Jump to content

Blackmagic Production Camera in 2021


Chrille
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello, 

i am planning to shoot a little action oriented short this summer and i am thinking about doing so with the Blackmagic Production Camera. 

That little brick that offers 4K and a global shutter. It seems to be quite quiet around that camera. So i would love to hear wether anyone still uses it regularly. I believe most of the limitations are based on the limited dynamic range ( which might really be bad in the Hamburg mixture of (a bit of ) sunshine and (lots of) rain in the summer). I am aiming to finalize a 2K master so i do not need crispiest 4K around. 

I am also very interested wether somebody used it on an ronin-sc Gimbal. 

So i would really like to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance! 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
On 1/28/2021 at 11:01 AM, Chrille said:

It seems to be quite quiet around that camera.

Because the camera sucked. 
The BMD Production Camera 4K only exists because BMD was trying to rush out the door a 4K S35 camera, the later 4.6K sensor is vastly superior.

On 1/28/2021 at 11:01 AM, Chrille said:

I believe most of the limitations are based on the limited dynamic range

And poor low light capability. 
And awful ergonomics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andrew reviewed it here. 
https://www.eoshd.com/review/4k-is-here-blackmagic-production-camera-review/

As long as you understand what that you'll be shooting at iso 400 and no higher you'll be good. Keep in mind also that if you push it to iso 800 in post you'll start seeing fix pattern noise. So make sure you are exposing properly. Having some fast glass will help if you are shooting at night, as long as you have light sources. You'll definitely have to light dimly lit scenes. 

The plus side is 12 bit RAW will look and grade quite nice and of course the global shutter. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Super Members

I've seen the Production4K Camera go for as little as £550-650 and there are a couple on eBay uk now at that sort of price.

To be able to get a global shutter camera that can shoot 4K CinemaDNG or ProRes internal straight to cheap high capacity media that has an internal battery and big screen for that sort of money is almost unbelievable, even if it has a limited ISO and the ergonomics of a paving slab.

Its certainly not a run and gun shot grabber but if you can live with its limitations, and even actually embrace the benefits of it requiring a bit more graft, then I think its still relevant and an absolute bargain compared to anything else.

The interesting thing from my own personal point of view about the Production4K Camera is the "very nice" to "meh" ratio in terms of footage I've seen with it is consistently amongst the highest of any camera.

I think that definitely reflects the fact that it doesn't lend itself to being just wafted around and a bit more care has to be taken with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • EOSHD Pro Color 5 for All Sony cameras
    EOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
    EOSHD Dynamic Range Enhancer for H.264/H.265
×
×
  • Create New...