PAVP

Andrew you regularly inspire me.  I'm a lifetime Audio guy that has gotten into video over the last 4 years and i'm having a blast.  More importantly you keep expanding my horizons with articles like this.  I want to explore and experiment and i'm not in fear of creating a different aesthetic from the norm.  I'm going to experiment even more now after reading this. It's funny cuz in the audio realm i've always been an anti establishment guy.  I'll use any piece of gear for what it can give me.  I don't care about the purest view on expensive gear and so forth.  That's just too limiting.  I hope I can do the same thing in video.

What was wrong with the Lord of the Rings trilogy?  I thought those movies were well done and generally well accepted by the public.  I don't like the look of BlueRay and perhaps that is how some of the scenes in The Hobbit are looking.  To me BlueRay versions of movies look like video.

I love what the BCC is bringing to a lower price point.  Who can't be excited by 12bit Raw, ProRes, DNxHD and 13 stop of DR?  It's not a perfect device but what in that price range is?  I know that one of the things that annoys me most is not being able to deal with highlights and not being able to color grade without destroying the footage.  I really have gotten used to a severe crop having the GH1, so I think I could live with that and if anything the low price allows us to still be able to afford another DSLR for FF, Lowlight or 60p if we need that any of those features.  There are acceptable options at $3,000.00 or less. I really like what i've seen from the D800 and I think it would be a tough choice between the D800 and BCC.  I'll be interested to see some comparisons down the line.  I'm also still waiting to see what the GH3 looks like.

I'm growing tired already of the naysayers about this new Cam System.  Are we really gonna complain about how it looks?  The form factor is that bad when we already use DLSR's and FS100 etc.  All need proper help to be fully functional on a certain level.  The EF mount is a LOGICAL 1st step.  It's not likely to be the end of the matter, just the beginning.  Complaints about the internal Battery also seem lame.  There are so many battery options available that it's a moot point.  Complaints about all these minor things are just silly.  There's never been this much capability offered at this price for aspiring Film Makers.  13 Stop Dynamic Range!!!  The level of flexibility with 12bit RAW, ProRes or DNxHD is amazing.  Built in SSD?  SSD's are getting cheaper every day.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME???  The thing is it's a really nice option to have.  It's cheap enough that you can have this as your A Cam and still buy a few cheap DSLR's for other looks and features.  Then throw in the Software package and it's a no brainer IMO.  Nothing can compete with that package.  I mean COME ON!!!  You can have the BMCC and a 5D, GH2 or D800 and still come in below some of the cameras on offer from The big 4.

This has been the thing all of us have been hoping the big cam companies would actually produce and none of them did it.  If you don't "Think Different" you can never get to a truly ground breaking product.  It's the most exciting thing in a long time because it's exactly what the public wanted.  I'm looking to get one because I like everything i've seen about it so far.  It isn't perfect, but what product is?  This is just the start of a platform that can grow from here.

The GH2 proves you don't even need to worry so much about the m4/3 sensor, it's got plenty of oomph!  We just need more powerful processing engine to allow 10bit 4:4:4 and 120fps.  Slap a ND filter on that baby and you have just about everything you could want.  The only issue with the current Panny processors is Dynamic Range.  They have to improve the tech in a way that will get at least 3 more stops of range.  I think they're a lot closer to having a compelling product if they just get more imaginative.

The thing is that some make up their minds about sensor size without really looking at the options and seeing just what the look and feel of a given system really is.  The GH2 and m4/3 in general has seen at least some options created to fit the needs of the system.  ie. the Voightlander 25mm and 17mm f0.95 lenses.  The popularity of the new BMD Camera will dictate just how responsive the rest of the industry is to making solutions for it.  Lenses will be made to work better with this new sensor size if it's as successful as I believe it will be.

The only thing that I wish it had was higher frame rates and the ability to accept any lens like the GH2.  Still this is going to be the iPod of cameras.  The thing Black Magic did was make a system that gives people what they need.  They have an ecosystem not just a camera in a vacuum!!!

REALLY love the look of this video.  Still not the sharpest look of any of your videos i've seen but really nice in every other way.  The richness of the color is something I love about the Canon look.  It just always has that warm feel the way I think things actually look in real life.  I love your shot composition and I hope to learn how to do the same myself.  Sometimes I like what I get but other times it's just not there.  I'm new to this but it's really inspiring looking at your films.

I find these kinds of comparisons to be VERY helpful and informative for aspiring film makers like me who are at the beginning of the process of learning what makes the great films we like look so good.  It's often hard to quantify what is missing and seeing these comparison has given us more insight into the flaws of lesser cameras and how we can look to try and work around those weaknesses for our own lower budget films.  Clearly when in a pro situation where only the best is expected and time is limited you can't be fooling around with a camera that can't handle highlights or can't deal with low light either.  You can get great results no matter what the lighting conditions and that is what you'd expect.  however, for low budget film makers who have to figure out before hand what the limits of their gear are, this stuff is very helpful.  There are low priced cams that can excel in a limited range of use so long as you know what it can and can't do.  I would have no problem using a GH, 5Dmk3 or D800 for a low budget film knowing what these cams can do in relation to the best can only help.  Now we can explore workarounds to some of the problems with the Look of the footage from the DSLR's. 

