Blackmagic Micro Cinema Super Guide and Why It Still Matters

[Anaconda_]

24 minutes ago, thephoenix said:

personnaly i don't call it ultra compact when you have to add a monitor and accesories to shoot.

Don’t you have to do exactly that with the micro? At least the FP has a screen.

[thephoenix]

1 minute ago, Anaconda_ said:

Don’t you have to do exactly that with the micro? At least the FP has a screen.

sure. but i don't call it ultra compact either

 

[BTM_Pix]

1 hour ago, thephoenix said:

sure. but i don't call it ultra compact either

 

The FP is 112.6mm wide and 69.9mm tall.

Here is my Pocket Cinema Camera for you for some context to those dimensions.

On that basis, I'm going to stick with "ultra compact" as being a fairly reasonable description for a full frame camera  

 

 

[mercer]

4 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

The FP is 112.6mm wide and 69.9mm tall.

Here is my Pocket Cinema Camera for you for some context to those dimensions.

On that basis, I'm going to stick with "ultra compact" as being a fairly reasonable description for a full frame camera  

 

 

The digital calipers for the win. 

Sigma already have some FP accessories listed and the basic grip doesn’t add much horizontal size to the dimensions.

[BTM_Pix]

39 minutes ago, mercer said:

The digital calipers for the win. 

 

I don't spend £7.99 including postage lightly so they need to earn their keep somehow  

[blkmagic4k]

Thanks for the write up! I have been thinking of getting the older Black Magic camera. My only problem is purchasing a used camera and something going wrong it later on but might not be a bad investment.

[tonysss]

Yes ultra compact cinema setting ?

Last work (BMMCC)

 

[crevice]

On 8/28/2019 at 1:02 PM, blkmagic4k said:

Thanks for the write up! I have been thinking of getting the older Black Magic camera. My only problem is purchasing a used camera and something going wrong it later on but might not be a bad investment.

They are very cheap now - so if something does happen, at least it’s not too much money. 

[TheRenaissanceMan]

This wasn't the last BMD camera to use a Fairchild sensor...the 4.6K is made by them too

[BenEricson]

More BMMCC. The skin tone and color rendering is pretty incredible. 

 

 

[shijan]

I was inspired by those Cinama5D P6K tests and take attempt to exam BMMCC in near similar conditions. DNGs processed with workflow described here https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=65149&p=543725#p537852
My background is simple black fabric, so it is darker and so more extreme test than Cinema5D examples, you can compare things by Color Checker patches.

Let's be honest, even P6K can't provide usable underexposed 5 stops. It looks too noisy and became plastic mess if you add SNR. Sort of horisontal FPN lines also became visible in Sony sensors.

So we see here is 5 years old native HD camera with Fairchild Imaging dual gain sensor fights against gigantic 6K/4K modern Sony sensors in downscaled to HD mode.

3 stops under expose is pretty usable with BMMCC as well as P4k/P6K. If only we can fight FPN it could be extended even further...

P.S. I only can imagine what newer Fairchild Imaging dual gain sensor is capable of. Along to 4K it technically waaaay less noisier (Dark Current: 2 e-/sec compare to BMMCC sensor: 25 e-/sec, Ursa 4.6K sensor: 15 e-/sec) (Read Noise 1.0 e- RMS. BMMCC sensor: 1.2 e- RMS, Ursa 4.6K sensor: 1.5 e- RMS)
It is better to see images at full size in new tab:

And same examples, but with noise reduction (applied before expose push) and with fIlm emulation LUT applied:

[shijan]

Here is also BMMCC overexpose test.
Technically digital sensors don't have such a thing as overexposure and there is nothing to test there because sensors itself don't have any highlights rolloff. They capture light in linear gamma and hard clipped in one single point. Next that linear data converted to LOG gamma specially designed for each sensor model. And next Color Science converts Log to normal gamma and shapes final image look. So mostly overexpose look is a part of software, but not a part of a sensor hardware itself
I use different lighting direction in this test to provide extreme bright light, so these images don't exact match to previous tests. As before i use REDLog3G10/REDWideGamutRGB as timeline gamma. Other gammas and other Log to Rec conversion methods may provide different look of highlight rolloff clipping.

And the same with Highlights Recovery turned OFF:

[crevice]

Thanks Shijan. I hope we one day get to see that new 4k Fairchild sensor in a camera. I am sure it will look spectacular. I wish that is what pocket 4k used, instead of a Sony sensor. 

[Martin Kuipers]

@shijan Is it possible and safe enough to use your batterydesign to simultaniasly power the camera and monitor?

[tonysss]

 

 

 

[crevice]

Not mine, but this was 90 percent shot on the original bmpcc with 1 lens

 

 

[mercer]

1 hour ago, crevice said:

Not mine, but this was 90 percent shot on the original bmpcc with 1 lens

 

 

Thanks for posting this. I’ve been following this film for a while and posted the trailer a few months back in another thread. Not only was it shot mostly with one lens, they shot it on ProResLT. The BTS is a great story as well...

For anybody that isn’t following this film, these guys ended up getting a US theatrical and VOD release that opens next week. Here’s the official theatrical trailer...

Their success is a testament to DIY filmmaking that proves talent, imagination, hard work and perseverance can lead to great things.

