When news of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera dropped, I got that warm, giddy feeling. Everything I need in a camera and nothing I don't! A few months of research later, I decided: this will be the camera I will shoot my feature film with. The quality of images this camera produces is superb. I love the dynamic range, the sharpness, the texture, and the richness in the blacks. I feel closer to shooting on film than I ever have. However, when it comes to peace of mind on set, it can leave a lot to be desired. There's plenty of praises to sing, but I want to talk about some of the issues I've had with it, hidden expenses, and quirks to be aware of that are pertinent to the independent filmmaker. Click through for a list I've compiled after shooting two indie features with it, along with some comments from Dan May, the president of Blackmagic Design.
While my directorial debut, Menthol, is still in the early editing stages, here is a teaser from the feature I shot with Josh Beck directing, called Ever. Many of these shots are ungraded, but this gives you a sense of what we were able to do with the camera on a very low budget:
Video is no longer available: vimeo.com/62819168
Without further ado, the list:
1. Dropped Frames / SSDs
Currently BMD's suggested list of SSDs is proving to be a bit of a minefield. Shooting my film with Crucial M4 512s -- in which it was my goal to incorporate a lot of long takes -- dropped frames were a drag. They happen randomly and frequently, even in ProRes. The only upside to this is that you know when it's happening; the camera's REC display blinks when a drop frame is detected. To minimize dropped frames, it's recommended to format your SSDs (HFS+) after each use, which can only be done when docked to your computer. In terms of SSDs, the general consensus is to go for the Sandisk Extreme 480GB, though they are not immune to dropped frames either.
It seems that the severity of the dropped frame can vary as well, sometimes the image skips, and other times it's barely noticeable and it just sends your audio out of sync. The end of the world? Certainly not, but annoying enough for me to urge you to choose your SSD media wisely, and check in with the community about various manufacturers' SSD performance before buying. Here's an example of audio drift from a dropped frame (NSFW audio):
The SSD bay itself is also very delicate and I don't think it will hold up to long-term rugged professional use. I recommend extreme delicacy when slotting SSDs in and out of the camera. Also be aware that there is no clip management inside the camera, this means no deleting clips in-camera. From Dan:
Different SSD manufacturers do things different in terms of media, they actually have their own compression built in to save space. The Crucials were really one of the big "gotchas" that we experienced, as we tested them a lot and they were working great and then a new firmware came along and it was like, okay, these don't work anymore.
The hidden cost? If you buy the correct media the first time around, you'll be okay.
2. Touchscreen
I've shot with 4 different Blackmagic cameras so far, and each LCD screen seems to have its different quirks, dead pixels being the constant, so potentially expect to see some. However, the real problem with the BMC screen is that it's completely unusable in daylight or in any situation where light is hitting the screen, and the included sun shade is not a solution by any means. A 5" monitor hood like the Hoodman HRT5 is a must at the very minimum if you can't afford an SDI EVF like the Alphatron or an HDMI to SDI converter. In regards to cheap SDI converters like this one, beware -- it won't always successfully carry your signal.
In the current firmware (1.2) the 'Video' display mode (REC 709) only works on the camera's LCD, so when using an external monitor your only option is to view the 'Log' signal. Also on external monitors, Zebras and Peaking functions disappear while recording. The touchscreen menu is also the only place to access the camera's options and cannot be sent out via SDI.
The hidden cost? Expect to purchase a sunshade at the very least, and unless you own an external monitor already, one of those too. Or you can DIY something, like I did in a pinch with my camera bag's velcro dividers and the almighty gaff tape: 
3. Data Rates
I'll be the first to admit it: I can't afford to shoot RAW for anything long-form like a feature. On my film, we shot for 20 days and my ProRes footage totaling ~5TB, or ~60 hours, multiplied x3 for redundancy (it's all about redundancy); that's ~15TB of data, and all we had room in the budget for. The RAW data rates otherwise are just too intense. This is championed as a narrative camera, but it seems unaffordable to shoot a feature film in RAW at the sub-$100k level. I suspect a lot of indie filmmakers will make great use of the ProRes and rarely utilize RAW.
4. Internal Audio
No internal audio metering (yet). Seems like a basic camera feature, but is nowhere to be found. No phantom power. While on paper the audio preamps in the camera are of good quality, they still aren't working as intended. She's quirky: if the camera feels like the signal is going to overload, then it switches itself from MIC to LINE which, when using a PreAmp like the JuicedLink riggy, which can cause lost audio. Balanced TRS inputs instead of XLR is a minor headache, although if you're from the DSLR world you'll be used to this. Dual-system sound can't be beat, and until Blackmagic sorts out their internal audio issues, I wouldn't feed anything to the camera other than a scratch track. More from Dan:
There's one or two audio things that we're trying to work on, but I can't definitely say that we have an answer for that yet. I don't think that there are VU meters coming soon. We're working on fixes for the camera, and we're working on getting to NAB, and there's a bunch of stuff post-NAB, but to say that VU meters are coming soon wouldn't be accurate. We understand why people want VU meters on the touchscreen itself, but there are ways around it, such as using an external monitor.
More info on the BMCC's audio quirks from JuicedLink.
5. 24 vs 23.976
Final Cut Pro 7 editors: be careful! This camera has the option of shooting in true 24fps. Not 24p (23.976/23.98) but true 24. Final Cut Pro has some quirks when it comes to editing on a true integer sequence such as 24fps, the biggest issue being audio drift. You'll notice if you bring in your 48.000khz audio that it will drift. The solution for this in small applications is to speed up or slow down your audio by .01% (so either by changing your audio clip speed to 99.90% or 100.10%, depending on which version of the problem you're compensating for). Premiere doesn't have this problem, and is another reason I'm happy I made the switch. I shot some stuff on true 24 on accident, assuming it was 23.98 -- my mistake, yes, but a headache nonetheless. So just make sure to shoot on 23.98 unless you really mean true 24. As to why it's there, it's for shooting alongside film:
We were trying to find a the cross between the DSLR and the film world, so we just wanted to cover as many bases as possible.
6. Infinity Focus / Iris Control
Reports of issues with infinity focus on various lenses is cause for concern as well. I planned to shoot a majority of my film on the Tokina 11-16, a popular choice for covering the wide lengths on the Blackmagic's intense crop factor. After reading people having problems with infinity focus on the EF version of the lens, I decided to rent the Nikon version and use a G adapter with manual iris control, as the F-mount version doesn't seem to have the problem. Blackmagic has addressed this issue and is fixing cameras that show this problem.
