Blackmagic Micro Cinema Super Guide and Why It Still Matters

[bjohn]

On 10/13/2020 at 10:21 AM, Anaconda_ said:

I've never used the Micro or the Micro Studio 4k camera. But in theory, if you used a Ninja V, could you rig up the Micro Studio 4k camera in this same setup, and get a 4k recording?

The only thing you can't do is record internally on the camera right?

That would be a pretty slick setup.

The sensor on the Micro Studio 4k is not very good, especially compared with that on the Micro Cinema Camera.

[Mr. Freeze]

The BMMCC is very different, compared to the Micro Studio 4k.

Basically, the Micro Cinema Camera is the sensor of the original Pocket in a small Box, but with 60p capabilities and 3:1 CinemaDNG-RAW.

A really "cinematic" little Camera, whereas the Micro Studio 4k is supposed to be used in another kind of (studio)-setup. Recording is only possible externally and the sensor is different as well. 

[mercer]

I picked up a very inexpensive BMMCC last year and I am finally getting around to rigging it up. I bought a SmallHD Focus, but I need a new HDMI cable for it. So in the meantime, I used my TV as a monitor to test the Metabones Speedbooster with it and the weirdest thing occurred... everything worked fine but when I hit record, the screen went black... when I hit record again, the image returned. The shots were recorded but obviously I was flying blind. Any ideas why this is happening?

With that said, I forgot how much I like the image from the Micro. With just a LUT and a couple exposure adjustments, I came up with this...

[kye]

Those cookies look mighty tasty!

[mercer]

16 hours ago, kye said:

Those cookies look mighty tasty!

They're ProReslicious.

[josdr]

Anybody have a Blackmagic micro cinema for sale? I am asking for a friend. Must be Europe though. Thanks

[DFason]

11 minutes ago, josdr said:

Anybody have a Blackmagic micro cinema for sale? I am asking for a friend. Must be Europe though. Thanks

I am selling my entire kit. It is in the FS forum. I can ship DHL for EU if needed too. 

[josdr]

6 minutes ago, DFason said:

I am selling my entire kit. It is in the FS forum. I can ship DHL for EU if needed too. 

Unfortunately taxes would be out of this world plus the infamous DHL  handling tax. I am not looking for a full blown rig but yours is great. Hope you sell it soon

[kye]

 

[seanzzxx]

Dude, that's amazing! Almost made me tear up! Such a great camera still 🙂

[kye]

14 hours ago, seanzzxx said:

Dude, that's amazing! Almost made me tear up! Such a great camera still 🙂

Thanks!

I keep banging on about how the cameras used on pro sets are invisible because they often don't get talked about, whereas YouTubers talk about their cameras ad-nauseum.  Well, do these look familiar?

They switched from GoPros to the 4K BMMCC Studio camera, and piped them into these:

http://www.content-technology.com/postproduction/c-mount-industries-rides-on-aja-ki-pro-ultras-for-carpool-karaoke/

There's a reason that the BMMCC is still a current model camera.

[alvaromedina]

On 4/16/2021 at 8:02 AM, kye said:

 

Wow, amazing shots! How did you manage the moire and aliasing that the micro usually has in shots like these? Are you using an olpf from rawlite? or there is nothing here but the micro and the 14mm 2.5 (I also have this great tiny lens)?

By the way, I have posted a couple of music videos where I have used de Micro Cinema in this thread:

 

[kye]

4 hours ago, alvaromedina said:

Wow, amazing shots! How did you manage the moire and aliasing that the micro usually has in shots like these? Are you using an olpf from rawlite? or there is nothing here but the micro and the 14mm 2.5 (I also have this great tiny lens)?

By the way, I have posted a couple of music videos where I have used de Micro Cinema in this thread:

 

I shot prores, which does a good job of minimising the aliasing, and also the 14mm isn't tack sharp wide open.

The setup for that video was this:

 

So the image pipeline was: vND -> IR/UV Cut-> 14mm at f2.5-> Micro -> Prores

A number of people online say that there is a special synergy between the P2K / M2K and the 14/2.5 lens, so it could be that.  Certainly as a 40mm equivalent prime it's a nice focal length, although it's at the longer end of what you'd want to hand-hold unless you had a bigger rig.  I'm also looking at options with OIS like my 14-42/3.5-5.6 kit lens, the 14-42/3.5-5.6 PZ pancake lens, and also perhaps the 12-35/2.8 so will see how I go.  It would be great if there was a wider zoom with OIS, but the crop factor is working against us here.

I have bought a Black Promist filter since I shot this as well, so I'm keen to try that out on a real location too.

[alvaromedina]

Thanks for the info Kye!. I have to use the 14mm more than I usually do, mainly family and holidays videos with the bmpcc, because I´m thinking now that I don´t remember to notice moire or aliasing problems in those videos (also in prores)...so maybe it could be one of the best lenses for the microcinema.

