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John Brawley
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Posts posted by John Brawley
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I don’t actually work for Blackmagic. It’s not my job to make you happy or smooth anything over when you have an issue with them not inviting you to an event.
It’s not my job to pander to anyone.
I don’t answer to BMD.
Just like you I’m an independent opinion and my opinion doesn’t reflect Blackmagic’s views.
I think you’re misunderstand why I’m here.
Nice job on the personal attack Andrew.
JB
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8 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:
I can't help but feel a bit of a chill in the air.
These are your customers you're talking to John and fellow filmmakers. ...
You should just be honest. You are here to sell a Pocket 4K camera. You don't give a shit about what I shoot, or what I write. I am just a guy hosting your posts.
Nope. You all aren't my customers. I don't sell anything.
I thought you were professional colleagues.
I'm not here to sell cameras.
I'm a working cinematographer. I used to enjoy sharing what I knew.
I do unpaid consulting work with many manufacturers, including BMD.
Feel free to delete every single one of my posts. You don't have to host them.
JB
- iamoui and William Husker
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What a shame.
Who are these "deep state" BMD insiders that are here pushing an agenda ? Myself and Hook. Who else ? What do you guys think, there's a plot and conspiracy ? You guys don't wat these contributions I guess ?
I'm here because I've been a member here for years and I'm on many camera forums and this is just another one I like to read and contribute to where I can.
I want to know where all the clowns that were saying on this thread that the world was going to end because BMD didn't have any footage out yet and that definitely meant something was very wrong and the shipping date would be missed.
All I've seen so far is that a planned marketing campaign by BMD that has gone off the way they intended.
They commissioned some actual filmmakers (not bloggers or camera reviewers) that make certain types of film (natural history, action sports, nature) to make some films and then they released them and the camera originals.
Then they gave some cameras, complete with some boxes as if they were new to some secondary users, and whilst having them also under NDA, got them to shoot some test footage and allowed some of them to release that footage. Again. Not reviewers. Not bloggers.
About a thousand reviewers and camera jockeys have done a bunch of made up comparisons and VLOGS based on existing footage. (hey I love seeing my footage being butchered by grading nerds)
Think about it.
No blogger or reviewer ANYWHERE has gotten a functioning camera to shoot with as far as I can tell. Because that's not what BMD want to do with their marketing of this camera. This isjust marketing 101.
They need people using the cameras in the many difference specific sectors of the market will use the camera. Camera reviews aren't part of that plan. (though it hasn't stopped people doing it based on existing footage)
Until it's shipping, it's their choice to give it to whomever they want.
I'm tired of this entitled bullshit.
I recently left a few facebook groups I was on for this camera, and I'm doing the same here. Frankly it's juvenile and I don't need the agro I sure hate explaining what should be obvious.
There's no slight.
BMD have a marketing department and they have a plan and it doesn't involve forums, bloggers or camera reviewers. That's not a snub, that's just them marketing the product in the way that they see fit.
JB
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6 hours ago, andrgl said:
See this is why I'd like to have @Brian Caldwell reply. I was forced to study optics for a semester specifically for microscopy.
Brian could maybe tell us what specifically changes quantitatively. Instead of just "performance".
Can't really fathom what else would change besides the angle of refraction.
He’s posted a few times on the BMD forum about this issue. Some others have tested his assertions as well.
My takeaway is that the edges are “softer” and have more aberrations with fast primes because the design isn’t optimised for the different thickness in cover glass (not made by Sony)
https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=71899
and
https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=26122
JB
EDIT and actually this post and the video below it demonstrates the differences visually. https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=26122#p162887
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54 minutes ago, majoraxis said:
@John Brawley - Really interesting discussion! If you use a faster lens wide open without a speed booster will the performance change based on sensor stack thickness? Does a manufacturer like Sony stay will the same sensor stack thinness year over year? or if Sony makes it thinner generation to generation, does performance increases generation to generation with the same native lenses?
Thanks!
The sensor maker doesn’t necessarily make the sensor stack. The very fact that the sensor stack thickness is consistent with BMD cameras should tell you this.
Wide open lenses with shorter cover glass isn’t the issue. It’s because we’re adding another optical formula in between the rear of the lens and the sensor.
The thickness isn’t important to performance either. Obviously or we’d have noticed major problems by now !
It changes the optics performance of what a speed booster is doing though. And THATS the issue.
It’s not worse. Or better. It’s just different to other MFT cameras and that means to fully optimise the optics design of the SB you have to change the formula and that makes it less optimal for other MFT cameras.
This is about making a correction to get the most from a lens.
Many cine lenses that have rear filters for example always have to have a clear filter in because the optical formula is calculated with that exact thickness of refractive index always being there, no matter if it’s clear or ND.
