Oliver Daniel

Now this sounds absolutely awesome! Please be true. 
 
I love the GH3 and its brilliant ergonomics and functionality. These are important factors that the BMD cameras severely lack. They create beautiful images but are a complete pain in the ass. 
 
I see the AG-GH4 as the ideal camera with current technology. 4k can be down sampled to 1080p for a better image, and also offer choices in post with framing. 
 
From my professional experience with BMD cameras (not hobbyist), I see them only as a serious film narrative tool. I think the AG-GH4 takes the best of all worlds (on paper that is). 
 
The only thing i don't see is high frame rates...surely this will be added at lower resolutions? (120fps please?) That addition would make it one of the best cameras on the market.
 
So an announcement at NAB 2014 maybe? Wonder what BMD have up their sleeve? (absolutely no firmware updates but 67 new cameras hehe)

EOSHD is right. What a time wasting argument. 
 
Some of us come on forums like this to learn, and discussions like this just makes that process damn confusing.
 
Wrong information should be deleted.

I've just finished up a shoot using the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera on a professional shoot, so I thought I would share my experience with the camera in this environment. (I will post the video when its finished up)
 
The Shoot
 
My business was hired to shoot a music video for a concept on Green Screen. It was a parody of infomercials, so the task was to film various models and comedic hosts demonstrating several very silly products. I was the DoP/camera operator, and we also had a director, 2 assistants, 2 photographers and  a make up artist.
 
The Gear
The Blackmagic was mounted on rails in a Wooden Camera Cage, with just a Follow Focus. I had 4 x Sandisk Extreme Pro SD cards, 3 batteries, mic, charger and AC adapter. The camera was connected through HDMI to an external monitor. The green screen was lit with 2 Kino Flo 4-Banks, and the models with Kino Flo Diva 401s and Dedolights. 
 
I would not recommend the Wooden Cage. Its just ok. The screw holes all over it make no sense. The battery charger was the worst piece of kit I've ever used in the history of video production. Cant remember the brand (begins with a H), but lots of companies are selling it with the camera as a bundle. You can put AA batteries in it and its so fiddly. It sucks. 
 
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Feedback
Whilst I was impressed with the BMPCC, I did have various issues with the camera - mostly with the lack of in-camera formatting and batteries. I will display these through Pros and Cons. 
 
Pros
+ The build is solid and of high quality
 
+ The back screen is nice and clear, a very decent size!
 
+ Very simple to use meaning you can focus on creating
 
+ Image quality is fantastic. Compared it with the GH3 in flat profile and the difference was staggering
 
+ Skin tones are beautiful, very organic
 
+ Not much dynamic range to see, but the roll-off was very smooth on the models
 
+ The size makes it easy to handle and not a pain to shift around. Nice and quick.
 
+ Zebras are very useful. Wish I had these on my GH3!
 
Cons
- This camera eats memory cards for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Used all of the 4 x 32gb cards. So the cost of running this camera at a professional level could be quite costly.
 
- Battery life is dreadful. The shoot was 8 hours long and we went through 9 full charges. 
 
- No ability to format cards in camera. Completely unacceptable. We ran out of space, backed up the cards and tried to format one to exFat on a Mac. Camera wasn't having it. 10 mins left til close. So had to use GH3 for last 2 shots. Director wasn't happy. 
 
- No indication of recording time left. No idea if 1 second left on 60 mins! Again, this is unacceptable. 
 
- Auto focus is absolutely terrible. I don't use it much, but its useful when you are against time in a studio. Just doesn't work. Why bother Blackmagic? Your features HAVE to work. 
 
- Focus Peaking is temperamental. It works, then sort of does, then doesn't at all. Maybe something wrong with this unit? 
 
- Manual focusing with the Panny zooms seemed to be a lot more fiddly on this camera than on the GH3. It seems to be much more intricate and I have no idea why that is. The director agreed. 
 
- No articulated screen. Its 2013. I don't want to sit on the floor or bend over in front of models to see the screen. 
 
