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I agree. Having the tech just work and get out of the way is the ultimate situation. We're making art after all, the last thing we need is to be trying to also deal with the technical stuff at the same time. I really think that BM are playing the long game and have set their vision to be really high and are making bold steps to get there. Some fun facts (via wikipedia? DaVinci had been making colour correction systems since 1985 Resolve was released in 2004 BM bought DaVinci in 2009, at which time Resolve was selling with dedicated hardware solutions for $200k-800k 2010 they released a software-only version for $995 and the hardware version dropped to $30k 2011 they introduced a free version 2013 version 10 introduced video editing 2014 version 11 introduced audio mixing to complete it as a stand-alone NLE 2016 BM buys Fairlight and version 14 includes an integrated version of it 2018 version 15 includes a version of Fusion That is a pretty spectacular timeline. In a decade it went from being $200-800K with hardware and colour only to having free, software-only versions available, and integrating world-leading colour with editing, audio, and VFX functionality. Hardware is obviously more difficult to make those kinds of advances on, but the original BMPCC and now P4K kind of fit that description. I remember Elon Musk talking about reducing the cost of things by 90% and that idea of radical change seems to also be occurring here. Other vendors don't seem to really be dancing to the same tune.

Blackmagic RAW has arrived on the Pocket 4K camera, meanwhile Cinema DNG has been remove due to patent claims, and basically being an obsolete format with poor performance and compatibility. I don't really mourn Cinema DNG, but it's a shame they had to remove it for legal reasons. What's very interesting on the hardware side is how Blackmagic are able to deliver such a dramatic firmware update. A lot of consumer cameras have hardware based on ASIC chipsets. The Blackmagic Pocket 4K has a FFPGA (Fast Field Programmable Gate Array) which is a type of chip that can be completely reprogrammed at the hardware level by software commands. This is how Blackmagic are able to deliver such fundamental features as an entire new raw codec, which would have necessitated a hardware change on a normal camera. Blackmagic are providing a BRAW Player as well for MacOS which allows quick preview and playback of clips from the Finder. BRAW clips are a single file unlike Cinema DNG, which is a folder of still DNG frames in sequence. Read the full article

Blackmagic Design today announced URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, a second generation URSA Mini Pro camera featuring fully redesigned electronics and a new Super 35mm 4.6K image sensor with 15 stops of dynamic range that combine to support high frame rate shooting at up to 300 frames per second. In addition, URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 supports Blackmagic RAW and features a new USB-C expansion port for direct recording to external disks. https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/release/20190305-01 Hopefully the price of Ursa Mini Pros G1 will go down now ?

OK.. seems like it's somewhat sensitive thing.. To get back into perspective, what usually matters to cinematographers is the picture they get. And in this particular case I just wanted to say that none of 8 bit cameras I tested looked good enough with their log picture. While Nikon Z6 and Fuji X-T3 look really good. But this is subjective guys, I'm looking at the picture, testing where it breaks, evaluating this for myself, and only then looking at what numbers/bits it has. Let's not start a war over it. In normal conditions with careful exposing one can make any of these 8 bit camera look just great, no questions.

Don't get me wrong, slo mo option is nice to have. But I just feel like finally, and only now we have small cameras available which don't bring along that feeling of missing something compared to high end cinema cameras or photo capabilities of those same small cameras. I'm surrounded by Alexas and Reds though my job at a rental house, but those cameras are not meant to be carried around by single shooter without a crew. And while testing various DSLRs and now mirrorless I'm finally finding these to reach the level where they are so good as to not miss the picture from their big brothers anymore. As for the slo mo, I'd be much happier if the manufacturers would implement under-over cranking in fine steps. Right now it seems that BMPCC 4K is the only one doing this.

I don't know about the A7iii but my A7sii could not touch the DR of the 13stop BMCC, D750 or even the 12stop XC10 and 5Dmkiii raw. So I doubt the A7iii could match a BMPC4K. At least I haven't seen any footage that points to it being able to. Would love it if it could. Maybe then I could justify it's imo to high price.

