Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

[Kisaha]

https://www.newsshooter.com/2019/04/08/we-take-sharps-upcoming-8k-micro-four-thirds-camera-for-a-spin/

Seriously, wouldn't most of you prefer this form factor for the Pocket4K?!

It even has a hinge, an even bigger 5.5" screen, and almost all the same I/O.

Of course it lacks the front facing Rec Button but I can live with(-out) that!

[drm]

1 hour ago, MeanRevert said:

Great info, thanks DRM!

Do you have any pics of your battery sled?  And where'd you get it?

These are the ones that I purchased:

https://amzn.to/2WXXpIZ

The batteries are a bit snug, but it works properly. I ordered 3 and they all work.

[Shirozina]

9 hours ago, Kisaha said:

https://www.newsshooter.com/2019/04/08/we-take-sharps-upcoming-8k-micro-four-thirds-camera-for-a-spin/

Seriously, wouldn't most of you prefer this form factor for the Pocket4K?!

It even has a hinge, an even bigger 5.5" screen, and almost all the same I/O.

Of course it lacks the front facing Rec Button but I can live with(-out) that!

That form factor may  be to small to cool the internals enough for RAW and internal 60p.

[kye]

21 hours ago, leslie said:

two pages back the was a video shot by moonlight. i wonder if that's how it was accomplished with a 0.95 and speedbooster. I googled supermoon and they can be as much as 30% brighter and 14%  larger. So maybe a combination of all the above would make it doable perhaps.

I have a GH5 and I shoot home and travel videos in available light and I must say that having a 0.95 lens really makes a huge difference.  I just turned off all the lights so the room was only lit by the monitor and at f0.95 in HLG the 400 base ISO and 1/50th shutter is almost as bright as my vision.
I'd love an extra stop or so, but in terms of practicality being able to shoot whatever people can see is a good reference point for low-light performance.  The P4K should be a bit closer to that limit.

[Anaconda_]

With the P4K, a Sigma 18-35 on a Viltrox booster at ISO 3200 1/50th shutter can be quite a bit brighter than what the human eye can see, and there's still plenty of room in the ISO range to go up. Going to 6400 is perfectly acceptable in most situations, but you can go even higher and clean up in post if you like.

[AlexTrinder96]

From the p4k FB group

Blackmagic going live at NAB soon

 

 

[Anaconda_]

2 hrs on a single charge while powering external disks. Sweet. 

[Shirozina]

28 minutes ago, Anaconda_ said:

2 hrs on a single charge while powering external disks. Sweet. 

I get 2.5 hours on an NPF on an external sled which costs way less and is a lot smaller - that's a big unit for not much capacity.

[BTM_Pix]

I actually think the battery grip is a decent option to have to keep everything integrated as it were.

Adding a bit of weight to the body when you're using adapted FF lenses on it won't be unwelcome from a balance point of view either.

Not quite sure how the price can be not far off double a similar Canon one for the same batteries though (which also includes nav/control buttons) let alone against the price of the 3rd party ones.

Throws a bit of a spanner (or hacksaw) in the works if you've bought a cage though.

[majoraxis]

As it appear to have no electronic - a third party knock offer may follow for cheap... at least that's what happened to the GH5 battery grip. And the third party version with electronics for the GH5 works perfectly for $50...

[drm]

13 minutes ago, majoraxis said:

As it appear to have no electronic - a third party knock offer may follow for cheap... at least that's what happened to the GH5 battery grip. And the third party version with electronics for the GH5 works perfectly for $50...

I have a couple of the Panasonic GH5 battery grips and a couple of the Vello battery grips. The Vello grip feels a little bit more cheaply made, but they work perfectly. I haven't had a single issue with them and I leave them on the camera 24/7. I would certainly consider one for the P4K from Vello.

