Oliver Daniel

This is clever marketing by Blackmagic. My belief is that they have put this image on their website just to show you that the Pocket camera is in fact, a capable, professional cinema camera. If this wasn't a Pocket camera, wouldn't they call it the Blackmagic Lite? The Blackmagic Mini? The Blackmagic Pocket name makes you believe you can in fact carry this camera around in your pocket and capture professional cinematic images. This is true. It is your choice entirely if you want to rig this camera up for the long haul, and it is possible of course. But with all this battery life talk, doesn't this suggest., well, this thing is Pocket after all? Get out there, grab a few shots on the London Eye to match my BMCC footage? Lets read the title again... Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. A cinema camera that can fit in your pocket. It's true isn't it? If not, what the hell is it? What were the marketing department thinking? It's no way a Pocket camera! My lenses are huge and my battery pack is bigger than my head. My point is.... The camera is a Pocket camera, marketed as a potential professional camera. Some of those buying the camera will get excited by the Blackmagic pictures, because they think they are buying into a piece of proper movie gear and they will now make super super movies. Potentially they could be. Blackmagic says they will be. Because they said so. ;)

It's called the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. It is marketed as a Pocket camera with cinematic capabilities. It's like saying the iPad was designed to sit on your desk at home. Imagine having to be forced to use an external battery just to make it what it is - portable. I'm going to the river to play with stones and sticks. It's much fun.

I think its ridiculous to even consider having to put a battery in my pocket that is wired to the camera, just because the actual camera battery is absolute bollocks.    I remember using a camera about 8 years ago where I had a battery belt on to power the camera. It was a nightmare.   Its 2013 now. We now have a (soon to be) raw shooting camera that fits in your pocket. The amazing thing is, aside the awesome technology, the simple stuff such as battery power is light years behind. This needs to be better. It needs to be 2013 better. 

I went in the deep end and shot an entire paid music video with this camera. Then for the first time yesterday, I shot an entire paid music video on the original BMCC. Incredibly different experience using each. I'm a handheld, jump into the action kinda guy. I found operating the BMCC was like holding a ton of bricks (with the VLock on my shoulder). I quickly adapted my method, although I thought back to the BMPCC and its small form factor. It's capabilities and size are a massive attraction, despite my early reservations. Blackmagic are onto something with this. I think this model is the one to watch from their 3 piece camera line. I think Andrew pointed out once he'd love to see a camera that is designed between the ergonomics of the BMCC and the BMPCC, with a better screen. Totally agree.

I heard Panasonic are teaming up Blackmagic to create a MFT 4k raw monster. It will be the first camera that growls when you press record. 

  Thanks for the response on this guys. I enjoyed jghardings posts particulary as we both seem to share common ground where our type of work and tools are of a similar ethic.    There is an undeniable obsession with specs, and that one person could never shoot on anything but raw and the other would like to shoot raw but must shoot h264 - and is happy with the situation.    I'm a firm believer in this analogy: the really creative guy who is full of ideas will shoot a BETTER film on his iPhone than the guy who is a whizz on the Red Epic but lacks any sort of creative ideas.   Sure, if you shoot raw, it could give you power to make it look a hell of a lot better, but it won't make it anymore interesting. This comes with skill and an understanding of your practice and the execution of the whole idea. A 7 year old will likely make a more interesting film of trees, plants and bushes in their back garden than a ex-TV camera man with a BMCC.    Tomorrow, I have the option to shoot in raw. Without a doubt, I'm shooting ProRes. I understand that shooting in raw will give me more room in post and a better image, but at the expense of disappointing other clients by not delivering their projects on time with a lacklustre effort, due to time constraints. This is an expense that will never happen.    Raw is a fantastic tool that you can use when time and budget permits. Just because its available doesn't make constant h264 shooting any less fun, any less creative or fulfilling. If anything, it makes things possible for everybody in allsorts of different ways and tastes. Raw gives you power, h264 gives you convenience. There is no argument as everyone is different and make their own choices.....   Which brings me back to the subject of this post...the BMPCC. It would be suicide for me to use this camera on a bulk of my professional shoots, due to its drawbacks. I don't have the time and resources to overcome these on a constant basis.   As an addition to my camera kit to use for a short film - it would be a great option. Short films are personal and something I cherish most. The image from the BMPCC is enough for me to take my time and workaround the camera to get the best possible results.   That cheesy line from Spider-Man - "With great power comes great responsibility." No matter how cheesy that line is, it applies to everything.   Don't get carried away with power. Be responsible. Just do your best. 