- Moire. Can't handle fine lines. 
 
Conclusion
Having only use the camera once for a studio shoot, its hard for me to give a full opinion on this camera - but from my experience there are some definite quirks that I feel are a major issue for its use in a professional (and general usage) environment for its target 'DSLR video user' market. 
 
Ok, it shoots in 10 bit ProRes and has a beautiful image. It will shoot RAW soon. Its cheap. But...
 
For professional use, the fact you cant see how much recording time you have left or even format a card is a completely ludicrous omission and causes issues. Issues that take more time, more work, more stress, more stuff you shouldn't have to deal with in a camera. Blackmagic need to sort this out, it cant be difficult. 
 
The fact the the camera is labelled 'Pocket' is mind boggling. Batteries constantly need charging, and its always a worry. If you were to really carry this round in your 'Pocket', expect to need a bagful of batteries. Or you are screwed. 
 
The focusing area of the camera also seems unfinished. Auto focus doesn't work, and peaking just can't be arsed half the time. Didn't they test the camera, or is it a good-egg, bad egg thing with the production line? 
 
My opinion so far is that this camera isn't completely ready for use in a professional environment, and is better suited as a hobbyist item for (very) short films. If you can afford lots of storage, 60 billion batteries and a ton of memory cards, and dont mind a few workarounds then you should enjoy it - its a cool gadget with a beautiful image that a video DSLR really needs. 
 
Its very quirky and needs more work, which is expected of a 1st generation model. Lets hope for more improvements and a Blackmagic employee facepalm about essential little features that are unacceptably missing. 
 
I like it. Its just a pain in the arse. Like my fiance. You might just have to put up with its issues just because its so beautiful ;)

I've just finished up a shoot using the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera on a professional shoot, so I thought I would share my experience with the camera in this environment. (I will post the video when its finished up)
 
The Shoot
 
My business was hired to shoot a music video for a concept on Green Screen. It was a parody of infomercials, so the task was to film various models and comedic hosts demonstrating several very silly products. I was the DoP/camera operator, and we also had a director, 2 assistants, 2 photographers and  a make up artist.
 
The Gear
The Blackmagic was mounted on rails in a Wooden Camera Cage, with just a Follow Focus. I had 4 x Sandisk Extreme Pro SD cards, 3 batteries, mic, charger and AC adapter. The camera was connected through HDMI to an external monitor. The green screen was lit with 2 Kino Flo 4-Banks, and the models with Kino Flo Diva 401s and Dedolights. 
 
I would not recommend the Wooden Cage. Its just ok. The screw holes all over it make no sense. The battery charger was the worst piece of kit I've ever used in the history of video production. Cant remember the brand (begins with a H), but lots of companies are selling it with the camera as a bundle. You can put AA batteries in it and its so fiddly. It sucks. 
 
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Feedback
Whilst I was impressed with the BMPCC, I did have various issues with the camera - mostly with the lack of in-camera formatting and batteries. I will display these through Pros and Cons. 
 
Pros
+ The build is solid and of high quality
 
+ The back screen is nice and clear, a very decent size!
 
+ Very simple to use meaning you can focus on creating
 
+ Image quality is fantastic. Compared it with the GH3 in flat profile and the difference was staggering
 
+ Skin tones are beautiful, very organic
 
+ Not much dynamic range to see, but the roll-off was very smooth on the models
 
+ The size makes it easy to handle and not a pain to shift around. Nice and quick.
 
+ Zebras are very useful. Wish I had these on my GH3!
 
Cons
- This camera eats memory cards for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Used all of the 4 x 32gb cards. So the cost of running this camera at a professional level could be quite costly.
 
- Battery life is dreadful. The shoot was 8 hours long and we went through 9 full charges. 
 
- No ability to format cards in camera. Completely unacceptable. We ran out of space, backed up the cards and tried to format one to exFat on a Mac. Camera wasn't having it. 10 mins left til close. So had to use GH3 for last 2 shots. Director wasn't happy. 
 