In terms of iris control, a lot of lenses (even EF) simply aren't supported. I've always championed the use of manual lenses -- I personally need to be able to control exposure with something physical, with my hands. With this camera, you just don't know if you'll be able to control aperture with your lens until you try it.
There is no official list of lenses that we certify, obviously there are user reports and a lot of internal discussion about what works and what doesn't. I don't want to comment if there's going to be an official list because I don't think we've decided at this time.
The hidden cost? Depending on what lenses you use, it might not be a problem. Look for user generated lists on what works and what doesn't.
7. Crop Factor
While it's worth mentioning that the crop factor is workable and shouldn't be a huge detractor for many, it's pretty different from what I'm used to in S35. In general I don't like what it does to my focal lengths, and I've found myself using zoom lenses more to compensate for this. The general rule of thumb is obvious: it's harder on the wide end and easier on the telephoto end.
The hidden cost? At roughly 2.3x (from full frame, 1.6 from S35) it's an awkward crop factor, which means it might require additional lenses, depending on what lenses you currently own and what focal lengths you need to cover.
8. Moire
Those from the DSLR world will be used to this, as the moire from the BMCC's sensor can be just as bad. Perhaps Mosaic Engineering or another company will design some kind of VAF (Video Aliasing Filter) for the camera, but nothing has hit the market yet. Is it a huge problem? Not if you're used to it and know how to look for it, but definitely worth knowing about. Will BMD develop anything to solve this? Don't hold out for it:
There's so many great third-party manufacturers out there it's hard to see us spending a lot of time and energy doing that kind of stuff, unless there's a huge gap. We're a $3,000 camera, and what we deliver is a whole lot of camera. The only time we make an accessory is when a third party really falls down on the job, then we will go out and make it.
9. Power
One of my favorite things about the camera is actually the ~1.5 hours you get out of the internal battery. It's very useful if you need to be covert when 'stealing' locations. You can strip it down, pop it off your rig and it makes it easy to get shots on a public bus or a supermarket. This is something that DSLR users will find familiar in terms of form factor. However, be aware that you absolutely need an external battery system for normal all-day shooting, like a V-Mount or Gold-Mount (Anton Bauer) system. They aren't cheap, and as always, you get what you pay for. The hidden cost? Expect to pay around $500 at the very minimum for a working V-mount system. Many professional battery systems, like the IDX Indura can take an even larger bite out of your wallet. I'm glad using this camera pushed me to start working with an external battery system though -- I won't ever go back.
Also, be aware that the barrel size on the power connector is 2.5mm, slightly larger than the standard 2.1mm power pins that you find on your DSLR. You'll need something like this D-Tap cable to provide power to your camera.
10. Sunspot
Pointing the camera in the direction of the sun causes a photosite overload -- it transforms bright sources, like the sun, into a large black dot. For most situations, it's not a problem, but in the case where you have a client who needs "beautiful sunflares, blah blah blah" it's going to cause you problems. All CMOS sensors are capable of overloading like this, as did the RED ONE in an early firmware. DaVinci Resolve's 'recover highlight' function should fix this for those who need to in post. (Note: this doesn't seem to be present on all units.)
This is going to be addressed in the future firmware update that is in the works, which will definitely be post-NAB.
11. Framerates
No frame rates above 30fps. No brainer, no big deal. This is a narrative camera, but just be aware of it. It's amazing the surprise I hear when I tell people this. So if you plan on doing a re-make of Paranoid Park, you'll have to pick a different camera. A lot of clients ask for slow motion, so if your primary accounts are music videos or short / experimental films, it could be a drawback.
12. Auto Sleep Mode / Camera Death
I had one camera die on me in the middle of shooting. While scrubbing through playback, the camera shut off and wouldn't turn back on. Blackmagic support replaced the camera for me, but our production had to rent one for 5 days while it was being shipped, and it was a miracle that I even knew someone with a camera body to rent at the time. I'm now basically PTSD when looking at playback, I always think it's gonna kill the camera, and try to avoid playback in-camera as a general rule. Very stressful. BMD's support team diagnosed the problem as a glitch with its auto-sleep mode, that apparently activates when the batteries are low, and they said it must've gotten stuck in this mode. However, I was fully charged when it happened, so it's still a mystery to us -- and mysteries are scary.
I have never heard of that before. I had a really early beta camera that had a weird experience kind of in that area -- the battery died, won't revive -- but that was in March of last year. The thing should be well grounded, it shouldn't get electrical shocks, but that sounds like a freak accident, I have not heard of a camera just falling asleep with full batteries.
So the mystery remains, but is to be expected with a company blazing a new path, and the Blackmagic Support team are very helpful and responsive to your needs. More from Dan May about their journey making the camera:
Certainly we are not the first person to go out and say we're just going to make a camera out of another guy's system? It's a complicated process, the fact that we were able to actually get the camera out the door in a reasonable amount of time, granted we had lots of challenges, but a lot of the problems that you mentioned, some of them have been addressed by firmware updates or will be addressed by firmware updates, or have workarounds out there that are reasonable.
The hard part is: how much time do we want to spend developing the 'silver bullet' product, and can that be an affordable product that people will buy? If we kept the camera a secret for another 2 years and put all these features in it, all of a sudden it's a $10,000 camera and it's 2 years late. That is part of the process of being a manufacturer, it's just about trying to develop the best product as possible and get it into the hands of as many people as possible.
When asked about this year's NAB:
Unless we invent time travel I don't think we can top the shock and awe of last year, but I think it'll be another great NAB, so look out for it, it should be pretty exciting.
Remember, any camera is just a tool, and you should be aware of what the tool is providing for you that you really need. Do you need a RAW workflow? Do you need the dynamic range? Above all, shoot with what works for you. A lot about filmmaking is learning the tools so we can forget them. By now it's a cliché, but it's true. To be able to transcend the tools is so important, because when you're shooting, you want to be solving creative problems, not technical ones.
