» Posts Tagged ‘cinemacamera’
Blackmagic Joins the Micro 4/3 Barbecue: is an Active MFT Mount Cinema Camera Cooking?
Just a few short months ago, it was announced that the Blackmagic Cinema Camera would be receiving a Micro 4/3 lens mount option alternative to its original Canon EF mount. Granted, for those of us still waiting on the BMCC to ship, a few short months is no stretch of time to merely shrug off — particularly when the mount announced was to be a “passive” or “dumb” one, meaning electronic control would not be supported for smart MFT lenses. There’s been speculation that this would change — and given Blackmagic’s recent addition to the consortium of companies aligned with the official Micro 4/3 standard, this speculation seems less outlandish than ever. More »
Blackmagic Adds Retina Macbook Pro Support in DaVinci Resolve 9.1 Update
Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve 9 has seen a number of updates since its release over the summer, and even though many have been waiting for the full version that comes with their Blackmagic Cinema Camera, the free version, DaVinci Resolve Lite, is almost exactly the same , with just a few limitations in terms of nodes and resolutions. We’ve featured a few tutorials on the software so far, so if you’re unfamiliar with it, be sure to check them out. Click through for all of the additions in the new Resolve version 9.1. More »
Color is just about the most subjective aspect of any visual creation. Everyone sees color a little differently, so it’s no surprise that we talk endlessly about color science and about which cameras we prefer. Certain looks are too much for some people, and others are not enough. Blackmagic spent a great deal of time developing their color science with Australian Director of Photography John Brawley, and I think working with an actual shooter in developing their camera has made a significant difference in the visuals of the final product. Adam Roberts got a hold of the BMCC and performed a thorough test to compare the camera’s skin tones to that of the FS100 and the Mark II. Click through to check it out. More »
Voigtlander 17.5mm and SLR Magic 12mm on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT with John Brawley
We are still waiting on the official word about whether we’ll start seeing volume shipping in the next few weeks on the EF version of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, but John Brawley has been busy putting the Micro 4/3 version through its paces. That version, which has a passive (non-electronic) mount, may actually be more suited for the camera considering the sensor is about the same size as MFT. There may not be a tremendous amount of lens support at the moment, but Brawley has tested a few that MFT BMCC users might think about purchasing, the Voigtlander Nokton 17.5mm f/0.95 and the SLR Magic 12mm T/1.6. On a pre-shoot for a feature film he is working on, he busted out the BMCC and grabbed these shots: More »
At this point, solid state image sensors have matched or exceeded film in a lot of ways, including light sensitivity, responsiveness to shadow detail, and overall dynamic range — but that doesn’t mean our chips aren’t susceptible to certain problems previously avoided by the nature of emulsion. Indeed, ‘sensitivity’ nowadays means something different altogether — and with the virtual necessity of neutral density filters as a result, this often means vulnerability to infrared pollution. Unless you like shooting at f/22 or you’re already using the Aaton Penelope Delta, you may also require an IR filter with your ND. AbelCine has recently shared a great rundown of which cameras suffer the most from IR pollution — and what filters work best to correct each. More »
The Blackmagic Cinema Camera may be shipping within the next month or so, but in the meantime, we are continuing our review and we’ve now got a possibly final roundup of videos for this camera (at least for the near future until they start shipping), as it has finally made its way into enough hands to really get a sense of the quality. While we haven’t seen much narrative content make its way to the web yet, there are still plenty of different situations that show off just how much this little $3,000 camera can do. Click through to check them out. More »
Purchasing a Digital Cinema Camera Package: a Complete Guide from Ryan E. Walters
Things are moving fast in the world of digital cinema. Just a few years ago DSLRs were about the only affordable way to get a cinema quality image, but now we’ve got plenty of camera options under $20,000 that would have cost well over $100,000 just five years ago. We’ve already shared with you a rather comprehensive RED buying guide, and now we have a wonderful digital cinema buying guide from Ryan E. Walters. He covers everything you need to know about putting together a camera package, and gives personal experience about the package he is planning to put together.
