Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

[JordanWright]

@tekeela Meike are also coming out with a 12mm at some point, could be a great addition! https://www.cinegearpro.co.uk/products/meike-12mm-t2-2-manual-focus-cinema-prime-lens. 

I would also hold off on buying the monopod right away! especially such an expensive one. You could try buying a cheap used manfrotto photo monopod on eBay to see if you the shooting style. When I do street stuff I prefer to just be handheld. Im lazy, the less stuff I have to carry the more often ill bring my camera! 

Also personally I find T2.2 more than enough for my requirements! 

[webrunner5]

5 hours ago, tekeela said:

Thanks to everyone who replied. I'm taking all the advice in and reconsidering my options from there.

 

Webrunner, in regards to what you said about the monopod: this is something I hadn't thought about, and to be honest I'm only half confident I understand what you're getting at. Could you recommend any alternatives?

Oh I am not saying Don't use a Monopod at all, but I think you might go with a normal tripod for awhile until you get used to using the camera. I use a Monopod myself at times, but I don't use a Fluid Head on one, and I don't have one with the feet either. One gust of wind, or someone wanting to look at the screen or touch it, or you swinging your arm around, ouch. I think until you get really familiar with it I would stay with a Tripod. Buy the Monopod with the head and just find a good used Tripod on the web or Craigslist. That way you can swap the head between them. I like Tripods with a Half Bowl. It is WAY easier to get the camera level really fast. That adjusting the legs thing is the pits.

Find a Heavy Tripod, and I even hang a Gallon Jug of water off the bottom of them or use something else heavy.  When you are done you just pour out the water and bring the empty bottle home. You can't have too steady of a tripod. The nice thing about a Monopod is they are a lot faster to move, but I have used my Tripod with the legs unfolded and move it around like that. But you can't really pan with one that way.

Everyone has different needs and likes. You will figure out your sweet spot. Video is a Lot different from Photo work for Tripod, Monopod usage. And a nice thing is if you have a nice fluid head you can use that for wildlife better than the normal swing gimbals most use in photography for your photography. A lot more Fluid, pun intended.

[AlexTrinder96]

@tekeela have you considered this setup? 

half the price of the sirui setup...

 

[tekeela]

4 hours ago, AlexTrinder96 said:

@tekeela have you considered this setup? 

half the price of the sirui setup...

 

Thank you! Checking it out now.

[webrunner5]

Speaking of tripods or monopods, one of the best items I have ever bought is a gizmo that goes into where the Long Manfrotto foot is on their tripods. And a lot of other tripod manufactures use the Manfrotto standard or Arca Swiss. The problem is when you take the long foot out of the tripod when you are using a DSLR or a Mirrorless camera is the foot is hanging what seems like 2 inches front and back of the body.

This thing goes into the slot and turns 90 degrees, that way it latches, clamps on your camera body sideways. Then it is a LOT smaller footprint, and all of it is under the base of your camera. It is great to put it mildly. Cost like 39 Dollars, but is well worth it, at least in my eyes. Only drawback, but same problem with the long foot, is you can't just sit it down flat on a table when it is attached to your body. No more tripod foot sticking in your mouth or throat anymore lol..

Now it does not come with a Arca Swiss plate of any kind. I have a really small one I use I keep attached to the camera body, actually I have several of the Arca Swiss ones for each kind of body...

https://www.promediagear.com/PM501-Manfrotto-Type-QR-Plate-with-Arca-Swiss-Type-Clamp-Built-in-For-501PL-502-504-Nitro-RC3-RC5-NG-Heads-Ronin-S_p_343.html

[kye]

A couple of monopod videos talking about how they suit shooting weddings:

 

 

[webrunner5]

I have an Old Manfrotto Monopod with the Pistol Grip on it. I took the safety off of it. Slows you down too much. I find it works better and faster for Photo and Video than ones that have sections in it. There is a video on this website that shows how he holds it, same one I have, and I do the same, especially for Photos. I used to do a lot of Zoo photos BiF stuff, and some video, and you need to be fast to work your way around in the crowds. I think it might be good even for weddings getting different angles that others miss. That is what you have to be, different.

http://www.carolinawildphoto.com/podtechnique.htm

[Anaconda_]

I found one of these in a thrift store for less than a pound. It works really well and folds down to fit in my back pocket. 

[Newway12]

Has anyone shot an entire feature on this camera yet? How much storage was required with BRAW? Or did you use prores?  I’ve only done small projects so far (couple minutes or less with prores) and i’m wondering how many hard drives i’m going to need for a 90 minute feature.

[Novim]

1 hour ago, Newway12 said:

Has anyone shot an entire feature on this camera yet? How much storage was required with BRAW? Or did you use prores?  I’ve only done small projects so far (couple minutes or less with prores) and i’m wondering how many hard drives i’m going to need for a 90 minute feature.

4K DCI (4096x2160), BRAW Q0, 1TB ≈ 30-35 min. (Or ProRes 4K DCI HQ 1TB ≈ 30-35 min.) Start to reckon from here.

