Andrew Reid

You're probably right about the subcontracted Asian manufacturing Rich, but the deposits stay at the dealers and don't go to Blackmagic.

Close to 15 stops DR in AVCHD comes from a good source, Adam Whit at ProVideoCoalition. http://www.eoshd.com/content/8332/sony-fs700-the-image-quality-verdict-incredible-14-stops-of-dynamic-range-in-avchd Even if 14 stops is optimistic by Adam, it isn't hard to put two and two together and imagine raw will give you at least an extra stop of clean detail in the highlights or shadows, maybe both. DPX is simply a container for raw Kahl.

Key specs - 1-60fps 4K raw to DPX format 120fps 4K raw burst mode 240fps 2K raw continuous to Cinema DNG (would love to see the file sizes on that!!) Single 3G HD-SDI link You won't need Sony's own expensive raw recorder for the F5 to get 4K raw on the FS700. The camera firmware will step it up to being able to deliver 4k over a single 3G HD-SDI connection to the affordable Odyssey7Q monitor / recorder. [url=http://www.eoshd.com/content/10110/odyssey7q-turns-wimpy-sony-fs700-into-monstrous-4k-raw-crunching-beast-with-15-stops-dr]Read the full article here[/url]

Danish, the two situations cannot be compared.   One one hand you have a camera beset by sensor issues, on the other hand you have a new camera which uses a completely different sensor.   The BMCC delays were nothing to do with Blackmagic. They were 100% due to the sensor supplier.

Don't think that is what Tim is referring to Caleb.   The spec flange for EF is 44mm and this is what Blackmagic went with.   The actual flange on EOS DSLRs is more like 43.5mm to allow for some tolerance for infinity and AF micro adjustments. This wasn't factored into the Blackmagic Cinema Camera as it would have knocked cinema glass off their marks.   Still think they should dump EF and go for E-mount.   I bet you anything there will be an E-mount version of the 4K camera come the end of the year.

The Blackmagic reps are saying it is a new sensor and not the same one as in the BMCC. That sensor was rumoured to be supplied by BAE / Fairchild Imaging. It was an sCMOS - http://www.eoshd.com/content/7969/blackmagic-cinema-cameras-sensor-has-global-shutter-made-by-bae-systems

Stumbled along this whilst researching the possible Blackmagic Production Camera 4K CMOS sensor from CMOSIS.   They really do have something pretty special here... And maybe a sign of things to come in DSLRs. Nearly double the pixel count of the Nikon D800.   It is 35mm full frame.   ---     The CHR70M is a high resolution CMOS image sensor with 10000 by 7096 pixels. The image array consists of 3.1μm x 3.1μm pinned diode pixels which share a number of transistors (2 pixels sharing). The image sensor has 8 analog outputs, each running at 30MHz. This results in a frame rate of 3fps at full resolution. Higher frame rates can be achieved in windowing mode or subsampling mode. The image sensor also integrates a programmable gain amplifier and offset regulation. These and other settings are all programmable using the SPI interface. All internal exposure and read out timings are generated by a programmable on-board sequencer. External triggering and exposure programming is also possible. The CHR70M is derived from a custom CMOS image sensor  

Though it cannot be 100% confirmed I am pretty sure the Blackmagic Production Camera uses a sensor supplied by CMOSIS, which if true would be very good news as it is the latest technology and already in mass production. Here are your sensor questions answered... [url=http://www.eoshd.com/content/10091/more-details-on-global-shutter-and-possible-blackmagic-sensor-supplier-cmosis]Read the full article here[/url]

  I don't think that's right at all. It comes with a full version of Resolve 10.

There's a big difference between a photographic sensor and video sensor. You can just about hack video off the former, whilst the latter is designed for the purpose and usually has a lower native resolution to suit 2K or 4K video.   When you have a 18 or 24MP chip you have to downsample to 1080p on a DSLR and that along with heavy compression creates less resolution (naturally), less dynamic range and other artefacts like banding and moire.

