It’s a great day for those waiting for a 4K Blackmagic Production camera, as the first footage from the camera has finally been released. That means we’re getting closer to actually seeing these cameras ship and get into the hands of DPs, directors, and producers who have been patiently waiting for some time. Unfortunately, it’s been a long wait for those who’ve been waiting for the cameras since the announcement last April, but thankfully there’s now light at the end of the tunnel. Just like the lag with Blackmagic’s first camera, the culprit behind this camera’s lag is sensor issues. This issue seems to have been resolved now, but I still speculate that it will be a while before we actually see these products hit the shelves, as they will likely start rolling out in small quantities initially like we saw with the original BMCC.
In terms of the lens itself, Grant Petty (CEO of Blackmagic Design) just announced 10GB zip file available for download here. This includes all the 4K files he personally shot and tested. If you don’t want to download the 4K package yourself, I’ve uploaded the 1080p video files of these shots to Vimeo for you to view. I’ve also included an ungraded shot and a lightly graded version of the shot:
So how does it compare to the original BMCC? It’s difficult to compare at this point because the camera hasn’t been finalized yet and this was shot by a company executive rather than a dedicated DP. That said, I do believe it’s an accurate representation of what we can expect from a camera, as it’s unlikely to change dramatically from here. Judging from these clips alone the footage looks closer to the original BMCC than I would have imagined considering they use two different sensors. But I must say that I personally still prefer the original BMCC footage, or even the Pocket Camera footage, to the new 4K footage. What initially attracted me to the BMCC was the dynamic range and Alexa-like image quality. Based on these clips, there’s definitely still very good dynamic range, but it seems significantly less than the original BMCC. More noticeable in some shots than others, but in particular I felt it didn’t preserve detail as well as the BMCC in sky/cloud shots. This is expected since 4K sensors are rated at 12 stops, 1 stop lower than 2.5K cameras. To be fair, though, it’s difficult to judge the impact of these lenses on 4K cameras without directly comparing them to 2.5K cameras to measure the difference. It’s also worth noting that shots can get cut in the sky due to imperfect exposure settings. Regardless, I think it’s safe to say that the native BMCC will be better than the 4K camera in terms of dynamic range, which won’t shock anyone.
This quote from Grant Petty is also worth noting:
This camera is not a low light camera but I added some clips at night so you can see. I spent a few weeks wandering around with my camera and taking some different types of photos. One shot of the pier has some clipping in the sky, and you can see the effect of the clipping. All shots are ProRes since I didn’t shoot RAW. I did notice later on when people tested the camera and lens more that it didn’t adjust properly, so I think the results were probably better than that. Some lenses have different shutter angles, I used a standard still camera lens.
The two points I take away from this are: 1 – The shot could be improved compared to this test shot, and 2 – This is not a great low light camera. The second point is really something to consider, especially for anyone who hasn’t upgraded from a 5D or other DSLR yet and is considering upgrading. The BMCC (2.5K) is still one of my favorite cameras, but it’s not really a low light camera either, and it takes some getting used to if you’re using a camera that’s good at low light. Grant’s statement leads me to believe that this camera may not even perform as well as the original BMCC in low lightwhich probably means you should always shoot with 800 ASA if you want really clean footage. Again, this is just speculation as I haven’t shot it with a camera myself.
The biggest benefit of this camera is of course the global shutter, which differs from rolling shutter in the way it captures images and effectively eliminates the microscopic artifacts associated with BMCC, DSLR, RED and other cameras affected by rolling shutter. Jitter and skew. But I admit, I initially thought the rolling shutter on the BMCC would cause me more trouble than I did before. Since the camera is relatively heavy, it naturally acts as a buffer between your hand and the sensor, which really helps stabilize the shot. Rolling shutter is more of an issue on compact cameras because the body is so small that there is nothing to absorb the impact of even the movement of light, which eventually hits the sensor. The point is, 4K cameras always have an advantage in fast motion and fast panningbut probably won’t make a huge difference in most real-life shooting situations.
Here’s another interesting quote from Grant Petty:
The Blackmagic Production Camera 4K is quite different from our other cameras, but I personally think it has a rather film-like look, even though it’s not a true digital film camera and more of a general-purpose production camera.
This really puts things into perspective for me, as I had a hard time understanding this camera when it was first released. I know it shoots in 4K, but don’t necessarily see it as an improvement over the BMCC, as it’s said to have less dynamic range, which is one of the things that really made the original BMCC produce such stunning images. But this statement does clarify things. It seems like the camera was intended for use more in a broadcast environment than in a narrative film environment. I don’t think this is a camera for the indie filmmaker on a budget (although the camera is still very cheap). This is a camera for single or multi-camera television series or other broadcast studio work, all of which will be well lit and therefore do not require a camera capable of shooting at high ISO or 13 stops of dynamic range. It’s an affordable way to produce 4K that’s future-proofed with UHD masters, but doesn’t require an “available light source” camera that can shoot in the dark.
I’m glad Blackmagic released this camera, I do think it has a place. That said, I don’t think it’s had as big an impact as the Pocket Camera or the original BMCC, nor do I think I’d buy it since I mostly shoot narrative indie films, not TV shows. Global shutter is great, but doesn’t sacrifice dynamic range (in terms of my own work), and as it stands, I still prefer the BMCC’s images, even though the two are very close. Hopefully when I do offer 4K on a regular basis there will be another iteration of a 4K camera that has both global shutter and increased dynamic range, but we can’t have it all just yet!
You may also want to check out an article I wrote a while ago titled Why Blackmagic’s Pocket Cam will be more disruptive than 4K production cameras.
