Product test
The Sigma fp in the non-test
by David Lee
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema: The most affordable cinema camera in use
29.5.2019
Translation: machine translated
The handy and affordable professional cinema cam has finally arrived. To make the test as realistic as possible, I tried it out on a real video project.
I've been waiting months for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. Now it's finally on my desk. I feel like a little boy at Christmas. The camera promises a lot for little money. A lot, in fact. We test the handheld cinema camera on a shoot in Ticino together with a professional climber.
Now from the beginning again
The camera would actually have to be inserted into a cage in order to use all accessories. Not even a hot shoe adapter is integrated. So I order an adapter that I can screw into the top of the threaded screw so that I can then attach a microphone or a screen via a hot shoe. Unfortunately, we don't have any cages for the Blackmagic in our range.
Buying the camera is not the end of the story. You should set aside at least a few hundred francs for various accessories.
The camera draws an incredible amount of power. I can only film for 30 minutes on the one battery supplied. That's why I want to charge the camera with power banks via the USB-C input. An hour before leaving for Ticino, I try it out and realise with horror that the camera is not being charged. An agitated phone call later, I am reassured. Luca has a solution - his power banks have an output voltage of up to 12V. So it works.
The alarm clock rings
It's early in the morning in the car park in Brione. Everyone is still asleep. Only Luca and I are already standing with the tailgate open, mounting the camera on the DJI Ronin S gimbal, taking a few shots of the peaks already illuminated by the sun and launching the drone. The light is beautiful. You never know - we might be able to use the shots.
At last, the other three crawl out of the duvets. We immediately grab Kevin and start filming. Meanwhile, Patrick and Vladek make coffee and prepare breakfast.
Stabilised shots and their pitfalls
An almost perfect overall package
With the Blackmagic camera, you don't go out and take photos. It is designed for film. This can also be seen in the various connections (mini XLR input including phantom power, full HDMI output, etc.), the huge touchscreen on the back or the fact that the camera is dual ISO capable.
In a climbing film like the one we shot, it is extremely important to be able to act quickly and be flexible. We also achieve this flexibility thanks to a very versatile lens. The Olympus 12-100mm f4 lens (equivalent to full-frame 24-200mm) is the perfect companion.
The sensor of the Blackmagic is not stabilised. Fortunately, the lens is and so even fully zoomed shots can be taken handheld. Without image stabilisation, a tripod, slider or gimbal would be required in any case. This may work for a scripted film. Not in our scenario.
In addition, the Blackmagic has a simple integrated autofocus. I can use this to focus on a static object. There is no continuous autofocus, as I am used to with my Sony a7s ii. Manual focussing is necessary in our case. All other settings such as ISO, aperture or shutter speed are also set manually.
RAW images are quite data-hungry. In the format with the best quality (Blackmagicraw 3:1), around 9 minutes of film in 4k and 25 fps fit on a 64 GB card. With 12:1 compression, just under 40 minutes fit on the card. RAW is compressed accordingly. A video recorded in 12:1 has a bit rate of 46 MB/s - at 3:1 it is 183 MB/s and an uncompressed RAW file has a bit rate of 548 MB/s (at 4.6k and 30 fps) However, you have the advantages and freedom of RAW at all compression rates.
Mavic 2 Pro: works even in strong winds
In the afternoon, the wind gets stronger and stronger. We launch the Mavic Pro anyway - and are not disappointed. Even in strong winds, the drone remains stable in the air. Only the battery runs out a little faster. Instead of around 25 minutes of flight time in calm conditions, around 20 minutes are still possible in strong winds.
Postproduction
For once, I'm not editing this project in Premiere Pro, but in DaVinci Resolve. After a short period of familiarisation, I get to grips with the programme. I change my keyboard layout to Premiere Pro in the settings - so I quickly find my way around.
Thanks to the Blackmagic RAW files, the possibilities for colour editing are almost endless. White balance, ISO values, colour profile etc. can be changed afterwards without any loss of quality. More information about DaVinci can be found in this article:
Conclusion: price and performance are right
Here is the result: the video for this Galaxus article. It was filmed entirely with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema camera and the Mavic 2 Pro. As described, the post-production was done exclusively with DaVinci Resolve.
Be aware that buying the camera is not the end of the story. Set aside a few hundred francs more for accessories. But then I can also recommend the camera for ambitious video projects. Thanks to the ingenious Blackmagic RAW, the large screen and the many setting options, you will be well served. Such technical features can otherwise only be found in cameras from Red, Arri and the like that are five to ten times more expensive. <p
Manuel Wenk
Communications Manager
Manuel.Wenk@digitecgalaxus.chAs a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.