This is my “lay” understanding. It gets reported as “non standard” MFT cover glass, but there isn’t an actual standard !
Olympus and Panasonic both use a different thickness, it’s just that they’re close enough together that the same speed booster works fine for both of them. (One is 2.3mm I think and one is 2.5mm)
They are also using OLPFs as well as being IR. BMD only have the IR filter, no OLPF.
This is about economics. They don’t want to have to make a BMD specific speedbooster, they want the same MFT speedbooster to work on all MFT cameras.
JB
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1 hour ago, andrgl said:
Can we get you to weigh in on this?
As far as I understand, filter stack thickness varies between m43 cameras, yet no m43 camera has problems focusing native lenses to infinity.
Which leads me to believe the camera manufacturer offset the distance of the mount to account for their filter stack to prevent this issue from ever occuring.
It’s not to do with getting focus at infinity at all.
its about optimising performance with very fast lenses when shooting wide open.
Previously it meant making a specifically optimised BMD SB variant to account for the different IR cover glass thickness.
You can still use a regular SB and it will still hit infinity. It’s just less optimised to work with faster than F2 lenses.
JB
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2 hours ago, Snuff said:
The author of this video "Bubble Gum" answered that he didn't use any IR CUT filters. Does it mean that there is not IR pollution in the BMP4K and we don't need IR CUT filters anymore?
The Hoya PRO filters are in effect IR cut filters. I’m the same way that Firecrest, Nisi and Lee ND filters aren’t designated IR cut filters but work that way.
The sensor is covered by the same low IR cut glass as every other BMD camera is.
A regular ND filter will show IR pollution in the right circumstances.
JB
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5 minutes ago, Anaconda_ said:
Actually, he didn't. According to the files that we can now download, 'Close Up Night' was 192 deg and 'Walking Day' was 215 deg.
@John Brawley do you know / remember if that's correct?
Also, that's what I thought about the audio.
I think maybe 192 is right because we had some flicker from practicals but I don't think 215 sounds right for day.
JB
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8 minutes ago, Anaconda_ said:
If these are camera files, why is the 'Nature' footage, which was supposedly shot in RAW actually a ProRes file?
I also notice there's no audio on the clips. Were the mics turned off or have these files been adjusted for the downloads?
Grant made so many comments about the built in audio, but has given little info away on it.
It doesn't really matter, but I'm just curious ?
I had the audio in camera turned off in mine. You don't want to listen to me directing the cast and "handling" the camera.
JB
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49 minutes ago, Jonesy Jones said:
Don't know if everyone has seen this, but BM is allowing us to download the files for ALL of the sample videos posted. Before I found this I had only seen the download feature enabled for one of John's videos. But they can all be downloaded here. - https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicpocketcinemacamera/gallery
Let's see what you colourists are made of.
JB
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Leslie.
You've admitted you've not watched any footage and have no production experience. You're speaking to an audience here in this thread that has a either a great deal of experience, or lot more experience than you yourself and who have actually bothered to read a little more before posting to an audience of like minded individuals.
Consider researching a little more thoroughly at least before throwing some handgrenades of questions like the ones you dropped in your previous post.
I don't even know where to begin if I have to explain why it can take much longer to grade a shot than to shoot it.
Learning is great, and knowledge can be had here. This is a very helpful community but you have to put in a little effort rather than it being spoon fed to you.
JB
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2 hours ago, Myownfriend said:
This is actually surprising to hear. From what I can tell, the Pocket 4K is a little larger than two Micro's side by side, but I guess after rigging up the Micro it very quickly loses it's size advantage.
Actually this reminds me, there's a guy who's a BMD evangelist whose name escapes me at the moment but he's an older gentleman, who was interviewed about the Pocket 4K and said that the final version will be a little lighter (which we knew was the case with the whole carbon fiber thing) but also slightly smaller. Do you know if there's any truth to the final version being slightly smaller or did he misspeak?It's the same size.
Here's some examples of scenarios for me where using a micro that will be replaced by a p4K once I can get one.
JB
2 hours ago, Jim Giberti said:Really great to read all of this John.
And I'm really glad you feel the way you do about Gen 4 and specifically extended video mode.
Really looking forward to producing with both.
Did you use the new Gen 4 LUT for viewing? And if so, how accurate was it?
Tanx
Yes I've been on GEN 4 for a while with the Ursa's and of course the P4K and use them for monitoring. It's VERY hard to go back to using VIDEO.
JB
- jpfilmz, Erthal and Trek of Joy
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9 hours ago, Anaconda_ said:@John Brawley Perhaps you've already answered, but having used the camera and seen the footage first hand, what's your opinion on the lack of mojo comments? How do the files look and feel OOC?
I like the pictures. A lot.
This camera will probably replace the micro cinema camera for me as it’s not much bigger and is much easier to work with.