So if you have a 7D/5D and are looking for an upgrade to the BMCC, keep in mind that the camera presents a whole new set of quirks. Blackmagic Design has never made a camera before, and it comes with all the bumps and bruises you could expect from a bleeding edge piece of technology. Most importantly, it should not be looked at as a simple upgrade from a DSLR. It's a camera that delivers features at its price-point that is defying what the market offered even 6 months ago, but it's not for everyone, and you can't just jump in without a lot of consideration.
Sometimes you just can't know something until you've spent some time with it and learned how to optimize it for your use. Now that I know a lot more about how to handle it by keeping this list in mind, I feel more comfortable going out and shooting with it. As with any camera system: test, test, and test some more!
Special thanks to Dan May of Blackmagic Design for speaking with me on these points.
How many of you are planning on shooting films with this camera? Do any other BMCC users out there have anything to add or amend to my list? Share in the comments below.
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143 Comments
Very well written. Thank you
April 4, 2013 at 5:15AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Yes- extremely helpful to have "in the field" experiences on longer form projects.
April 4, 2013 at 5:31AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Agreed, awesome to have real user feedback... I'm sticking to Canon for now...
April 4, 2013 at 6:16AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thank you BMD for a worthy replacement of film for us poor people.
April 4, 2013 at 5:36AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Incidentally with many of the same headaches of film as well.
April 4, 2013 at 6:50AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Great post. I'm about to cancel my order. No kidding.
April 4, 2013 at 5:52AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
What is the alternative of BMC?
April 4, 2013 at 5:56AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Digital Bolex? I understand it's nearly ready, with the possibility of working models at NAB.
April 4, 2013 at 6:05AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
You don't really think the Digital Bolex will be immune from many of these same growing pains too, do you? The BMCC has a huge advantage over the DB in that it's had a years headstart in field testing.
April 4, 2013 at 7:02AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Those guys could have brought the Bolex out already, yet chose to keep refining the design with over a hundred improvements. I think they are quietly conscious of the BMCC shipping delays and are trying hard not to disappoint upon release. Of course, you may still be right.
April 4, 2013 at 7:52AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Digital boles has a CCD sensor with global shutter and XLR inputs are what really attract me to this camera. However it only shoots uncompressed so...
I'm really hoping there are more cameras to compete in this market soon. I'm going to be shooting an 8 episode web series in July and want to upgrade to a 12 bit camera from my GH2, but as of right now I'm really not feeling like ill be able to comfortably shoot with anything other than my GH2. I'd rather spend that money on lighting and storage if I can't have a piece or reliable gear.
April 4, 2013 at 11:21AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I was going to cancel, but i was going to get Davinci anyway, so im just going to keep the m4/3 version and just mess with it.
April 4, 2013 at 5:56AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
The free version of resolve is pretty much just as good. Just no 3D and other stuff like that. So it's not that great of a value getting it for free with the camera.
April 4, 2013 at 11:25AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
For the drop frames, I have no issue with my sandisk extreme 240gb SSD in RAW at 24p or 30p.
The unusability of the screen outaide is a real bummer for me. I totally agreed with you for the data consumption of the camera. I shot some video timelapse and for 32mins of shooting in RAW I had consummed over 350gb of data. A feature film or doc will require so much HD space to make you bankrupt hahahaha. People cried dor RAW now they are asking for RAW but at 1080p instead of 2.5k or having ProRes444 for 2.5k recording.
Sound is really recommended to be recorded externally since there are issues with the internal recording.
I feel you forgot one important aspect which is having a proper rig setup for this camera. The camera feels heavier then 3.75lbs. The camera is front heavy. A proper weight balances rig makes it more versatile.
April 4, 2013 at 5:56AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
How long is your film going to be? Just 60 hours of footage sounds a fair bit. I go on the times 10 rule for narrative.
April 4, 2013 at 6:23AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
most likely had a high shooting ratio
April 4, 2013 at 8:21AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
As for dropped frames, I have the impression that the smaller capacity SSDs (128 / 256..) are les prone to that.
Anyone to confirm?
April 4, 2013 at 6:23AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Btw DaVinci Resolve 10 and online editing? http://goo.gl/PEz5G
April 4, 2013 at 6:26AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Well written! I've not had ANY dropped frame issues as of yet, recording mostly prores. I always double up on takes to make sure I'm covered, though. The sunspot thing is annoying, I wish that would be fixed sooner rather than later. I was mostly concerned with #12: the dead camera. THAT is frightening, but no more so than early RED shooting. Seems like the same old problems a new camera company always seems to have, and I'm looking forward to them being fixed quickly.
I think your point about indie people shooting mostly prores is dead on. I got the camera to perform nicely wit my mid-range imac with prores shooting and storage I can handle. I plan now to upgrade the editing machine and introduce a raid for storage of RAW in the future - but it's so nice to have a great working camera now that can be used to a bigger advantage later. Somewhat future proofed. (Upping the 2.5k to 4K is totally doable, as well!)
April 4, 2013 at 6:26AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Here's some thoughts based on my recent experience.
I just wrapped a 4 day short narrative shoot on the BMC The volume of data you generate shooting RAW is astounding. 1.6Tb of footage, that's with a shooting ratio of approx 1:20. The built in monitor and internal battery was actually really useful because we had to shoot a night street scene without permits, so we were able to ninja it.
But most of the time we used V-mounts batteries and a SmallHD AC7 for monitoring, the false color in the AC7 was a great exposure aid. I'm not entirely confident exposing with just zebras.
We recorded sound externally and slated, so the missing sound levels didn't bother me. I almost never record sound in camera.
Overall it's a great camera, which I'll be using for narrative, music video and fashion (if you don't need slow motion). But I suspect a lot of the budget DSLR shooters won't be able to make the jump because the cost of the camera is just the first of many costs.
Don't waste your time with 240Gb SSDs if you're shooting RAW. I'm going to be getting 480Gb SSDs minimum from now.
April 4, 2013 at 6:39AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Using larger than 240GB SSDs scares me. What if one is acting up or even dying? Can't afford to loose more than 20 minutes of material (bad enough). After expensive scenes or extraordinary performance, I change the SSD, if full or not.
Also I wonder about your shooting ratios. One guy said 1:20.
I get usually around 1:5 or 1:6 max. I find 1:20 quite shocking. Why so much? Bad acting, bad directing or bad camera?
April 6, 2013 at 6:17AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I'm waiting to see what gets unveiled at NAB. I have a feeling at least someone will announce a competitive product aimed at the BMCC.
