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2K BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, active m43, $995
  • 4493 Replies sorted by
  • I bought Edelkrone's pocket rig and ultimately ended up selling it because while it may feel like a battery grip for large Canon DSLRs, its footprint was simply too big for my GH2. Also, I had to remove the camera from the rig completely in order to change the battery. I suspect that this will also be the case for the Pocket Cinema Camera as it appears to be about the same size as the GH2.

  • The other big thing is the Thunderbolt to UltraScope. That alone has clarified shooting basic shots indoor, by connecting a MacBook and using the UltraScope software to monitor. Video monitor, audio meters, waveform meters. We are discussing adding a MacBook Air to all our BMCC "interview" kits now. Many of our shooters are not highly skill DP's, to say the least. Consistency has been an endless challange every day.

    We've started creating jpegs of the different metering windows, with quick start instructions. "Adjust this until this meter looks about like that." "Then adjust that until that meter looks about like that." "Adjust external mic pre audio levels until that meter looks about like that." "Frame/zoom until person is framed about like that pic."

    In thirty minutes we had our runner setting up and shooting very usable interview footage. Wow. I can't tell you how much bad interview footage we get in, and how much time we spend fixing what we can. These shooting packages will be a bargain to our overall production costs.

  • @thenewdeal Isn't it easier to output to something like a TVLogic for waveform and audio levels...and then you're not tethered to a flimsy MBA? A BMPCC Panny 12-35/2.8 OIS with monitor sounds like an ideal interview/ENG/Doc cam on a budget.

  • I wonder how it would fair on one of these goodluckbuy gimbals

  • @robertGL

    We have topic for this, keep it in proper place.

  • @smsjr

    I have not, but they seem inventive and build quality seems good. Check out the proper topic for it: http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1323/edelkrone-pocket-rig#Item_73

    Mind there are copies around and you can always use a riser, mount the cam up-side-down or something like that (mod the original) should you have problems like the ones reported by QuickHitRecord.

    I´ve seen bad reports about their handles though, so you might want to stay away from them unless they have updated them. (you are well of with cheap chinese ones, in case you want it)

  • @double_vision - why don't you post a link to the unboxing vid, then we can discuss whether it was appropriately packed for a day or two.

  • It looks like woodencamera is the first to get this camera. They said it's a retail unit. So perhaps we will get it next week?

    Unboxing video from instagram http://web.stagram.com/p/518110988004211921_7248566

  • My grade on the new ProRes footage supplied my Captain Hook

  • saw the pocket cam at BMD day in NYC. It has a bit of weight to it, the active MFT mount looks robust (moreso yhan on the GH2) and securely attached the the metal body (strong lens mount), as do the 2 tripod mounting holes. I didn't see any signs if moire, and at 1600 iso noise was hard to spot except in extreme undercexposure. They said there are a lot of pre orders to fill, but, in s few weeks it should be available off the shelf.

    The focus peaking works great, is fixed as waveform green. They had a Pana 100-300 on a demo camera. The AF worked if the len's focus was slightly off. If really off it couldn't get it in focus.

    The people on the floor didn't have answers to a lot of questions. But when I asked to record a sample to an SD card I brought, plug in my Zoe DVXL lanc controller or my C mount lens w/ MFT adspter they knew the answer was... NO!

    They also screened a video shot at NAB of Grant Petty saying a lossless AND visually lossless (lossy) cinemaDNG codec would be integrated into the firmware. Afterwards it may be applied to the CC & PC. Not really anything concrete, but, I thought it was good to hear from GP himself, his ideas.

  • My take on the footage supplied by A Couple Of NIght Owls

  • G'day,

    I spoke with my supplier on Friday and they expect the first of my two orders should be ready to ship by the end of next week, the second could be a month or more away, they could not be sure.

  • @DocoDocoMan when did you order and where?

  • Here in Singapore, the queue is as long as the one at a free food joint. I was told to wait 3 to 4 months!!! I 'm still torn between a 2.5k and a Pocket. I do recognise the merits of each. For the Pocket, I already have the Ninja and could use it as a sunk investment to get loads of Pro Res footage on cheap disks, but I lose out on 2.5k Raw and a licensed copy of Resolve and Ultrascope. Also I cant do RAW for long periods with a Pocket (unless someone knows a workaround for the storage). For BMCC, I'd hv to work out v mounts and SSDs, which will cost so much more. But, I get to shoot RAW on SSD.

  • @kazuo Just letting you know shooting RAW hasn't turned out to be expensive as everyone thinks. The price of storage has come down so much recently.

  • @Brian202020

    Tsk tsk easy with that forked tongue of yours. Everyone has an opinion, and i am entitled to mine

  • @vicharris

    Cheers, but still, 2 pieces of 512GB Extreme are gonna cost a third of a 2.5k!

  • @kazuo

    What would you say if I said a square looks just like a circle? I was just saying the roll off is completely different, and that is fact not opinion.

  • OK folks, bad news ;-)

    The BMPCC outresolves the GH2! It has less luma moiré and just some chroma. RS is pretty bad, testing the difference tomorrow.

    I started my tests for DP (Munich) today, I'm holding a test sample for just a few days. Used my best Zeiss C/Y lenses on both and Moon T7 on the GH2 (of course). BTW, the BMPCC works with lesser cards, a 45 MB/s Sandisk Extreme (not Pro) is fine. Light is going down here, don't wonna drive to the studio today, so no more rez tests. But I'm gonna try a ton of (S-)16 glass on it.

    Charging it now, later I will go out for some night shots.

  • @nomad Please share any comparisons, it is interesting to compare the dynamic range\highlight rolloff, detalization in ProRes and hacked gh2

  • I'll share as much as my publishers will allow.

  • @nomad, cool - so is it shipping with RAW? Lossless and/or lossy?

  • @nomad. Shooting in Munich in a few weeks love to get together and compare glass on this thing,. We should have ours before then.

  • @philiplipetz I'll compare a lot of vintage glass, plus some Panny, Oly, Voigt and SLRM.

    @ _gl No RAW yet.