So the wait is over. The first footage from Blackmagic's Pocket Camera is out in the wild and it looks really good. I find it has a very similar look to the 2.5k camera, which is great. All details regarding settings and lenses are embedded with the video below. Hopefully we will see more footage in the coming weeks but so far what I see looks very decent.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera - Market from John Brawley Tests on Vimeo.
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Some great Blackmagic 2.5k test footage.
Check out some of this great blackmagic test footage shot on the 2.5k camera by my colleague Krista. The footage really demonstrates how well this cameras handles difficult shooting conditions like shooting against snow with bright sky. The dynamic range comes in handy when trying to compensate exposure in such conditions while still keeping a lot of detail. Notice how much contrast and detail come through in the snow. Click on the link below or download the file from Vimeo for best viewing quality.
BMCC/Anamorphic/ProRes from Ryan Glover on Vimeo.
BMCC/Anamorphic/ProRes from Ryan Glover on Vimeo.
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
The OmniRig: Just when you thought the MoVi system was cool. Wait till you see this stabilizer and its price.
So at NAB this year two things really stole the show. Blackmagic's announcement of two new cameras and the incredible new stabilizer "MoVi" from Freeflysystems a revolutionary new type of handheld stabilizer that makes the Steadicam seem some how now archaic. Vincent Laforet has a few great videos on Vimeo demonstrating just what this amazing rig can do:
MōVI BTS from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.
MōVI from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.
MōVI in Action (Quick Video) from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.
Here is a detailed blog post from Vincent about what this system can do and why he thinks it is a total game changer:
MoVi: A revolutionary handheld stabilized system takes flight.
As good as the MoVi system is, the $15,000 price tag will be hard for many people to justify. Luckily there is another product out there from Limelite that is much cheaper and can deliver somewhat similar results.
The LimeLite OmniRig is a unique alternative to the MoVi. So here's the deal, there is no gyro with this system which makes it much, much cheaper. Coming it at under $2000 in July this stabilizer looks really interesting. Check out the video below to see it action.
The first video has some stabilization in post:
Single Shot Cinema: Camera flying through the window from 4Film on Vimeo.
Here is the second video without stabilization:
OmniRig - Flying Through Windows from Chris Turiello on Vimeo.
The post stabilization obliviously really helps to smooth out the scene but you can still see the potential of this device considering it is the first version and there is some time before it is released. With it's great price point I am sure many filmmakers will be taking a second look the OmniRig from Limelite.
For more info on this device click here: Limelite
MōVI BTS from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.
MōVI from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.
MōVI in Action (Quick Video) from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.
Here is a detailed blog post from Vincent about what this system can do and why he thinks it is a total game changer:
MoVi: A revolutionary handheld stabilized system takes flight.
As good as the MoVi system is, the $15,000 price tag will be hard for many people to justify. Luckily there is another product out there from Limelite that is much cheaper and can deliver somewhat similar results.
The LimeLite OmniRig is a unique alternative to the MoVi. So here's the deal, there is no gyro with this system which makes it much, much cheaper. Coming it at under $2000 in July this stabilizer looks really interesting. Check out the video below to see it action.
The first video has some stabilization in post:
Single Shot Cinema: Camera flying through the window from 4Film on Vimeo.
Here is the second video without stabilization:
OmniRig - Flying Through Windows from Chris Turiello on Vimeo.
The post stabilization obliviously really helps to smooth out the scene but you can still see the potential of this device considering it is the first version and there is some time before it is released. With it's great price point I am sure many filmmakers will be taking a second look the OmniRig from Limelite.
For more info on this device click here: Limelite
Blackmagic Pocket Camera: What we know so far.
Last week at NAB Blackmagic stunned the film world again by announcing two new cameras. A new 4K APS-C camera with global shutter for $4000 dollars and a smaller Micro Four Thirds pocket camera for $1000 dollars. Personally I am more excited about the pocket camera. This price point will be great for a lot of people looking to get great dynamic range without having to pay a big price. Plus the fact it has a micro four thirds active mount will be good for those people who have MFT lenses or those wishing to add other types of lenses using an adaptor. Adding Nikon, Canon or even PL mount lenses will be easy with the right adapter. It's still very early but Blackmagic is saying a delivery time of July is what we can expect and that it will be released most likely before the 4K camera. I haven't seen any footage yet but hopefully they will release some test footage soon. If Anyone has found any footage on the web please send me a link.
