondering how the BMPC 4K stacks up against the Canon 1D-C and the RED EPIC, cameras which are significantly more expensive than Blackmagic's offering, here are a few videos that should clarify things.
First, we've got a comparison of Canon's 1D-C with the BMPC 4K from the fine folks over at Cinema 5D. At this point, the 1D-C is the closest competitor to the BMPC 4K (at least until the GH4 is released) in terms of them being small form-factor 4K cinema-capable cameras With that said, the 1D-C comes in with a price tag that is more than $10k more than the BMPC, so calling them competitors is a bit like comparing apples to pork chops.
In terms of basic aesthetic quality, the two cameras are fairly similar, and there is little doubt that these two cameras could work side-by-side in a multiple camera shoot. Not surprisingly, however, there are some areas where the 1D-C blows the BMPC out of the water, most notably low-light performance. On the flip side, rolling shutter is no longer an issue with the BMPC due to its global shutter, so handheld work might very well be more suited to the Blackmagic.
Next, we've got a comparison of the BMPC 4K with the RED EPIC from filmmaker Toby Kahler. This isn't a "which is better" kind of test. Instead, it's meant to see how footage from these two cameras might be cut together in a two camera shoot.
Once again, there is little doubt that these two cameras could work in tandem on a multiple camera shoot. With that said, the BMPC 4K definitely has a bit less dynamic range than its counterpart in this video. Also, the Blackmagic team will once again need to find a firmware solution for the red circle artifact that appears when the BMPC 4K is pointed directly at the sun. Considering how they dealt with similar issues in the pocket camera, there should be little doubt that this problem will be fixed soon.
What do you guys think? How does the BMPC 4K stand up against (or with) its significantly more expensive competitors? Have you had the opportunity to shoot with the BMPC 4K yet? If so, tell us about the experience down in the comments!
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