The problem is there are many ways to measure DR. If you read "the Sony a7III has 14 stops of DR" and "the Arri Alexa has 14 stops of DR" both may be correct, but are utterly meaningless statements unless you also know how they were measured. Many years ago, Cinema5D pegged the a7sII at like 14 stops. However, they later standardized their measurement to use SNR = 2, which gave the result of a7sII at 12. But whichever way you measure, it's ~2 stops less than the Alexa. Many members here will tell you that Cinema5D is untrustworthy, so take that as you will. I have yet to find another site that even pretends to do scientific, standardized tests of video DR. Cinema5D puts the XT2 and XT3 at just over 11, so that confirms your finding. And again if you change your methods, maybe it will come out at 13, or 8, or 17--but in every case it should be a stop less than the a7sII when measured the same way. Bit depth doesn't necessarily correlate exactly to dynamic range. You can make a 2 bit camera that has 20 stops of DR: anything below a certain value is a 0, anything 20 stops brighter is a 3, and then stick values for 1 and 2 somewhere in between. It would look terrible, obviously, because higher bit depth reduces banding and other artifacts. There is pretty much no scenario in which an 8 bit encoding has an advantage over 10 bit encoding of the same image.

Have you tested it? In my testing experience none of these small cameras come closed to 14 stops. None. Even more so with Sony A7III 8bit output. It's just impossible to have 14 stops in that. 10bit log is said to carry up to 12 stops (11.5 according to cinematography.net), so... But whatever helps people feel more confidence in their tools. It's the final outcome that matters, after all.

There must've been something seriously wrong with your copy of the URSA, unless it was the 4K version (in which case sure it was a piece of shit). I can even underexpose pretty heavily on the 4.6K (Running on old pre-manual-blackmapping firmware) without issues with noise. No FPN at 800ISO, you get some fine grain on extreme underexposure but even that's fixable with a little NR. This is the first time I've heard there's noise on the midtones. The 120fps windowed mode is pretty lackluster on the OG 4,6K though, and you really need to ETTR to get a clean image because any noise gets heavily pronounced by the crop.

I might be mistaken, but to me this little video has that OG pocket mojo people are looking for. (aside from the slow mo)

You can downgrade if you want to keep CDNG. Also it’s not BMD’s fault. Enjoy! Also Deezid, below is not aimed towards you, the forum merged my two comments. I bet everything I own on that the first few months now we will hear how bad BRAW is from people who can’t handle a camera and shoots waves in slow motion as their “profession” on YT. Same with P4K, remember just a few months ago how tons of people completely bashed it and now people call it a marvel. Lol, I should prob get off the forums until summer is here when people are hopefully happier

Just to confirm that 3C is fully operational with the the BRAW update

But the question is - did they change the color of the ND selector? If not, FS5II is a much better option.

Picked up the Fuji X-T3. Bribed my daughter with Maccas to model for a few minutes. No face or eye detect because i was rushing and just didn't think about it. You will see a few spots where it loses focus for a split second but if i had face tracking on at least i'm sure it would have been fine. Hopefully i uploaded the clip correctly.

So in terms of hybrid cameras - and including the BMPCC4K even though it isn't a hybrid camera - is the a7 III still tops when it comes to dynamic range? Purely dynamic range. Not colors, not ergonomics, not soul, not flame-proof-ness. Just DR. I've read Sony a7 III with slog 2 has close to 14 stops of DR. Is the BMPCC4K able to compete / beat it when shooting in RAW? (New BMRAW firmware was just released, BTW). Will Z6 beat it once it gets ability to shoot in RAW via hdmi out? (I am reluctant to spend $1,000 getting a recorder, battery and SSD card for it). What's the DR of the Panasonic S1 cameras like? Another site said that it had 12.2 stops when shooting HLG at ISO 400. I think V Log is a paid firmware update coming down the road, right? (Hopefully it won't be dependent upon the US Postal Service for delivery). ALSO: I thought someone on this forum posted a few months back that the 8-bit codec of the a7 III actually helped increase dynamic range when compared to 10-bit codecs. Was I dreaming? Was I on drugs? Was my mind being controlled by @mercer cat??? (P.S. I know that Sony cameras - much like my wardrobe choices - have many serious flaws. No need to comment on either of those things here.)

What's up BRAW.