April 4, 2013 at 6:49AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thanks for this!
April 4, 2013 at 6:57AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
uhm if you buy a BMC is be cause you want to shoot in raw, if you not can afford raw workflow, don't buy a BMC is very masochist to shoot with a raw camera not in raw...
i'm so curious 60h in 20 shooting days? a rate of 3h shooted at days?
are you shooting intervew? or a tv series all in one month?
also crazy guy like kubrick not have a so high shooting/edit ratio...
most of movie production that i meet shoot since 8-10 minutes at days... when are very lucky and in a single location, 3h hours is a record... or a waste of space?
April 4, 2013 at 7:05AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Yeah, 10 minutes of usable material a day is what you usually get on a normal narrative set.
Even with a ratio of 1:6, that's just three 240GB SSDs and around 600GB a day.
No big deal IMHO. If you throw out all the junk and bad stuff, you end up with less than 20GB a day.
April 6, 2013 at 6:22AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
As for the Moire issue, I havent seen it and I have done a fair share of brick wall shoots and test. Are you seeing it more on clothes? Because compared to my 5D its nearly non existent.
April 4, 2013 at 7:36AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
About SSDs
As long as you use usual MLC -flash SSDs you will have unstable media. If you want as reliable recording media for BMCC as possible you'll have to buy SLC-flash SSDs, and they are much more expensive (think Redmag pricing).
April 4, 2013 at 7:56AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Add:
the problem here is that BMCC's raw capture is uncompressed which makes reliable recording of raw footage extremely expensive.
April 4, 2013 at 8:00AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Micah Van Hove, if the difference is .01%, shouldn't that be 100.01% or 99.99%?
April 4, 2013 at 7:59AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Also how many SSD's were you using for the shoot?
April 4, 2013 at 8:07AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
and were you formatting them on the camera or computer?
April 4, 2013 at 8:13AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I used 2x 512 SSDs, but the Crucials are no longer recommended for use. You cannot format the SSDs inside the camera, only with a computer.
April 4, 2013 at 9:51AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Micah,
Would you recommend this camera for documentary over a 5d3?
Thanks greatly.
April 4, 2013 at 8:14AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Yes I would, when you choose the right media (SSDs) to avoid dropped frames, the camera will be able to roll for a long time w/o cutting, unlike with the FAT32 limit of the 5D (~12 minutes per take). More info: http://goo.gl/9IQeY
April 4, 2013 at 10:05AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
The 5D3 can shoot for 30 minutes, has smpte, best lowlight, fullframe, cheap SD cards, cheap CF cards, Cheap Batteries, weather sealed, can even shoot the picture for your movie poster.
I vote for the 5D3 all the way.
April 4, 2013 at 12:35PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thank you. This whole back and forth about what is a "cinema" camera and what isn't just kills me.
April 4, 2013 at 2:36PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I'm pretty sure Tom is just joking around. Everybody knows no Canon camera, MKIII included, can hold a candle to the BMCC. And the BMCC is not even a real cinema camera.
April 4, 2013 at 3:14PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I would. You don't have to shoot in RAW. The biggest gain from this camera is not raw but Dynamic Range. It's still present in ProRes or DNxHD.
April 6, 2013 at 7:12AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Storage can be a problem indeed in raw...
We're a shooting in raw right now and it's insane how much data you have on hands after a day of work.
Version 2 should have some sort of compressed raw like cineform. I simply don't see cinema DNG as viable solution for daily work.
We make jokes because the camera costs $3000 (although you'll spend another $3000 with gear) but its workflow in raw is something far, far, far more expensive...
April 4, 2013 at 8:14AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thats why it comes with broadcast quality prores for every day work. The Raw is for top end stuff and you budget accordingly to it which with 15tb of storage should have been more than enough to shoot the whole thing in RAW.
April 4, 2013 at 8:21AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
You right... But it's nice to have the extra benefits of Raw. It's simply not viable. we got a server, it was expensive, but to keep things up with BMCC in Raw the cost is prohibitive.
but it's a nice camera and I sincerely hope that all problems will be solved and for the next version they come up with a compressed raw feature.
April 4, 2013 at 8:46AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Just curious, if you want Cineform, why can't you just convert to Cineform manually as you import footage? Throw out the originals and you've got pretty much what you're asking for with just a simple step.
April 4, 2013 at 3:09PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I think it's just due to inexperience. Converting to Cineform is a simple step, an option, it's not difficult.
April 4, 2013 at 4:51PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I Shot my first short film on the BMCC EF Mount. i had to rent a tokina 11-16 to have a wide lens for steadicam shots. I was used a lot to the 7D and 5D but yeah the BMCC is a totally new tool.
1> In freezing temperature the camera decided to shut down on its own, but then came back to life when we heated it with a HMI lamp (lol)
2> the battery life, extended with sony battery was quite short, we had to change batteries every hours.
3> shooting in raw was not possible for me as 280GB of Raw data= 30 minutes of film. and I only had my laptop and an external drive for backups on set.
4> The picture is stunning. I would highly rent it again.
April 4, 2013 at 8:22AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Why are you talking about a dead editing tool. Final Cut Pro is dead. Why does it keep getting brought up.
April 4, 2013 at 8:28AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Because a lot of people are afraid to make the jump to a new or different platform. They will eventually have to upgrade or survive on niche gigs that require the edit be on FCP. Just be glad we live in an age where we don't have to splice and tape our edits, or figure out a swipe on film. Sadly that's what it feels like whenever I use FCP compared to CS6 Production Suite.
April 4, 2013 at 10:12AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I think it's important to keep in mind that until this camera came out BlackMagic Design was never a camera company, and nobody even saw it coming. I can't imagine how difficult it was for them to decide, ok, we're going to make a camera now, and it's going to be the camera everybody in the indie community would want, and it's going to be cheap to acquire and make the most awesome images south of RED. These are indeed growing pains, and I think it would be crazy to expect this camera to be perfect at this time. I've had BM products for years and I love the company, but I'm not sure I'm ballsy enough to rely on this camera yet for a feature. It will get much better soon, I'm sure. In the meantime, I have to say that for sheer ease of use and versatility, I'm loving my C100.
April 4, 2013 at 9:16AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Great post. Thanks for taking your time to share your thoughts. Very helpful.