Being an FCPX user, this film is actually one of the reasons I decided to buy another Micro and give it another try. Of course, I haven’t really used the camera for more than a few minutes. Every time I go out to shoot, I reach for my 5D3, but I hope to get out and give it a thorough test sometime this Fall and hopefully produce something with it this Winter.

Or I may just follow their lead, and continue shooting with my 5D3 and sell the Micro. In the end, the camera is just a minor ingredient.

Either way this is a great story for aspiring filmmakers and I wish these guys the best of luck with their film.

[crevice]

4 hours ago, mercer said:

Thanks for posting this. I’ve been following this film for a while and posted the trailer a few months back in another thread. Not only was it shot mostly with one lens, they shot it on ProResLT. The BTS is a great story as well...

For anybody that isn’t following this film, these guys ended up getting a US theatrical and VOD release that opens next week. Here’s the official theatrical trailer...

Their success is a testament to DIY filmmaking that proves talent, imagination, hard work and perseverance can lead to great things.

Being an FCPX user, this film is actually one of the reasons I decided to buy another Micro and give it another try. Of course, I haven’t really used the camera for more than a few minutes. Every time I go out to shoot, I reach for my 5D3, but I hope to get out and give it a thorough test sometime this Fall and hopefully produce something with it this Winter.

Or I may just follow their lead, and continue shooting with my 5D3 and sell the Micro. In the end, the camera is just a minor ingredient.

Either way this is a great story for aspiring filmmakers and I wish these guys the best of luck with their film.

Hey Mercer - hopefully you can keep it and make something. I have recently come to the conclusion that buying and selling is having a negative impact on my creativity. That may seem obvious, but I am slowly starting to just keep all my cameras and various systems and use them as tools for what they are good at when the time comes. I used to be really paranoid about having more than one camera brand - but now, I don't care - obviously if finances allow. 

[mercer]

11 minutes ago, crevice said:

Hey Mercer - hopefully you can keep it and make something. I have recently come to the conclusion that buying and selling is having a negative impact on my creativity. That may seem obvious, but I am slowly starting to just keep all my cameras and various systems and use them as tools for what they are good at when the time comes. I used to be really paranoid about having more than one camera brand - but now, I don't care - obviously if finances allow. 

I’d like to at least shoot a small short film with it before letting it go, but after shooting FF the last couple of years, the crop factor of the Micro is a little frustrating. But, as I said, I am an FCPX user, so the ProRes aspect of the Micro is a MAJOR bonus for some projects.

In fact, I only use Resolve for basic corrections and transcoding to ProRes4444 with ML Raw, which is great for any CST I wanna do and to get a high quality intermediary codec for FCPX.

However, I agree about owning multiple cameras, if you can afford it and have a use for them. As you said, they’re just tools. But for me, I’d need to get something out of a second camera that my first camera doesn’t give me. With your situation, you’re getting a few features with the S1H (IBIS, 4K/6K codecs, Anamorphic, a Netflix approved A-Cam) that may make it worth it, but with my situation, I’m not too sure if the Micro gives me enough to warrant the second kit.

I was really stoked for the Sigma FP and it seems to have delivered with everything I was concerned about but again... it’s just not enough to warrant a second system right now.

Plus, I think less is more sometimes and forces creativity. I am a lazy shooter to begin with, so lack of features force me to think creatively and to concentrate on craft... lighting, composition and support. I’d rather spend the money on a good slider or some lights than a second camera.

Of course, I’m one of those guys that would rather have 1080p raw on a camera that’s built like a tank than 4K anything. This never ending spec race is getting really ridiculous and only benefits the manufacturers and I think Cosmos is proof that a good 1080p image is more than enough and will be for the foreseeable future.

[BTM_Pix]

55 minutes ago, mercer said:

I’d like to at least shoot a small short film with it before letting it go, but after shooting FF the last couple of years, the crop factor of the Micro is a little frustrating. But, as I said, I am an FCPX user, so the ProRes aspect of the Micro is a MAJOR bonus for some projects.

In fact, I only use Resolve for basic corrections and transcoding to ProRes4444 with ML Raw, which is great for any CST I wanna do and to get a high quality intermediary codec for FCPX.

However, I agree about owning multiple cameras, if you can afford it and have a use for them. As you said, they’re just tools. But for me, I’d need to get something out of a second camera that my first camera doesn’t give me. With your situation, you’re getting a few features with the S1H (IBIS, 4K/6K codecs, Anamorphic, a Netflix approved A-Cam) that may make it worth it, but with my situation, I’m not too sure if the Micro gives me enough to warrant the second kit.

I was really stoked for the Sigma FP and it seems to have delivered with everything I was concerned about but again... it’s just not enough to warrant a second system right now.

Plus, I think less is more sometimes and forces creativity. I am a lazy shooter to begin with, so lack of features force me to think creatively and to concentrate on craft... lighting, composition and support. I’d rather spend the money on a good slider or some lights than a second camera.

Of course, I’m one of those guys that would rather have 1080p raw on a camera that’s built like a tank than 4K anything. This never ending spec race is getting really ridiculous and only benefits the manufacturers and I think Cosmos is proof that a good 1080p image is more than enough and will be for the foreseeable future.

Does the Production 4K not potentially represent a sweet spot for what you're after?

EF, Super35, ProRes, Global Shutter, cheap media and the majority of the stuff I've seen shot with it properly looks pretty compelling.

Odd but not insurmountable ergonomics.

The price the two systems change hands for used now means you might even make a small profit swapping out the Micro for one or at least break even.