It's truly a great time for camera tech. Every month we get something new and awesome! The RAW footage from a given camera will almost certainly be better for keying, compared to 8 bit 420 from the same camera.

They are not tied to each other, exactly. I said "correlate" and "necessarily" because in real world, manufacturers usually add more bits to higher DR images to avoid artifacts. So they usually do correlate in the real world, but only because of convention and not because of some intrinsic property. True, I implicitly encompassed both of those factors into saying an encoding of the same image. I should have been more specific. Yes, the ADC bit depth does limit the DR assuming its linear, but the encoded image might not retain all that range in the final image.

In modern Scots idiom “braw” means good or attractive as in “it’s a braw day” or “you’re braw looking”... the latter might need to be used with care however (or you’ll be greeted with a 12bit uncompressed “Glasgow kiss”). Not, I hasten to add, that it’s my own preferred variation of the Queen’s English. Playing with the settings after I upgraded reminded me just how superb the BM user interface and menu system is.

Firstly, thanks to everyone that has responded. You've all contributed knowledge without starting a war, which makes me very happy to be a member of this forum. Will respond individually to everyone's comments when I have a bit more time later today.

I would guess 12 if your properly exposing Slog 2

Probably you're right, 11-12 stops limited by ADC.

It will always be a bit subjective in the shadows range. Just look at Geoff Boyle's tests. He has a comment section where he rates each of those high end cameras, with number of stops over and under the charts. With highlight clipping it's easier, although I've seen discussions where some even question this part, seeing 1/4 of a stop more, etc. In practical applications these hardly matter. In the shadows Geoff is ruthless - he discards anything where the color changes or the noise becomes apparent. For instance Alexa @ 800ISO is 5 stops over and 2 stops under in his tests. I'd probably find acceptable another stop in the underexposure. And so on. But in 8bits... you can try cramming those stops, but there's just not enough values per stop at that depth, etc. However, many find those log curves in 8bits acceptable and use them all the time. Whatever works for you, I guess.

Courses for horses, I guess. I can't understand this obsession with 60p. It's a useful extra, but just that, extra. Color and bit depth over 60-whatever-p any time. And now we can finally have 10bit log in those tiny cameras. A bare minimum for real log. I find this the most exciting thing back from the Red One days.

From the cinema 5d dynamic range test the Panasonic S1 had more DR - 12.2 than the Sony FS7 - 12, and that was without V-log for the S1 so I would expect it trumps the A7iii

Wait for his next Sony... ; -)

Thanks for the reply. Haven't tested it myself. Still trying to decide on which camera to buy Have seen lots of tests online though using different methods. I will definitely check out cinematography.net which I haven't seen before. The most optimistic online tests I have seen was just about 14 stops. I don't recall seeing one under 12 stops (there might be some, just didn't see any. Again, I will check out the site you mentioned.) But different testers use different methods, and they don't seem standardized. Part of this assumption is based on extrapolation on testing of the D750 by @Mattias Burling where he tested against BMCC (both RAW and PRORES codecs) and he felt confident that the D750 had 13 stops of DR when using flat picture profile. As my aps-c a6500 in Slog 2 has more DR than my D750 had in Flat profile, and the a7 III reportedly has more DR than my a6500, so... Link To D750 Test by Mattias: I've seen some tests of slog 2 versus 8-bit F Log, where slog 2 came out ahead, but I haven't seen any head-to-head against 10-bit F Log. Would love to see some.

Perhaps the mobile team can return the favor and create a competent touchscreen experience on the Alphas? More cross-department pollination benefits all of their customers. There's a huge void as none of the camera makers have been able to create a more fluid experience of navigating settings, menus, shooting, app integration and so on. All have major flaws that could be overcome by breaking down the silos of development that separate various divisions. Sony being Sony, it likely won't go much further than this phone. Chris

And I think it's a pretty good one. I still prefer other manufacturers' cameras, but the Ursa G2 + Pocket 4K is pretty close. For me, most of my headaches come in the form of workflow now, with different codecs, resolutions, bit-rates, etc being all over the map on other manufacturer's lineups. Black Magic is really streamlining things - I'd love to have those two cameras, shoot 8:1 or 12:1 BM Raw, which has amazingly smooth playback in Da Vinci on my Macbook Pro (tested it yesterday), and then hand off to a colorist or do a quick grade myself. Brilliant. And all in 12-bit raw capture and native editing. Despite neither camera being my favorite form factor, it's almost worth it for the streamlined workflow alone.