[kye]

On 4/19/2021 at 1:22 AM, alvaromedina said:

Thanks for the info Kye!. I have to use the 14mm more than I usually do, mainly family and holidays videos with the bmpcc, because I´m thinking now that I don´t remember to notice moire or aliasing problems in those videos (also in prores)...so maybe it could be one of the best lenses for the microcinema.

The 14mm really surprised me from that shoot actually.  The edit you guys saw was only a subset of the larger video I shot which included lots of shots of my wife who was there with me (she's internet shy) and the lens looks great for people.  Specifically the ~40mm equivalent focal length, the rendering of detail at a normal subject distance and with the lens wide-open is quite flattering, it's borderline as long a focal length as you'd like to use hand-held in a small rig without OIS, and the DoF was shallow enough (or even moreso) to create some subject separation.  

My follow-up to that video was to do more tests with the 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens to see what the DoF and subject separation is like on that slightly slower lens, and I also bought a 12-35/2.8 to try that too.

I think that using these lenses (any of the ones I mentioned above) wide-open is probably a good balance between getting a softer rendering to avoid moire, to not have too digital a look, to get shallow enough DoF to separate your subject, but also to not have too shallow a DoF to be able to manually focus relatively easily, especially on a smaller screen.

I can imagine that I might end up with these setups:

• P2K with 7.5/2 and 14/2.5 as a truly "pocketable" setup
• M2K with 7.5/2 and 12-35/2.8 as a larger rig for slow-motion
• P2K / M2K with my 17.5/0.95 as a low-light solution

[alvaromedina]

This video was shot entirely with the pocket and the panny 14mm 2.5...the exposure and the color grading sometimes is really bad, but overall I really like the organic texture it has, like old indie feature films. And as you says, despite of being a 14mm, with the 2.88x crop turns out to be a very good close up lens for people, I don´t see any distortion on human faces when they are close to the camera.

 

pass: vacaciones

[BenEricson]

3 hours ago, alvaromedina said:

This video was shot entirely with the pocket and the panny 14mm 2.5...the exposure and the color grading sometimes is really bad, but overall I really like the organic texture it has, like old indie feature films.

Beautiful. I wouldn't say anything in that looks bad. It all looks great to me. From the first shot the image just feels right. 

Curious how your setup is rigged? I might need to pick up one of those lenses. I wish they made a pancake 8mm. I know there's a 10mm SLR Magic. Maybe a little heavy though.

[kye]

10 hours ago, alvaromedina said:

This video was shot entirely with the pocket and the panny 14mm 2.5...the exposure and the color grading sometimes is really bad, but overall I really like the organic texture it has, like old indie feature films. And as you says, despite of being a 14mm, with the 2.88x crop turns out to be a very good close up lens for people, I don´t see any distortion on human faces when they are close to the camera.

Very nice.  I find that the footage looks 'right' with little to no work, and it really responds well to grading if you have the time/inclination to try.
It's also very unforgiving.  Sure, lots of your shots are overexposed from a technical point of view, but they don't look overexposed, or at least, look overexposed in a bad way.  Take a Canon camera and do that and watch the image fall apart into digital clipping hell almost immediately....

The texture of the image might be the nicest aspect to it.  It's really a pocketable super 16mm film camera with virtually unlimited film refills and no development costs or delays.  

7 hours ago, BenEricson said:

Beautiful. I wouldn't say anything in that looks bad. It all looks great to me. From the first shot the image just feels right. 

Curious how your setup is rigged? I might need to pick up one of those lenses. I wish they made a pancake 8mm. I know there's a 10mm SLR Magic. Maybe a little heavy though.

The Laowa 7.5mm MFT lens isn't that much larger than the 14mm Panny lens, and is 22mm FF equivalent, so is nice and wide.  It's a nice lens too.

I'd suggest staying away from the SLR Magic 8mm F4 - it's too slow for lots of things and the ergonomics are pretty rubbish.

[austinchimp]

15 hours ago, alvaromedina said:

This video was shot entirely with the pocket and the panny 14mm 2.5...the exposure and the color grading sometimes is really bad, but overall I really like the organic texture it has, like old indie feature films. And as you says, despite of being a 14mm, with the 2.88x crop turns out to be a very good close up lens for people, I don´t see any distortion on human faces when they are close to the camera.

 

pass: vacaciones

Beautiful. Videos like this are the counterargument to the technical assertion that "every camera is the same, you just need to know how to process the images correctly". Yes, maybe that is technically true, but how much work and how many hours would you need to put into a Sony A7s or a GH5 to get it to have this emotional weight and texture? Something about these old Blackmagic sensors is just magical, it feels like memories. Lovely for you to have captured precious moments like this.

[BenEricson]

8 hours ago, kye said:

The Laowa 7.5mm MFT lens isn't that much larger than the 14mm Panny lens, and is 22mm FF equivalent, so is nice and wide.  It's a nice lens too.

Good call. It also is very wide but still has threads for an ND filter.