As to the new Blackmagic grip, I am excited and disappointed. 1) Using Sony NP-F570 batteries in the grip is just weird when the cam uses LP-E6 batteries. I am fine with it, but it is weird. 2) Now, I have three cages that won't work (obviously) with the grip. I will likely get grips anyway, but I like the compact cages. 3) It doesn't appear to allow hot swapping the batteries. Does anyone know if the grip allows hot swapping batteries? I bet no, after looking at the design.

 

[Anaconda_]

5 minutes ago, drm said:

3) It doesn't appear to allow hot swapping the batteries. Does anyone know if the grip allows hot swapping batteries? I bet no, after looking at the design.

I don't think they're hot swap-able, but you can charge them through the 12v input. So you could have the grip and sled with a bigger NPF battery on and you'll be able to go for like half a day, then hotswap the battery on the sled if need be. Kind of the same as it currently stands with the LPE6, but with MUCH more backup.

From their website:

Designed for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, the new Pocket Battery Grip lets you replace the camera’s standard LP‑E6 battery with two L‑series batteries so you can shoot for over 2 hours on a single charge! You can even charge the batteries in the grip via the camera’s 12V DC connection in between takes!

--

I think the grip would be great for travel stuff where you don't want extra cables etc. I'll definitely grab one, but in a few months when some 3rd parties have solutions.

[JordanWright]

I really hope Tilta can make an additional accessory that is a replacement bottom piece to its p4k that can accommodate the new battery grip & the lens adapter support. 

[MeanRevert]

I can see Tilta's version now. It'll be lighter, cooler looking because it'll be available in colors like Tactical Grey or OD Green. It'll cost $150 but you'll spend $75 to ship it to you from China since they'll be backorderred for months and you can't wait 1 month for it to arrive via tanker.

[Kisaha]

Blackmagic continues its study in ugliness!

It is unbelievable how they failed both in form and factor..

[Emanuel]

11 minutes ago, Kisaha said:

Blackmagic continues its study in ugliness!

It is unbelievable how they failed both in form and factor..

Your in your own. I just disagree : -)

[drm]

15 minutes ago, Emanuel said:

Your in your own. I just disagree : -)

I didn't like the design initially, but it has really grown on me. It is a very functional design and I appreciate it. It certainly isn't beautiful like a Leica or something, but I am ok with it now.

Mine all look like Frankenstein now anyway, with cages, extra batteries, mics, etc. You can barely notice the camera for all the other stuff

[Emanuel]

We can't subscribe all of us the yellow, isn't it? There's land of fact and room for opinion on the other hand. Nothing wrong on it : -)

[Anaconda_]

4 hours ago, Shirozina said:

I get 2.5 hours on an NPF on an external sled which costs way less and is a lot smaller

True - but the cable going from the sled to my camera just broke. Under the locking mechanism, one of the wires has snapped (not sure how, I'm super careful with it and never leave it plugged in when putting it in my bag) But anyway, it's a problem that can be avoided with the grip... It's also a problem that can be easily fixed with a soldering iron, but when you're on location, that's not so handy.

This grip won't be available until August though - so hopefully some 3rd parties will step up before then anyway. - I also wouldn't mind if they built an SSD holder into it.

[drm]

19 minutes ago, Anaconda_ said:

True - but the cable going from the sled to my camera just broke. Under the locking mechanism, one of the wires has snapped (not sure how, I'm super careful with it and never leave it plugged in when putting it in my bag) But anyway, it's a problem that can be avoided with the grip... It's also a problem that can be easily fixed with a soldering iron, but when you're on location, that's not so handy.

This grip won't be available until August though - so hopefully some 3rd parties will step up before then anyway. - I also wouldn't mind if they built an SSD holder into it.

I'm with you. All of the cables hanging off (e.g. SSD cable, battery cable, etc.) are just potential things to go wrong during a shoot. The more of those things that you can move inside the camera, the less the chance for problems. It will also make working with gimbals easier.

I have had to replace a motherboard on my GH5 because the HDMI cable got bumped during a shoot. Of course, I now have cages and clamps on every camera, so there is less chance of this happening again.