very impressive RS numbers on the G2 thanks to about double readout speed : 4.6k - 7.59ms 4k crop - 6.32ms 2k crop - 3.16ms

Emanuel, I'm interested about this camera, but I will wait till NAB to take decision. I'm not sure but I'd like this combo: AG-CX350 and Lumix S1, it's my own strategy based on my needs, but I admire what Blackmagic is doing, I'm curious about the new codec Blackmagic RAW, but I use barely DA VINCI RESOLVE and for now, ya know, compatibility issues, I'm more confident with Premiere.

I can confirm that the battery doesn't drain with the power off or at least not in short amount of time. If you leave it overnight, the result might differ. And after 6.1, I could get pretty consistent 55 min - 1 hour of use for each battery. As for time to power on: 3-4 seconds. Time to power off: 2-3 seconds

FWIW, I like time lapse that has long shutter exposures. The motion blur is nice.

Still lookin for a cinema camera A-Cam and a mirrorless-sized B-Cam that has the same codec, resolutions, color, etc. Black Magic seems to be pretty darn close with BM Raw and the Ursa Mini Pro G2 + Pocket 4K. Neither are my favorite form factor, but BM Raw, in my opinion, is the most modern and robust codec out there right now. Amazing you can get 12-bit raw files in file sizes way smaller than useful ProRes files. Black Magic's color is also great and both cameras can create a really nice image. Would also love if both cameras had the same mount, but adapters work pretty well. Interested to see what comes at NAB, as a Canon RF mount cinema camera (XC-20 or C100 III) would be great.

I’m not using the shutter priority mode, sorry that was possibly confusing. The S or Samsung special mode on the dial, it has a whole bunch of speciality shot options like the light trace and the baseball swing detection.

Any word if Resolve will still work with DNG files in the Raw Panel? And will the Pocket and Micro lose DNG in a firmware update?

I totally agree with what Paul said, keep in mind that's a full frame 6k camera sub 20 000 $ ready To shoot. Only Sony venice and red monstro vv offer that if I'm correct and at a way higher price tag... Like really higher ! I looooove it really. It's so tiny and powerfull, just crazy. Regular ssd's are, usable, low light capable, various mounts with eND, nice color science, and tons of things that are incredible for this size and price. I made a long review with table of contents for french speaking people here :

No ProRes RAW, does ProRes HQ and CDNG. Shogun Inferno is the better choice for shooting ProRes, as it does ProRes RAW. Unless shooting RAW or you can grade SLog, the baked in Sony look sucks. It’s not as bad as the original A7S but I haven’t seen anything special with the supposed “Venice” colour. Maybe the highlight rolloff is improved? It’s a Sony camera, and the straight off card image leaves you feeling underwhelmed. The FS5 is a poor man’s Red. Does HFR well enough. Plus coupled with a cine metabones adapter and Oddysey 7Q you get a complete cinema package. The Mini Pro G2 is looking like a good challenger. But I’m skeptical that it will do HFR with a single SSD. Also, the EF mount doesn’t lock the lens. A remote follow focus will torque the **** out of the lens and cause a visible jump, ruining your shot over and over. I also had an awful time with noise in the mid tones with the original URSA. So when I properly “exposed” I was left with like 6 stops of latitude when shooting 60 frames and above. I want to see how well this new sensor handles UHD at 150. Never got a chance to work with braw, so maybe that will fix the issues you usually get with capturing cdng.

Stills are still DNG, just tried it out. Attached it below! And for those interested and don't wanna calculate; With my T5 1TB I get 153min on both CB 3:1 and CQ0. (4K DCI, 24fps). CB 5:1 gives me 256min and Q5 is a whopping 611min. A001_03051107_S001.dng Also, this made me giggle; This is 1080p 24fps BRAW Q5 (Prores Proxy is almost 4000min lol)

No, I took a design decision early on to leave the codec and format selection to being set at the camera partly to keep to the single screen ethos but primarily for safety purposes. If someone changes an aperture setting accidentally then its obvious and they can correct themselves but its not the same case with a change of format or codec so I decided something as potentially destructive as that is better left to be a consciously deliberate change that you have to use the camera menus for. BRAW is already supported in the control spec though so its a 20 minute job to add a selector in the future if people want it.