April 4, 2013 at 9:23AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thank you for this post. It's exactly what I needed to hear. I've basically been drooling to get rid of my 5D3 for something more professional, the image is great out of this camera but it being a more "professional" camera I don't think so ill wait for some updates.
April 4, 2013 at 9:44AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Let's wait and see what the 4:2:2 firmware update offers for the Mk III. I doubt it'll solve the overall resolution issues, but it might be a nice way to shoot at higher ISO's with less compression noise.
April 4, 2013 at 9:53AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I really liked this post. Was getting tired of hearing from too many "Armchair DPs" that roll off spec sheets but have never used the camera in the field. Seems to be a trend in many filmmaking blogs nowadays...
April 4, 2013 at 9:47AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Fantastic post. Thank you for taking the time to do it.
I now see about 10pc of our work come in on BMDCC, mostly in ProRes, even on jobs with good budgets.
Great little camera - just had a very positive email from an experienced DOP I'd recommended it to.
For my work, the lack of high frame rates kills it for me, but here's hoping we get good news on Monday about that.
April 4, 2013 at 9:48AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
One more thing - we use the little WD 2TB FW drives to store and backup the footage. A RAW feature only costs about $500 to store with those, and in a push you can edit from them.
April 4, 2013 at 9:53AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
What about redundancy? Multiply that $500 by 3x.
I shot a short a while ago on a hmc150 and a t2i and the whole project including effects and sound work fit on a 240GB drive. On my new BMCC that holds 30 minutes of RAW.
Of course the image quality is pretty amazing on the BMCC. so I'm willing to deal with most anything...
April 4, 2013 at 2:24PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Has anyone thought to use this as a B camera to a larger system such as EPIC or ALEXA? Curious, how these match up on the big screen, if at all noticeable? - I remember the 5D push for second unit. Never stood up to the test, very noticeable inter-cuts.
April 4, 2013 at 9:59AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Just saw it used as C cam on a 2xAlexa shoot. It held up ok, but you're not generally using a lot of footage from a C cam. Most people I speak to wanting to wait for the MFT version so at least you're using the same lens set on it.
April 4, 2013 at 11:29AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
So far, shooting with the MFT camera that I have has been a different experience, mostly in the realm of what you can attempt (SLRMagic 25/0.95 wide open belongs on this camera) or the overall shift in image quality with a set of Cinema Primes (Cooke Panchros, buttery smooth).
I wouldn't be concerned about cutting Blackmagic in with Alexa. Epic, maybe, 5K resolution will be a strong tell, but Alexa? Nah. I've also put the camera on a few F35 shoots and you can't pick 'em apart.
April 4, 2013 at 11:32AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
When the article refers to Final Cut, they don't say what version. Is he (like a lot of people) using FCP7? Is this audio drift bug present in FCPX?
The people want to know...
April 4, 2013 at 10:34AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I don't know
April 4, 2013 at 11:45AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
audiodrift is deffo present in FCP7. if you are serious about editing you do not use FCPX. at least not the current version.
April 4, 2013 at 2:14PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thanks for catching that, I'm speaking to Final Cut Pro 7, which I will amend above. I have no experience with FCPX but I would assume it wouldn't be an issue there.
April 4, 2013 at 2:25PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thanks Micah. Really beautiful work.
April 4, 2013 at 2:55PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
So edit (fcp7-which author did mention in article) in non drop 24frame mode, not 23.98. That one's solved.
July 30, 2013 at 7:16AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Look, I'm not going to get into a debate over whether or not FCPX is good or not, esp since it would be way off topic. I presume you've checked out the latest version (10.08) for yourself and made your decision. I respect that. But I think your statement is presenting that opinion as fact and I also think it's incorrect.
I use both FCPX and Premiere CS6 in a professional environment. Last shoot I did we shot on C300 and C500 with Zeiss CP2s and cut it on FCPX...
April 4, 2013 at 2:38PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Fahnon, et al.,
Check out Kdenlive... it is free and kicks ass. Pleanty of opinions around here so I will ave mine too: it is the best video editor and it is FREE SOFTWARE!
http://kdenlive.org/
Cheers all.
April 5, 2013 at 2:39PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I use FCPX all the time for generating dailies. Fastest thing right now besides OSD ($15k)
August 5, 2013 at 10:20AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Patrick your a nut! There are many "serious editors" that use FCPX. Quit being a hater!
April 4, 2013 at 2:48PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Oh, yet another ignorant editor who complains about something they have never used.
April 4, 2013 at 2:55PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
FCP X does blow junks. That is not far from the truth. Premiere or Avid is the way to go unless Apple gets it together.
April 4, 2013 at 3:08PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I respect opinions (informed opinions). What Partick said was that no serious editor uses FCPX, which is just falsehood presented as if it were a fact. I know people who make their money creating video and use it. I use it whenever I have a multicam shoot because it's the simplest and fastest in that scenario. I use PPro when it is the simplest and fastest in a given scenario.
I think someone who's serious about editing uses that criteria above all others: whatever is simplest and fastest.
April 4, 2013 at 3:19PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
FCP X is good for simple jobs if you don't have to roundtrip into other programs or formats. It's prosumer friendly and geared towards that. It is not however a professional level program for mutli-editor projects, tv productions, or film workflows. In many ways its a huge step back from FCP 7. I've been an FCP editor for 8 years so I'm definitely not a hater just spewing venom.
Apple's priority now is Iphone and Ipads. The other NLEs are better developed, faster, and more capable.
April 4, 2013 at 3:28PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Funny thing that all people who say stuff like that have - if at all - tried FCPX for an hour or two and then given up because it wasn't just the same like the other programs.
It is actually pretty complex and has a lot of capabilities that you don't immediately see when you don't know it well.I have not yet myself learned to edit with it, but a friend of mine does and what he showed me looked pretty good.
I do a lot of tv type editing that usually needs to be done rather quickly and I think FCPX is perfect for doing that. A lot of things can be done quicker in FCPX that you had to manually build in FCP 7 or other editing programs.
April 6, 2013 at 3:50PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I know this is getting off topic but FCX is insanely fast once you get the hang of it. I use FC7 and Premiere at times when the situation calls for it but the majority of editing I do for Commercial peaces and narrative work is all done in X. I hated on it till I actually used it and now I'm even faster than I was on 7.