  Well shockingly, I have done several shoots with the GH3 where one battery has lasted the entire shoot for 8 hours. Granted I turn he camera off between takes when I can. I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true!  ;) Its actually 'ridiculous' that it is capable of doing this. The battery life is a beast on the GH3!!   I fully understand the level of codec on the GH3. Although it isn't as good as the Blackmagic in terms of quality, its still very robust. Upto 72Mbps (I shoot 50Mbps) and actually grades well. Also it records 60fps. It suits my line of work due to memory capacity, features and speed. I shoot and edit on average around 8 music videos per month (all footage is stored for a year) at a professional level, so as quality is of the essence, so is speed and affordable storage.   For projects that need it, I would always choose the most suitable camera possible for the given budget. This one happened to be a chance to use the 10 bit codec of the Pocket camera. It was a lovely little camera, yet I have every right to voice my opinion about anything I found lacking in the camera.... as this was for my own practical experience compared to what I've been used to before. A lot of the drawbacks are definitely worth anybody to take notice of.   For very personal projects which I could finesse over my own amount of time, I would definitely use the Pocket, most likely with its bigger brother, in raw. These projects mean the most and can take advantage of this powerful technology. I would never use a GH3 or similar with a more suitable camera available, yet if the Gh3 was the best I could get hands on, I would never hesitate. 

Thanks for your write-up maxotics, I agree with what you say there. My experience of the Pocket Camera comes from the view of a person (in this case, myself) who is used to working with cameras such as the GH3, FS700, 5D3 (not raw)... All camera with H264 codecs and all the usual features. It's an eye opener for anybody going for a transition to Blackmagic or is intending adding the camera to their arsenal. It's a completely different kettle of fish. As its aimed at the DSLR user, its by no means a 'replacement' for your current camera. Sounds obvious I know. I think the Pocket is a great camera. You just have to be prepared for it. For professional use, it has great potential - just as long as you know how to workaround its quirks. It reminds me of when DSLRs started a revolution. You had this stills camera that captured nice video but had many drawbacks from using it professionally. Didn't last long, we put up with it, figured it out and were thankful and inspired by the technology. The Pocket is the same. Spoil it rotten , solve its flaws and cuddle it before bed time. I've always been curious about these Blackmagic cameras. It's a good start for them.

I had to use what I was given from my local rental house regarding the kit I had for the Pocket. They gave me the kit in an effort to ask for feedback on how to improve it for professional shoots. If I had my own way, and the rental house could do it, I would of asked for 10 batteries, external power, and more memory cards. For my GH3, I can get through an entire 8 hour shoot on one battery and a couple of 32Gb cards, so it was interesting to compare to what I'm used to. I knew that there are workarounds for the cameras shortcomings, but as this is a 'Pocket' camera, I did feel it was necessary to try it out as was it is intended to be - 'Pocket'. You just need more cash to beast up this camera for a painless experience. Definitely more extras than you need for a DSLR. I will be using the camera again, and Ill definitely be using an external power source and using more cards. I like the camera, its a decent start to the model, just a befuddling one. ;)