Well only addition is 300 fps. I never even used 120fps on the ump. So for me the g2 is not worth the upgrade. What, I would even prefer my pocket 4k over the fs5 ii.

I thought it was shutter variation but as I read your reply I think it might have been aperture variation as the camera opens and closes the aperture for every exposure. I used a manual lens for the one I posted above and it didn't need deflickering, so that seems to back that up. The GH5 was in aperture priority mode, so I set manual ISO 100 and let it expose with the electronic shutter which it seemed to do very well. I think if I'm recording RAW then I might underexpose a little more next time. I've recorded other time lapses with the GoPro - it's great that you just set and forget but with my older Hero 3 it doesn't have any controls so it tends to blow out the highlights a bit much. This was a GoPro one: I've also shot some with my iphone and there are some good apps for that too, allowing full manual control and saving images instead of just a 4K video etc.

Nice to see you on board, Danilo : ) Trust me amigo mio, P4K is the right acquisition device for you! Well, and for everyone else... LOL E : -)

Used the Nikon 50mm 1.8 pancake version. This is the non E version multi coated. I am really happy with it, quite sharp wide open. Also used the Tokina 17mm 3.4, which I also really love. Its super wide but doesn't look funky at least not to me. The one I got ended up being in really good shape(super surprised). I also dropped the 50mm down a wooden staircase right after I unwrapped it from the package lol. Seems to be fine though. The seller said it had fungus on the rear element, tho I can't see any signs of it. On another note I've never shot with Fuji monochrome, its really beautiful.

Thanks Mr. Jones! As I’ve said a couple dozen times, what you accomplished in The Luggage with a 7D and sheer will (not to mention talent) has been very inspiring to me. But I’m actually not that close to finishing. Scheduling and finances has been way more of a problem than I anticipated. This mock-up is a one off that I am toying with. I have a final round of casting and I am putting together a teaser to help get some actors. I also don’t love the graphic design of that shot but I do appreciate that you get the SOS element as that is pretty important. I will probably end up doing some type of animated graphic for the opening title shot that appears as the water ripples out to sea and I may have the SOS stay a little longer or appear first. Good idea for the Universal Yellow. The story is pretty dark, so some sort of dark red may work better but yes, I get what you’re getting at. It’s funny you mention the 28mm FOV. Until recently, I’ve only had slow 28mm lenses and when I got that fast Canon 28, it opened up my whole world visually. Wide angle close ups denote such an interesting feeling and in FF, I can go handheld with it... which is a big plus for my run and gun style. You don’t know how many times I’ve toyed with making my film B&W... For the sake of the discussion, the top 3 were shot with the Canon 24-70mm f/4 and the last shot was with the Canon 28mm 1.8. Hahahahaha.... that is actually what the font was called. I went with it because it looked like writing and I liked that it looked aged or weathered. But yes I agree... it’s not right.

Picked up my first and likely only Leica AF lens recently, the slow but very well formed 18-56mm. It's becoming my go to lens for country self destructing reportage. Its particularly well suited for covering scenes such as "Middle aged woman screams at policeman outside Downing Street to arrest a passing politician for being 'fascist scum' " And "Same woman subsequently finds herself in press scrum while wondering why" Wish I could share this guy's sunny optimism. EDIT >>>> Removed. Note to self, don't try and judge colour while editing images on your phone at 4 o'clock in the morning in an airport boarding queue.

Meike 25mm Cine in action, there a full set coming soon. Some seem to think they are Veydra clones. https://www.reddit.com/r/Filmmakers/comments/atv62q/meike_25mm_is_literally_the_same_as_veydra_25mm/

@PannySVHS haha, that Fujinon c-mount was the only reason I was going to keep the G85. But in the end, I just didn’t use the camera enough. But if I can find another G85 for the right price, that 12.5mm and the 25mm may sway me back to M4/3... old c-mounts and IBIS are a thing of beauty.