- No indication of recording time left. No idea if 1 second left on 60 mins! Again, this is unacceptable. 
 
- Auto focus is absolutely terrible. I don't use it much, but its useful when you are against time in a studio. Just doesn't work. Why bother Blackmagic? Your features HAVE to work. 
 
- Focus Peaking is temperamental. It works, then sort of does, then doesn't at all. Maybe something wrong with this unit? 
 
- Manual focusing with the Panny zooms seemed to be a lot more fiddly on this camera than on the GH3. It seems to be much more intricate and I have no idea why that is. The director agreed. 
 
- No articulated screen. Its 2013. I don't want to sit on the floor or bend over in front of models to see the screen. 
 
- Moire. Can't handle fine lines. 
 
Conclusion
Having only use the camera once for a studio shoot, its hard for me to give a full opinion on this camera - but from my experience there are some definite quirks that I feel are a major issue for its use in a professional (and general usage) environment for its target 'DSLR video user' market. 
 
Ok, it shoots in 10 bit ProRes and has a beautiful image. It will shoot RAW soon. Its cheap. But...
 
For professional use, the fact you cant see how much recording time you have left or even format a card is a completely ludicrous omission and causes issues. Issues that take more time, more work, more stress, more stuff you shouldn't have to deal with in a camera. Blackmagic need to sort this out, it cant be difficult. 
 
The fact the the camera is labelled 'Pocket' is mind boggling. Batteries constantly need charging, and its always a worry. If you were to really carry this round in your 'Pocket', expect to need a bagful of batteries. Or you are screwed. 
 
The focusing area of the camera also seems unfinished. Auto focus doesn't work, and peaking just can't be arsed half the time. Didn't they test the camera, or is it a good-egg, bad egg thing with the production line? 
 
My opinion so far is that this camera isn't completely ready for use in a professional environment, and is better suited as a hobbyist item for (very) short films. If you can afford lots of storage, 60 billion batteries and a ton of memory cards, and dont mind a few workarounds then you should enjoy it - its a cool gadget with a beautiful image that a video DSLR really needs. 
 
Its very quirky and needs more work, which is expected of a 1st generation model. Lets hope for more improvements and a Blackmagic employee facepalm about essential little features that are unacceptably missing. 
 
I like it. Its just a pain in the arse. Like my fiance. You might just have to put up with its issues just because its so beautiful ;)

Quite, it can't be "fine to shoot the grandkids" and copy a useless feature from high end. These are just excuses. It isn't finished, it's not a complete product.  You can't delete clips or format because the firmware isn't finished. It lacks some basic functions, and from what I've seen, the image is 'alright', not spectacular. Yes it's good for the money, but a camera is not just its image when you're under pressure.
 
Another couple of years yet I reckon til they're solid kit.
 
It's a tool, if it doesn't work right, then it doesn't work right. No one here owes it any abstract, philosophical leeway. Pure abstract 'image quality' is not everything, and it doesn't even kick arse at that. There's moire, it ain't so sharp, the highlights clip super hard, and some sensors are calibrated wrongly.
 
May sound harsh, but combined with all the glitches and shipping issues, there are a lot of negatives.
 
"it can be fixed in a firmware update"... yes so could many dream features. C100 could become a C500 and so on... but we've yet to even see decent functionality updates for the first bmd camera, let alone the 'pocket'. People wait for years with a tool they dislike, praying for updates only to be disappointed. It's just no way to live, guys  :blink:
 
Buying a tool because it might work properly later seems mad to me.
 
If you're dropping a lot of cash, you shouldn't have to 'work around' your gear. It should work for you. 
 
This is, in it's current state, far less convenient to shoot on than an RX100, a pure consumer camera!
 
Also, all this extra 'quality' and 'grading room' is only any use for those who are able to take advantage of it, quite frankly. 90% of films I've seen made with these cameras haven't benefited in any meaningful way from high bitrate. They could have been shot on camcorders. The extra creative leeway simply hasn't been used by the shooters. It's the great power/great responsibility thing.
 
