Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

[Dan Wake]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:51 AM, billdoubleu said:

I've always wanted a Blackmagic camera, but the lack of IBIS is the main gotcha for me and my use case. I also wish they put the tilt screen on the 4k from the jump. Better yet, in my opinion, Blackmagic are in the best spot to pioneer a detachable screen you could mount anywhere. You're already providing a large, high quality screen. Just give me a cable and let me mount it wherever the fuck I want! I don't know that the big boy companies could pull that off, but BM has right clientele for it.

I think for the price they're going for on ebay I would rather buy a Sigma fp. The two are neck-and-neck on the used market. I don't know if the fp gets the love it deserves. It was a bold move on Sigma's part. But, hell, by the end of the year Blackmagic may be the only company left selling affordable cameras with a high quality image. Might as well get on board now.

Same for me. If they can make a new model with IBIS I'm very likely sold for it

[webrunner5]

Well for all you BM guys out there looking for focus and AF help this may be a cheap answer.

 

  

 

[kye]

1 hour ago, webrunner5 said:

Well for all you BM guys out there looking for focus and AF help this may be a cheap answer.

 

  

 

That looks really good - great use of tech and I'm sure that it would be really useful to lots of people.  You need an electronically controlled lens of course, but I wonder if a similar setup might be possible using something like a wireless follow-focus perhaps.

[webrunner5]

Hmm that is an interesting concept.

[leslie]

23 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

Well for all you BM guys out there looking for focus and AF help this may be a cheap answer.

 

  

 

doesn't seem to connect with blutooth on version 6.9.1 on the pk4  now downloading version 7.9.1 for the bmp4k 🙄

Its a cheap option only if you already have a late model iphone and electronic lens. Although iphone 13 ultras aren't exactly cheap either. Lucky i have one lying around... knew it would come in handy one day.... 

So for a whole bunch of lenses that i own, i  would be better  off with @BTM_Pix lidar setup and focus motors. While not cheaper per se ,  its at the moment  probably one of the few options if you travel the path of vintage lenses. 

Thinking aloud, it seems to me theres a bit of a fork in the road with lidar you can go down the path with a p4k, vintage lenses and btm_pix's product and focus motors ( and autofocus lenses as well )  or  grab a iphone that has the lidar sensor and use lenses with auto focus. Neither is a particularly cheap path if your starting from scratch, if i'm honest but it is what it is.

Not that i'm saying this stuff is expensive, its certainly cheaper than  5 years ago and you can do a lot of amazing things with it today.

I guess its a bit of, if it were really easy or cheap everyone would be doing it. Plus anything that gets me inspired to grab the p4k for a change is probably a good thing. 

Plus its nice to see some action down in this particular forum 🙂

[webrunner5]

Well, the iPhone 12 Pro is Apple's first smartphone with a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanner on the back. So you could use it also and a cheaper option I guess.

[leslie]

Yer i should have said an iphone with lidar.  although in reality it seems  only last two iterations of phones thats that have it then.  Seen some apps that make use of it for measuring and mapping i think. But since i cant see a need for it i'm loathe to install  any apps  onto my phone unless i use it frequently. 

Its kinda ironic ( to me at least ) just how much homework you need to do, to keep a handle on things in an effort to save some dollars regardless of hobby 🙄

with a pk4 you'd think i'd be all over it except i'm not 😔 

[webrunner5]

Well, I am sure you probably aren't going to use the thing for some high end paid job. It is mainly I think for people that doing it for fun or learning the ropes on how to do all this crazy stuff. But some wiz kid will see the app and make a better app and on and on and it might really get super good. So good BM adds Lidar to the camera, hell why not.

[leslie]

I vaguely remember you saying you did stint as a wiz kid. No intent of giving btm_pix a run for his money ?  It’s never too late you know 😎

[webrunner5]

Yeah, I did programing and am pretty good at electronics, I was a Ham Radio operator also, but well to be honest too lazy now, and I have forgot a lot of the programming stuff, and even if I didn't, they are using newer program languages now.

I am sort of content on being sort of stupid as of late, it happens you know when you get old lol. Yikes. ☹️

[kye]

On 8/5/2022 at 10:01 AM, leslie said:

Neither is a particularly cheap path if your starting from scratch, if i'm honest but it is what it is.

You're thinking about this wrong.

The P4K / P6K / P6K Pro have a very strong feature-set and this addition gives them PDAF.  The only other ways to add good AF to a setup the same way is to either hire a focus puller, or to upgrade to a camera that has everything the BM cameras have but also has PDAF.  Either of these options easily runs into the tens-of-thousands-of-dollars.

The problem with cameras is that people don't compare the full package, only isolated features, but when you're buying a camera you can get one feature very cheap, but for each extra feature you want it multiplies the cost - by the time you have internal RAW and 13 stops of DR the addition of PDAF creates a pretty small and expensive list of potential candidates.  

[FHDcrew]

On 8/6/2022 at 1:11 AM, kye said:

You're thinking about this wrong.

The P4K / P6K / P6K Pro have a very strong feature-set and this addition gives them PDAF.  The only other ways to add good AF to a setup the same way is to either hire a focus puller, or to upgrade to a camera that has everything the BM cameras have but also has PDAF.  Either of these options easily runs into the tens-of-thousands-of-dollars.

The problem with cameras is that people don't compare the full package, only isolated features, but when you're buying a camera you can get one feature very cheap, but for each extra feature you want it multiplies the cost - by the time you have internal RAW and 13 stops of DR the addition of PDAF creates a pretty small and expensive list of potential candidates.  

Makes me wish I got the 13 pro over the 13!

[FHDcrew]

Seriously though, paired with the gyro stabilization it somewhat solves the two features the cameras have always lacked. Good autofocus and built in stabilization!  If you don’t need great battery life then, it’s possible to have a pretty minimal or even bare-bones setup!

[PPNS]

did another short with this camera, feel like showing off some stills again. the short itself is not yet finished. 

[FHDcrew]

On 1/25/2023 at 4:47 PM, PPNS said:

did another short with this camera, feel like showing off some stills again. the short itself is not yet finished. 

Beautiful cinematography and use of light!  This camera keeps on delivering!

[PannySVHS]

Seconding especially your first sentence, second one too.:) @FHDcrew

[PPNS]

thanks guys, very nice of y’all!

[Emanuel]

 

[PPNS]

i still rock with it from time to time, wanted to mention that BMD has slashed the price to 1000, and thats still including the full resolve license.

[IronFilm]

Slashing the price to clear the old stock out? 

Might be hints at a new replacement coming in 2025?

Perhaps the Pyxis with a MFT mount and the same sensor in it.

Maybe with some other cost saving measure? (cheaper/smaller monitor?)

If they could release "a Pyxis MFT" sigificantly cheaper than their FF version, say for $1750, then maybe that explains clearing out the BMD Pocket bodies.