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That's been my sense as well. It seemed clear when they released the Broadcast G2 with the 6K sensor and specs. I think I remember Grant Petty saying essentially they couldn't source any more of the original Broadcast sensors so they cannibalized the 6K ones for that line.

I think the major issue is that the defined, specific minimum frame rate (and lesser extent resolution) RED used in their patent is the standard for an entire industry that existed for a century before RED. Not a great analogy, but it would be like Tesla patenting electric cars capable of going over 65mph while the U.S. interstate system is largely built for that exact speed of traffic with combustion cars for over a century.

It's insane to me that such broad ideas can be patented. No need to outline specific tech or software or whatever. Just the idea.

As I understand it, Blackmagic has openly provided the means for any NLE to read and work with BRAW, but they won’t allow camera manufacturers to record to BRAW unless they have a formal agreement e.g. Panasonic.

Perhaps I should rephrase. I think there's a true, scientific definition of DR and then there's the marketing definition of DR. The latter has always been squishy for most manufacturers with some taking more liberty than others. My understanding is that ARRI is much more conservative and "real" with their marketing definition of DR. I believe they claim the original Alexa sensor as 15 stops. So, if they say this new sensor has 17 stops I take them at their word that it is two stops better.

This is statement is true of basically every other camera company except ARRI.

Woah, this is a really good observation. It feels really likely BM would mark the anniversary with another disruptive camera. I've felt the Pocket 4K/6K/Pro cameras are the spiritual successors to the BMCC/4K and not really the OG Pocket. So maybe there's some room for a new, true pocket camera. Otherwise, maybe they're going to do some sort of Ursa Micro. Either way, I think there are holes in the "lower" end of their lineup. On second thought, with it being NAB and with BM doing all sorts of amazing things with their ATEM line, maybe they're going to release a PTZ camera with some really nifty features... disrupting more of the broadcast space than the cinema one.

A simple CST in Resolve to the original BM Film gamut and color space gets it 90% of the way there in 4 clicks. The last 10% comes from the s16 sensor size. In the end, the creature comforts of the P4K are just too great to ignore for me personally.

I'm inclined to agree with you. I think Patrick Tomasso said it best in his review (I've watched too many reviews to keep track)... essentially the GH5 was an absolute powerhouse because it could do things no other system could really do at the time. Now things have changed and full frame has caught up and surpassed in all the ways that matter to most shooters.

Agreed. Gerald kinda stuck his neck out there, but I think he’s right: if ultimate image quality is your primary goal, m43 isn’t the right choice plain and simple. The GH6 is the very best the system can offer and it’s still not as good an image as the entry level FF S5. Still, it’s a superrrrr compelling camera if you’re fully invested in m43.

There's a bunch of interesting little features to this thing, but the biggest thing for me is the addition of h.264 and h.265 internally. Personally, that has always been the #1 factor in deciding whether I take my Panasonic kit or Blackmagic kit for certain jobs. This blurs that line completely.

I was waiting for someone to post this 🙂 I think this could be Blackmagic's most compelling camera to date. It is their first do-everything camera: cinema, corporate, broadcast, live event and streaming. The price is just right.

This is a really good point.

Refurbished items often come with warrantees of their own making them a bit safer than just straight up used copies. I definitely recommend buying used or refurbished from any of those retailers in addition to Adorama. I've had great experiences with all of them. The used prices are often a little higher than you'd pay buying direct from another person, but you get the security of solid return policies and reputations.

Obviously the best value savings is in used lenses. They don't get replaced with new models every couple years and don't become "obsolete" when they do eventually get replaced. For cameras, I have a system I've developed lol. Cameras below $3000 I will buy brand new on day one to maximize the useful life and the return on my investment. Cameras more than $3000, I will mostly wait for a used body to appear before buying. But, obviously there's a balance between price and age that needs to be reached. I swap out cameras wayyyy too often TBH, but since I stay in the ~$3000 range mostly I'm never too deep underwater lol.

I too have been using a small camera lately to fly under the radar. I went with the Osmo Pocket. It's perfect for home videos and BTS stuff on set.

Funky looking thing, but the versatility of an integrated gimbal is probably gamechanging for some people. I'm pretty intrigued.

Well now, just over month later, I cannot recommend the Ursa Mini Pro to anyone. On Sept. 5 my UMP died out of nowhere in the middle of a shoot. Completely black image off the sensor, no menus, no image from SDI, won't playback clips... DEAD. I talked to Blackmagic and other users. It turns out this is a fatal sensor issue that Blackmagic will not service at all. They won't even take the camera to assess it—all they needed was an email conversation to confirm this was the issue. I can't recommend a camera from a company that refuses to service their own product. They'll still service the G2, but for how long?? Is that worth the risk? Not for me. Not while I'm dealing with insurance. I've moved on to the Panasonic EVA1 to match my S1 in Vlog. The menu system feels like I'm in the stone ages compared to Blackmagic's fantastic menus and the screen is utter garbage, but the image is simply amazing and right up on par with the UMP.

That's what I'm saying though. Is this terrible new aesthetic a sort of meta take on the film industry right now? The machines have formed a poorly-shot green screen, ultra punchy color hellscape for humans to live within which mirrors the state of much of cinema now. Or is this just an ugly movie. Lol.

I think {hope} we're seeing some clever marketing here. Much of the trailer footage shows a sort of hyper-realistic video gamey aesthetic... perhaps because it is a video game of sorts. Maybe it is the next iteration of the matrix after Neo reached the source and saved Zion. Similar to how the Matrix color tone was green and the real world was blueish in the trilogy, perhaps the matrix is ultra bright, colorful, and contrasty in this movie??

I think the primary controls will still be on the top-mounted touchscreen just like with all the DSMC2 bodies. The added controls on the other side are just another option. Although, it does make adding a side handle... awkward.

At this point I don’t see enough upsides to get the 4.6K. Personally I bought the Ursa Mini Pro earlier this year which is largely the same camera. It’s big and heavy making it a pain in the ass sometimes compared to my Pocket 6K. BUT, the ND filters, BRAW to SD cards, shoulder kit and EVF, SDI, and full XLR inputs give it an edge over my other cams. If your intention is to shoot on sticks or handheld, I think the Pockets are far better choices than the 4.6K right now.

But that's not unique to just this camera. Once you make that jump to a legit cinema camera, the accessories go up in price. But lighting, rigging, and support equipment isn't exclusive to big cameras. I can use the same amount of expensive lights and rigging for a shoot with my Panasonic S1 as I do with my UMP.

Very exciting news! I feel like the price drop is similar to the OG Pocket fire sale. No immediate replacement imminent... just doing it to do it. Some may say the 12K is overkill, but BRAW made that resolution very manageable from what I've seen.

Rumor has it that the S1/S1R/S5 will be getting a firmware update next week adding BRAW output from the HDMI port. That to me puts the S line even higher up the list as the best hybrid cameras on the market right now. I'd love to have BRAW out of the USB C port a la the Pocket line though.