On topic I am really interested in a followup article to see if any of these issues were addressed with the new cameras. I'm developing an indie film to shoot in the fall and would love to use one of the Blackmagic cameras for at least some of it. I'd love to shoot the whole thing on the Production Camera but not sure the film (my pockets) have the money for it and all the other things needed.
April 10, 2013 at 11:10AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
what a stupid thing to say
April 4, 2013 at 3:33PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
that comment is at patrick who thinks FCX users are not serious about editing
April 4, 2013 at 3:34PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
"If you are serious about editing..." well that depends on what you are editiing. I know some people who are actually pretty happy with FCPX right now, but they are not editing short films but more tv/presentational video type stuff.
April 6, 2013 at 3:40PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
The current version has suffered an amazing evolution and it´s on par with FCP 7
April 7, 2013 at 6:50AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Sorry but that is a Dumb statement - FCX 10.8 is a great editing platform - I held off for a long time but now I would never go back it is fantastic.
April 23, 2013 at 1:56PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
As an owner and operator (since last October, lots of time spent with the EF mount and now have MFT Blackmagic, using it) the first (Dropped Frames) and number eight (moire) are the only things on the list that I would deem more important than the rest.
The moire/aliasing is bothersome, there are only a few tricks to subdue it but they aren't perfect. Mosaic Engineering is supposed to create something soon, I'll definitely be at the front of the line for it as it's truly the only discrepancy I have with the camera.
And, the SSD dropped frames, I am hoping Blackmagic puts the 240GB Sandisk on the official list as it is -- so far, the only SSD that's reported one single dropped frame out of the entirety of its users (myself included, I've got three and about to get three more between my camera(s)). This is part of the price you pay for non-proprietary recording media, but lucking out with Sandisk 240Gbs makes up for it.
The rest of the points are either situation specific (Never had any of the EF cameras die on me, ever, and I've pulled down a good 8 to 10TB of data to date), but I do acknowledge that some people have had some troubles. Manufacturing/growing pains.
I've long-since concluded that while the concept excites a lot of people, even some that refuse to admit it, the actual camera will remain a niche product. MFT mount with a Hot Rod Cameras PL Mount will definitely be spotted on a lot of productions large and small, and a lot of no-budgeteers will use it, just nowhere near the amount of users that will stick with 5Ds, F3s, etc. because the camera is very very quirky, too quirky for the majority.
April 4, 2013 at 11:41AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
where did you get your MFT mount camera from?
April 4, 2013 at 12:00PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I'm one of the beta testers, similar to Frank et al.
April 4, 2013 at 12:18PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Quick question: Does the BMCC record higher than 8 bit in DNxHD? I know RAW does, but if DNxHD records at a nice high bitrate with some good bit depth too, it would be a nice space-saving alternative to RAW.
April 8, 2013 at 6:07PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
So what's the best SSD that causes the least dropped frames?
June 29, 2013 at 4:30PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
sounds like a pain in the ass.
April 4, 2013 at 11:55AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
And what camera that produces comparable quality isn't?
April 4, 2013 at 11:56AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
5D Mark II
April 4, 2013 at 2:47PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Hahahahahaha! Good one!
April 4, 2013 at 2:56PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Are you expecting filmmaking to be easy?
April 4, 2013 at 12:27PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
i'm expecting my camera not to die during playback, or show a big black spot in my screen. This does sound like a nightmare!
April 4, 2013 at 3:35PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
oh, and i also expect it to not drop frames whenever it feels like it.
Can you imagine what people would be saying on here if this article was about a Canon camera?
April 4, 2013 at 3:37PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
You win the "Most Truth" award.
April 4, 2013 at 5:42PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
That's what I thought when I read about the sun becoming a black spot: my GoPro can do it without the black spot, so the BMCC should be able to do it, right?
April 6, 2013 at 4:02PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I have experienced the sunspot issue on a 5d mark ii before. It isn't at all difficult to correct in post because the center of the sun is (obviously) going to clip anyway. I simply had to motion track the spot and then cover it with a white patch. Like this article mentions, it is a common issue with many CMOS sensors.
July 26, 2013 at 12:14AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Why would you want to shoot into the sun anyway, except for some experimental or artsy footage that nobody will ever see anyway.
I come from a film background and even back in the day with slow film stock you wouldn't shoot into the sun wide open...there is no reason for it.
And if shooting into the sun is a limitation, oh well....guess i wont be shooting into the sun.
October 8, 2013 at 8:29AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Waiting for the second generation of this camera before I consider it seriously.
April 4, 2013 at 2:07PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I'm waiting for the Super 35 version.
April 4, 2013 at 5:18PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
+1
April 4, 2013 at 5:43PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Super35 is here... 4K!
April 8, 2013 at 6:10PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
It has arrived!
April 8, 2013 at 9:17PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I concur with Micah. I've had most of the same issues with the Black Magic. Although thankfully not the Auto sleep mode camera death. I wrote a blog post with my experiences with the camera here: http://jayshaffervideo.com/operating-the-black-magic-cinema-camera/
I only wish I had the M43 version so that I could share vintage lenses between the BMCC and the GH2.
April 4, 2013 at 2:13PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I've been shooting with my EF version for a about a month now. The biggest headache by far is the extreme processing power and storage required for shooting raw. I'm currently getting ready to shoot a feature with it in May and I'm really torn between shooting raw and ProRes. I really wish the ProRes could have the option of shooting at 2.5k. That would make the decision much easier. Maybe this can be something added to the firmware update. We can only hope.
April 4, 2013 at 2:14PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I really couldn't live with this camera and its limitations! I'm glad the Sony FS100 came out before this which is what I use, otherwise I would have gone for it on price and perceived quality alone. After using the FS100 on a professional level short film recently it performed brilliantly with zero shortcomings! Just because something's been called 'cinema' camera it doesn't mean it's the best camera out there for the job!
April 4, 2013 at 2:25PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Dropped frames? Now that is a deal breaker for me. BMs intentions are good and the image quality is excellent but I'm going to wait a year for version 2 or until all the bugs are ironed out.
April 4, 2013 at 3:04PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Dropped frames are a SSD problem, not a firmware/camera problem.
I shot a ton on my BMCs since last August and never had a dropped frame, using Sandisk 240s.
I know a guy that had a lot of dropped frames though. He was to lazy to format the card after dumping the material. May have something to do with that - I don't know, I always reformat.
