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6 hours ago, Super8 said:

I had 2 BMP6K's wet the bed and ruin a shoot over multiple days.  

I'll take short record times any day over ruined  color.  And the crazy thing is Black Magic is still selling the P4k and P6K as is.

Out of curiosity, what happened with the BMP6K's? I have a BMP6K and 2 4Ks that I have used for hundreds of hours on countless shoots and I haven't had any trouble with them in ages. I had one of the 4Ks drain the battery and turn off when on external power on one shoot, but even that hasn't happened in over a year. I use V-mount batteries and record to T5s and I haven't had any issues to speak of in ages. Just curious about your issue so that I can be on the lookout.

8 hours ago, Thpriest said:

I would say that was my experience too. It became worse as the day went on. Is that the same with CFast and SSD?

I have heard of that issue when some people are using SD cards that get over 1/2 full. I bet it has to do with the speed of the cards and their write speeds as the card gets full. 

I have never had that happen on any of my 3 P4Ks or the P6K. *BUT* I use 1TB Samsung T5s, exclusively. I have filled up T5 drives completely several times and never had a dropped frame.

I have only had two issues with any of the P4Ks or the P6K, despite using them on many jobs for extended periods of time. Problem 1: one of my P4Ks had a defective touch screen. BM replaced the cam and I haven't had an issue since. Problem 2: one of my cameras was draining the internal battery and shutting off, despite a Sony NP battery being attached via a battery sled through the 12V port. I swapped the sled and have never had that issue again. I know that some people have had problems with their cams, but I have had so few problems with my 4 that it never even enters my mind during a shoot.

Best of luck!

4 hours ago, kye said:

Does anyone have any hints on nailing focus on manual lenses when filming yourself?

For example, I want to film a bunch of tests of myself (like the lens tests always have a model in them) but when the lenses are wide open I can't work out how to check critical focus.

I've tried the app, but found that it doesn't have enough resolution to tell what's in focus, I can't setup something at the same distance and pre-focus because if DoF is only a cm or two then I can't make sure my eyes are exactly that distance.  The only couple of thoughts I've had is either to hook up the HDMI out to a huge TV that I can see well enough, or to buy a telescope so that I can see the flip screen well enough from where I'm sitting.

Help?

Hi kye. With a shallow depth of field, it can be difficult to pull focus on that little screen, even when you are standing next to the camera. I encourage you to get someone to help you. Short of that, have you tried pulling focus with focus peaking on and the screen zoom? You may be able to see that from a distance.

Also, if you attach a larger monitor or 4k TV to your camera, that will certainly help. You can see a 7" monitor with peaking from a surprising distance. Also, 25' HDMI cables are inexpensive (monoprice), so you can get your monitor close to you. I regularly attach external monitors to cameras when I use them to help make sure that focus is correct. It is much easier to see if things are in focus on my 7" Atomos than on the tiny 3" screen on the GH5. This is a problem even on cameras with larger viewfinders, like the P4K/P6K.

Good luck!

5 hours ago, Jim Giberti said:

Just a quick thought on this. I think you may find that shooting in 4k in Braw 5Q for 1080 delivery is the sweetspot.

It's an optimum workflow in that the files sizes are very small for both acquisition and working in post/Resolve.

Downresing to 1080 in Resolve will give you the best HD image and you don't have to worry about iso because all of that can be adjusted in post shooting Braw.

It's really liberating to focus on the creative knowing that you have the control to optimize everything from iso and exposure to white balance after the fact. Just shoot with a viewing LUT so you know you're getting what you want in real time and it comes together really quickly in color and edit.

It may seem a bit counter intuitive to some, but I think that having a pro feature like BRAW recording at this price point actually makes the camera more accessible. Now less skilled people can produce much better content. With traditional codecs, the videographer needs to worry about getting the exposure correct, the white balance accurate, etc. With BRAW, many of those things are less important to get completely right on location. You simply have to be somewhat close and then we can adjust in post to get nice images. I was out of town earlier this week and my wife was able to film something by herself and the footage turned out nice. (She is a great editor, but she sucks as a camera operator.) Normally, I would have done a FaceTime call to walk through all of the exposure, white balance, and other settings. Despite our having walked through the setup a dozen or more times, I still get the "I can't figure this out" call most times.  In this case, she was able to cover the shoot unaided, thanks to BRAW. It is almost like having auto settings on a camera that actually work

7 hours ago, stephen said:

Have this lens. Image stabilization works very well. It's controlled by the camera and by default is ON. You can turn it off in the menu (Setup).  Am sure was mentioned before but IS on BMPCC 4K works only when you start recording if you are using the internal battery. Obviously this is made to preserve the battery which doesn't last long. If you use external battery IS works all the time before recording and during recording. 