In the mean time lets go through what we know about the camera and some of its features:
-It has 1920x180 resolution
-Apple 10-bit 422 200Mbps ProRes codec with the promise of lossless CinemaDNG codec that will be coming later with a firmware update.
-The sensor size is Super 16: Roughly (12.5x7.4mm)
-Frame Rates 23.98p, 24p, 25p, 29.97p, 30p
-Dynamic Range: 13 stops
-MFT (micro four thirds lens mount) which should give full aperture control to native lenses.
-Magnified focus for focus assist and peaking
-Removable storage is SDXC and SDHC cards. It can record in ProRes 50 minutes of footage on a 64Gb SDXC card
-Metadata: camera data and user data such as shot number, filenames and keywords
-Can output through HDMI without overlays for monitoring: Micro HDMI type D. HDMI Audio Output 2 channels 48 kHz and 24 bit
-3.5" LCD: 800 x 480 resolution
-2.5mm LANC control for controlling record, stop, focus and iris with active lenses
-3.5mm mic input
-3.5mm headphone jack
-0.7mm 12V power input
-Standard tripod mount top and bottom
-Computer Interface USB 2.0 mini B port for firmware updates
-Operating Temperatures 0° to 40° C (32° to 104° F)
-Humidity rating 0% to 90% non-condensing
-Removable battery: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery (EN-EL20) Battery Life: approx. 1 hour of continuous recording time. Charge Time: approx. 1 hour and 15 minutes when the camera is off and approximately 2 hours when in use. You can also use non Blackmagic batteries such as the easy to find and inexpensive Nikon EN-EL20 Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries. This is a big deal because on the 2.5k camera the battery was built in with lousy operating times.
-In the box you get: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, wrist strap, dust cap and 12V AC Adapter.
Plus, DVD (DaVinci Resolve Lite)
-Product Warranty 12 Month Limited Manufacturer's Warranty.
-Compatible operating systems are: Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or later Windows 7 or later
-Dimensions: 5.04 x 1.49 x 2.6 (128 x 38 x 66 mm)
-Weight: 12.52 oz (355 g)
So that's basically what we know so far. As for what the image looks like hopefully we will see some footage soon.
In the mean time lets go through what we know about the camera and some of its features:
-It has 1920x180 resolution
-Apple 10-bit 422 200Mbps ProRes codec with the promise of lossless CinemaDNG codec that will be coming later with a firmware update.
-The sensor size is Super 16: Roughly (12.5x7.4mm)
-Frame Rates 23.98p, 24p, 25p, 29.97p, 30p
-Dynamic Range: 13 stops
-MFT (micro four thirds lens mount) which should give full aperture control to native lenses.
-Magnified focus for focus assist and peaking
-Removable storage is SDXC and SDHC cards. It can record in ProRes 50 minutes of footage on a 64Gb SDXC card
-Metadata: camera data and user data such as shot number, filenames and keywords
-Can output through HDMI without overlays for monitoring: Micro HDMI type D. HDMI Audio Output 2 channels 48 kHz and 24 bit
-3.5" LCD: 800 x 480 resolution
-2.5mm LANC control for controlling record, stop, focus and iris with active lenses
-3.5mm mic input
-3.5mm headphone jack
-0.7mm 12V power input
-Standard tripod mount top and bottom
-Computer Interface USB 2.0 mini B port for firmware updates
-Operating Temperatures 0° to 40° C (32° to 104° F)
-Humidity rating 0% to 90% non-condensing
-Removable battery: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery (EN-EL20) Battery Life: approx. 1 hour of continuous recording time. Charge Time: approx. 1 hour and 15 minutes when the camera is off and approximately 2 hours when in use. You can also use non Blackmagic batteries such as the easy to find and inexpensive Nikon EN-EL20 Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries. This is a big deal because on the 2.5k camera the battery was built in with lousy operating times.