I didn’t feel as strongly about the 4K production camera / Ursa because they were limited, principally by dynamic range.
I have a deep affection for the 4.6K sensor and have shot nearly daily withnit since before it was launched. I know it very well.
This pocket camera will integrate and sit very nicely alongside the 4.6K. It’s already a closer match than the micro for me without having really tested it in an A/B scenario.
I was a little worried about it having less DR Than the 4.6K but I think the other clips show some great examples of what this sensor can do. “Nature” was incredibly tricky material to shoot as anyone who’s been in that situation before would know and it was unfair to see it being derided.
Those that did so only reveal their own inadequate understanding of what those shots reveal.
I can think of a million other scenarios I would have rather done but these sequences were specifically produced to illuminate what the camera can do in specific situations.
What im almost more excited about is the unification that Gen 4 brings. As I mentioned earlier, it’s pretty much the same people at BMD that brought you the first camera working on this camera.
They’ve learned a lot (and so have I) and I think Gen 4 is really strong. I wish this and extended video would get rolled out wide already as I think half the issue I see with users of BMD products is a lack of knowledge in grading.
Now BMD do have perhaps the greatest colour correction tool on the market BUT they don’t make it easy to get to a great result without a little arcane knowledge.
Even I often run into issues when working by myself and I see extended video being a great step in addressing that shortcoming. There’s no point in talking about how great you can make images shot RAW if you don’t know how to do it and can’t easily or intuitively find a way to do so.
With regards to the 4k Pocket.
Its a genuine low light contender. I was really impressed at what a useable picture it produces with little lighting.
I’m laughing at those that said it’s overlit. I mean a 500w chimera dimmed to almost nothing so the background lighting would still show though the tinted hotel windows is very very low light, much lower levels than the idiots demanding I walk out on the street and light by sodium were demanding.
Again, I laugh when I see comments about how noisy ISO3200 is but I’m guessing those users aren’t aware how much image processing their cameras are doing at high ISOs. BMD allow you as the user to choose your poison. A very very underrated feature. And like colour correction it’s almost too powerful because users haven’t been instructed to change their expectations, nor how to add noise reduction or sharpening so they can season to taste.
The best testbfootage will be friends users so the sooner they ship the cameras the better. Hopefully Gen 4 means there will be less hysteria about its performance and a few will realise there’s no point comparing it to a GHx or a Sony and learn to get the most from what it is good at.
JB
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2 hours ago, Ki Rin said:
Not really sure why I'm getting downvoted for this.. .I understand that for some people its an unimportant feature in a camera like this.
I'm just saying for me personally, its the only thing stopping it being a pretty perfect camera for me. Still not a deal breaker by any means, but it would be great to have it, in my opinion.
What's wrong with that?Because you said “if only”
IBIS makes it very hard to cool the sensor and it’s much harder to clock out the sensor at faster rates if it’s not cooled.
JB
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18 minutes ago, BenEricson said:
Anyone know what's up with the texture on the bokeh? Is that the window? Looks like a texture that moves independently behind the model.
Dirt on the dirty hotel window most likely.
JB
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I think we're just nostalgic.
When the Ursa Mini 4.6K first started shipping there were many many threads that were EXACTLY the same as some of the complaints on here.... Users complaining that the UM4.6K didn't have the same mojo / look / feel as the 4K sensor which at that point was in the Production camera, the Ursa and the Ursa mini 4K.
This is a new sensor.
It has the same chef's in the kitchen, working with new ingredients.
Spend some time with the images, look at the RAWS when they're available and learn to get the most from it. THEN come back and post about what you like or don't like. But grading from a downloaded 264 and then writing it off as being inferior is a bit premature and simplistic.
JB
- SR, mechanicalEYE, graphicnatured and 7 others
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Speaking as someone who’s a long time user of the Olympus 4/3 (anyone remember that format??) and then micro 4/3 format.
I own many 4/3 and m4/3 lenses from Olympus, Panasonic and others (Veydra, SLR Magic, Voigtlander)
Generally speaking Olympus m4/3 lenses are better corrected optically. Panny tend to rely more heavily on in-camera / post correction.
Olympus also OEM many lenses for others. You’d be surprised what major brands have lenses that are made by Olympus. Optics have always been their primary strength. (They are absolute leaders in other fields like medical where they have near monolopoly market share of endoscopes etc).
Olympus are a really interesting company, very innovative. They were the first to do live view in a stills camera. First to have an ultrasonic cleaning of the sensor. And of course their IBIS has always been the best along with weatherproofing.
In the past few years I have been consulting with Olympus on improving their product and features to appeal to more cinematographers. These things typically take time to filter though their product development cycle.
The Pro primes are actually beautiful lenses. And they’re great for cinematography. Hard stops on focus for example. BMD asked me to shoot with the Olympus primes to show what could be done with inexpensive native 4/3 lenses and they do not disappoint.
