Have you downloaded the RAW CinemaDNG files from the Blackmagic Cinema Camera yet? If not, I highly recommend doing so if you've been on the fence about pre-ordering the camera. The clips that John Brawley has made available are from a short film he's been working on called Afterglow. While it's not clear if the final product will be in this style of not, John has uploaded an extended cut of scenes that run of the gamut of lighting scenarios and really show what this thing can do -- especially in lower light. Check out the footage below.
You can read the entire rundown of the project including the light sources used and technical details by heading on over to John Brawley's blog using the link below. I feel like I can't say enough how much I appreciate that Blackmagic really worked hard to get the color science right with this camera. It's not all about specifications (though the spec sheet for the Cinema Camera is certainly a selling point) -- the other big half of the image is what it looks like and what you can do with it. If you've been playing around with the RAW files, the answers to both of those questions are pretty clear. Those who've argued for the continue use of film have always made a point that I agreed with up until now: that film had a lovely natural way of rendering skin tones. I think digital is starting to put that argument to rest, and skin tones from higher-end digital cinema cameras look just as good as any film stock.
Now this $3,000 camera with $1,500 worth of software comes out of nowhere and proves that a camera doesn't have to be expensive to render beautifully detailed yet accurate colors and skin tones. Not only that, but we don't have to go out and buy an external recorder to get three professional recording formats (including RAW).
The only question is, are the other camera manufacturers paying attention?
