In 2012 Blackmagic Design, previously known for it’s high-end video processing tools, shocked the film industry with its release of the Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera. The camera bucked a number of industry rules, the biggest of which was providing a way to film in 2.5K RAW for under $3,000 for the first time. Since then, Blackmagic has continued to release new cinema cameras that continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the owner/operator market space.
Easily one of the most exciting announcements from Blackmagic in the past few years has been their introduction of the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (BMPCC4K). Here at CPM we recently had the chance to spend some serious time with the BMPCC4K, testing out just how well the camera performs and how it could fit into a modern church filmmaking context.
Under the hood
As has been the case with many previous Blackmagic cameras, the BMPCC4K boasts a number of best-in-class features, beginning with the camera’s ability to capture full DCI 4K footage in 60 fps and HD footage at 120 fps (with a cropped sensor scan).
In addition to capturing in ProRes 422 10-bit, the camera has recently been upgraded with the new Blackmagic RAW 3:1, 5:1, 8:1 and 12:1 compression schemes. Variable bit-rate RAW filming has traditionally been one of the main selling points of high-end professional cinema cameras like RED, and the release of Blackmagic RAW is already proving to be an industry game-changer.
At the heart of the BMPCC4K is a 4/3-inch MFT sensor that boasts 13 stops of dynamic range and dual native ISO sensitivities extending up to 25,600.
At the heart of the BMPCC4K is a 4/3-inch MFT sensor that boasts 13 stops of dynamic range and dual native ISO sensitivities extending up to 25,600. The body style of the camera is a kind of super-sized DSLR form factor, with a carbon fiber frame that brings the camera in at just shy of 1.6 pounds. While it’s marketed as a "pocket camera," you’d likely need to be wearing cargo pants to fit it into your pocket.
From a recording standpoint the BMPCCK4K captures internally to CFast 2.0 or SD/UHS-II cards, as well as a USB-C port for recording externally to a portable SSD drive. The camera also features a full-sized HDMI port for outputting to a monitor, as well as a mini-XLR input port for pro audio and dedicated 3.5mm mic and headphone jacks. It can be powered via an included power supply or Canon LP-E6 battery.
The camera also features a full-sized HDMI port for outputting to a monitor, as well as a mini-XLR input port for pro audio and dedicated 3.5mm mic and headphone jacks.
At a $1,295 price point, one of the main selling points of the BMPCC4K is its unrivaled value proposition compared to the rest of the market. Factoring in the included full version of Blackmagic Design’s Resolve Studio post-production software ($300 value), the camera becomes an incomparable deal for filmmakers.
Cinema quality in a DSLR body
In our real-world tests, the BMPCC4K proved to be a bit harder to get our head around than we first anticipated. On the one hand, it’s easily the best cinema camera value we’ve ever seen. Beautiful footage, amazing color rendition, fantastic resolutions, frame rates and top of the line recording formats make for a camera that holds up in just about any professional environment. Skin tones coming off the camera look exceptional, but so do all of the other colors, as well.
On the other hand, the camera is not actually the easiest to run-and-gun film with, which is a bit strange for a camera marketed as a "pocket" solution. That being said, it’s undeniable that the resulting footage can still be nothing short of amazing.
A big part of the reason for [the camera's ability to capture amazing footage] is the new Blackmagic RAW compression....
A big part of the reason for that is the new Blackmagic RAW compression, which is just incredible. Retaining the ability to control the ISO, tint and color balance of a shoot in post, without negatively affecting the image itself, is so useful. Couple that power with the ability to select the right compression scheme for your project, and it's just something that hasn’t been possible in cinema cameras under $20K before now. We found 5:1 and 8:1 to be the sweet spots in balancing flexibility in post, with the finite nature of memory card space, but for higher-end commercial projects, 3:1 would certainly be worth considering as well.
We found 5:1 and 8:1 to be the sweet spots in balancing flexibility in post....