When it comes to judgement, if this were 4K or very compressed RAW or S35 prores, actually had a real standout feature (though of course the usefulness of each in context is debatable) that was fully functional... it'd deserve the easy ride it's getting in some parts...
 
but it's a box of compromises, and a bunch of the early bodies even need to be sent back for adjustment.
 
Imagine the amount of media you'd get through in raw? It won't even be slightly useful til cards are much bigger and faster cheaper, by which time it'll be obsolete. Moore's law is a bitch, she hits both ways...
 
I give them their due: it is an attempt at innovation. That in itself is good and we need more of it. But most of what is happening in the hands of a few pros and a lot of eager hobbyists, should have happened in a lab. I don't want to pay that much to be a beta tester.
 
In most of the shoots I've done recently, all of the pocket's 'niggles' would have resulted in me getting far fewer shots which would have impacted the creativity of the piece negatively. That's my number one concern TBH.  And that's the thing the client (in the pro world) or audience care about most, not a few more lines of resolution or a bit more grading room.
 
Though extended dynamic range or resolution is nice to have, it means nothing if you can't even capture the content in a given environment due to a high number of workarounds.
 
The OP's example of the director's dis-satisfaction is illustrative. As a director I wouldn't mind the whole thing being shot well on GH3 (granted, this is greenscreen, but for most shoots), but to have to pick up a few shots on a remarkably different camera at short notice because A-cam didn't work, would be annoying and a bit of a negative mark... you expect people to know their gear. how many people want to expose themselves to the possibility of looking foolish when their livelihood depends on it?
 
It's too glitchy for pros and it's needless 'quality' and excessive extra equipment for amateurs... I just don't think it's ready for either market.

I've just finished up a shoot using the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera on a professional shoot, so I thought I would share my experience with the camera in this environment. (I will post the video when its finished up)
 
The Shoot
 
My business was hired to shoot a music video for a concept on Green Screen. It was a parody of infomercials, so the task was to film various models and comedic hosts demonstrating several very silly products. I was the DoP/camera operator, and we also had a director, 2 assistants, 2 photographers and  a make up artist.
 
The Gear
The Blackmagic was mounted on rails in a Wooden Camera Cage, with just a Follow Focus. I had 4 x Sandisk Extreme Pro SD cards, 3 batteries, mic, charger and AC adapter. The camera was connected through HDMI to an external monitor. The green screen was lit with 2 Kino Flo 4-Banks, and the models with Kino Flo Diva 401s and Dedolights. 
 
I would not recommend the Wooden Cage. Its just ok. The screw holes all over it make no sense. The battery charger was the worst piece of kit I've ever used in the history of video production. Cant remember the brand (begins with a H), but lots of companies are selling it with the camera as a bundle. You can put AA batteries in it and its so fiddly. It sucks. 
 
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Feedback
Whilst I was impressed with the BMPCC, I did have various issues with the camera - mostly with the lack of in-camera formatting and batteries. I will display these through Pros and Cons. 
 
Pros
+ The build is solid and of high quality
 
+ The back screen is nice and clear, a very decent size!
 
+ Very simple to use meaning you can focus on creating
 
+ Image quality is fantastic. Compared it with the GH3 in flat profile and the difference was staggering
 
+ Skin tones are beautiful, very organic
 
+ Not much dynamic range to see, but the roll-off was very smooth on the models
 
+ The size makes it easy to handle and not a pain to shift around. Nice and quick.
 
+ Zebras are very useful. Wish I had these on my GH3!
 
Cons
- This camera eats memory cards for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Used all of the 4 x 32gb cards. So the cost of running this camera at a professional level could be quite costly.
 
- Battery life is dreadful. The shoot was 8 hours long and we went through 9 full charges. 
 