-In the box you get: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, wrist strap, dust cap and 12V AC Adapter.
Plus, DVD (DaVinci Resolve Lite)
-Product Warranty 12 Month Limited Manufacturer's Warranty.
-Compatible operating systems are: Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or later Windows 7 or later
-Dimensions: 5.04 x 1.49 x 2.6 (128 x 38 x 66 mm)
-Weight: 12.52 oz (355 g)
So that's basically what we know so far. As for what the image looks like hopefully we will see some footage soon.
Monday, 8 April 2013
Blackmagic Cinema Camera goes 4K!!!
So this is really early but it looks like Blackmagic is releasing a 4K version of their cinema camera with a larger sensor and global shutter refreshing on the chip for around $4000 US. They also appear to be releasing a smaller Micro Four Thirds pocket camera for $1000 dollars capable of doing 12-bit RAW recording as well. Check out the link below for more details. It's still early with lots more details to come but this could be very big news!
BMCC 4K with global shutter and Super 35 sensor.
Update: BMCC pocket cinema camera has been seen in the wild. Engadget has managed to get a picture of it here: Blackmagic's pocket cinema camera
BMCC 4K with global shutter and Super 35 sensor.
Update: BMCC pocket cinema camera has been seen in the wild. Engadget has managed to get a picture of it here: Blackmagic's pocket cinema camera
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Canon C100 with Atomos Ninja 2
Canon C100:
Last year Canon released a smaller watered down version of their popular cinema camera the C300. The C100 although similar, differed in a variety of ways to the bigger and more expensive C300, mainly being the codec it used. The Canon C300 records internally to dual CF card slots using an MPEG 2 MXF 50 Mbps 4:2:2 compression scheme. This is considered to be entry level broadcast for television. The C100 on the other hand uses a 24 Mbps 4:2:0 AVCHD codec to dual SD card slots. This codec is the main difference between the two cameras. Although AVCHD is a popular codec in the video world for professional and not professional cameras it is still not considered to be a true broadcast codec.
Like the bigger C300 the C100 also used the C-Log gamma curve. This gives back a little more flexibility to the AVCHD codec when it comes to the ability to grade in post. Although it is not RAW it does maintain some of those charistics for color correcting in post. C-Log gives a higher dynamic range with flat image quality and contrast. Working in post, this will provide you with more ability to adjust luminescence levels as well as color saturation and contrast. Better Chroma-Key capability and over all a more robust image when it comes to working in post.
Shooting in C-Log on the C100 is a great way to get a little bit more about of the AVCHD codec on the C100. It will not take you as far as using C-Log with the C300 codec but it gives you a bit more room in post to work with.
The price difference between the C100 and the C300 is substantial. With the Canon coming in at $14,700.00 Canadian and the C100 coming in currently at $5,669.00. Like I said before the main difference between these two camera's is the codec. The sensor and the processor are both the same. There are a few features lacking on the C100 such as an inferior viewfinder and smaller LCD screen as well as less dials on the on the body of the C100 to access the menu. All menu access is done through the grip on the C100. If you remove the grip then you lose access to the menu. The C100 also does not have any off speed frame rates. So no 60p at 1280x720 unlike on the C300.
If you can live with the lack of off speed shooting capability and the limited features discussed above than C100 still offers a great image for a much cheaper price. There is another way however to take this camera to the next level and unlock it's true potential.
By adding an external recorder like the Atomos Ninja 2 pictured above it is possible to get a broadcast quality signal off of the C100 in a codec that actually exceeds the internal codec of the C300. The Ninja 2 can receive an uncompressed signal via the HDMI output. The Atomos Ninja records to a 2.5 SSD drive in a couple of different codecs and bit rates:
The Ninja 2 supports the following:
Apple ProRes:
HQ - 220 Mbps
422 - 150 Mbps
LT - 100Mbps
Avid DNxHD
Avid DNxHD 220x -220Mbps (10-bit)
Avid DNxHD-220 - 36 Mbps (8-bit)
Avid DNxHD-145 - 36 Mbps (8-bit)
By using the Atomos Ninja in conjunction with the Canon C100 it is possible achieve a better codec then internally in the C300.