April 6, 2013 at 5:59AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
When an SSD has been written full, the write speed drops because the controller can't write to filled cells immediately, it needs to empty them first (physically empty them, not just say "these are empty")
After formatting, emptying cells is usually done by the TRIM command in Windows or Linux, I don't know how the BMCC handles it. The SSD controller needs to be told what cells escatly are considered empty so he can actually empty them physically to be able to write to them again.
By the way don't fall for the speed promises with all SSDs using a SandForce controller. They all say "write speed 500MB/s" but that is only true for 100% compressible data. The SSD controller compresses data so he has to write less and therefore get blazing fast write speeds. The problem is with non-compressible data (like video data mostly is, because it has already been compressed) the read and write speeds on these drives drop to whatever the NAND flash is capable of.
On SandForce drives with cheaper asynchronous NAND flash, that write speed may drop to 100 MB/s or even below when you write non compressible data.
SSDs that DON'T use the Sandforce controller (and therefore no compression on the data) are amongst some others Samsung, Crucial and Plextor. These drives can hold the read and write speeds they promise for all kind of data, compressible or not.
April 6, 2013 at 4:12PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
It's the first version of the first camera ever designed by this company. Consider the price; of course it's got problems. What's amazing to me is that so many people paid for this camera before ever using it outside the trade show.
And some of them are still waiting to receive what they'll discover is a camera for students.
April 4, 2013 at 4:36PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I am not a fan of this camera by any means. But for $3K, you can't expect more than "a camera for students." Right now the only "cheap" camera that can stand up to what people usually perceive as "professional quality" (aka what they would see in a megaplex) is the Red Scarlet, which is $15K minimum. And that camera has its own problems.
April 4, 2013 at 5:46PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I am a TVC director of over 20 years. We always shot 35mm or 16mm if budgets were tight. Then we tried the Varicam, the P2, 5D, Red, Red Epic, Allexa. Then we bought a BM about two months ago and have just shot our first TVC. I was very nervous - committing myself to using the camera with whatever things might happen. We did a lot of tests to reassure ourselves as much as possible. I have just now walked out of the colour grade and I want to say THIS CAMERA LOOKS LIKE 35mm. It is so filmic. We had no dropped frames (Sandisc 480). No black spots. We have a V lock camera and the new Cineroid EVF. There have been some silly little things like the 'Video look' (the more graded look on the camera's monitor) won't export thru SDI to the other monitors. No sound levels is annoying but not a deal breaker. We went thru the RAW/Pro Res discussion but after tests and a lot of grading - the difference is so slight that the heavy load of data is not worth it. We concluded if you had some keying shots, or heavy, heavy contrast shots - you could whack off on RAW. Mix and match. The crop worried me but we shot on a 14mm prime and it seemed wide enough. The dynamic range was amazing. The colours (especially skin tones) gorgeous. It pisses all over the Canon H264 codec. With the right lenses (and the full kit - rails, follow focus, matte box, EVF, extra batteries etc) - it is brilliant. We will definitely be shooting our next feature on it. Light it well. Under expose it a couple of stops. Keep the highlights right on peak. Shoot Pro Res. Re format the cards regularly. Genius. Well done BM. Thank you.
April 4, 2013 at 5:51PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Good to know. I was really wondering about the difference between ProRes and RAW beside the resolution.
April 4, 2013 at 7:10PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thanks for the insight.
April 4, 2013 at 7:36PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Is that Slimey Mark Brown? If it isn't I apologise, but that tone sounded familiar. :-) if it is, Kia Ora.
April 4, 2013 at 9:56PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
It is indeed? That you Tierney?
April 14, 2013 at 11:59PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I love my BMCC, and while some of these points are a problem for some readers, it's unlikely they'd all be an issue for anyone.
1. Dropped frames: That SSD is not on the approved list. [http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/au/support/detail/faqs?sid=27541&pid=275... Many others are.
2. Touchscreen: Bummer about the touch screens you've seen. Mine's fine.
3. Data rates: Yes, shoot ProRes HQ. But a Canon DSLR + intermediate ProRes (standard) codec total to about the same data rate as the BMCC's ProRes HQ. (You wouldn't need 3x copies of the intermediates though.) Hard drives are cheap, though, about $200 for 3TB. Bargain.
4. Audio: Dual system is a good idea if you can't be sure audio won't peak. Hopefully they fix this soon.
5. Frame rate issue: I shoot 25fps, but a complaint that a long-discontinued NLE has issues if you use incorrect settings is a minor problem, surely? (PS. FCP X rocks, don't write it off.)
6. The flange distance issue only seems to be an issue with a few lenses (and seems to be largely the 11-16 Tokina's production variability) but they have changed the newer models going out to avoid this problem. Re iris, all my EF lenses work, my M42 adapters work, and only a few lenses are non-functional. A list: http://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4651&sid=69ad682e6...
7. Crop factor differential from S35 is about 1.4x (2.3÷1.6) so it's not so bad, but from 5D it would be a shock. I bought a 17-50 f/2.8 and a 30mm f/1.4 to get wider and faster, and there are wider options available.
8. Moire: better than a DSLR, and no stair-stepping. Usually avoidable but not always.
9. Power: I use a Globalmediapro v-mount battery/charger and cable system that together run about $250:
http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A2ENC5/Globalmediapro-Li95S-Lithium-ion...
http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A2HHX9/Globalmediapro-XB2-25-P-D-Tap-to...
10. Sunspots, as you say, not a huge deal. I've seen it once.
11. Framerates, as you say, not necessarily a huge deal. A shame it can't go higher in short bursts, though.
12. Instadeath: Scary! Haven't had anything like that happen to me though.
The image is fantastic, though. It's absolutely worth it to me, and everything has compromises. DSLRs overheat and don't look anywhere near as good. Anything which can compete with the BMCC image costs at least 5x as much. If your camera budget is under $5K, look no further.
If you want any more detail (and clearly, I'm biased!) then read my review here: http://www.macprovideo.com/hub/review-2/review-blackmagic-cinema-camera
April 5, 2013 at 3:12AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
If your camera budget is under 5k, look no further? I respectfully disagree. I like our BM for studio visuals, but as a practical production tool, it has limitations. This is a camera that won't even allow xlr inputs, let alone supply phantom power without a third party workaround. Its ergonomics demand a Frankenstein rig for fieldwork. It's a bear to work with, to say the least. Yes the image trumps dslr crap, but so does my Sony FS rig. As always, what works for you is all about the specific nature of your work. We're not all aspiring filmakers. Some of us are just churning out the best product we can under ever-growing demands on our time and our gear. This camera is a good piece of kit, but for 5k you can find all kinds of options.
