Blackmagic Micro Cinema Super Guide and Why It Still Matters

[PannySVHS]

I doubt it.:(

@IronFilm
 

[kye]

23 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Stopped forever? Or maybe they will resume production after the pandemic is over??

I guess it is more likely they'll create a BMMCC 4K?

Who knows.  The section of the market we're referring to is basically crash/vehicle/drone cameras and the smallest and cheaper ones contains:

• random offerings of BM from the early 2010s
• the first Zcam
• a lens manufacturer - Sigma FP
• a camera company founded so surfers could take selfies - GoPro

And cameras with a slightly larger form factor and price tag also include:

• the more recent Zcam offerings
• and, more recently, RED

The fact that these cameras are all so radically different, and yet have all been used in feature films for almost the same purpose, shows that the segment isn't well catered for at all.  

In perhaps the only context this would ever happen in, I think the possibilities in the space of tiny cinema-quality cameras are offerings from GoPro, BM, and ARRI.

GoPro recently teased that they'll be making "specialised cameras" - whatever the absolute hell that means.  

ARRI might follow RED and make a tiny camera at the bottom of their range.

BMs smallest current camera is now the P4K, which is, in almost any context, huge, so if they wanted anything smaller than that, then they'd be a good candidate.  Of course, most BM folks like to rig up their cameras to either make them easier and more practical to use, to look "more pro bruh", or both, so how knows - maybe they won't bother with small.

[leslie]

45 minutes ago, kye said:

GoPro recently teased that they'll be making "specialised cameras" - whatever the absolute hell that means.  

 

I think they have to adapt or stagnate. While there will always be a market for action cameras, for gopro to go much further they have to adapt or diversify i reckon.

Maybe they will come out with a  couple of optical lenses that click in 90 degrees  like the lens covers do, that would be interesting.  The nine may be my last gopro my tastes are changing. i have yet to use the gopro under water. So the waterproof camera  thing may not be a big requirement next time i go looking.

 

[IronFilm]

3 hours ago, kye said:

ARRI might follow RED and make a tiny camera at the bottom of their range.

Maaaaaybe once ARRI has released a handful of cameras with their new 4K S35 tech, they might release an extra mini camera with the "old" sensor, like the current Arri Mini but even smaller. 

[kye]

39 minutes ago, leslie said:

I think they have to adapt or stagnate. While there will always be a market for action cameras, for gopro to go much further they have to adapt or diversify i reckon.

Maybe they will come out with a  couple of optical lenses that click in 90 degrees  like the lens covers do, that would be interesting.  The nine may be my last gopro my tastes are changing. i have yet to use the gopro under water. So the waterproof camera  thing may not be a big requirement next time i go looking.

 

I thought they'd stagnated a few models ago when the Karma was recalled.  But their EIS seems to have prolonged their attraction a few models more. 

I'm not really sure where they would go now with the normal Hero line.  "Here's another camera the same size and shape and basic features as the last one.  Please drop another $500.  Thanks...."  Umm, no... 

6 minutes ago, IronFilm said:

Maaaaaybe once ARRI has released a handful of cameras with their new 4K S35 tech, they might release an extra mini camera with the "old" sensor, like the current Arri Mini but even smaller. 

That would be awesome, assuming it was small enough to use in the way we currently use hybrids.  A box with Prores and even an original ALEV sensor would be a spectacular upgrade to basically anything currently available now.

The sensor might be a bit power hungry though..  

[IronFilm]

19 hours ago, kye said:

That would be awesome, assuming it was small enough to use in the way we currently use hybrids.  

Probably not quite that small, perhaps C70/FX6 size we could dream of? Maybe
 

19 hours ago, kye said:

The sensor might be a bit power hungry though..  

Yup, still using V Locks!

[kye]

4 minutes ago, IronFilm said:

Probably not quite that small, perhaps C70/FX6 size we could dream of? Maybe

Yup, still using V Locks!

My impression of the OG Alexa is that the sensor is 10 years old, which will make it likely to be less efficient compared to todays sensor tech (as a decade of tech development has done wonders for things like this, regardless at how good ARRI are at making anything), and the camera also does a ton of processing to the image in-camera.  This is likely to be relatively easy to implement the alrogythms on a newer more powerful and power-efficient chip, but it's still processing that isn't done in other cameras.