- No ability to format cards in camera. Completely unacceptable. We ran out of space, backed up the cards and tried to format one to exFat on a Mac. Camera wasn't having it. 10 mins left til close. So had to use GH3 for last 2 shots. Director wasn't happy. 
 
- No indication of recording time left. No idea if 1 second left on 60 mins! Again, this is unacceptable. 
 
- Auto focus is absolutely terrible. I don't use it much, but its useful when you are against time in a studio. Just doesn't work. Why bother Blackmagic? Your features HAVE to work. 
 
- Focus Peaking is temperamental. It works, then sort of does, then doesn't at all. Maybe something wrong with this unit? 
 
- Manual focusing with the Panny zooms seemed to be a lot more fiddly on this camera than on the GH3. It seems to be much more intricate and I have no idea why that is. The director agreed. 
 
- No articulated screen. Its 2013. I don't want to sit on the floor or bend over in front of models to see the screen. 
 
- Moire. Can't handle fine lines. 
 
Conclusion
Having only use the camera once for a studio shoot, its hard for me to give a full opinion on this camera - but from my experience there are some definite quirks that I feel are a major issue for its use in a professional (and general usage) environment for its target 'DSLR video user' market. 
 
Ok, it shoots in 10 bit ProRes and has a beautiful image. It will shoot RAW soon. Its cheap. But...
 
For professional use, the fact you cant see how much recording time you have left or even format a card is a completely ludicrous omission and causes issues. Issues that take more time, more work, more stress, more stuff you shouldn't have to deal with in a camera. Blackmagic need to sort this out, it cant be difficult. 
 
The fact the the camera is labelled 'Pocket' is mind boggling. Batteries constantly need charging, and its always a worry. If you were to really carry this round in your 'Pocket', expect to need a bagful of batteries. Or you are screwed. 
 
The focusing area of the camera also seems unfinished. Auto focus doesn't work, and peaking just can't be arsed half the time. Didn't they test the camera, or is it a good-egg, bad egg thing with the production line? 
 
My opinion so far is that this camera isn't completely ready for use in a professional environment, and is better suited as a hobbyist item for (very) short films. If you can afford lots of storage, 60 billion batteries and a ton of memory cards, and dont mind a few workarounds then you should enjoy it - its a cool gadget with a beautiful image that a video DSLR really needs. 
 
Its very quirky and needs more work, which is expected of a 1st generation model. Lets hope for more improvements and a Blackmagic employee facepalm about essential little features that are unacceptably missing. 
 
I like it. Its just a pain in the arse. Like my fiance. You might just have to put up with its issues just because its so beautiful ;)

If you have Kino's available and can dump enough light on the green screen, I don't see any problem. The goal with green: plenty of light, consistently lit, no spill from the greenscreen itself to the actor, and no spill from the green's lights back to the actor. (Maximize distance of talent from green, as much as possible.)
 
Otherwise, I think you are in great shape. The BMPCC is a capable camera, so if you nail exposure and focus, you shouldn't have any problems in post knocking out the green.

Hi. 
 
I am looking for advice on a project. As I have limited green screen expereince, I want to make sure i get it right. I'm much more an 'on-location' kind of guy!
 
I've just been assigned a music video project using green screen and the Blackmagic Pocket Camera. Its a mickey take on Japanese infomercials.
 
The screen is painted 18FT wide, and we will be shooting around 8FT before the wall.
 
I have in my ownership 3 Dedolights and 2 Kino Flo Divas 401s. I know I will require more lights to light the screen (as my owned lights will be mostly lighting the actors), and I was thinking of mounting some Kino Flo 4 banks on C-stands high. The studio location has no lighting grid at the top. 
 
The Pocket will always be on a tripod, filming wides, mids and close-ups of the products/adverts the Japanese people are 'selling.' Got the Panny 12-35mm and 35-100mm, the SLR Magic 12mm and loads of Canon FDs.
 
Does anybody want to give me any advice about this and the use of the Pocket camera? It would be much appreciated. I'm certain I'm doing everything right, just want to make sure I have everything in tow. 
 