This is a guest post by Cinematographer Ryan E. Walters. More »
The Blackmagic Cinema Camera is not quite shipping in volume yet and we’ve already got one firmware update, which added Image Stabilization and DNxHD, and now it looks like another is on the way. During my time with the camera thanks to Rule Boston Camera, using electronic iris lenses like Canon EF was a bit of a mess, since the camera couldn’t tell you the aperture of the lens on the display. While the iris button would automatically set the exposure based on the highlights, fine-tuning was difficult because there was no way to tell how open or closed the iris was without some serious fiddling, and even then, it wasn’t realistic to work that way in an actual shooting environment. That problem looks like it will be solved very quickly, however, and it could come before most people even get to using their cameras. More »
Blackmagic Cinema Camera Review Part 2: Rule Boston Camera Learning Lab
Not only do these cameras exist, as I pointed out before, but I, as a person, actually exist (believe it or not). I’ve written a lot of posts so far for NoFilmSchool, but the only video I have participated in up until now is the NextWaveDV Blogger’s Breakfast which was during NAB 2012. Now, there is one more. Thanks to Rule Boston Camera, I was able to get a hold of the camera, and I also participated in one of their Learning Labs with Adam Van Voorhis, specifically on the BMCC. The entire video is embedded below, but if you want a sneak peak, here is a quick preview of what you’ll find in the presentation: More »
If you’ve been following the shipping updates, Blackmagic has been going through quite a frustrating situation since the Cinema Camera was originally supposed to ship back in July. The company that makes their sensors has been having quality control issues, and it has taken a few months to sort out the problem and figure out ways to correct it. Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic, has updated the public once more on the current situation. More »
It exists, and I know this, having actually shot with it thanks to Rule Boston Camera. It’s impossible to truly know a camera until you’ve actually handled it, and that also goes for the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Footage online can only tell you so much, but when it really comes down to it, being able to put the thing in your hands can tell you a lot about usability that you might not get from reading about it online. I was also part of a full presentation that I will be posting soon, but for now, here are some of my initial observations about the camera. More »
Watch the Surreal 'We Are On Fire' Shot on the Weisscam HS-2, Plus Blackmagic Cinema Camera BTS
Slow motion is one of the many beauteous benefits gleaned from the advancement and proliferation of digital technology — not only has it been made less of a headache to achieve, it’s also effectively cheaper now, too. Like any of the benefits of digital proliferation, it has the potential to be overused, but more importantly, the potential to be gorgeous when executed tastefully. The music video for CocoRosie’s “We Are On Fire,” shot by Filip Piskorzynski with some additional work by John Brawley, is an example of the latter — in this case, shot on the P+S Technik Weisscam HS-2 Mk II — plus, Mr. Brawley has just posted some impressive looking behind-the-scenes material for the video, shot on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. More »
Anamorphic shooting at the low budget level is difficult, and with the options out there for filmmakers, getting a proper aspect ratio and a sharp image is next to impossible without a lot of effort or a lot of patience. When Zeek Earl of Shep Films shared some test footage, I took notice, because it was some of the cleanest and sharpest anamorphic footage I’ve seen come out of a DSLR. After exploring a bit further, I discovered their short film In The Pines, and also found out that the test footage posted was for a Kickstarter project that will end in less than 24 hours. Click through to check all of it out. More »
It’s been a frustrating few months for everyone involved, but it seems like Blackmagic and their suppliers may have finally ironed out the issues that have been plaguing them and the production of the Cinema Camera since shipping was first delayed over the summer. The supplier that Blackmagic is using for sensors has not had proper testing in place to catch some contamination that has been getting under the glass that is bonded to the sensor, so it took for Blackmagic to actually get in there with engineers for the this problem to be resolved. It’s all a bit technical, but Grant Petty, the CEO, has posted a new message that should be encouraging to anyone who still has not received a camera (which I’m guessing is just about all of you). More »