If they were going to make a small mountable package with an ALEV sensor in it then it would have to be smaller than the ALEXA Mini, which is larger than the FX6, definitely, but isn't ridiculously larger...

Considering the age of the tech, it might just not be possible to get it small enough, get reasonable battery life, and also keep it cool.

Your comments about ARRI upgrading their S35 line first also makes sense.  Sadly!

[IronFilm]

6 hours ago, kye said:

If they were going to make a small mountable package with an ALEV sensor in it then it would have to be smaller than the ALEXA Mini, which is larger than the FX6, definitely, but isn't ridiculously larger...

 

Fair point, I guess the Mini "feels" bigger to me as I only ever see it rigged up!!

[kye]

6 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Fair point, I guess the Mini "feels" bigger to me as I only ever see it rigged up!!

Indeed!

It's a fair point too, because for our purposes (where we'd use the camera rather than just mounting it and walking away) we need a rig that's usable so it's the rig size that matters rather than the box itself.

For that the Komodo is actually a fascinating form-factor and brilliant in a few ways, mostly because of the built-in screen which can be used with a MF-style viewfinder:

So you just add a couple of batteries, media, a loupe, a lens, ND and then you're off!

The BMMCC obviously didn't have a screen so that made a rig essential and depending on how you rigged it basically tripled the size of it.

[PannySVHS]

So, first little project with my BMMCC occured. I bought it six months ago, so not as long as I thought until filming with it. Image is great just as anyone would agree. Not sure if my RAWLITE filter is doing so great, showing moire parade on fine textile patterns. Moire test was at 50p though. So, not sure if it has a different readout at 50p, skipping resolution.

Playing with Raw is fun and takes some time of course. Menus, oh well, it´s a cinema camera so taking time with things is okay.:) I was going to post some images. But Andrews last blog article gave me chills. @Andrew Reid I would not want my uploads to be at the hands of anyone else but Andrew. I find it sad to read and since there is no comment section for this I find it even more saddening. 😞

You all have a great day!

[kye]

15 hours ago, PannySVHS said:

So, first little project with my BMMCC occured. I bought it six months ago, so not as long as I thought until filming with it. Image is great just as anyone would agree. Not sure if my RAWLITE filter is doing so great, showing moire parade on fine textile patterns. Moire test was at 50p though. So, not sure if it has a different readout at 50p, skipping resolution.

Playing with Raw is fun and takes some time of course. Menus, oh well, it´s a cinema camera so taking time with things is okay.:) I was going to post some images. But Andrews last blog article gave me chills. @Andrew Reid I would not want my uploads to be at the hands of anyone else but Andrew. I find it sad to read and since there is no comment section for this I find it even more saddening. 😞

You all have a great day!

I wouldn't think that the 50p readout would be different to the normal readout - both RAW outputs are at full sensor resolution with no processing, so there's no downsampling or anything going on.

I prefer to shoot in Prores on this as it does a great job of removing moire etc (BM engineers are better than I am!) but it is still prone to it on sharp lenses and fine detail.

I'd suggest that the only reason to change the settings in camera are to change frame-rate, otherwise you can just set it and then simply adjust aperture / focus / ND shot-to-shot, so it's a very straight-forward experience actually.  If you're shooting Prores rather than RAW then in theory you should be adjusting WB too, but if you are shooting outside then there's a good argument to be made for just setting to 5600K and then when things are warmer/cooler in reality then they will show up like that on the files and that's appropriate because that's actually how it was.  If you're using artificial lights then just set for those and forget.

IIRC I read somewhere that the WB latitude on the Prores HQ was as good as it was in the RAW, so that's probably something else that's worth a test to confirm, but certainly my experience changing WB in-post was just lovely and I did some quite strong changes as I was shooting at and around sunset so was dealing with some quite strong WB shifts and it was all very straight-forwards and a pleasant experience.