[mercer]

29 minutes ago, Novim said:

4K DCI (4096x2160), BRAW Q0, 1TB ≈ 30-35 min. (Or ProRes 4K DCI HQ 1TB ≈ 30-35 min.) Start to reckon from here.

Do you happen to know off hand how many minutes 1 TB of 4K DCI ProRes LT are?

[Novim]

31 minutes ago, mercer said:

Do you happen to know off hand how many minutes 1 TB of 4K DCI ProRes LT are?

≈ 360 min.

And I was wrong before (I was looking at my CF2 128GB card). So, 4K DCI (4096x2160), BRAW Q0, 1TB ≈ 150 min. (Or ProRes 4K DCI HQ 1TB ≈ 170 min.) My apology.

In theory one can make almost 2 feature movies with 1TB; in practise, for 1 feature movie 5-10 TB. (And if Kubrick resurects and starts shooting with the P4K, he would need 50 TB.)

[BTM_Pix]

34 minutes ago, mercer said:

Do you happen to know off hand how many minutes 1 TB of 4K DCI ProRes LT are?

LT storage rate is just over 40% of HQ so roughly 2.5x the record time per TB.

[Skip77]

On 4/17/2019 at 5:10 AM, anonim said:

I need too much time to find topic about BMMCC, so sorry for posting here, but maybe it could be useful as another example of what BM cameras and especially BMMCC are capable for, or as comparison with Pocket 4k.

  

Everything about that was great. Except the lens and screen wobble. Why would they waste all this production on that camera? I understand they want to prove want that camera can do but it wasn't the camera for the job with the perspective issues and not using camera stabilization. 

On 4/4/2019 at 2:07 PM, Jonesy Jones said:

 

Great footage. 

[mercer]

1 hour ago, BTM_Pix said:

LT storage rate is just over 40% of HQ so roughly 2.5x the record time per TB.

Thanks, do you know how BRAW 12:1 compares to ProResLT? If not, if you get a minute, and are inclined, could you run a test?

[anonim]

51 minutes ago, Skip77 said:

Why would they waste all this production on that camera?

Really don't know... maybe you didn't check posted BTS clip which explains shooting process? Obviously they think about, see and value result different.

[webrunner5]

1 hour ago, Skip77 said:

Everything about that was great. Except the lens and screen wobble. Why would they waste all this production on that camera? I understand they want to prove want that camera can do but it wasn't the camera for the job with the perspective issues and not using camera stabilization. 

 

I don't think they were trying to prove anything. And at the time they started it the BMPCC was just about one of the best camera you could buy for any money short of a Sony F35, F65 or an Arri which you can't afford, and if you could you were not going to use it in that mud hole. It is just a Movie that friends helped make. And they started Way before any of this IBIS, Gimbal stuff was popular. Actually if they had used it I think the film would have been worse. You are Suppose to get the feeling you were there with them in the pit. Perfect shots would have sucked.

Hell it is not about the technique, it is about the story. Who gives a shit about a little wobble. Did you see how they even shot it? I am amazed it was as great as it was.

Here is how they made it. Sort of more interesting than the movie. And yeah, that is the camera rig strapped to his head. There has been some pretty amazing stuff shot on a camera that at one time, was only 500 Dollars for a while brand new because they couldn't sell it for the 995 Dollars they wanted. I would not doubt half or more of the old timers on here have had one at one time or another. I know me and Mercer have. Probably I might buy one again soon. Only weakness in them was the damn HDMI port.

 

[anonim]

17 minutes ago, webrunner5 said:

Who gives a shit about a little wobble. 

Malick and Lubezki certainly would agree with you: "Song to Song" (in enormous quantity) and even "Knight of Cups" are full of wobbling handheld shots. And there it was not even intentional pseudosymbolic usage (as, say, in chasing to describe distorted perception) - they simply and really didn't "give a shit about little wobble" mesmerizing spectator in constantly flowing, poetical, juxtaposed, surreal movement.

Actually, there's no more rules in movie language. Moreover, probably never were - except to now how and where to cut across them in most efficient way.

Personally, I think that creators of that war movie obviously use wobble with purpose, as much as colors and light leaks. 

 

 

[webrunner5]

5 minutes ago, anonim said:

Personally, I think that creators of that war movie obviously use wobble with purpose, as much as colors and light leaks. 

 

I think you are completely right, It adds to the emotion of the whole movie. The fear, the excitement. It is about as good as it gets. Amazing for who shot it, and the budget. A near Classic. A case study for any young, or hell, old film maker. ?

[BTM_Pix]

56 minutes ago, mercer said:

Thanks, do you know how BRAW 12:1 compares to ProResLT? If not, if you get a minute, and are inclined, could you run a test?

I doubt it will be for a few days but, sure, I'll see what I can do

Here is a test between different BRAW rates and ProResHQ that someone has done which you could look at in the meantime 

There is a download link there too