Thanks. 

Hmm. So dated compared to what is already available for much less money.
 
Don't like the size and weight.
 
Don't like the 2/3" sensor with 11 stops.
 
Don't like the idea of a Mac Mini in the back. They're not designed to be portable machines. They will break.
 
Don't see the image quality advantages over a 5D Mark III with raw, KineRAW MINI or BMCC.
 
KineRAW MINI is miles better ergonomically.

It sucks that the 'big' people use Kickstarter to fund their 'passion projects'. What's wrong with their own bank balance? 
 
Kickstarter won't do anything, they get 5% of the funding.
 
As for Stallone,......... "ADDDDDRRRRIAAANNNNNN!!!!!!"

So many of us are absolutely obsessed with talking about VL and PB on this forum.
 
Its as though people forget how may other filmmakers are out there actually making amazing films, all accessible within a few mouse clicks or fingertip touches. 
 
The world is bigger than you think. 

So many of us are absolutely obsessed with talking about VL and PB on this forum.
 
Its as though people forget how may other filmmakers are out there actually making amazing films, all accessible within a few mouse clicks or fingertip touches. 
 
The world is bigger than you think. 

So many of us are absolutely obsessed with talking about VL and PB on this forum.
 
Its as though people forget how may other filmmakers are out there actually making amazing films, all accessible within a few mouse clicks or fingertip touches. 
 
The world is bigger than you think. 

I don't care about what Vincent Laforet is doing or has done. Nor do I find an issue with the absolutely rubbish footage released for the Pocket Camera.

I only care about what I CAN do with a camera. Seeing what these cameras can achieve is cool, but its much cooler having the thing in our hands and looking at ways to be creative with it.

I think raw is awesome and that a lot of the negativity towards raw is that feeling of climbing a mountain.
 
As a GH3 owner, I'll be likely hobbying it out with The Pocket Cinema Camera, and I'll probably roll out a few 'money shots' first on some of my projects. The use of the GH3 for now means I can hit my fast turnaround on music videos, which is usually literally days. 
 
Image quality matters and I think this development from ML will hopefully bring these features and more into cameras like DSLRs properly very soon. Canon behave strangely! They could totally dominate the market and choose not to. Oh well. 
 
Maybe Panasonic will finally release an FS700 competitor with a lovely RAW codec. (what on earth are they doing?)
 
We shall see!

The MoVi is way too expensive but I found the technology exciting. Rather than be hyped about RAW cameras and the latest Blackmagic camera, I'm more interested using my current camera and using new production gear to pull off more complex, interesting, cinematic shots with small crews, tight budgets and timeframes.  
 
So anything below the MoVi is of great interest to me. Much more so then all this camera talk! I do ideas, not specs ;)

Exciting news for videographers, however my opinion is that a lot of us are going nuts for it far too early. I cant knock the work Magic Lantern do (very impressive) but all this talk of the Canon 5d Mk III being the new 'king of the game' seems a bit silly. 
 
My understanding is that there could be a very hungry RAW recording format working in the Mk III flawlessly. Its super cool because of its low light and full frame sensor, plus the loved up DSLR form factor. If it takes off then its awesome for those who have the time, resources and money to handle the huge lovely files and trust their camera won't melt into oblivion. 
 
If anything, this advancement will become overshadowed by other camera developments very quickly. At the moment, we have a Black Magic Pocket Camera that will shoot RAW and 1080p ProRes out of the box with no potential issues for very little money. If the ML development really does cause a disturbance, I would be least surprised if a company like Black Magic announced another cinema camera with higher frame rates, a better sensor etc.... then suddenly BANG. Everyone wants that!
 
My point is, its a great development. Will i be buying into it? No - because I expect this will be history once an inevitable, 'proper' out-of-the-box advancement is available on the market with the benefits of the Mk III features, and more, with the peace of mind it won't break. 
 
I hope everybody does go nuts for this Mk III RAW thing. Just means we get better cameras in future. :)