I was already leaning towards the D800 due to the HDMI/4:2:2 output, but now after seeing that the resolution is better than originally reported i'm starting to really be headed towards Nikon.  I had predicted that they are the one company positioned to go further on the video side due to not have a pro video dept. to protect and so far they've almost achieved what many of us want.  If there's any way they can tweak their code to diminish the Aliasing and Moire just a bit more, they would lock up the market IMO.  The D800 is looking like a beast of a camera for Stills and video! Thank goodness i'm not in a rush to buy a camera at the moment, so I can wait for the coming trade shows and see what Panny does with the GH3.  Very exciting times. 

I still can't wait to see proper comparisons to see what is the real difference between the two systems.  IMO as long as the resolution is close to what the 5Dmk3 and GH2 put out, the 4:2:2 color is still a major plus for me.  If we can somehow get someone to make a LUT for Nikon cameras that would be awesome.  I can't see a clear winner yet, but it's really interesting.  I'm also very intrigued by the possibilities of a GH3.  This is going to be a landmark year for DSLR Video IMO.

I said the same thing.  I find no real fault with this camera system.  Nitpicking this camera's flaws is like discounting Adrianna Lima cuz she's not as perfect as the photo shopped pictures.  I mean really?  That is plenty good looking enough for me.  :) There has to be some level of reasonable expectation when we start judging these cameras, rather than dealing only in absolute terms of perfection verses great value.  I think we have some great film making tools at low prices already and just have to work around some rather minor limitations.  This camera seems to me to give a great level of image quality for a very affordable price.  It's the closest thing to 4K for everyone so far. I actually don't know how much hope to hold out for the Canon C4K.  It's just a feeling I get that it will either end up being too expensive or dumbed down in some way that makes us disappointed.  I hope i'm wrong cuz I think that's the camera many thought RED was going to make before they abandoned the low end crowd.

The Panasonic TM700 or TM900 win on Resolution and having 1080/60P. The Canon HFM40/41 win in terms of low light, color and cost.  You could splurge for a Canon HFG10 and I think any of these would make an excellent combo with your 5D2 and GH2. I'd also add that the GH1 is really cheap and has EXCELLENT battery life.  I recommend using a hacked GH1 as a B cam.  You can get power zooms like the X lenses from Panny or the 12-50mm power zoom from Olympus.

I'm pretty much already sold on the Nikon D800.  I had High hopes for 5DmkIII, but I think they got trumped by the D800.  I think the Clean HDMI and Crop modes push it over the top for me.  Extreme low light is a plus for the 5DmkII but IMO not over the possibilities of Clean HDMI.  I think Nikon not being constrained by a Pro Video Division has allowed them to make a more robust Camera based on the desires of end users who have been clamoring for Clean HDMI output.

With every passing day i'm being swayed more and more towards the D800!  It just appears to me that it's closer to a full frame GH2.  The crop mode.  The clean HDMI out!!!  Nikon actually listened!  That's huge IMO.  We still have to see exactly what both cameras really look like, but it's edge to Nikon IMO right now.  I wish the GH3 was also being released cuz that would be a very interesting comparison.

I had high hopes for Nikon, mainly because they don't have a video department to protect.  They could literally go all out in their DSLR Video features.  It seems that they really did try, cuz how else do you explain the clean HDMI out?  Still you have to wonder just what they could do if they decided to compete with the C300, FS100, AF100...  Nikon could put up a serious contender.  Just makes me wonder if they do have some intention to enter the fray.

I was saving up for the 25mm, but I may just go for this one 1st if it turns out to be just a good.  Unreal how good things are looking for MFT lenses.  This is gonna be a landmark year.

Great article Andrew.  It's strange that so many companies lack the vision that Steve Jobs brought to the table.  Corporate Product Protectionism is going to be the downfall of so many companies.  You would think that more companies would take note of the success of Apple and other similar successful companies.  Look at the innovation and forward thinking rather than being stuck in the past.  So many old car makers died due to being stuck on the steam engine rather than working on their own to come up with what was clearly a superior technology in the combustion engines and likewise with Electric and hybrid cars. The one company I don't understand is Nikon!  They have the least to fear in terms of going hard after the DSLR Video market.  They don't have a Pro Video Dept. to protect.  They should've gone hard after the VDSLR market with mirrorless designs and new lenses!  Likewise Olympus also could do such a thing with little risk to their existing business.

It seems that the negatives aren't that big of a deal if you intend to use the uncompressed HDMI output.  While it would be nice to have the security of the in camera recording as well, it's not a total deal breaker if the image quality is high.  It all depends on the real world results, but it's very intriguing. I'm more interested in how the tech translates down the line for cheaper cameras.