I've just finished up a shoot using the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera on a professional shoot, so I thought I would share my experience with the camera in this environment. (I will post the video when its finished up)   The Shoot   My business was hired to shoot a music video for a concept on Green Screen. It was a parody of infomercials, so the task was to film various models and comedic hosts demonstrating several very silly products. I was the DoP/camera operator, and we also had a director, 2 assistants, 2 photographers and  a make up artist.   The Gear The Blackmagic was mounted on rails in a Wooden Camera Cage, with just a Follow Focus. I had 4 x Sandisk Extreme Pro SD cards, 3 batteries, mic, charger and AC adapter. The camera was connected through HDMI to an external monitor. The green screen was lit with 2 Kino Flo 4-Banks, and the models with Kino Flo Diva 401s and Dedolights.    I would not recommend the Wooden Cage. Its just ok. The screw holes all over it make no sense. The battery charger was the worst piece of kit I've ever used in the history of video production. Cant remember the brand (begins with a H), but lots of companies are selling it with the camera as a bundle. You can put AA batteries in it and its so fiddly. It sucks.    Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Feedback Whilst I was impressed with the BMPCC, I did have various issues with the camera - mostly with the lack of in-camera formatting and batteries. I will display these through Pros and Cons.    Pros + The build is solid and of high quality   + The back screen is nice and clear, a very decent size!   + Very simple to use meaning you can focus on creating   + Image quality is fantastic. Compared it with the GH3 in flat profile and the difference was staggering   + Skin tones are beautiful, very organic   + Not much dynamic range to see, but the roll-off was very smooth on the models   + The size makes it easy to handle and not a pain to shift around. Nice and quick.   + Zebras are very useful. Wish I had these on my GH3!   Cons - This camera eats memory cards for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Used all of the 4 x 32gb cards. So the cost of running this camera at a professional level could be quite costly.   - Battery life is dreadful. The shoot was 8 hours long and we went through 9 full charges.    - No ability to format cards in camera. Completely unacceptable. We ran out of space, backed up the cards and tried to format one to exFat on a Mac. Camera wasn't having it. 10 mins left til close. So had to use GH3 for last 2 shots. Director wasn't happy.    - No indication of recording time left. No idea if 1 second left on 60 mins! Again, this is unacceptable.    - Auto focus is absolutely terrible. I don't use it much, but its useful when you are against time in a studio. Just doesn't work. Why bother Blackmagic? Your features HAVE to work.    - Focus Peaking is temperamental. It works, then sort of does, then doesn't at all. Maybe something wrong with this unit?    - Manual focusing with the Panny zooms seemed to be a lot more fiddly on this camera than on the GH3. It seems to be much more intricate and I have no idea why that is. The director agreed.    - No articulated screen. Its 2013. I don't want to sit on the floor or bend over in front of models to see the screen.    - Moire. Can't handle fine lines.    Conclusion Having only use the camera once for a studio shoot, its hard for me to give a full opinion on this camera - but from my experience there are some definite quirks that I feel are a major issue for its use in a professional (and general usage) environment for its target 'DSLR video user' market.    Ok, it shoots in 10 bit ProRes and has a beautiful image. It will shoot RAW soon. Its cheap. But...   For professional use, the fact you cant see how much recording time you have left or even format a card is a completely ludicrous omission and causes issues. Issues that take more time, more work, more stress, more stuff you shouldn't have to deal with in a camera. Blackmagic need to sort this out, it cant be difficult.    The fact the the camera is labelled 'Pocket' is mind boggling. Batteries constantly need charging, and its always a worry. If you were to really carry this round in your 'Pocket', expect to need a bagful of batteries. Or you are screwed.    The focusing area of the camera also seems unfinished. Auto focus doesn't work, and peaking just can't be arsed half the time. Didn't they test the camera, or is it a good-egg, bad egg thing with the production line?    My opinion so far is that this camera isn't completely ready for use in a professional environment, and is better suited as a hobbyist item for (very) short films. If you can afford lots of storage, 60 billion batteries and a ton of memory cards, and dont mind a few workarounds then you should enjoy it - its a cool gadget with a beautiful image that a video DSLR really needs.    Its very quirky and needs more work, which is expected of a 1st generation model. Lets hope for more improvements and a Blackmagic employee facepalm about essential little features that are unacceptably missing.    I like it. Its just a pain in the arse. Like my fiance. You might just have to put up with its issues just because its so beautiful ;)

Thanks for that  :)   I'm pretty much setup now. Got everything to minus the spills.