Last year I found a sensor which seemed a perfect match for future 4K Blackmagic Cinema Cameras. I contacted the supplier CMOSIS who quoted me a rough price point which made 4K for $4K within reach. CMOSIS are a European company who are mass producing the full frame CMOS sensor in the new Leica M so they are an extremely reliable and high regarded supplier with experience of mass production for the photographic market. Read the full article here

Let's go misty eyed for a second and imagine you're shooting a Terrence Malick inspired scene at magic hour this Summer, a warm breeze drifting through the air. The sun glints through the trees and the scene begins "action" - with 4K with a global shutter for $4000. Is this really going to happen? [url=http://www.eoshd.com/content/10079/why-blackmagic-will-ship-in-july]Read the full article here[/url]

  I think the DNG spec you're reading is for stills not motion. Cinema DNG is different.   Also there's such a thing as Lossless compression http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lossless_data_compression   Lossless is not the same as uncompressed, and Lossy is not the same as Lossless!   There's no need for Blackmagic to describe it as 'visually lossless'. The proper term is "Lossless Compression".

  I think Lossy DNG and Lossless DNG are too different things.   John Brawley and the official Blackmagic website say 12bit lossless DNG. It is still compressed but it is lossless like raw not lossy like JPEG.   Here's John's tweet just now - https://twitter.com/brawlster/status/321411372296577026

Most people didn't pay upfront for their pre-orders so no money changed hands. In some cases a dealer took some pre-order deposit money, like 10% or something. That is refundable any time and stays with the dealer, Blackmagic don't see a penny of it.   Pretty much everyone that ordered a year ago are yet to get their cameras. If that happens with the new ones I'll be very upset. We need this to work out.

  Congratulations sir :)   I have also pre-ordered the Pocket Camera as well as the 4K beast.   Now the dilemma is what to do with my existing M43 BMCC preorder, on which I have a £500 deposit down. I honestly don't need the camera and can't see a shipping date any time soon. Likely it will arrive close to July, by which time the other cameras will make it obsolete. But THEN there is the risk that the new cameras will suffer delays too. As for my existing EF mount BMCC, I need to make a decision whether or not to let that go or to keep hold, because it is now essentially made redundant by all 3!

  I think you have to phone or email them for the info

They are world cameras yes.

I'm fine with the form factor on sticks, it is more the handheld shoots where I have an issue with it. It is quite a heavy camera especially with the bits you need attached to it, but the weight all seems to be on one narrow plane rather than distributed evenly across a box from front to back. The screen is useless when it is shoulder mounted. They should have changed the form factor.   You can maintain a good tripod form factor, that's easy. Handheld is there they need to focus their efforts.

  Production Camera raw is 12bit as far as I know and the 4K ProRes is 10bit. I highly doubt the raw will be 8bit whilst 4K ProRes will be 10bit!!

I've had mixed success with c-mount on the GH2 in 16mm crop mode.   Be aware that a lot of 16mm c-mount lenses won't cover Super 16mm especially the zooms, and that a lot of c-mount lenses are designed for digital 2/3" or smaller CCD sensors especially the newer CCTV stuff.   You should look to high quality vintage Super 16mm glass from the 60's and 70's but the prices are already quite inflated.   Switar 26mm F1.1 is very nice. Some of the Computar TV lenses from the 80's and 90's are very sharp.

  It isn't a CCD sensor, Bloom made an error.   CMOS sensor with global shutter capability. John Brawley has confirmed this to me on Twitter just now.

  John Brawley hinted at this in his blog but the Blackmagic rep in Dan Chung's video counters that and says it is a brand new sensor.

For the second NAB in succession Blackmagic are bulldozing down the image quality / price barrier for film production. 4K compressed raw, global shutter and Super 35mm was the unique preserve of Sony with the F55 until today, and that was a $36,000 camera. This is a $4000 one. Gone is that extra margin - unsettling stuff for the big guys. Here's my own personal look at the cameras and the consequences. [url=http://www.eoshd.com/content/10063/making-sense-of-the-new-blackmagic-production-camera-and-pocket-cinema-camera]Read the full article here[/url]

My Fuji X Pro 1 kit is for sale... Grab it now as auction is ending!!   http://www.ebay.de/itm/Fuji-X-Pro-1-35mm-F1-4-/121090936559   Shipping is within Europe.   Cheers - Andrew