Tag Archives: BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera

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[Note: This is not another tutorial on simply using LightRoom. It's actually a much faster method that only uses Adobe Lightroom to create a custom Preset.]

Let me start by saying, the best way to edit the CinemaDNG files from the BlackMagic Design cameras is to use Davinci. Of course these RAW files are nothing but still images, so if many of you favor Adobe Lightroom for editing pictures, here's a little tip on how to save it as a preset to use in Adobe Camera RAW.

I tend to like the workflow and layout of Adobe Lightroom, especially on how well it can clean up noise if you have grainy footage. I think it's much faster [and better] than trying to run 'noise reduction' software once it's laid out in your video timeline. The problem is that Lightroom can be pretty slow to export your images once you're done editing. So this technique will allow you to make changes to one CinemaDNG file and apply it to all the files through the Camera RAW app.

If you shoot RAW with a Canon DSLR + Magic Lantern, you may already be familiar with using Camera RAW. If you haven't done this already, now you can start your edits with Adobe Lightroom, and finish the entire sequence of images through Camera RAW.

Summary of Steps
Step 1) Take one RAW image into Adobe Lightroom, tweak your settings, and then export to DNG.
Step 2) Open your exported DNG image in Adobe Photoshop and this should bring up Camera RAW.
Step 3) Save the preset and close Camera RAW.
Step 4) Now open all of your BMPCC RAW images in Photoshop (should launch Camera RAW) and Load the Preset.
Step 5) Make sure to 'Select All' and synchronize to apply to all frames.
Step 6) Save Images > Export to Folder

Once you have all of your color corrected images saved from Camera RAW, you can easily bring them into your video editor similar to a Timelapse project. Depending on what format was used during the export process (JPEG, TIFF), you will still have some lateral to color correct / grade within your editing software.

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Just a tip in case BMPC shooters out there are looking for a very short HDMI cable to work with the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera. I found this 1.5 foot Micro HDMI to HDMI online and took a chance. The cable has been working fine across a few different monitors and EVFs I have. The short cable keeps things tidy with my SmallHD DP4 EVF on the BMPC.

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BMPC-HDMI-Cable-EVF-SmallHD-DP4-4BMPC-HDMI-Cable-EVF-SmallHD-DP4

Amazon reviews are a mixed bag, but overall it's still 4 out of 5 stars. If you're looking for a shorty micro HDMI for the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, I can safely say this one works great on my setup.

BlackMagic Pocket BMPC Micro HDMI Cable EVFMicro HDMI Cable BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera
find-price-button 1.5 Foot Micro HDMI Cable for BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera

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In this article, Keiko (of GearAddix) has helped put together a short video review of the new Rokinon 300mm F/6.3 Mirror Lens for micro-four thirds camera systems [Thanks Keiko]. If you're looking for that long zoom on a budget, this new mirror lens from Rokinon is a great option, and yes it will work on a BlackMagic Pocket Cinema camera as well.

Unlike traditional glass element lenses, the incoming light is reflected by a main mirror on the back towards a secondary mirror (located in the front), and back again towards the camera's sensor. By folding the light, these lenses can offer incredible distance while staying very compact and especially very lightweight.

cheesycam-diagram-how-mirror-lenses-work-rokinon-300mm

Unfortunately this design also has a few disadvantages such as aperture control. This Rokinon 300mm mirror lens has a fixed F/6.3. This is the reason why an ND filter was required on an especially bright day. I guess that's not too much of a problem, as many DSLR shooters tend to carry ND filters nowadays.

B+W Static ND Filter Mirror Lens
find-price-button B+W Static ND Filter
Tip: At this distance static ND filters are best to retain sharpness

Also, sharpness and contrast are typically just mediocre with mirror lenses, but i'm very surprised at how much this new Rokinon 300mm mirror lens retains. They've done a great job creating a very compact MFT lens that still retains sharpness, detail, color, and contrast.

