It looks like it should be called the iRaw.

16mm sensor with EF-mount is a HUGE letdown. The idea of getting one and using some nice 16mm cine lenses was an idea I liked, but with an EF-mount that might not work.

My take:

1. No XLRs (despite audio inputs are balanced)

XLR would be better (What I'm used to) .. it's balanced so that's good and EBU switchable. I prefer 6.5mm to 2.5mm that I have now

2. No phantom power on audio input. Not good for condenser mikes.

This is a bummer .. that said .. 95% of time I have a mixer on set or record dual system.

3. 30fps maximum only, many like 60fps now, and 120fps becomes new standard for pro cameras already

I acknowledge it would be nice .. slow motion is not the deal breaker for me

4. Uncompressed only option for RAW requiring big investments

Perhaps, personally my computer, post equipment will handle it.

5. SSD connectors are completely unsuitable for frequent insertion

This I shall have to read on, I need number of insertion rating

6. Long and complicated RAW workflow

Personally I don't see it as complex .. I am AVID based for me it will become: offline @ DNxHD 36Mbits .. online and grade within AVID @ 220Mbits .. if shot compressed Or: offline @ DNxHD 36Mbits .. grade and master in Resolve if shot RAW .. I acknowledge I haven't proven the 'export AVID sequence to Resolve' bit works

7. Required investments in backup solutions due to big file sizes

Yes .. This trend will not ever stop .. blurays perhaps .. they're about $3 on ebay .. or HDD under $100 for 2 terrabytes. Also the needs grow per project .. and I will incorporate the charge into providing a work workflow

8. Absent HDMI connection, so you need to buy new and much more costly monitor or EVF.

I've been wishing for SDI and an end to HDMI .. this make me happy .. it's a cost .. but it's a better solution.

hasn't there been talk of a simple thunderbolt to hdmi cable?

Yep, some mentioning by members.
But I am afraid that it is not so simple.

@kavadni

thanks for the link, i have the old version of the sdi to hdmi but didn't realize BM made battery powered units. That's certainly a better solution than finding AC power.

Just seems to me that this cam is not that well thought out. I mean, it should have HDMI, plain and simple. But we will see :)

Thunderbolt to HDMI i think will work only to get HDMI out from computer (Mac) as it is support inside. I doubt you can get HDMI out from any Thunderbolt if there is not hardware support inside (camera). I can't exactly Thunderbolt protocol, but i know that this supports speeds up to 10 Gbit/s of data ... So if there is support within camera hardware to push video data out, than is needed a special convertor to get out HDMI from "Thunderbolt" port. There might be some convertor "Thunderbolt" to USB 3.0 (6Gbit/s), don't know if there is any ... Maybe someone can explain how this works when used for video ... ?!

1. 30fps maximum only, many like 60fps now, and 120fps becomes new standard for pro cameras already I acknowledge it would be nice .. slow motion is not the deal breaker for me

Its not just about slow motion. From what my experience is 50/60frames a second vastly reduces rolling shutter and strobing when you are panning the camera. My older Tm700 at 50p has far less rolling shutter than the Gh2 has at say 24P...and the Gh2's rolling shutter/ srobing decreases dramatically at the 720P on 50 or 60 Fps settings. To me anyway not having 50/60 frames a second at 1080p is now a deal breaker with digital cameras, and for me it's totally necessary unless I plan to pan very slow or do practically no panning at all. YMMV tho

Lack of wide angle lenses. EF mount plus crop factor is a major weakness

Hi On the GH2 I have tried all kinds of shutter speeds...I am in PAL land, I have tested it extensively as I'm getting ready to shoot some music videos. So anyway yeah at 25P or 24P no matter what the shutter speed is, its stroby and ghosts quite a bit (electronic looking) when you pan the camera...unless its a very slow pan. Generally at 25 frames I have the shutter at 50, but even when its lower...say down to 25 its still quite shuddery, of course it starts getting streaky when it goes at lower speeds, it does it on all hacks too. But it practically disappears on the 720P/50 frame setting, similarly my older TM700 hardly does it at all on 1080P/50, in other words you can throw that camera around quite a bit more without feeling seasick when you look back at the footage. I have tried this with different lens...stabilized and non stabilized and also tried modifying the hacks and lowering bitrates etc... The only consistent I have found in my tests is that if the frame rate is higher the effect starts disappearing (every single time). So I am 90% sure its to do with frame rates somehow, even 30P reduces the effect somewhat.

Of course any movement in front of the lens is fine as long as the camera is more or less stable, but I find I have to be very careful with moving the camera itself. Thats why when I read the Blackmagics frame rate I pretty much lost interest in the camera, plus (although I used to be on the Mac) I am now back on the PC, and that camera seems very much Mac orientated. SO I am hoping the GH3 will bring something nice (like higher frame rates to the table) I am not holding my breath tho LOL!!

@astro and @onlocation .. I accept your observations .. that said it doesn't make sense to me at the moment. possibly not understanding difference between ccd and cmos fully

No tiltable LCD screen. How do you hand held this Black Magic?