noa

I'd get the 5dIII, like you said the most logical step, since you are used to the formfactor you'd have no issue in switching, You also could get a second 6d if you can live with the moire and aliasing it can display in some occasions, a blackmagic camera is not something you would buy to cover weddings as a solo shooter. The c100 is great ofcourse, has it all but comes at a price.

Beautifull, weird so few react here but I guess they are too busy counting pixels. :)

Read somewhere that the purple dot which's supposed to be our sun is a bug, they're working on it.

 

That "dot" in the sun is a problem BM is too familiar with yet they manage to send out a new production ready camera again with the same problem?

So "Jhines" initial impression was right all along, the footage was soft for a reason.

 

The footage is all hand-held and a Nikon 18-200DX f3.5-5.6 VR lens was used for most of it.

 

To me that looked great, considering you did all that handheld and used a slower zoomlens. I particularly liked the colors.  

 

I think there is no need in continue to prove that this is a capable camera and I also don't see the need to continue whining about functionality of these camera's, there doesn't exist any camera in the lower 1000 dollar range that is perfect. they all are crippled in one or another way, some maybe intentional and others due to technical restrictions and some due to the stupidity of technical engineers, marketing people or whoever has their say in what a camera will be like. Probably these sub 1000 dollar camera's are just a very very small part of their total sales so why would they bother.

 

Nikon doesn't make these camera's for aspiring filmmakers, they, like any other major camera manufacturer make cameras with functionality that will guarantee the most sales, in the sub 1000 dollar category you can be sure that these are soccermams, so if they can sell a lot more by adding that babymode button, they will.

 

I also shoot danceperformances with small sony cx7xx series, as much as they are really considered to be in a handbag during a holiday to be taken out when the kids jump in the pool, I am making decent money from them shooting these plays and they perform wonderful, they give me a smooth zoom, low noise, good low light performance, sharp and colorful footage, 50p and even for such a tiny camera a decent dynamic range. They allow me to buy a Nikon d5300 with lens with every play I shoot if I wish. They are not my only camera's in my gearbag but used specifically for these type of events. So I could go on and whine about it not having xlr, nd filter, "only" 1080p, a crappy avchd codec and only one manual function at a time to be controlled etc yet I am maximizing it's strengths and I use workarounds for what the camera cannot handle, the fact that I got them real cheap and seeing how they perform for that one task I choose them for has made this my best investment ever.

 

This is how you should look at a Nikon d5300 as well and start maximizing it's strength instead of whining what it cannot do. There are enough examples here what capable hands can achieve, even at a holiday with a lens that is not f0.95 :)

@Wild Ranger, what is that shit video you showed to us, it is not 4k, it does not have 13 stop of dynamic range, it does not have super auto focus, it does not have focus peaking, it does not have IBIs............. oh I forgot it does not have RAW.

You forgot the "Baby Photo Mode", I don't understand how he managed to work around that glaring flaw. Maybe if more people started posting movies like that and start to discuss what you actually CAN do with these kind of "dead" camera's that would certainly be better then staring at pixels and citing numbers.

You have people that talk and people that do, you belong to the last category, that looked very good, especially since it's shot on a photocamera with videofunctions. I don't understand why one would expect this (very cheap) camera to have all the functionality a real videocamera should have, it still looks like a photocamera to me, the filmmaker community should be grateful to have that kind of cheap tools that are capable of these kind of results, even with it's shortcomings. Not so many years ago this would have been impossible at this price, guess we all have been spoiled. 

 

Dslr video is not dead, for those who know how to use it it's very much alive.

shoot ProRes and you don't need to upgrade your editing rig.

That's like shooting 720p on a dslr, the bmc is only made for one reason; to shoot raw. Why go for less if you can have it all? If you do that it's a different story. 

You could say the same regarding C100's 6.5k, that's all I'm saying.

Now you are comparing apples and oranges. :)

Sorry, it really looked like you were making a comparison. :)

 

The comparing part started right after my first comment and I reacted to that but at first I was not comparing at all, just saying that most stare at the 3K price tag but there is much more to it to have it up to standards. 3K is just for the bare essentials.

In the end it's about using the right tool for the right job, but Canon's C series needs to see some serious price drops pretty soon.

They might drop the prize on their overprized c300/500 somewhat but I"m pretty sure not on their c100, why would they, it's not a camera that is competing with the bmc, it has a much different and easier workflow and is more directed to eng type of work. 

