Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but it seems that the resolution difference between BM camera and GH13 or Gh2 is not too much.

My Panasonic GH13 records at 1920x1080

BM specs:

Sensor Resolution: 2592 x 2192

Raw Resolution: 12-bit RAW files recorded at 2432 x 1366

Shooting Resolutions 2.5K RAW at 2432 x 1366, compressed at 1920 x 1080

Resolution is not the only consideration for good image quality. The bit depth, dynamic range, and compression quality (Raw to HQ in this case) are what most people are excited about, and contribute greatly to the overall image.

In that sense, resolution-wise GH13 which is almost 2K is not too far from BM's 2.5K. Right?

@itimjim Thank you. That simple "yes" is what I wanted to know. But you also say:

I wouldn't expect the BMDCC to resolve that much more detail in adequate lighting though.

How so? Isn't BM capturing 4:4:4 and in RAW, as opposed to GH13's and GH2's 4:2:2 ? Does that not also mean that BM captures a whole lot more information than GH2?

When BM comes out what I would love is to see a Zacuto-Shootout-2010 style very detailed comparrison between GH13, GH2, BM and Red. So that those who have been shooting for a while decide whether it's worth for their given project to upgrade to BM or Red, or to stick with GH13 and GH2.

@itimjim Thanks. So, basically, if you light your scene properly, you wouldn't see that much difference even on an IMAX cinema screen 22m×16.1m in fesivals. Correct?

@itimjim thanks. That's good to know! The trouble (I mean their trouble, not ours) with those IMAX screens which are now a standard at film feslivals, is that while they were built for a theoretical 12K resolution, they are still being mostly projected with 2K projectors, which is good news for us who shoot in GH13 and GH2 - it means that if scenes are properly lit and Color Correction is not overdone, the difference (when compared to BM or RED) when projected onto a large cinema screen during festival screenings should not be as significant as to distract the audiences from the content of the story. And it should look (almost) just as beautiful too.

If that's the case, I think I'll be sticking with GH13 and GH2 for the near future, mostly because of BM's very stupid choice of not offering the M4/3 mount (see above my list of pros and cons).

My aim, as you probably guessed, is to enter a bunch of film festivals. So it's better to know in advance what to expect.

Please, do not turn this into another "GH2 rulez" topic, ok? This one is about BMC.

@shian, thanks, that's a great article.

It's very much an affirmation for me :) Late in the aftrenoon, the day the camera was announced, I made three calls. 1. To Vizcom, the dealer, to place an order. 2. the, to my partner/missus to ask permission ;o) 3. To a singer from a band to advise her I was delaying the video clip until 3 weeks after I receive the BMD camera. .. the clip is planned as a keying exercise.

It's one of my main reasons, I am heading down the virtual path. I have money invested in 3D apps, which I am experimenting with as time is available Have just signed the paper work to build a office/studio at the side of the house. It's going to be a box, internally, 4.5m x 14m x an average ceiling height of 14 foot .. it's an angled roof. Internal walls will be timber frames erected by me.

I am really looking forward to this camera, for precisely the reason outlined in the article.

Regarding Black magic delivering on time, I am confident. I have pre-ordered 4 products all have reached me with a week of shipment announcement. None have been late. That's my experience over last 18 months.

Too bad it always comes down to "my cam is better than yours (and btw yours is not even on the market yet, :p x 100)" .

After reading a lot of various film subjects, technical aspects....i dare to have a different opinion.

I think in the very near future, most profesionnal videographers (clips, documentary, fiction short/feature) won't bother fighting the GH2 vs BMC vs 5D vs VG20...... since all these cameras happen to be "cheap" (don't forget where we come from, the first time i heard of a professional digital camera, it was the red One at 40,000 $ without any accessories)... i believe that these videographers will simply own a set of cameras. Each camera being the best at one specific job. For example :

• BMC for chromakeying (if the above editorial article turns out to be verified in practical situations)
• Hacked GH2 for very detailed scenes (like water, nature and so on)
• Something with a global shutter for quick movements (sports, action) - EDIT : could be GoPro, but i mean something that can record at least 12 min in a shot.
• 5D Mk3 (or competitor) for low-light shots

These four cameras together, in a 2K workflow, could cost around 10,000 $, which is the price of the red Scarlet (without accessories again).

Key problem will be lens compatibility... if the manufacturers could talk to one another and design a compatible lens system (like m43 between panasonic and olympus), this could be the real future of videography.

And debates would be a lot more objective, because each participant would compare cameras in a specific job-field, and not just "mine is better than yours".

@itimjim, with regards to the GH2 becoming B-Cam .. I think based on @Zeko's four scenarios, there might be room for both to have days as A-Cam, depending on circumstance

You can improve on the highlight roll-off in the FS100 with custom profiles like A-B range (Abel Cine).

The problem with early days is

1. we have seen some clips done up by John Brawley, but they were produced by a prototype camera. BM defends the allegedly mediocre looking footage as work in progress. So how much more calibration needs be done to the sensor before the camera can unleash its full potential? Can buyers make informed decisions based on half-baked samples?

2. no one has tasted a "proper" workflow. With the canon 5D mk 2 and 7D, there were heating problems, and recording would stop after a while. Do we know if the BM behaves similarly? Internal batteries are scary to use. Are there viable alternatives right now?

I would love to gloss over quite a few of the reservations that others hve listed here, and embrace the fact the camera has 2.5k and is bundled with an awesome colour grading software. But assuming I already have Da Vinci, what then is the attraction for me?

2.5k RAW squeezed into that body that boasts a sensor smaller than m4/3 sounds more like a risky compromise than a breakthrough for now. And what’s with EF lenses? So what happens to the rest of us who have ZF glass and mounts of all other kinds?