Daniel Grey
I shoot stories
May 20, 2012
leave a comment
April 17, 2012
Blackmagic Cinema Camera
Well this is interesting, who would of thought we would have not one but two affordable Raw cameras in 2012. Over at the Digital Bolex HQ comparisons are already being made. One of the kickstarter supporters Nikita Pavlov has already put a direct comparison chart on his blog I have pasted the same relevant stats below. The cameras are quite comparable, with a slightly bigger sensor on the Blackmagic and a wonderful looking touch screen. There are similarities between them CinemaDNG, a removable SSD and a SDI out. The Digital bolex has a SSD and SDI (in a separate unit) but they decided against a removable SSD because it’s not designed for frequent removal. The SDI is supposed to arrive on the Bolex via an add on $3000 unit, I’m not sure what effect the news of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera will have on this.
The Bolex comes with a mini HDMI port, WiFi and USB3.0 and Raw conversion software in the pipeline. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera comes with some wicked software Ultrascope and Davinchi Resolve as well as a Thunderbolt connection for live waveform monitoring with Ultrascope. As you can see the cameras are just begging for a head to head test, we just need them to be released.
The Blackmagic seems to be aimed towards Mac users and admittedly has an ace up it’s sleeve. The ability to compress the footage in camera to Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD. This is fantastic addition and I wish the Digital Bolex could do this but I understand why it can’t at it’s current price point. On a final note Blackmagic have gone with a slightly bigger sized sensor than Super 16. So Cinema glass designed for super 16 like my Zeiss Super Speeds will not fully cover the sensor of Blackmagics Cinema Camera.
Digital Bolex Specs
Resolution 2048 x 1152 (Super 16mm mode) + 1920 x 1080 pixels (16mm mode)
Format Adobe Cinema DNG, TIFF, JPEG Image sequences
Colour depth 12 bit – 4:4:2
File size 2 to 3 MB per frame in RAW
Sensor Kodak CCD: 12.85 mm (H) x 9.64 mm (V) – Similar to Super 16mm
Pixel Size 5.5 micron (compared to the 4.3 micron size of many DSLRs)
Framerate up to 32 fps at 2K, 60fps at 720p, 90 fps at 480p
Sound Balanced, 2 channel, 16 bit, 48 kHz via XLR
Viewfinder 320×240, 2.4” diagonal, with Focus Assist
Video out 640 x 480 B&W via ⅛” video jack (HD-SDI avail in separate unit)
Ports ⅛” video, headphone, USB 3.0, Audio XLR (2), 4-PIN XLR
Data Storage Dual SD card slots, SSD (buffer drive)
Power Internal battery, 12V External via 4 pin XLR port
Body Magnesium and hard plastic
Size (body) Approximately 12.7cm H (without pistol grip) by 10.2cm W by 20.3cm D
Size (grip) 12.7cm H by 5cm W by 12.7cm D
Lens mount C-mount comes standard; Optional PL, EF, B4
Weight 2.5kg
ISO Options 100, 200, 400
Also in the box pistol grip, USB 3.0 cable, internal battery, 4 pin XLR Battery, cable, video cable, transcoder/raw conversion software
—
Blackmagic Cinema Camera Tech Specs
Sensor Resolution 2592 x 2192
Raw Resolution 12-bit RAW files recorded at 2432 x 1366
Shooting Resolutions 2.5K RAW at 2432 x 1366, compressed at 1920 x 1080
Frame Rates 23.98p, 24p, 25p, 29.97p, 30p
Sensor Size 16.64 mm x 14.04 mm
Sensor Size – Active 15.6 mm x 8.8 mm
Dynamic Range 13 stops
Focus Focus button turns on peaking
Iris Control Iris button automatically adjusts the lens iris settings so no pixel is clipped
Lens Mount EF and ZF mount compatible with electronic iris control
Screen Dimensions 5″ and 800 x 480 resolution
Screen Type Integrated LCD capacitive touchscreen
Metadata Support Automatic camera data and user data such as shot number, filenames and keywords
Controls Onscreen touch menus and physical buttons for recording and transport control
Microphone Integrated mono microphone
Speaker Integrated mono speaker
Mounting Options 3 x 1/4″ thread mounting points on top of camera.
