chrisso

All of that is a given. You haven't really grasped the problem as Andrew describes it.

Wow, you posted this in at least two forums and apparently haven't read the pocket user guide.

There is no difference though. One is automatic noise reduction in camera, the other is user dialled in using software. There is no option but to reduce noise in ALL footage, BMC or DSLR. Arguably you can get the best out of the pocket camera by exposing to the right. Big deal. It doesn't need to be massively blown out so it's unviewable on a monitor. I'm not blowing highlights and struggling to recover clipped highlights. It's just not point and shoot like a Canon or Nikon DSLR.

It's only a decade or so ago that everyone was using film. You didn't see ANYTHING, and had to use external tools like light meters, and judge your exposure based on experience. You didn't really know what you had until the film was processed. Since DSLR's everyone is used to seeing a beautiful image on an LCD screen. The simple thing with the BMC is that you can shoot a scene to test, drop it into Resolve on a laptop and in a minute or so see a perfectly graded image. Almost like working with film, but much, much faster. There is no default noise reduction in the camera by the way. You do it in Resolve. That's better isn't it? You are in control, not the default setting in the camera. If you see the blackmagic workflow as a bug, that's your right. I like the end result much more than DSLR. It's your loss if you can't be a little more flexible.

Sorry, I'm probably confused. Why?

Reading a few ETTR discussions it seems to me the jury is still out. i think the consensus is that exposing to the right somewhat is possibly the best scenario. I've ended up shooting with my pocket camera so the image on the screen looks good, with no zebras (at 95%), then I might open up a half or one full stop on the aperture. ProRes is less forgiving than raw.

The stay at 800 advice goes for prores also.   The way to bring light down is aperture and/or ND filter. The way to bring more light in is very fast lenses.....or lighting.

In the manual, BMD state the native ISO is 800, but that colours might be richer using 400 in extremely bright conditions. That gives me enough to work with, with fast lenses for gloomy conditions and ND filters on bright days. I would therefore not plan to shoot at 1600 or 200.

There is a free version of Resolve. Also a free demo version of Phase One's C7. I probably wouldn't be basing my case against BMD's pocket raw by processing it in Photoshop.

Don't forget this is beta testing an unreleased raw format. Don't write it off yet. Yes, it is downtown Sydney. The sky will be unbelievable bright and there will be a huge latitude between sky and dark shadows.

I love the design. It looks cool, and is comfortable to hold. Kinda a contradiction you have there - be a bit more like Apple and make the pocket camera look more like any other boring camcorder.

I think that's his point. You made negative comments about the 'noise' having not used the camera or arguably understood the medium (ProRes 422/raw)

I essentially agree with you, but to nitpick slightly, the Extreme Pro cards are not that easy to find. The major video dealer i got my pocket camera from didn't have any for example, and I waited a few days for an online seller to ship one to me. When you can find them in bricks and mortar outlets, they can be almost double the online price. The 64GB Extreme Pro is often around $250 in stores and online in Australia. The more practical solutions are: to own more fast SD cards than you would ever need, carry a small laptop around, or use an external recorder like the Blackmagic or Atomos.

Ungraded footage from the pocket camera is washed out and flat. That's normal. You really need to work on it in Resolve or Film Convert to see it in it's full glory. I haven't watched your clip but what you describe sounds normal. The audio thing is also a known issue. You really need a mic with an on board volume amp, or a separate mic/pre like juicedlink. Just using the on board mic results in thin audio with a slight hum, which again seems to be what you are describing. Have a look around the web, or on vimeo. The flat footage and dodgy on board audio have been extensively discussed.

I think if you watched a few reviews on YouTube you'd have a better idea. Your questions are very wide ranging and often wide of the mark. But...... No, the pocket camera doesn't shoot stills. It is scheduled for raw, but presently doesn't shoot raw. It's a m4/3rds camera. So any other format lens needs an adapter. It doesn't have in camera stabilization, but you can use 4/3rds lenses with stabilization if the lens has an IS switch on it.

Calin, If you are getting overblown lights with hard edges, it's called a 'blooming sensor'. It's an issue with early pocket cameras and BMD have set up a return and recalibration service. You can't do the recalibration yourself. Contact your dealer and arrange to return the camera for the calibration to be done.

Is it an early pocket camera and have you had the sensor recalibrated?

On the iris thing. The issue is that you have to keep turning the camera on and off to preserve battery life. If you could just leave the camera on, the iris reset on start up wouldn't be an issue. Leaving the lens cap on doesn't work because it's not about keeping the lens wide open, it's about keeping the lens f stop at the perfect setting for the shot you are attempting. I'm using old manual lenses, so it's not something I found until Andrew brought it up. On the cage, I have a Viewfactor on the way. It seems very good.

Pretty fair review (part one) in my opinion.

I've seen some very nice vintage lens footage. Some Kern Switar stuff anyway. I find my Kodak Cine Ektar pretty sharp on the GH, but I haven't shot much with it on the Pocket yet. I've read all your posts on the c mount thing and I've tried to stay out of it because I'm not a professional. I can agree that if i was shooting for paying clients I'd probably use modern lenses all the way. Some modern lenses are better than others of course. I'm not that excited by my MK1 14-140mm Panny. I just ordered another Kodak Ektar and a Switar because I love the character of the images with this camera. 

I don't really know why you are obsessing about this. It's not that big a deal is it? Still, the pocket camera is priced below many pro-sumer equivalents (GH3), and as evident from all the online forum chatter, vimeo groups and youtube test videos, has overwhelmingly been bought so far by amateurs and hobbyists - myself among them.

Truth is it's both. I think Bloom (in part three) will remark on the add ons needed to use the camera - like a rig, viewfinder and external battery. But at the same time, one of his main points in the part two review was he could film on the London Eye, and in Waterloo Station, whereas his friend with the more obvious camera couldn't.

Not worth a try if they fry your camera.

I agree, the camera was sold as highly portable. It can work great fully rigged out, but also needs to be usable in a stealthier mode. I own one now, so a different choice of LCD is useless to me, as is a redesign of the battery holder. It is what it is. A battery grip or someone developing a reliable EN-EL20 with more staying power would be welcome, but I don't trust the cheaper, third party batteries that claim to be much more powerful.