I"m not comparing anything, I"m just trying to say the BMC will cost you a lot more then 3K if you want to have it production ready and I mean for serious production, not for taking it on a field trip to shoot until your internal battery dies or untill your one ssd you have bought for it is full. 

Agreed, and it's not like the C100 comes with CF cards or extra batteries.

Sure but you need to take into account that on a bmc it is much more expensive per hour to shoot then on a c100 if you shoot raw with it, a lot depends on your type of work you plan to do with the BMC, you can start at a real low prize, with just the basics, that's true and I think for a filmmaker on a budget that's terrific, but in most other cases costs will add quickly. I"m not saying that's a bad thing, even if you accessorize it up to the prize of the c100 it still will be a great prize for what you get in return. But I think a 5 or 6k prize tag for a production ready BMC included adapted workstation is more realistic.

Somehow I don't feel compelled to spend double the price on a C100 for a worse image. No idea why!?? :)

 

No doubt the BMC can resolve much better looking images but before the BMC is production ready it will cost you much more then 3000, people tend to forget that and only stare at the start prize. At 3000 the BMC is basically a shoebox with a screen, but the concept is quite good actually as you can build on top of the camera so it fit's your needs. But like I said, it will cost you and before you know it your at the c100 prize. So, it's not really half the prize.

[quote name='EOSHD' timestamp='1353095592' post='21791']
Let's test this intuitive Windows 7 claim :)

[/quote]

I will try :)

Task 1. I need to backup the entire system. I click Time Machine, it is done. You click....

-- Acronis true image does non stop back ups, no clicks required...

Task 2. I need to have live mail, iMessage and twitter updates top right of my screen. I click Notifications in the control panel and tick a box. You click...

-- ok, not win 7 but If you have windows 8 on a desktop (which is very stable btw as i"m testing it now) that is a matter of pressing one button on my keyboard to switch to metro to see live twitter updates or facebook or messenger and pressing 2 buttons on the keyboard to go back to whatever I was doing.

Task 3. There's a problem with your hardware configuration. Through research on Google you realise the BIOS has a wrong setting in it. Oh this never happens on a Mac, next...

-- Like I said before, usually happens to people that build their own pc and don't know what they are doing.

Task 4. Your operating system is in German. I click Language & Text. You click... And tell me how many steps this takes in Windows 7 Home Premium.

-- Don't know why you would change the language but if needed In Windows 8 it's the same, go to language settings and select the language you want.

Task 5 and final task for we want to go back out and shoot. DaVinci Resolve is crashing due to QTDecoder issue, you also have green speckles over video playback in ALL APPS... You fix it for me, whilst I play with my Mac :)

-- This can mean you either build your own pc but don't know how to do that right or bought one that has not the right specifications for running Resolve.

Many people are trashing windows 8 because it has this confusing classic desktop with metro layered on top, but the longer I use it the better I start to like it, confusing? Yes, when you first switch from Windows 7 but if you take the time to get to know it it's a quit powerfull system that has not caused me any issues so far installing and running my editing software. I see it as an improved windows 7 but with a touch screen interface on top of it. I only wished they would bring back the "start" button in the classic desktop.

[quote name='galenb' timestamp='1353114112' post='21823']
Do these programs actually do incremental backup on the hour?
[/quote]

True image does non stop back ups, so you don't even have to click...
[quote name='galenb' timestamp='1353114112' post='21823']
I know it's fun to sling mud at each other but this is really getting boring.
[/quote]
You are absolutely right, but it's the admin that's keeping this mudslinging contest alive.

[quote name='haarec' timestamp='1353106997' post='21815']
...Norton Ghost.
[/quote]

... Acronis true image

[quote name='Stunko' timestamp='1353095803' post='21792']
Regarding the image quality....seems to me that an $800 digital camera recording not in RAW could have pulled this off just as well.[/quote]

You are joking, right? :) You need to download the original uploaded file to get a better idea of the image quality.
[quote name='Stunko' timestamp='1353095803' post='21792']
Also, this "test footage" must have been the most boring I had ever watched.[/quote]
I agree it's not the best sample I've seen that displays the true strength of the BMC but maybe you can show us your masterpiece? ;)

[quote name='Stunko' timestamp='1353095803' post='21792']
knowing full well that Windows, Linux, etc. computers will not be getting into TB at any time soon, if ever. [/quote]

There are already pc motherboards with TB available today. Also why are you mentioning Linux, that's not an editing platform.
[quote name='Stunko' timestamp='1353095803' post='21792']
Regarding the price, it is proced correctly at $3,000, I believe. But considering everything, you are not really getting that good of a bargain from it.
[/quote]

Remember there is a 1000 dollar software included, so it's actually 2000 dollar for the camera.