1 x 1/4″ thread tripod mount with locator pin.
Power Integrated Lithium-ion Polymer rechargeable battery.
12V-30V DC port for external battery power or use included 12V AC adapter.
Battery Life Approximately 90 minutes
Battery Charge Time Approximately 2 hours when not in use.
Camera Dimensions 166.2mm by 113.51mm x 126.49mm excluding detachable sunshade and turret dust cap
Camera Weight 1.7 kg / 3.75 lb
Storage Features
Storage Type Removable 2.5” SSD
Storage Format Mac OS Extended format. SSDs can be formatted on any Mac or use Mediafour MacDrive (not included) on a Windows PC.
Storage Rates 5 MB/frame in RAW 2.5K fits about 30 minutes of 24p video on a 256 GB solid state disk. Compressed HD formats fit more than 5 times the amount of RAW video.
Uncompressed Recording Formats RAW 2.5K CinemaDNG
Compressed Recording Formats Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD. All compressed recording in 1920×1080 10-bit YUV with choice of Film or Video Dynamic Range.
Connections
SDI Video Output 1 x 10-bit HD-SDI 4:2:2 with choice of Film or Video Dynamic Range
Analog Audio Input 2 x 1/4” jacks for professional balanced analog audio, switchable between mic and line levels.
Analog Audio Output 1 x 3.5mm stereo headphone output
SDI Audio Output 4 channels in HD-SDI
Remote Control 1 x 2.5mm LANC for Rec Start/Stop, Iris Control and Focus Control
Computer Interface Thunderbolt port for capture of RAW video and audio.
USB 2.0 mini B port for software updates and configuration.
External Power 12V-30V DC port for external battery power or use included 12V AC adapter.
Standards
SDI Compliance SMPTE 292M.
SDI Audio Sampling 48 kHz and 24 bit.
Extras
Software Included DaVinci Resolve grading software including Resolve USB dongle for Mac OS X and Windows.
Media Express software for video capture from the camera’s Thunderbolt port.
Blackmagic UltraScope software for waveform monitoring from the camera’s Thunderbolt port.
Accessories Detachable sun shield, camera strap, turret dust cap and 12V AC adapter.
Product Warranty 12 Month Limited Manufacturer’s Warranty.
Optional Accessories
Camera Handles Blackmagic Cinema Camera Handles
March 15, 2012
The Digital Bolex: A Super 16 Digital Cinema Camera
Update: Here is a link to their new forum http://www.digitalbolex.com/forum/ The most up to date info can be found there.
This affordable camera news came to me through Philip Blooms blog. Actually it came thorough Facebook like most of my news does now, I’m sure this doesn’t mean facebook will replace the news, just that I spend to much time on Facebook.
Philip has a review and a phone interview with the creators. I read his post checked out the kickstarter page and put my money down. I got camera number 000010 I’m investing in a company I want to see succeed but still a very scary proposition, send someone $2500 and hope they send you a camera.
Specs
Resolution 2048 x 1152 (Super 16mm mode) + 1920 x 1080 pixels (16mm mode)
Format Adobe Cinema DNG, TIFF, JPEG Image sequences
Colour depth 12 bit – 4:4:4
File size 2 to 3 MB per frame in RAW
Sensor Kodak CCD: 12.85 mm (H) x 9.64 mm (V) – Similar to Super 16mm
Pixel Size 5.5 micron (compared to the 4.3 micron size of many DSLRs)
Framerate up to 32 fps at 2K, 60fps at 720p, 90 fps at 480p
Sound Balanced, 2 channel, 16 bit, 48 kHz via XLR
Viewfinder 320×240, 2.4” diagonal, with Focus Assist
Video out 640 x 480 B&W via ⅛” video jack (HD-SDI avail in separate unit)
Ports ⅛” video, headphone, USB 3.0, Audio XLR (2), 4-PIN XLR
Data Storage Dual CF card slots, SSD (buffer drive)
Power Internal battery, 12V External via 4 pin XLR port
Body Milled steel and hard plastic
Size (body) Approximately 5”H (without pistol grip) by 4”W by 8”D
Size (grip) 5”H by 2”W by 5”D
Lens mount C-mount comes standard; Optional PL, EF, B4
Weight 5lbs
ISO Options 100, 200, 400
Also in the box pistol grip, USB 3.0 cable, internal battery, 4 pin XLR Battery, cable, video cable, transcoder/raw conversion software
Lenses will be interesting proposition we can use old 16 and super 16mm film lenses Zeiss, Cooke, Angenieux and Switars although they are rare and expensive. I have read the shorter focal length Switars are RX corrected so anything under 50mm won’t suit the digital chip unless the creators allow for this (edit* Joe has mentioned he is aware of it and might be able to allow for this).