[webrunner5]

Yeah when you shoot Raw on the early BM cameras it is pretty hard to just screw it up. They are very forgiving and about as easy to shoot as any camera I have ever owned when you get used to them. Amazing cameras for a first try.

[PannySVHS]

The moire was in Prores 50p when testing. The actual filmshoot was in 25p. I used a different lens and focal length, also changed the lighting to put less emphasize.

You can still screw up on BM cameras easily, even in RAW if you shoot under Tungsten light with warm effect gels or under high IR pollution if you don´t use an IR Cut filter.:)

[webrunner5]

The camera already has a IR Cut filter in it. If it is not fogy it is good.

[webrunner5]

The older BM cameras don't have an optical low pass filter in them. So Moire can be a problem no doubt.

[PannySVHS]

The original filter on the original BMPCC and the BMMCC is still letting of IR light  get through the sensor. So I bought mine with the filter from Rawlite, which is Oplf and IR Cut in one. I am not sure though if I didnt get tricked though. Anyway, this camera already gave me a lot of joy and I am looking forward to testing it much more. Heck, you guys remember how much use we gave to our Canon Ti and GH cameras back then. We all were so on fire that filming walls was even fun to us.

I started HD with a Lumix G6 btw. My favorite colour science for grading. If it only had a 100mbit codec. But that is an old lamento I´ve been having. It´s just a very organic image.

[webrunner5]

Trouble is the BMPCC and the BMMCC are not the sharpest output going and when you put a OPLF in them they get even less sharp. I know part of the greatness of the early BM cameras were that they weren't sharp as a knife, filmic looking but I am not a big fan of that mod. But that is a popular mod so maybe I am in the minority. It doesn't ruin the look though.

You are going to like it Marty, they are crazy good and fun to use. Raw is such a pleasure to have as an option. It really raises your skill in a lot of ways. Very rewarding when it comes out right. Something you created not some baked in look. You feel like a creator not an operator.

[PannySVHS]

Yes, that little RAW clip is definately an indication of great enjoyment and motivation to go outside and film. I remember when I started filming with my G6. Every opportunity was so much fun and exitement. GX85 was fun too. But with this camera it feels like in the "old days", exitement and anticipation. And investement. 😉  Need to buy a smaller monitor like the Ikan, which our friend @mercer recommended. The 5inch VA form Blackmagic feels too bulky for cinema verité. For studio or a narrative setup with AC and all that, it is fine of course. For our little shortfilmy I had it connected to a Shogun, because my mini SDI to SDI cable ripped apart. Dunno how that happened.:) Camera was on an improvised mini minijib:) on sticks, which was on pipe tracks. Anyway, a camera which invites to chat and chat about. 🙂

[webrunner5]

I use one of these. Best thing I ever bought for the BMPCC. Not sure but I think they only work with a 1080p output?

Zacuto EVF Flip-Up Electronic View Finder Z-EVF-1F

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144366685371?

[bjohn]

The 3:1 compressed raw is a good compromise between ProRes HQ and uncompressed CDNG raw; you get nearly all the latitude of uncompressed raw without the ginormous file sizes. I've been shooting 3:1 raw on the BMMCC for a few years now and liking it, although Prores HQ is no slouch and can take a lot of grading and adjustment of white balance etc. as kye noted above.

My favourite monitor with this camera is the SmallHD Focus, which is discontinued but presumably very much available on the used market. I also have the Atomos Shinobi, which works but I much prefer SmallHD (better UI, more and better-implemented features). I have the 5" video assist as well but only use it if I need a recorder.

In addition to using it for video, I've been having fun using it for stills: the actual CDNG files are only 2 megapixels in resolution so it's far from ideal, but if I'm shooting portraits I'll bring my BMMCC along and just let it run, going through the footage afterward and stopping on a good frame, grading it in Resolve, grabbing a still, exporting a TIFF, and the upscaling it in any photo processing app like Affinity Photo or ON1. When your camera is capturing 24 or more frames per second, there's a good chance it'll catch the moments you just missed with a stills camera. If you set the shutter angle to 45 degrees you'll get terrible video (herky jerky like the beginning moments of Saving Private Ryan) but better stills since they'll have less motion blur. Unless you want motion blur, which I sometimes do.