The folks at juicedLink have already presented us with strong evidence that using the company’s Riggy Micro/Assist low-noise pre-amplifier configuration with DSLR shooting has major advantages. First and foremost, it greatly improves the noise-floor performance of on-board recorded audio, even matching high-end dual-system recorders in its signal to noise ratio — additionally, though, using any good preamp avoids the mobility and convenience you lose with having to use a separate recorder, plus the need to sync in post. Now, juicedLink’s Robert Rozak performs another exhaustive test, this time to illustrate the benefits of using the Riggy Micro/Assist setup with Blackmagic’s Cinema Camera — plus major audio issues that must be addressed with that camera system. Check out the video below to see the results. More »
Lenses Face Off on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera: Samyang/Rokinon 35mm vs. Canon 35mm
While you might not have your Blackmagic Cinema Camera yet, there are still a few who not only have them, but have been extensively testing various parts of their workflow. Marco Solorio has had numerous excellent tests with both the camera itself and some of the lens options, and now we’ve got a very thorough test with one of Canon’s better lenses, the 35mm f/1.4 L series lens, and the Samyang/Rokinon 35mm T/1.5 Cine lens (Samyang and Rokinon are just brand names, but the lenses are identical). While they’re both full-frame DSLR lenses at heart, how do they stack up when paired with the BMCC? Click through to find out. More »
The camera was one of the biggest surprises at NAB this year – a RAW shooting video camera for under $5,000 that used standard SSD drives for storage. The company planned on rolling them out by late July/early August, but one delay pushed that back until later in August, and another until September. A new camera model was even introduced with a Micro 4/3 mount. We were updated on the issues each time there was a serious delay, but now we’re into November. It’s been a frustrating few months for the team at Blackmagic, but the CEO, Grant Petty, has taken the time to give us a full and complete answer about the current status. More »
SLR Magic Developing Budget Anamorphic Lenses and Canceling Development on Others
Not too long ago SLR Magic (maker of the 12mm T/1.6 and 50mm T/0.95 lenses) confirmed that they were in the early stages of developing anamorphic lenses designed for Micro 4/3 mounts — like the Panasonic GH3 and the Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT. This is certainly very exciting for any lower-budget or DSLR-level shooters who have so far been deprived of any low-cost anamorphic shooting options (or at least those that don’t require serious workarounds). They’ve also said they will not be developing select new lenses the Leica mount that premiered at Photokina. More »
8-Bit is Still 8-Bit, Why DSLRs Are No Match for the 12-Bit Blackmagic Cinema Camera
People have done as much as possible to argue against the test that was performed with the Blackmagic Cinema Camera by Marco Solorio and OneRiver Media. That test compared the 5D Mark III and the BMCC, and even though the superior resolution and dynamic range of one of those cameras should have been obvious, many still prefer the Mark III and complained that a better picture profile or some post sharpness would make the differences less noticeable. Well, Marco is back with a new test, and (in my personal opinion) it’s hard to argue against these results, as he’s pulled out all of the stops to really test the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and show why 8-bit will always be 8-bit, and what it means when you’ve got the capability for 12-bit images. More »
We’ve discussed the ergonomics of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera on numerous occasions, and there are plenty of people who refuse to believe the camera in its current form is capable of any sort of decent handheld without a serious rig. I’m of the persuasion that pretty much any camera has a specific way that it can be held to maximize stability and get great footage without a rig, though there are certain shooting instances where a rig will make your life easier. But what if you can’t afford one, or you need to shoot in a very confined space or without calling attention to yourself — is the Cinema Camera up to the task? John Brawley thinks so, and he shot quite a bit of handheld behind-the-scenes footage on a recent TV show he DP’ed called Puberty Blues. Click through for his thoughts and some of the footage. More »
StephenW.: Hey Philip, I appreciate the test and reviews, wish ya had time to do more… First Look at the Micro 4/3 Metabones Speed Booster on the Blackmagic Cine…
RussianDP: Yeah, bro! Better kiss your girl than write messages to Dan^-) First Look at the Micro 4/3 Metabones Speed Booster on the Blackmagic Cine…
Philip Bloom: Cheers. Caught me at bad moment. I know. Next time ignore. Back to the… First Look at the Micro 4/3 Metabones Speed Booster on the Blackmagic Cine…
RussianDP: Dear Philip, Do not listen guys like Dan. Whole Russian community love yo… First Look at the Micro 4/3 Metabones Speed Booster on the Blackmagic Cine…
Rob Foulkes: Great stuff Philip - I have a BMPCC on order so to be able to see how the … First Look at the Micro 4/3 Metabones Speed Booster on the Blackmagic Cine…