The Canadian retail price on the Ninja is currently: $1079.00
The C100 with Ninja is a good option that doesn't break the bank but yet delivers as good or even better compression for post editing and grading when pared with external recorder. Depending what you do with the footage in post the results may not be night & day compared to the internal AVCHD codec.
Check out these videos to see the results of the C100 pared with an Atomos Ninja 2 and you be the judge if it is worth spending the extra cash getting the Ninja for use with this camera:
Canon EOS C100 feats Atomos Ninja 2 engl. from Stefan Czech on Vimeo.
Canon C100 + Atomos Ninja 2 from reflejos|digitales on Vimeo.
Canon EOS C100 Test : Broadwater in Low Light (Atomos Ninja 2, Wide DR) from Matt Turner
C100 AVCHD vs Ninja 2 from Jason Silzle on Vimeo.
IBC 2012 - Canon EOS C100 is in love with the Ninja from cinema5D on Vimeo.
Canon C100 Test AVCHD vs ProRes from Adam Stevenson on Vimeo.
Canon EOS C100 AVCHD and ProRes 4:2:2 HQ Comparison from Rusty Auto Productions
Reedy River Falls Park / C 100 / Ninja 2 from Valdas Kotovas on Vimeo.
C100 Test AVCHD vs PRORES HQ from Francesco Corsini on Vimeo.
Links for more information on the Ninja 2 and the Canon C100/C300
Atomos Ninja 2
Canon C100
Canon C300
Sunday, 3 March 2013
4K Video: Do you really need it and will anyone be able to watch it?
4K, Ultra HD, Quad HD, these buzz words dominated CES this past January. Television manufacturers began to ready the public for the next big television revolution. 4K is coming, there is no doubt about that, but will you be able actually watch it and will there be content to watch? In this post we will look at 4K and what it means for the digital video producer and the cliental they wish to reach.
First lets look at what 4k is and if you really do need it for your productions. So what is exactly for 4K?
4K video has 4 times the resolution of HD video. We are talking just over 2 million pixels for HD video vs 8.8 million pixels for 4k. That's a resolution difference of 1920x1080 for Full HD vs. 4096x2160 for 4k. Big difference. Especially when it comes to larger screens. This translates into a shaper, more detailed image, even put on bigger screens such as theatre projections compared to full
To full HD.
So do you need this much resolution? Well that is a very subjective question. It is true that most broadcasters aren't broadcasting in 4k at all, most are still either doing 720p or 1080i or in fact many are still broadcasting SD, very few are broadcasting in true 1080p except for special events. Most
North American broadcasters just finished updating their equipment to be HD capable and are in no rush to spend even more millions of dollars to upgrade everything again to 4k.
Outside of North America and Japan a good majority of the world including a lot of Europe has been slow to adopt HD video due to cost and other obstacles. For a lot of these countries adopting 4k will be a very slow process. In-fact there is a lot of talk among broadcast circles of skipping 4k completely and going straight to 8k, making the cost of upgrading a more long term investment. Of course also there is the big question of content. At CES this year a slew of 4k televisions were released from Sony, Samsung and LG, just to name a few. With prices that most consumers will see as unattainable and almost no content available, 4k seems like less of a priority for the video producer. That being said there are however some real solid reasons to look at 4k as a option for your next video investment. Let's explore some of these reasons for utilizing 4k now.
In video size matters. The more resolution means more the detail, the more information and the more options you have to do what you want with that footage later on. Remember it is always easier to convert down to a lower resolution than it is to go to higher one. If you shoot in 4k and end up mastering out in 1080p and 720p it will be a easier compared to going the opposite route and it will also future proof your projects for when broadcasters and the web catch up to current consumer 4k TV sets and prosumer and professional 4k video cameras being released this year. Now that brings us to a important point. The internet plays a huge role in how this 4k wave plays out. After all the web is how more and more people are accessing video content. This will only continue to grow as the main way to access television and movies compared to traditional video broadcasting methods. Check out my previous post on how the broadcast world is changing: Broadcasting is changing as we know it.