JB
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9 minutes ago, noplz said:
Is it weird that I'm seriously considering trading my NX1 for one of these? Having played with one in the store the ergonomics are somewhat similar. Of course the advanced photo features I will probably never ever use but the combo of good Olympus color SOOC, amazing stabilization, over sampled 4k with a decent codec, and a non-dead lens system is really tempting. The only thing giving me pause is that the EM-5 III will likely have all of that as well in a smaller, cheaper package. And since I already traded my NX500 for a GX85 it seems like the logical next step.
P.S. If anybody has pull with Olympus please ask them to axe the 29 minute video recording limit for non-EU markets. Many people don't care but for those of us that film long static events (e.g. lectures) it is a major annoyance.
It’s not an Olympus rule. It’s an EU regulation to do with import duties.
JB
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On 8/23/2018 at 8:27 PM, BenEricson said:
Looks great. It's kinda crazy that BM didn't put a IR cut filter in the original pocket. The camera is not very usable without, but amazing with.
There is an IR cut filter in the sensor cover glass.
Its about how aggressive or mild you want it to be.
JB
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5 hours ago, webrunner5 said:
From Arri website.
"The Dual Gain Architecture simultaneously provides two separate read-out paths from each pixel with different amplification. The first path contains the regular, highly amplified signal. The second path contains a signal with lower amplification, to capture the information that is clipped in the first path. Both paths feed into the camera's A/D converters, delivering a 14 bit image for each path. These images are then combined into a single 16 bit high dynamic range image".
My mistake.
Two 14 bit image streams, not 12 bit with regard to Arri.
BMD are the same with dual gain sensors, there are two 11 bit streams that are processed and merged into a single 16 bit lin image.
JB
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7 hours ago, Myownfriend said:
Sure it's raw. If my understanding of the Ursa Mini Pro's sensor is up to snuff, it's taking two 11-bit values from two different gain circuits or something then averages them into a 14 bit values. Those values are then logarithmically stored as 12-bit values and THAT becomes the output DNG. Pixel binning would be a form of averaging as well so if the former is acceptable RAW then so is the latter.
Actually two 11 bit values turns into a 22 bit value, which is then processed as 16bit lin internally, not 14bit. It’s then log encoded as a 12bit once it’s encoded into a DNG or ProRes.
Alexa is the same, but two 12bit values turned into a 24bit value then down to 16bit.
I’ve long felt bit depth is the most important part of the digital imaging chain, not resolution.
JB
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Edge sharpness.
First we should look at the imaging chain. Is there an OLPF ? The absence of one will mean a sharper edge but the increased chance of false colour moire.
Sharpness settings in camera menus aren’t compare-able I would have thought camera to camera.
Seems like if edge sharpness is what’s being examined then you’re really talking about “detail” and “coring”.
These are both setting that are in video encoded products but are not in BMDs camera video processing (except for the broadcast cameras)
These are post applied video processing of signals that tries to improve edge sharpness. Some cameras allow the user to adjust these settings. Some bake them in without any user adjustment.
JB
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
In: Cameras
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Andrew, the comments about grading weren’t intended for you specifically. Read the post. I was talking in generalities about recent facebook groups I’d left and a similar entitled tone here. It was not a personal attack but you chose to take it that way.
Cmon, I shoot these shots for BMD for exactly this purpose. To be downloaded and graded. If I was truly precious about it I wouldn’t do it again and again would I ?
You’re throwing a tantrum, publicly, because you dind’t get an invite to a BMD event that is seems like few even knew about.
Somehow you think that’s got something to do with me so you went and wrote a post about me. A really lovely piece too.
I’ve said it already a thousand times.
I don’t work for them.
I don’t have that much to do with them day to day. Last contact I had with anyone at BMD was weeks ago.
It’s not my job to make sure YOU get some attention from them. That’s on you to make that case.
And by the way, this kind of childish unprofessional behaviour is exactly the kind of reason any company would think twice about working with you.
Instead, you launch a highly personal assasination blog post as well as numerous personal attacks because I dared to try and explain that to you in a way that you thought wasn’t deferential enough ?
You don’t do this for free. You sell something. I don’t but you actually do.
Having traffic come to this site means you have a greater chance of selling something.
You sell LUT’s and you sell guides and you use the traffic here to do so. So don’t pretend all this free traffic is somehow a favour to BMD and free publicity.
I didn’t even see the post you made about the BMD footage till your personal attack on me, but I noticed when I read your BMD post you’re mixing in a bunch of references to LUT’s you’re trying to flog.
How about this...
Delete every single post of mine. All the IP that I’ve posted and shared on this forum? All those posts where I’ve shared my knowledge and experience.
Go ahead and put your money where your mouth is.
JB