Hi.    I am looking for advice on a project. As I have limited green screen expereince, I want to make sure i get it right. I'm much more an 'on-location' kind of guy!   I've just been assigned a music video project using green screen and the Blackmagic Pocket Camera. Its a mickey take on Japanese infomercials.   The screen is painted 18FT wide, and we will be shooting around 8FT before the wall.   I have in my ownership 3 Dedolights and 2 Kino Flo Divas 401s. I know I will require more lights to light the screen (as my owned lights will be mostly lighting the actors), and I was thinking of mounting some Kino Flo 4 banks on C-stands high. The studio location has no lighting grid at the top.    The Pocket will always be on a tripod, filming wides, mids and close-ups of the products/adverts the Japanese people are 'selling.' Got the Panny 12-35mm and 35-100mm, the SLR Magic 12mm and loads of Canon FDs.   Does anybody want to give me any advice about this and the use of the Pocket camera? It would be much appreciated. I'm certain I'm doing everything right, just want to make sure I have everything in tow.    Thanks. 

Its about bloody time we heard something from the very quiet people at Panasonic. The GH3 is excellent, yet there has been no update whatsoever on the video camera front. I was hoping for a much more compact FS700 destroyer from them as they are the only other company (like Sony)  to bother with higher frame rates at the GH price point.    I'm hoping to see a GH4 develop into a top professional video hybrid with 120fps 1080p, more Mbps, increased DR and better low light. Hoping they add this and more.      Hopefully, we can expect a nice surprise!

He just said end of this month ;)

Have you heard of the BeSteady Four? I ordered a BeSteady One!

My local rental house has received their Pocket camera. They cancelled the order for the MFT original camera and had their EF stolen, but won't replace it. They said they had the EF for 3 months and nobody bothered with it. The 4K sounds like an absolute beast. So I guess it would be better to wait longer and get a better camera that hopefully doesn't have white orbs and black spots.

I've ordered the BeSteady One. The thing I like about this than the other offerings is their continuation to innovate and improve the product almost instantly. Can't wait.

    I completely agree.   Great achievement to make your own camera, but compared to other cameras on the market now, it doesn't touch other raw offerings.   Wouldn't even use it instead of a regular DSLR. Very much a novelty camera really! But well done to whoever made it. ;)   Oh and ....the image is quality is fantastic too. ;)

I think the footage from this camera looks pretty special, blooming orbs or not. But still hope it gets fixed. Still, for all its merits, I'm still astounded that you can't format a card or delete a clip. But you can shoot in ProRes and soon in RAW. Rooooar!!! Baffling.

I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed, or if this is just an error with the camera/capture/whatever - but my eyes are seeing something in BMPCC footage that looks a bit peculiar.    Basically I can see a grid pattern on the shots, only very faintly. The best example I could see was the Bloom clip with his cat.    Or is it just me?     

It sucks that the 'big' people use Kickstarter to fund their 'passion projects'. What's wrong with their own bank balance?    Kickstarter won't do anything, they get 5% of the funding.   As for Stallone,......... "ADDDDDRRRRIAAANNNNNN!!!!!!"

Unfortunately, I think thats your only solution.  :unsure:   I have a 3Tb hard drive that cost me £120. Nothing fancy but stores lots. Grab a few of them perhaps? 

Lacie 2Big perhaps?   http://store.apple.com/uk/product/HB643ZM/A/lacie-6tb-2big-thunderbolt-series-raid-hard-drive-with-thunderbolt-cable?afid=p219%7CGOUK&cid=AOS-UK-KWG-PLA-PLA_UK_BTB   Sure, it costs a bit but you need a fat hard drive anyway ;)

    I have the GH3 and the BeSteady One 3 axis stabiliser. Very happy with that.    Cameras get replaced all the time. Lenses and other gear, not so much. 

  The GH3 is simply an astonishing camera. The more I use it, the more I'm impressed. It can match a C100 in the right hands ;)   Its also a great combo with the Pocket Camera, MFT mounts and all. Can have a bit of a fiddle with RAW.