:) looking forward to your review.

[quote name='EOSHD' timestamp='1353095592' post='21791']
Let's test this intuitive Windows 7 claim :)[/quote]

That did it for me, I just ordered my first Mac ever, thx for opening my eyes. :D You better publish that VG900 test footage you promised but that probably will look better on a Mac too. ;)

[quote name='milandirector' timestamp='1353084384' post='21780']regarding Resolve, he only advices MBPretina laptops, no PC laptops[/quote]

This I find interesting, you can see that Black Magic design advertises their camera with Apple lap- and desktops, I could understand why because they can test it with a platform that has specific components that don't change. This way they can be sure it will work without an issue. But with a pc it's another story because you have a gazillion possible hardware combinations. Usually problems occur when a user custom builds but selects the wrong parts that might not be compatible, this always explains why one user has issues/crashes and another doesn't with the same type of software. Windows can just be as stable as a Mac but only if you know what you are doing.

[quote name='EOSHD' timestamp='1353059399' post='21761']it is eye opening.[/quote]

In favor of the Sony? :) Here the camera is priced 3.300 euro body only which I think is quite expensive, especially because it looks like a VG30 in terms of functionality which is limited but with the main difference of the large sensor. Add the new lens and a the new xlr adapter and then ask yourself if it's worth the high cost? The sensor and the image out of the camera better be good to justify the price.

Sigh...Let's just say you are right and move one, I"m sure many others would agree..

[quote name='galenb' timestamp='1350977784' post='20153']Yes. The BMCC is going to be a great camera for shooting beautiful wedding's. Perhaps eventually even the "best' camera.[/quote]

I"m sure there will be wedding videographers that will be taking along a BMC to cover a wedding but one thing to bear in mind is, what if you combine it with other camera's, like dslr's of videocamera's. The BMC will stick out like a sore thumb with it's image and wide latitude so basically you need 2 or 3 of them in a 2 or 3 man team. Probably high end weddingvideographers charging 10k + would have a reason to use them.

But for the mainstream of videographers out there, no, I don't believe a BMC is a suitable wedding camera. A dslr is already a handful to operate, the Bmc is much worse to operate in a run and gun style of event. Even for shallow dof beaty shots a dslr is better choice, do you really think a bride will notice the difference between a very shallow dof close up shot done with a 5DIII and a Blackmagic? They wouldn't care less what camera you use because both shots will look equally stunning is performed right.

The bmc is just the wrong camera when doing weddings, it's the right camera when doing corporate films, movies, everything where you have the time to set up and plan your shots and to do second takes if necessary. It's a camera that should be used to shoot Raw, nothing else.

Nice review Andrew, well written and informative. I have been an event and wedding shooter for years now. Since those are fast paced, with often just one chance to get it right my equipment has been a mixture of regular videocamera's and dslr's. It's a combination that works well for me and my clients seem to be happy to. :)

The BMC camera would actually be useless for the kind of work I do, the workflow is just be too cumbersome and yet, I really want one, not for events or weddings but just for my own personal projects. Where I can do the opposite of what I"m making a living from, going back to basics, take my time to plan my shots and think about what I will be shooting without the time pressure I have when doing my event work. I just want to capture beautiful images with as less sacrifices as possible and without having to break the bank. From what I have seen so far the BMC camera can deliver that for me.

I will be reading up some more months on this camera before I buy it, especially about workflow on a windows pc since the BMC seems to be designed with a Mac in mind so that might be a challenge.

Another thing Andrew, it's ok to have an opinion about something but I think you should be careful about saying windows has always been shit because you actually are starting a windows/mac trash debate with such generalizing remarks. I don't care what system I work with as long as it does the job. All I can say that since I started using windows 7 pro I never had a system crash and never had to "fiddle" with anything so I don't share the same experience you seem to have had, my editing system runs 16 hours a day, 6 days a week and combined with Edius I never had that go down either. So for me at least it works very well and very stable and that at a fraction of the cost I would have paid for a Mac pro.

With that said, will be looking forward to any new info/tests you can share, I only have to convince my wife why I need the camera, that will be the biggest challenge :D