During firmware upgrade was also stuck at 70% but after some time camera said upgrade finished and it works OK. That was my second try. First try disconnected by accident the USB cable. But after re connection was able to start upgrade from scratch and finish it successfully. So in my understanding firmware upgrade is well thought out.

But new firmware 6.6 broke (again) Viltrox speed booster functionality. Aperture and  IS don't work with Viltrox firmware version 2.3 neither with version 3.3.☹️ 

Just FYI, the firmware seems to work just fine with my Metabones 0.71x.

2 hours ago, tonysss said:

This is problem also on URSA 4.6 ? (red cliping?)

Some LED lights can produce colors that are beyond the range of many sensors. The camera sensor or image pipeline may clip those colors. Different cameras are sensitive to different lights. The Panasonic cameras (S1, etc.) have problems with blue LED light. My old JVC LS300 cameras would freak out when a LED in the blue & purple range was in the frame (think weddings). Some of the BM cameras are sensitive to clipping in the red channel. If you shoot raw, a color space transform can usually fix this problem. Hopefully, BM pays attention and works on the red issues in the next version of their color science. Have you checked the BM forums for people talking about particular BM cams and this issue?

16 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

I think they can be used in the scenarios they are showing, but only with the supporting gear they list rather than in the way they actually illustrate the operators doing it  

I agree with you. The camera can work well in most environments with some accessories.

I work a lot of live events where I only get one shot and there are no retakes. I frequently use the P4K/P6K cameras on a shoulder rig, with a big battery and a follow focus. In that environment, they work well. I am still sorting the straight out of camera colors for our live broadcasts, but I am fairly happy with this setup.

I am not really happy with the camera when I have to use the camera handheld in a rapidly changing environment. I guess it just comes down to the effort needed to get great footage. Sometimes grabbing an S1H, GH5, or an A7III is going to give you more usable footage. Different cameras for different jobs

30 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

Whilst I don't disagree at all with the overall point you're making, I think it is fair to point out that Blackmagic do actually show it in a numerous scenarios in their marketing that would fit into that sort of use, at least in the way they are representing the cameras being used by the operators.

Although the detail in the equipment used section for each scenarios belies those illustrations, which is a bit misleading as well. 

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicpocketcinemacamera/workflow

While the P4K/P6K *could* be used in the situations they show in those ads, I am not sure that I would chose the P4K/P6K cameras for those settings. As I have said many times, I love the P4K & P6K cameras and the options they provide. But, in a rapidly moving run/gun situation, I have found them challenging to work with. The one-touch AF is slow (at best) and the battery life is poor (unless you use an external NP or v-mount). Perhaps your @BTM_Pix AF solution will help in this area. If I have time to set up and can use sticks, give me the P4K/P6K every time. If I have to go handheld or move fast, I generally take something else (GH5/GH5s, etc.).

On 10/3/2019 at 6:12 PM, kye said:

I know it was mentioned before, but the Z-Cam E2 seems to be a very serious competitor to the BMPCC cameras, and the reviews by Kai and Look were very favourable without many real down-sides.  There's a newer model IIRC called the E2-C which is cheaper, and may be similar to the P4K?  If you haven't already, maybe have a look at the spec sheet and a few reviews?

Be careful with the E2-C. Make sure that you check out the reviews before buying it. I believe that it has terrible rolling shutter and very limited dynamic range. The E2 might be ok, but the E2-C is not in the same league. 

1 hour ago, thebrothersthre3 said:

If you don't need AF you can adapt almost anything to Fuji as well.

We don't have AF on the P4K or P6K anyway.... ?

14 hours ago, buggz said:

New low price: Panasonic GH5 now sells for $1397 only

https://www.43rumors.com/new-low-price-panasonic-gh5-now-sells-for-1397-only/

Adorama, Amazon, and B&H Photo

Even a couple of years after launch, the GH5 is a heck of a video camera. Yes, it is noisy above ISO1600, but the video quality, stabilization, etc. make it a great choice for a lot of projects.

6 hours ago, Anaconda_ said:

Wow 12mm is approaching on fisheye.