Another prominent tell-tale sign of a Mirror Lens is an odd donut-like effect (white rings) that show up on out-of-focus highlights. While lenses with an aperture blade are capable of producing perfectly round highlights, Mirror lenses will create a round donut-like out of focus highlight as seen in the image below.

mirror-lens-donut-bokeh-highlight

For a stylized effect there are groups who find this aesthetically interesting, when used with portraits (see example photos here).

Due to it's fixed aperture of F/6.3 optimal conditions are preferred (lots of light), and keep in mind these lenses do not offer image stabilization. Still, maybe not so much of a problem as many of today's M43 cameras are starting to add Image Stabilization at the sensor level.

Mirror lenses have been around for years, and are available in focal lengths past 1600mm. The most expensive of which still falls under just $300 bucks. That's a pretty amazing price for the distance you get, but obviously you have to consider if those mirror-lens 'differences' work for you. Find a few options below.

cheesycam mirror lens review demo video sample Rokinonrokinon-300mmRokinon Mirror Lens Canon NikonRokinon mirror lens reviewRokinon Mirror Lenses for Canon Nikon M43 mFT
find-price-button Variety of Rokinon Mirror Lenses - via eBay

So now that you've checked out this video review, and some of the other mirror lens image samples (found here), what do you guys think about Rokinon's latest 300mm F/6.3 Mirror Lens for Micro Four Thirds? Leave your comments below.

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Here's a couple of handy products to help make shooting easier with the new BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera. First up is a new external power solution from Switronix called the PocketBase.

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The PocketBase allows you to power the camera up to 5hrs with two LP-E6 type batteries, while simultaneously charging the removable internal battery. By keeping the internal battery inside the Pocket Camera during operation, you can then hotswap the attached LP-E6 batteries within the PocketBase for continuous camera operation. The Switronix PocketBase is available now (found here).

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find-price-button Switronix PocketBase for BlackMagic Pocket Camera

Next product is a must have when working outdoors or when attempting to pull focus from the little LCD Screen of the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera. The new Kamerar MagView is an affordable LCD ViewFinder solution that attaches to the back of many different cameras. One model will fit the BMPC specifically and shares many of the same high quality features found in the Kamerar QV-1 LCD View Finder. Should be available this month, estimated price under $50 US.

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Kamerar MagView LCD View Finder

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Over the weekend I spent a day shooting with a new BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera out at Monterey, CA. This time around I was prepared with 6 batteries and over 200GB of space with compatible SDHC cards. Needless to say, my time spent with the camera was much more pleasant than my very first experience. The video below is an example of the footage straight from the camera along with an image that had basic contrast + saturation added.

The shots were mostly handheld, with an LCD ViewFinder (not yet released product) attached to help me with focusing and while working in bright daylight. An LCD ViewFinder is a must have with this camera! Below is the same video without the ProRes crop.

I had a pretty decent idea of the lenses I wanted to take out with me, so I settled on just the Panasonic 20mm F/1.7 pancake, Panasonic 12-35mm F/ 2.8 OIS, and Rokinon 7.5mm Fisheye. BMPC users on a budget should really look into the Rokinon 7.5mm Fisheye and the 12-35mm F/2.8 as part of their everyday kit. The fisheye doesn't look overly distorted and offers a decent wide view angle for cheap money, while the Panasonic 12-35mm F/2.8 OIS is a great overall lens that will offer fairly stable shots completely hand held.

 Suggested Micro Four Third Lenses for Pocket Cinema Camera

7-14mm Pocket Cinema Camera
7-14mm F/4 		12-35 BlackMagic Pocket Lens
12-35mm F/2.8 		35-100mm Panasonic Pocket Cinema Camera BlackMagic Lens
35-100mm F/2.8 		Rokinon 8mm Pocket Cinema Camera
7.5mm Fisheye 		514tmtNtqvL._AA160_
45-150mm

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find-price-button BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera - via DVEStore.com

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find-price-button BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera - via B&HPhotoVideo

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Here's a few tips some of you may want to prepare for so that you can begin shooting with your brand new BlackMagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera the day it arrives.