While the increased low-light performance of the new dual-ISO sensor is certainly superior to the low-light ability of the popular URSA Mini Pro 4.6K, we still wouldn’t go so far as to call the BMPCC4K a low-light camera. In our tests we actually achieved the best results filming on the conservative side, then taking advantage of the deep bit depth to boost highs and mids in post.
In a nice surprise, one of our favorite features of the BMPCC4K turned out to be the camera’s control layout, which made it a breeze to quickly adjust critical settings without having to take your eyes off screen itself.
In a nice surprise, one of our favorite features of the BMPCC4K turned out to be the camera’s control layout, which made it a breeze to quickly adjust critical settings without having to take your eyes off screen itself. Having three easily assignable function buttons provided useful flexibility, and adopting the same menus system as the URSA Mini Pro was another very welcome discovery.
Filming on the go
Camera body design is one of the more polarizing debates in the digital cinema world, but in our tests we quickly discovered the advantage of the "super-DSLR" style of the BMPCC4K. When filming documentary-style footage out in public, the camera is actually a lot less intimidating to laypeople that most other cinema camera form factors. Filmmakers shooting with the camera just look like photography enthusiasts to the casual observer, which sets people at lot more at ease than seeing someone shooting with a larger cinema camera.
When filming documentary-style footage out in public, the camera is actually a lot less intimidating to laypeople that most other cinema camera form factors.
Which actually brings us to one of the few downsides of the BMPCC4K, which is the lack of any kind of in-body stabilization. For our tests we ended up filming primarily with the Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8, which features optical image stabilization within the lens itself. Even with that feature in place, we still encountered some stability issues when filming on the far side of the zoom range. Most serious filmmakers would rarely ever shoot completely handheld, but given the form factor it is worth mentioning that that user will want to consider additional stabilization solutions to achieve the best results.
The large five-inch touchscreen proved to be fantastic for composing shots, pulling focus, and generally operating the camera under most circumstances. With that said, the screen is too dim for shooting in direct sunlight. This is common in almost all built-in video camera and DSLR-style camera monitors, and is easily overcome by incorporating something like a SmallHD Focus monitor into an outdoor filming rig. Unfortunately, using exterior monitor defeats the low-profile advantages of the camera’s smaller form factor.
In our tests, battery life when filming with the included Canon LP-E6 battery was around 35 minutes. This meant that we always brought five or six batteries along to ensure we didn’t run out of power at the wrong time. For filmmakers needing a more elegant solution, Blackmagic Design has announced a forthcoming battery grip accessory that will power the camera for 2.5 hours of continuous run time.
Seeing straight
With those small caveats aside, our overall experiences with the BMPCC4K were very, very positive. Although we knew better, it was impossible not to compare the camera to other options on the market costing at least five times as much. And many times those comparisons proved extremely favorable to the BMPCC4K.
In spite of mobile form factor, we found it helpful and more accurate to think of the BMPCC4K as a full digital cinema camera housed in a unique, lightweight form factor. When considered through that lens, rather than the lens of a run-and-gun option, it’s clear the camera has a lot to offer for filmmakers at almost every level of production.
Given its imaging power and ability to capture profession-level audio, budding church film teams looking to make a first camera purchase would definitely be set up for success with the BMPCC4K.
Given its imaging power and ability to capture profession-level audio, budding church film teams looking to make a first camera purchase would definitely be set up for success with the BMPCC4K. Conversely, developing media teams ready to jump from a DSLR-style camera to something far more capable of capturing professional -evel footage, and who aren’t ready or able to drop $10K, would find the camera to be a great next-step option.
Teams already invested in larger Blackmagic Design cinema cameras like the URSA Mini Pro will very likely find the BMPCC4K to be an ideal B camera for staying in the same high-quality 4K filming space without making another huge investment.
In conclusion
Ultimately, when it comes to digital cinema cameras, there is simply no better value on the market today than the BMPCC4K. For church film teams looking to introduce some serious filmmaking power into the heart of their filmmaking craft without breaking the bank, the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K may well be the ideal choice.
