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Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera vs Canon DSLR's (Audio and Video)


itsdimitri

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The title pretty much says it all. I'm trying to get some advice about the Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera compared to a 7D or a 5D.

I'm going to be using a field mixer to record audio, but with the SLR's I haven't really found an easy fix to that problem. With the Cinema Camera I can just use stereo inputs. I plan on using a 552 by Sound Devices. Are the audio inputs on the Cinema Camera good quality? I don't want to waste such nice preamps. How does the video quality compare between the two?

The reason why I started looking into the Cinema Camera was to find a device that was easier to use than one of the SLR's and because it would hopefully solve my syncing issue. After all they are primarily meant for photography even though people use them for video and therefore even though they have the same settings as video cameras they are harder to get to. However, the Cinema Camera is quite a bit more expensive than even a used 5D so I just want to get some input on what users in particular think about both devices before I justify spending the extra money.

Thanks a lot. You guys have already been super helpful answering my other questions.

Dimitri

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I don't think I"d call the Blackmagic camera easier to use. As for audio, I don't know anyone who's really looked into that aspect of the that camera. It's not really shipping yet; expected to be out by the end of the year.

Here's the best (and perhaps currently only) hands-on comparison of the 5DmIII and the BMC:

http://vimeo.com/49875510

[huh; is there an easy...or not so easy...way to embed Vimeo clips here?]

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the BMC camera has 1/4 balanced inputs and a headphone jack. i messed with it a good bit at NAB this year. i'm sure it can do usable sound but its probably 48/16 and not friendly to ride levels as all of that is menu based. a field mixer like the mixpre-d would be a good addition to that camera for one man band stuff. a local DP has preordered one and when he gets it i'll do some poke'n around with it.

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The reason why I started looking into the Cinema Camera was to find a device that was easier to use than one of the SLR's and because it would hopefully solve my syncing issue.

What specific syncing issues are you having? Even the DSLR's will stay in sync for a good solid 5-6 minutes without drift, in my experience. If they do slide a little bit, just make a splice in the soundtrack and slide it in the timeline until it's back in sync. Having a scratch track on the camera is mandatory as a reference, in my opinion.

I think the Blackmagic Design camera is interesting, but I don't think it's necessarily easier to use than anything out there. Every camera has unique challenges, flaws, and benefits, particularly in terms of picture quality and workflow. What I can say is that I'm suspicious of any camera without timecode. And I see no external timecode available on this camera, and the only timecode it does have just generates new internal code starting at "00" (as I interpret the manual). That's better than the 5D or the 7D, which have no timecode at all.

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From a non-sound perspective, the Blackmagic camera has some image issues. It is being documented around the web that it is crushing the blacks, so if you're going to be shooting in situations where you want details in your blacks, then currently this isn't the camera for you. I also was able to pick up and play with one last week in Atlanta. The camera is heavier than you think it is, and depending on what you put in front may be very unbalanced. If you are planning on doing any handheld work with the camera, then you will have to purchase a rig, which quickly increases the cost. The camera will not tell you what the iris setting is currently, so if you need to duplicate the settings exactly, good luck. The reality is that the Blackmagic camera is very young, and feels like the first generation product that it is.

On a side note, I currently use a Nikon D800 with a Pix 240 on the back, and get really great results. If you decide to go with a double system, then make sure the mics are enabled on the SLR, and you'll find that the amount of time to resync the tracks really is negligible (Pluraleyes or Premier CS6 make short work of the process if you don't mind investing).

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  • 1 month later...

From a non-sound perspective, the Blackmagic camera has some image issues. It is being documented around the web that it is crushing the blacks, so if you're going to be shooting in situations where you want details in your blacks, then currently this isn't the camera for you.

Just curious (and don't want to go too OT for JWS), who's talking about crushed blacks? I'm only paying semi-attention and have only spoken with a couple people who have much experience with the BMCC. I don't recall those two people talking about crushed blacks. Would love any pointers to people talking about crushed blacks in the BMCC.

Thanks.

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From a non-sound perspective, the Blackmagic camera has some image issues. It is being documented around the web that it is crushing the blacks, so if you're going to be shooting in situations where you want details in your blacks, then currently this isn't the camera for you.

Crushed blacks are generally a problem with applying a LUT after the fact. Generally, there should be enough detail in the raw signal to avoid this problem, but this also hinges on proper exposure and decent key-to-fill ratios (concepts with which low-budget filmmakers are often not familiar, in my experience). I have seen crushed blacks and clipped whites with people shooting normal Rec709 HD video, but that's just people who are in a hurry and/or don't want to read scopes correctly.

I was on a set recently where I was mixing sound, and wound up with a bloody mouth because I was biting my tongue so much and did not want to tell the DP that they were clearly overexposing. Not my place to tell them their job. (I would be just as mad if they leaned over and said, "hey, aren't your levels hitting the limiter too often?")

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BTW, in other Blackmagic camera news, as far as I know, the camera is not yet out. And I suspect they are not happy with the fact that Red just cut the price of the Red One -- which sold for $17,000 three years ago -- to just $4000 for "bomb-tested" (used but warrentied) models. I have some problems with Red, but the camera is a huge bargain for four grand. Why, that's just one dollar per pixel! ($4000 for 4K!)

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BTW, in other Blackmagic camera news, as far as I know, the camera is not yet out. And I suspect they are not happy with the fact that Red just cut the price of the Red One -- which sold for $17,000 three years ago -- to just $4000 for "bomb-tested" (used but warrentied) models. I have some problems with Red, but the camera is a huge bargain for four grand. Why, that's just one dollar per pixel! ($4000 for 4K!)

I was wondering how this would affect the BM guys. Their camera was promising 6 months ago (and still is), but it seems the market might have outpaced their production. You can only hold interest for so long.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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