
Blackmagic continues to release a series of videos for its new Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.
Over the past two weeks, Blackmagic has been rolling out its marketing push for the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. To date, five videos have quietly appeared on its YouTube page (Vimeo too) with only mentions from its Twitter account.
"Balloons," from Andreas Neumann, a well-known celebrity photographer took to the skies to test its dynamic range, shooting directly into the sun.
Neumann's reaction: "...The detail I got was incredible. You can see everything reflecting in my wife’s Chanel glasses. You can actually see reflections off the ground, the balloon above, and the sky in the background. The camera really did capture everything I was seeing. I love shooting directly into the light wide open, and with this camera, you could safely do that. I was totally amazed at what the micro four thirds sensor could handle. It seemed like the same quality as the URSA Mini Pro with the full sensor. I was also very surprised at how well the back-screen performed in bright sunlight, where I could truly see every detail."
The YouTube description mentions it was shot at Apple Pro Res 422 HQ and ISO 800 using Rokinon 25, 50, and 85mm T1.5 lenses. We want to let our readers know Rokinon does not make a 25mm T1.5 in its Cine, Cine DS, Xeen, SP or Digital Photo lines. Our guess is that 24mm was meant. Unfortunately, we can only embed the video on our site so you'll have to watch it on YouTube.
"Models Up Close at Night" is from John Brawley, who also shot "Models Walking in Daylight" and "Models Walking at Night." Those in the NFS community questioning how loosely the term "night" was used in the latter video should be pleased as the natural light falls from dusk into nightfall.
Brawley's thoughts: "This camera test was about shooting different skin tones in different low light conditions, so we wanted to keep it simple using the least amount of artificial lighting. We had a hotel room in Atlanta where we shot from 3pm until 11pm and got through about 70-80 shots cycling through different lighting and skin conditions. When you can get really great pictures at ISO3200 and above, things suddenly get very interesting. In this test, we were shooting two hours after sunset and you can still see blue sky around the buildings in the background! This camera can really read a long way into the shadows, which was a big surprise."
The BMPCC 4K was set at Apple ProRes 422 HQ using ISO 1000/3200 and paired with Olympus Pro 17, 25, 45, f/1.2 MFT lenses. Again, you'll have to jump over to YouTube to view.
The camera is expected to ship in September. With IBC beginning on September 13, 2018, our best guess would be then (if not before). Let us know your thoughts on the latest footage in the comments below.
BMPPC 4k Tech Specs:
- Full size MFT sized sensor
- Native 4096 x 2160px resolution
- 13 stops of dynamic range
- Up to 25,600 ISO
- Carbon fiber polycarbonate composite body
- Built-in SD, UHS-II and CFast card recorders
- USB-C expansion port for external SSD or flash disk
- Features full size HDMI output
- Professional mini XLR
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Built in 5” LCD touchscreen
- 3D LUTs
- 4th-gen color science
- Supports remote camera control via Bluetooth
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Your Comment
6 Comments
how is this a low light test - when there is a very ugly key blasting the talent?
it would be great if they would show some footage from a setup where the lighting is actually controlled and intentional.
also don't care who shot that balloon footage, not great footage and the judder in the balloon (bad operating) and the terrible artifacts in shadow areas also not very compelling. maybe they are trying to show you where the camera fails?
September 4, 2018 at 4:13PM, Edited September 4, 4:21PM
Why does Blackmagic keep releasing average videos to promote this camera? Surely there are some DOPs out there that would be keen to shoot something decent on it for a free body or something.
September 4, 2018 at 8:06PM
Know BM's rep... I'm waiting for user reviews.
September 5, 2018 at 2:44AM
Why all the negativity? ... is this the ..."I can't do it, so I'm a critic" group? .... hide and watch the adults ... you can learn ... this camera will be big.
September 5, 2018 at 7:46AM
All the footage released thus far except the Mountian biking and the forest have not been that good. The Mountian biking video being the best!! I agree blackmagic needs to put the camera in the hands of real cinematographers and have them do their sample footage. And I have 3 of the cameras on order. So this is my unbiased opinion.
September 6, 2018 at 9:55AM
It’s a shame BlackMagic didn’t use its old blackmagic pocket/Ursa color science. This is clearly not looking like a mini-Alexa — which the old pocket cam did :(
September 11, 2018 at 10:24AM