Look no further to Netflix and their partnership with Samsung to deliver 4k to viewers and you know that 4k is closer than many people think. As with most technology these days it tends to out pace most people's conservative estimates. When it comes to streaming 4K to the web we have a ways to go. Anyone trying to stream 1080p with a less than stellar internet connection knows that long buffering times await them for having a smooth streaming experience. There is however hope around the corner for all of us wanting to get on the 4K experience train. H.265 is set to replace the standard web upload and streaming compression H.264 as early as 2014. This is good news for those who want to stream HD on low bandwidth networks and will also make streaming 4k to sites like YouTube and Vimeo a real possibility. If that happens then those who wish to produce 4k content has a much larger and realistic market to broadcast to then waiting for broadcasters to catch up. Check out the link below for a better understanding of what H.265 means for the future of streaming HD and 4K video on the web.
H.265 is approved. How it will change how we stream video.
So we covered the possibilities of people actually being able to view 4k today but what about down the road and what about if you plan to deliver in only 1080p? or even 720p today? Then what? Why should you care about 4k, if your client will never see it? As I mention in the above section it all comes down to options. The fact that you deliver in 1080p today doesn't mean you will tomorrow. The fact is that broadcaster will eventually start broadcasting in 4k or even 8k and the web will probably be able to stream 4k sooner than the broadcasters. So you must think 2,3, 5 years down the road what will your footage look like. Broadcasters love to future proof themselves. I hear more and more of my clients telling me that their broadcasters are requiring more and more different formats to deliver their content on. Broadcasters want to prepare for the future, because right now no one really knows where this is all going to go. 4k? 8K? What format? When? It was a lot easier when it was only BetaCam SP and SX but way things are going with technology who knows what the new standard will be and if there will truly be one. So broadcasters want to be ready for anything. If you can deliver a 4k product that they can bank on next year or in a few years down the road being able to be part of the 4k content wave that will becoming it is a better investment for them. Even at the lower level . It's amazing how old everything seems now that HD is here. As I look at my SD footage I had shot only a few years ago it doesn't seem to have the same impact as the HD footage of today. The fact is technology is moving faster and faster and 4K is closer than people think. Consumer demand of 4K & 8K televisions will drive 4K & 8K content. Unlike the failed niche markets like 3D, 4K & 8K will have much bigger impact on the consumer and the video producer.
Framing: Another reason to shoot in 4K is options in post for framing and adjusting shots. Say for example you are mastering out in 1080p this gives you a lot more options when it comes to framing adjusting a wide shot to a medium shot and a medium shot to close up. Just another reason to consider 4k as an option while shooting.
So in closing, do you really need to shoot in 4K today? The answer is no. with currently no real viable option for delivery and no demand as of yet, 1080P video still looks great, web streaming is becoming easier as bandwidth increases and most people own 720p and 1080p televisions. Unless you have a specific reason to shoot 4K, like theatre distribution or cliental asking for it then 1080p video will be fine for almost all of your needs. However 4K does offer some nice options for framing and will future proof your work if is is used in the future.
First lets look at what 4k is and if you really do need it for your productions. So what is exactly for 4K?
4K video has 4 times the resolution of HD video. We are talking just over 2 million pixels for HD video vs 8.8 million pixels for 4k. That's a resolution difference of 1920x1080 for Full HD vs. 4096x2160 for 4k. Big difference. Especially when it comes to larger screens. This translates into a shaper, more detailed image, even put on bigger screens such as theatre projections compared to full
To full HD.
So do you need this much resolution? Well that is a very subjective question. It is true that most broadcasters aren't broadcasting in 4k at all, most are still either doing 720p or 1080i or in fact many are still broadcasting SD, very few are broadcasting in true 1080p except for special events. Most
North American broadcasters just finished updating their equipment to be HD capable and are in no rush to spend even more millions of dollars to upgrade everything again to 4k.