Thanks for the tests, very helpful!

I ran some tests with the P6K with some of my lenses to compare it to the P4K. The Tokina 11-16 looks great and is mostly rectilinear, the Sigma 18-35 looks very nice but has very small shifts at the edges, the Canon 24-105 f/4 also looks great. I didn't find any of my lenses that looked bad and none were even remotely close to the Oly 12-100 on the P4K.

On 10/1/2019 at 2:38 PM, Anaconda_ said:

Could you share frames at various points of the lens so we can see the distortion? 

I’d like to see :

12mm

30mm

50mm

100mm

I snapped these quick shots at 12mm, 18mm, & 25mm. I will do one of the "brick wall" tests at some point.

I had no idea that the GH5 & GH5s were correcting things that much. Check out the curve in the crown moulding.

Three shots are the Oly 12-100 on the P4K, the 4 are the Oly 12-100 on a GH5. 

Olympus-12-100-at-12mm-P4K

Olympus-12-100-at-12mm-#1-GH5

Olympus-12-100-at-12mm-#2-GH5

Olympus-12-100-at-18mm-P4K

Olympus-12-100-at-18mm-GH5

Olympus-12-100-at-25mm-P4K

Olympus-12-100-at-25mm-GH5

22 hours ago, Kisaha said:

Yes, I am sure some wonder about the possibilities of using m43 lens as run and gun solutions.

I am interested especially in the 12-100mm Olympus.

I frequently use the Oly 12-100 on my GH5s, where I use it most of the time and really like this combo. I put it on one of my P4Ks with a shoulder rig today and was surprised at the difference. The Oly 12-100 shows visible distortion on straight lines (think door frames) both in the middle and on the edges of the lens. I will have to use this combo more to decide for sure, but at the moment, I am leaning toward saying this is not a good combination. 

8 hours ago, Yannick Willox said:

Just for information, some quick tests. The L-ES014050 is the old 4/3 PanaLeica kit lens for the Lumix L1. The other lens is the new PanaLeica 12-60 mm. To compare it was around 15mm, not exactly the same field of view, but difficult to judge, as the distortion is already way higher. At 12mm it goes crazy, still useable for wide shots if you don't have anything straight near the edges.

Now I have read that the Oly 12-100 has even more severe distortion then the PanaLeica 12-60 ?

Does anyone know how we can use something like a lens profile in Adobe Raw (Adobe Raw does not have them for Panasonic lenses, as they are corrected in-camera) ?

H-ES12060_12mm.mxf 7.2 MB · 1 download H-ES12060_12mm_bis.mxf 7.2 MB · 0 downloads H-ES12060_15mm.mxf 7.2 MB · 1 download L-ES014050_14mm.mxf 7.2 MB · 1 download

I have both of these lenses (along with many more). What are you looking for? Are you looking to see a comparison of the lens between the GH5 & P4K to see how much correction is being implemented in the GH5/GH5s?

16 hours ago, Jermaine said:

Hello, currently have a GH5 and GH5S but looking to sell the GH5S and replace it with a P4K and soon after add a second P4K. Can anyone recommend any lenses MFT or adapted that have good manual focusing with a long focus throw, I have the sigma 18-35 but the throw seems very short which is problematic during events. Also If anyone has experience with the new Panasonic 10-25mm how is the manual focusing?

The Olympus 12-100 is a very versatile lens for photo and video work. I don't know the exact focus throw, but it seems to be around 90 degrees. The Rokinon Cine DS line of lenses are reasonably priced and have about a 150 degree focus throw. 

4 hours ago, Snowbro said:

Saw andrew and dave talking about it shutting off or stopping its recording randomly. They aren't the first; I don't have the camera, but I have done some research. 

I heard that if you use actual Canon batteries, it doesn't randomly shut off.

I also heard that if you are recording in 6k etc. and go over 50% of your SSD, it will start dropping frames and stop recording. One YT'er recommended buying a 1TB drive and only recording 500GB or less on it as a workaround. 

Maybe someone can confirm this. I haven't looked to see if any firmware has come out that remedies these drawbacks. That would sure be embarrassing to be on a paid job, have it randomly shut off or stop recording, then have to interrupt the scene/interview and inform everyone that your little thingy went limp. 

I have used my P6K (along with my P4Ks) for many hours on three or four shoots per week since I purchased it on release day. I have not had the camera randomly turn off or stop recording, not even a single time. 