May 12, 2013 at 3:09PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I think you meant to say overexpose two stops.. Under will give you serious noise in the blacks.
April 10, 2013 at 7:43AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Have to say can't understand Blackmagic's business strategy of releasing a Super 35mm version before they've even met the back orders of the first BM and especially the MFT version. Strange. But I'll still get one - when it arrives... next January....
April 14, 2013 at 11:58PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Nice post!
April 4, 2013 at 6:38PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I just learned how to hack my BMCC so it doesn't drop any frames and shoots at 60fps.
April 5, 2013 at 3:22AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
do u use the russian hack?
April 5, 2013 at 3:52AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
What is this hack that you speak of?
could you share the info,
thanks
April 26, 2013 at 11:48AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Please, could you share the info about it? I really need to do so cause BM seems to have forgot BMCC and BMPC users like me in order to get some slow mo features.
June 20, 2015 at 9:25AM
Re: "...the general consensus is to go for the Sandisk Extreme 480GB". The SanDisk SSD is not the fastest SSD for this camera as it has a slower write ability than say a Samsung 840 Pro. SandForce-based controllers are not as fast as the MDX controller.
http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2012/12/ssd_performance_chart_...
SanDisk Extreme 480GB SSD = Read 540 MB/s, Write 460 MB/s.
Samsung 840 Pro 512GB SSD = Read 540 MB/s, Write 540 MB/s.
I also agree with the other comments... FCPX is not a serious editor. Compared to the iPhone and iPad, it seems to be an unglamorous side product for Apple. As Apple's stock has lost nearly half of its value since Sep. 2012, and continues in bumpy decline, I see the development future of FCPX at reasonable risk.
April 5, 2013 at 9:44AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Go for an SSD on the approved list. The advertised top speed is not the sustained speed on a drive as it fills up, which is what you need and what has been tested for.
FCP X is a fine NLE. Try it out before believing the herd opinion. Stock price is hardly relevant to Apple (they've said as much) and the standard stockmarket rules don't really apply to one of the largest companies in the world. They're not going broke any time soon. Avid and Adobe are much smaller companies if you're worried about that.
April 5, 2013 at 7:08PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
As I said above: SSDs with SandForce controllers can only write 100% compressible data as fast as they are advertising (that is why all Sandforce drives are advertised with the same blazing fast speeds).
In the real world, especially with video data that is almost always pre-compressed (BMCCs RAW is probably also compressed, they'd be stupid not to use lossless compression on it) the speed falls to what the NAND flash cells are able to write, and that varies a lot for different SandForce drives. The better more expensive ones are not that bad with non-compressible data, but the cheaper ones with asynchronous NAND flash can be pretty slow...
April 6, 2013 at 4:20PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I like simple - this camera sounds like way too much trouble -
April 5, 2013 at 7:39PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Sounds like BM should provide for a best practices guide. A lot of these "notes" seem more like things that could be solved or avoided by simply understanding the equipment better, particularly the dropped frames issue.
April 6, 2013 at 9:41AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
"Also on external monitors, Zebras and Peaking functions disappear while recording."
Simply not true. There is a menu option that allows you to choose what gets passed on through your SDI out.
Not to get on your case, but like many other points your article mentions, simply knowing the camera well eliminates most of these "issues." Choosing 24fps when you want 23.976fps? How can you possibly call this a camera issue?
April 7, 2013 at 7:21AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Make that 14 things to think about... Damn 4K @ $4k? Pocket camera with 13 stops at $1k? I think this changes everything...
April 8, 2013 at 12:33AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
HI, we've been using it for a month or so. Haven't noticed any dropped frames on Intel SSDs 240gb.
Audio drift in Final Cut 7 is probably caused by a mismatch between your timeline settings and the 'easy setup' you have chosen. The fix is to start a new project, adjust the 'easy setup' to what you're actually be editing in, and reimport your footage. It is a stupid tick, but is present with other kinds of footage as well. It's a FCP problem, not a blackmagic cinema camera issue.
In terms of using the camera to record audio, just don't. We use the camera audio only as a backup and we record everything dual system, meaning, recording the sound separately and syncing it with the video afterwards. If you do this, you likely won't have any problems with drift that you can't easily fix.
Sunspots / flares - If you're seeing this in your rendered video, but not in the timeline, the fix is to reduce the white levels a bit so they fall at 100 percent or under. When you grade footage it's possible to push it into super white which can cause glitchy artifacts. I had this issue and fixed it by simply clamping the whites down.
April 8, 2013 at 6:42AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
That's a really useful article. I wasn't intending to get the BMCC, but I certainly have my eyes on the Pocket CIne camera: but as primarily a one-person crew, doing a lot of documentary work, although the small size interests me, audio is a big concern. So I'd be using my Tascam Dr100MkII, so now I'm up to two items to keep track of. Ideally, of course, I'd have one of those Canon cinema cameras but they're beyond my modest budget. I think you are right to caution us about using Raw, because it is initially very attractive, but the storage and post production time must be factored in. The camera I'm waiting for, which I think will be worth the wait, is the D16 from Joe and Elle at Digital Bolex. Not too small--it has XLR inputs; it can take a variety of lenses in different mounts; it shoots a version of raw, cinema DNG; it is definitely suitable for the type of one or two person crew I use.
April 10, 2013 at 7:11AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Micah, thanks for your review!
Please, what would you suggest for a small company thinking about the BMCC 4K ?
Do you think/know if some the BMCC problems will be solved?
What extra gear would we really need?
Thank you
Ricardo
May 2, 2013 at 10:20AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I recently got the BMCC 4K with canon lens mount, cost $2k. My 2 disappointments:
1. fan noise makes the internal mic useless for anything ( realize it is not meant for much except scratch, but when doing on the run interviews, it would be nice to have something useful.).
2. I though it would preform better at low light levels. I have not yet comprehended how example night scenes with available light are being captured, though I have not yet tested the RAW format. Working in low light is a requirement, and this has been sorely disappointing so far.
December 3, 2015 at 10:48AM
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