PocketCinemaCamera
Latest
A closer look at the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
Okay, that's it. You've had enough of highly compressed video codecs that crap out on detailed shots and make decent color grading a pipe dream. Now that Blackmagic's $995 Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC) is RAW-ready, isn't it time to make the jump to higher bitrate video? Perhaps. The company's latest pint-sized weapon does produce magnificent images using a downsized version of its first Cinema Camera sensor, yes. But it's not quite as simple as laying down the money and raking in the 12-bit video. There are limitations to the camera itself, plus a steep learning curve and the likely need for further investment that could more than double the price of the camera. As you'll see, whether it's worth that depends completely on your needs and, particularly, your expectations.
Watch the first footage from Blackmagic's Pocket Cinema Camera (video)
Noted Blackmagic Design shooter John Brawley has released the first footage from the company's upcoming $995 Pocket Cinema Camera that might leave your DSLR green with envy. Though it's always tough to judge compressed web footage, to our eyes it looks completely untouched by the moire, aliasing and compression artifacts that tends to plague other digital cameras. While not specifying whether he used the compressed RAW setting or not, Brawley said he shot it using a Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 Micro Four Thirds lens with image stabilization turned on, meaning that feature's likely to be enabled on the camera when it arrives in late July. He also said he was "literally grabbing shots whilst I was shopping," which bodes well for serious filmmakers with a bit more time to spare. Head past the break to admire the video.
Blackmagic's $995 Micro Four Thirds Pocket Cinema Camera gets snapped at NAB
We may lament the death of the point-and-shoot, but we doubt Blackmagic's forthcoming Pocket Cinema Camera will go as quietly into the night. Whilst wandering the halls at NAB, Danielo Garcia snapped a billboard announcing the device a little before its expected arrival time. The stats in the promotional flag (in full, after the break) reveal that it's the budget-brother of Blackmagic's Cinema Camera MFT. This new unit keeps the same Micro Four Thirds lens mount, with a Super-16 Cinema 1080HD sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range, lossless CinemaDNG RAW recording and Micro HDMI monitoring. When it's officially announced, the unit will retail for $995, putting smiles on the faces of indie filmmakers and people who need their Disneyland recordings ready for the silver screen. [Image Credit: Danielo Garcia]