There are some aspect of this little cam I don’t like. The low resolution viewfinder and b/w monitor out. I think I can live with these for the opportunity to learn to not be so reliant on the viewfinder. I think I will shoot Adobe Cinema DNG, colour my footage in Lightroom and edit in Premiere CS5.5. At the moment I’m not totally sure about this Adobe workflow but there are work arounds. Transcoding to cineform is one. There is a vocal for and against spreading around the internet as people take sides. The “against” seem well informed so I will keep doing my research. If you watch the Behind the Scenes of “One Small Step” , the first film shoot on the digital bolex you can see a little camera. Its an industrial camera called a Prosilica GX2300 by GIGE vision usually used in security or medical imaging. It uses the same $350 sensor sensor the Digital Bolex uses which is why Joe and Elle used the Prosilica to shoot a film to show off the camera. The most exciting thing about this camera is the CCD sensor. It does not suffer the jello effect caused by rolling shutter that can be seen on CMOS sensors when you move to quickly. The lens choice for this little cam is also supurb the more I research I do the more excited I get. I’m still hoping to view some stock footage and confirm a workflow, when I find out I will post it here.
A quote from Barry Green a moderator over at DVXuser, who sums the camera in this analogy:
“Okay, you all knew it was coming, but it’s time for a car comparison. Think of the AF100 in terms of a car, it’s a, well, maybe it’s a Honda Civic LX. It’s comfortable, it’s smooth, it’s quick, it has power locks and power windows and air conditioning and a great stereo, and when you want to go somewhere you turn the key and go. By comparison, the DBolex is a 300HP engine on a go-kart frame. When you want to use it, you go blasting down the dragstrip, and then you spend the next week repairing everything that broke off it. (that’s the equivalent to all the post-production you’ll have to do on the raw images).
In other words, the AF100 is the daily driver, and the DBolex is the weekend hobby. There’s definitely a place for both in a shooter’s arsenal, as long as they can afford both. That’s my take, anyway, and I do hope these guys can deliver what they set out to deliver.”
This is an important thing to think about I have been shooting with a DSLRs where ISO, White balance everything is decided in camera. The chip inside the camera even shrinks the footage to a very manageable size through a codec. The Digital Bolex will be the opposite, broom broom.
I received a reply to this post from Joe Rubinstein (one of the creators) “I especially like the car analogy, in fact I used a car analogy when explaining why we needed the partnership with Bolex International. My feeling though is this is not a speedy car, quite the opposite, I think it’s an electric VW Bug. It’s retro, it’s gonna be a hell of a lot of fun to drive, comes with no extras, and you’re gonna end up spending a bunch of time tinkering with it, because it’s fun! I loved 16mm film, it was cheap enough to play with but high enough quality to do some serious work, that’s what I want for this camera, to revive the sense of wonder and discovery I got from my Bolex.
Thanks again, Joe”
A current prototype and mock up, not much to look at unfortunately but it shows they are serious.
Good luck to Joe Rubinstein and Elle Schneider
February 12, 2012
Bayden Packwood
Picture someone really laid back, quite trendy with two huge tattoo’s on his forearms yet playing a banjo that’s Bayden Packwood. I knew this was was going to be a quirky shoot when we were filming in someone’s lounge room directly opposite Central Station. Thirteen classical musicians set up with no fuss and a minimum of order. The whole day went like that, we only had a couple of hours to shoot five videos for the album ‘Packwood’ and we got through them all with a minimum of fuss. I got goose pimples while filming my favourite the director did say he was after a lot of feeling in my shooting. All credit goes to Angelo Kehagias (Director/edit) and Bayden for his musical genius, all I did is hold the camera. The video are being released one a week so I can only share the first one here, enjoy.