The video from Matthew Staffords wedding looks like it was shot on a Red. I was at an event where they did this with an iPhone taking with a simple setup of a small fluorescent key/fill/hair light. They shot stills, boomerangs and recorded goofy slow mo stuff, sending it to an iPad through an app (don't know what the app was called, but guests were able to email the video to themselves), and broadcast with an Apple tv mirroring the iPad. In good light the iPhone 120fps looks good, and its fine for social. If you didn't have the app, someone could just shoot the video on a phone and airdrop it to an iPad or MacBook for a quick edit, and then it can be emailed or airdropped to other iPhones. I've attached a shot of the iPad that was used for review and emailing images/videos. Wish I could help with specifics, but a combo of iphone/ipad would be my solution. A ILC presents a lot of headaches in terms of file transfer, file size, edit/render speed and so on. I have the iPhone XS and XS Max (one is supplied by a company I work for, I'm not a two phone dink by choice) and the iPad Pro. I think it would be easy to pull off what you're looking for with my little setup with two people - a shooter and a editor to make quick clips and send them to guests. Five seconds of slow-mo video of someone dancing or throwing crap in the air could easily be edited in iMovie and emailed in less than a minute. Everything you need including lights and stands can probably be carried in one large bag/case. The days of the DSLR based photo booth are numbered, there's no reason to lug all that around for small instant prints or social when phones and a few lights will get you virtually identical quality. And you can probably charge a lot for the service. Hmmmm... Chris

I am putting my ten cents worth... IMO, the Mavo LF hasn't got a competitor anywhere near its cost. Even the expensive cameras can't match many of its features! The only 4k plus full frame high iso camera are mirrorless stills cameras. Full frame is a massive feature that gives you wider lenses, more options with selective focus, larger pixels for more light gathering. The DP's I have talked to want more options, and LF gives you this, and if you want small formats, you select it in the menu, and you still have 4k. The Mavo LF appears to be competing with many high end, expensive cameras. Arris have a nice look, but what I discovered the other day when renting a Alexa mini is that iso really is low. It struggles at 1600. Skin tones are a nice starting point (but get graded anyway), but whats good skin tones when you are shooting own a location that is basically unlightable(due to the size, and the ) and we are using slow cooke anamorphics. The LF would been the better option for this shoot- even without extra stop or so the arri offers. Its even better than than the C700 with its higher iso as the Mavo LF is tiny and weighs hardly anything. We were hand holding and with the anamorphic and the mini's weight, it was a ton. I really think REDS are completely overrated, and have yet to find a piece of footage that doesn't have a odd digital look. I use to wonder if it was my imagination, but more and more colourists I talk to agree with me. All the movies that are shot with it are the sort of movies I don't really rate .The sony cameras are complicated and the colour is odd as well. The c700 - if it has the same look as the c300mk2 will have a nice colour IMO, but it is a tank. So even against the top high end cameras, I think the Mavo LF looks like a good comparison. At its reasonable cost you can own a camera (a big deal IMO to really know what its capable of), and rent a cheap backup- thats super handy for lens changes etc to save time) , and the real cost is far below renting any high end camera if you shoot a dozen times a year. Against the cheap cameras, what does full frame wide at 75fps at 6k as prores 4444xq in a form factor as small as a DSLR, with the option of PL mount, Ef mount, E-mount, An Ef and PL mount with electronic ND's, a speed booster mount (so you can even use medium format lenses on Full frame). Multiple SDI, timecode, Raw cdng, Cheap ssd media, audio inputs, 200fps in 2k, all in a package that sits on a ronin-s if needed. Nothing comes close ! Anyone comparing this camera to a BMPCC 4k is really missing what this LF Mavo camera really is and can do! I don't know enough about the look of the camera but the examples are looking good- although I haven't seen anyone that can shoot really well do anything yet. But I am almost ready to purchase one (after I have tested one thoroughly). So far its looks like theres nothing like it on the market and the closest to a perfect camera for my use thats on the market. I hope the actual footage and usage/reliability lives up to the specs. We will know soon enough. Paul