Outside of North America and Japan a good majority of the world including a lot of Europe has been slow to adopt HD video due to cost and other obstacles. For a lot of these countries adopting 4k will be a very slow process. In-fact there is a lot of talk among broadcast circles of skipping 4k completely and going straight to 8k, making the cost of upgrading a more long term investment. Of course also there is the big question of content. At CES this year a slew of 4k televisions were released from Sony, Samsung and LG, just to name a few. With prices that most consumers will see as unattainable and almost no content available, 4k seems like less of a priority for the video producer. That being said there are however some real solid reasons to look at 4k as a option for your next video investment. Let's explore some of these reasons for utilizing 4k now.
In video size matters. The more resolution means more the detail, the more information and the more options you have to do what you want with that footage later on. Remember it is always easier to convert down to a lower resolution than it is to go to higher one. If you shoot in 4k and end up mastering out in 1080p and 720p it will be a easier compared to going the opposite route and it will also future proof your projects for when broadcasters and the web catch up to current consumer 4k TV sets and prosumer and professional 4k video cameras being released this year. Now that brings us to a important point. The internet plays a huge role in how this 4k wave plays out. After all the web is how more and more people are accessing video content. This will only continue to grow as the main way to access television and movies compared to traditional video broadcasting methods. Check out my previous post on how the broadcast world is changing: Broadcasting is changing as we know it.
Look no further to Netflix and their partnership with Samsung to deliver 4k to viewers and you know that 4k is closer than many people think. As with most technology these days it tends to out pace most people's conservative estimates. When it comes to streaming 4K to the web we have a ways to go. Anyone trying to stream 1080p with a less than stellar internet connection knows that long buffering times await them for having a smooth streaming experience. There is however hope around the corner for all of us wanting to get on the 4K experience train. H.265 is set to replace the standard web upload and streaming compression H.264 as early as 2014. This is good news for those who want to stream HD on low bandwidth networks and will also make streaming 4k to sites like YouTube and Vimeo a real possibility. If that happens then those who wish to produce 4k content has a much larger and realistic market to broadcast to then waiting for broadcasters to catch up. Check out the link below for a better understanding of what H.265 means for the future of streaming HD and 4K video on the web.
H.265 is approved. How it will change how we stream video.
So we covered the possibilities of people actually being able to view 4k today but what about down the road and what about if you plan to deliver in only 1080p? or even 720p today? Then what? Why should you care about 4k, if your client will never see it? As I mention in the above section it all comes down to options. The fact that you deliver in 1080p today doesn't mean you will tomorrow. The fact is that broadcaster will eventually start broadcasting in 4k or even 8k and the web will probably be able to stream 4k sooner than the broadcasters. So you must think 2,3, 5 years down the road what will your footage look like. Broadcasters love to future proof themselves. I hear more and more of my clients telling me that their broadcasters are requiring more and more different formats to deliver their content on. Broadcasters want to prepare for the future, because right now no one really knows where this is all going to go. 4k? 8K? What format? When? It was a lot easier when it was only BetaCam SP and SX but way things are going with technology who knows what the new standard will be and if there will truly be one. So broadcasters want to be ready for anything. If you can deliver a 4k product that they can bank on next year or in a few years down the road being able to be part of the 4k content wave that will becoming it is a better investment for them. Even at the lower level . It's amazing how old everything seems now that HD is here. As I look at my SD footage I had shot only a few years ago it doesn't seem to have the same impact as the HD footage of today. The fact is technology is moving faster and faster and 4K is closer than people think. Consumer demand of 4K & 8K televisions will drive 4K & 8K content. Unlike the failed niche markets like 3D, 4K & 8K will have much bigger impact on the consumer and the video producer.
Framing: Another reason to shoot in 4K is options in post for framing and adjusting shots. Say for example you are mastering out in 1080p this gives you a lot more options when it comes to framing adjusting a wide shot to a medium shot and a medium shot to close up. Just another reason to consider 4k as an option while shooting.
So in closing, do you really need to shoot in 4K today? The answer is no. with currently no real viable option for delivery and no demand as of yet, 1080P video still looks great, web streaming is becoming easier as bandwidth increases and most people own 720p and 1080p televisions. Unless you have a specific reason to shoot 4K, like theatre distribution or cliental asking for it then 1080p video will be fine for almost all of your needs. However 4K does offer some nice options for framing and will future proof your work if is is used in the future.
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