#1 - Get a damn fast SDHC or SDXC card. None of the cards that work flawlessly on my Canon DSLRs were even detected. The few speedy cards I was able to grab from local retailers just ended up with dropped frames. We're just talking ProRes here, imagine when RAW is unlocked. Tomorrow I should receive a couple of Sandisk Extreme Pro cards (recommended in the user manual) for my weekend project.

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find-price-button Sandisk Extreme Pro SD Media Card

#2 - Keep in mind you cannot format SD cards from the camera itself. If you show up at a shoot with a full SD Card, there's no way to delete the files. Keep a laptop with SD card reader handy to format to exFAT and delete any old projects. Don't think you can just pop it into your other camera to delete. The HFS+ or exFAT file system isn't recognized in most other cameras.

#3 - The LCD screen on this camera (not touch screen) may not be suffice for working outdoors. If you plan to use a monitor or EVF, you need a rare micro HDMI cable (d type). I already have plans to use my Cineroid Retina EVF

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find-price-button Cineroid Retina EVF LCD Viewfinder

#4 - The battery drains very quickly on this pocket camera. These batteries are the same for the Nikon J1, inexpensive, but you still need an optional charging station so you don't keep your camera tethered. The other option is an external 12V power source for very long projects where swapping batteries could be a problem.

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find-price-button EN-EL20 Battery / Charger

#5 - Even my small Panasonic 12-35mm F/2.8 or 35-100mm F/2.8 Micro Four Thirds lenses fit too snugly on the camera if I have my 501PL plate mounted underneath. Lens adapters will be worse, so you'll need a platform, rig, cage, or something to raise the body up if you're planning to use popular Fluid Heads. I'm using the Fhugen GH3 cage right now since it's the smallest cage in my arsenal (no battery door access).

Rokinon Lens BlackMagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera
There's room to slide the plate back and forth, but other lens combinations may not be so forgiving

#6 - Expect no audio meters from the camera itself. I think at this point the easiest method is to just work an external recorder.

Finally just a quick note on using an HDMI recorder. I'm not sure if this will yield any difference in quality, but if there is no degradation, an HDMI recorder could be a cheaper solution for storage media, solves limitations on long projects, and is a fast way to hand off video files to your editor. The Atomos Ninja 2, one of the affordable HDMI recorders on the market, is capable of recording from the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera. You can record the stream without actually recording from the BMPC, or you can just hit record on both units for dual recording (a good backup solution for critical projects).

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find-price-button Atomos Ninja 2 HDMI Recorder

I'll continue to add notes about the things i'm running into, and I'll be uploading sample ProRes files from the camera very soon. Make sure to follow me on Twitter, and stay tuned to the blog. Remember, if you're still looking to get on a short list to get this camera early, check in with DVEStore.com

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find-price-button BlackMagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera.

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I just got confirmation about a little package on it's way as we speak, and will be arriving in my mailbox tomorrow. Now I don't want to spoil all the excitement, but I guess I'll leave a few clues as to what I should expect to receive tomorrow.

It's mostly #Black with Tan accents, and I think it's just #Magic how they've managed to make this item #Pocket sized and affordable for the #Cinema market....

BlackMagic Design Cinema Camera Shipment

[Update] The Eagle has landed....
BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera

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Today there's a deal on the Panasonic 45-150mm lens, which is an equivalent of a 90-300mm lens if you're looking for extra that reach and offers built in Image Stabilization. This a micro four thirds lens that should work with the active mount of the newly announced BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera as well. Today this long zoom lens is on sale for just $199 via Amazon (click here).

45-150mm
find-price-button Panasonic LUMIX G Vario 45-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ASPH Lens - Black