I have a Sony NP970 battery plate on the cage and I use the 1TB T5 drives. I am not using original Canon batteries. I will sometimes also use V-mount batteries. I also generally don't fill up the entire drive, so I may be unintentionally keeping the drives below 50%.

In my usage, the P6K has been just as reliable as my 3 P4Ks. 

48 minutes ago, kye said:

You might already be doing this, but are you taking your final exports and creating LUTs to try in-camera?  (your wording wasn't clear above, so not sure if that's what you say you're already doing..)

You might also be able to take one of the standard LUTs, apply some additional corrections, and then export that as a LUT to use?

I have been playing with that method lately. I work in constantly changing lighting conditions and I haven't been super thrilled with the results so far, but I am confident that I will find something that works well. I even made a LUT that matches the GH5s ... so many excuses to play

4 hours ago, TurboRat said:

How's the GH5/GH5s now that you compared the P4K to them?

So, this is a much harder to answer question than you might think. The files straight out of camera are great on the GH5/GH5s. So, if you have a project that requires a quick turn around and doesn't have a budget for much post processing, I think that the GH5/GH5s is a better option than the P4K/P6K. In my opinion, the GH5/GH5s is also better for run/gun situations (better battery life, better ergonomics, better AF, etc.).

The BRAW files on the P4K & P6K are excellent, but they require post processing. I don't care for the files if you just use them straight out of camera, like by baking in a LUT. I have tried the Blackmagic LUT, the Leeming LUT,  the Buttery Films LUT, and others, but I don't like the way the files look unless I pull them into Davinci and process them. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but I broadcast events live several times per week. I need to be able to apply a LUT to the live feed and have a great look to broadcast. So far, I haven't perfected that process. I am still not happy with the image straight from the camera. I am working on LUTs for this on a regular basis. We just finished a commercial shot entirely on the P4Ks and it turned out great, but we had time to process the footage.

So for fast turnaround projects, pick the GH5/GH5s. If you have time to work with the footage, pick the P4K/P6K. If I can get a nice display LUT, then I will use the P4K/P6K much more often and could probably replace the Panasonic cameras all together. For me and the work that I do, the S1H is darn near the perfect camera (although the AF still bothers me...)

11 hours ago, kye said:

I'm an amateur that can't get it right in 8-bit.. That's why I shoot in 10-bit on my GH5 ???

All kidding aside, it bugs me to use the 10-bit on my GH5 & GH5s now that I have gotten used to the BRAW on the P4K & P6K. I love the GH5 & GH5s footage, but the flexibility of raw is just amazing.

1 hour ago, Kisaha said:

Noone did!

Raw is for amateurs that can't get the shot right in 8 bit.... ?

7 hours ago, Anaconda_ said:

Nice looking grip with Dtap, USB power and dummy battery:

https://www.newsshooter.com/2019/09/17/cine-x-battery-grip-for-the-bmpcc-6k-4k/

Having used my P4Ks and my P6K many times on shoots, I wonder about this grip. It looks like it would be great on a tripod, and I love the features, but I really don't see this as being something that would be comfortable to use when going handheld. I have my cameras in a cage with a side handle and a F970 battery on top. With this grip, with the two handles and extra bulk on the bottom, I wonder how well it would work in the field. I would be happy to try it out and see how it works in person.

That battery is a 7800 mAh (60 Wh) battery, which is roughly the same as the F970 batteries. A F970 battery powers my P4Ks around 2.5 hours. If I had to guess, I would expect that battery to power the monitor and the camera around 1.75 hours.

On 9/17/2019 at 11:14 AM, crevice said:

Now I just wish there was an elegant battery solution. I have yet to see any battery solution that looks good, it’s either a random npf hanging on top of the cage, a huge clunky battery mounted to the bottom of the camera, or a big v-mount battery. 

I use the "random npf hanging on top..." approach or a v-mount, depending upon configuration. The npf on the cage certainly works, but it does bug me a bit. I encourage you to check out the (bulky) Tilta handles that allow you to put a battery inside the handle as well as the BM battery grip. I think that the BM battery grip is the most elegant solution at the moment for a handheld rig.

On 9/8/2019 at 11:55 AM, gatopardo said:

I was always very curious about this lens that seem extremely versatile! How does it work in term of stabilization and IQ for video?

I use it daily. It is fantastic. It is on my P4K and GH5(s) much of the time.