Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

fcp.co: Color Finale Transcoder – BRAW, ARRIRAW, DNG and CinemaDNG into FCP

https://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/news/2455-color-finale-transcoder-braw-arriraw-dng-and-cinemadng-into-fcp

“You’ve just purchased a shiny new Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro or Pocket Cinema Camera and are looking forward to the benefits of shooting camera raw. Oops! Final Cut Pro doesn’t support BRAW. Sure, you could use DaVinci Resolve, but you’d rather stay within your preferred editing ecosystem. Fear not, Color Trix has your back.

The developer of the Color Finale product line of professional color tools for Final Cut Pro has just released Color Finale Transcoder, a camera raw import utility…

… Color Finale Transcoder is an excellent solution for Final Cut Pro editors who need to integrate these camera raw formats without the need to add and learn additional applications….”

blackmagicdesign_bmpcc6kpro_01_1024px — Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro aka BMPCC 6K Pro. Image courtesy of Blackmagic Design.

Commentary

Although Blackmagic Design makes the excellent industry-standard audio and video editing and colour grading suite DaVinci Resolve in both its free and hardware-bundled versions, and it is a product well worth having and learning, Final Cut Pro is often used professionally and by enthusiasts as sole video editing and colour grading suite with third party grading plugins like those made by Color Trix Ltd and CoreMelt.

DaVinci Resolve has been the only NLE to support Blackmagic Design’s Braw raw video file format so far, but gratitude and kudos to Color Trix Ltd for producing Color Finale Transcoder and giving those of us seriously considering investing in the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro one less reason to be wobbly on the idea.

Fuji Rumors: Fujifilm Manager: XF18mmF1.4 Resolution Beast (Ready for Fujifilm X-H2?), Why No Focus Clutch, Better than XF16/1.4 and More

https://www.fujirumors.com/fujifilm-manager-xf18mmf1-4-resolution-beast-ready-for-fujifilm-x-h2-why-no-focus-clutch-better-than-xf16-1-4-and-more

“Fujifilm manager Ueno, who was in charge of the development of the brand new Fujinon XF18mm f/1.4 R LM WR, gave an interview in Japanese, where he talks about the development process of this lens, the difference from existing lenses, and how to use it properly.

Once again the challenge is represented by the automatic google translation tool on youtube. I went through this pain for you guys and you can find the summary down below….”

fujfilm_fujinon_xf_18mm_f1.4_r_lm_wr_02_1920px

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR on Fujifilm X-Pro3. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Australia.

fujifilm_x-h1_battery_grip_16-55mm_01_1024px_60%

Fujifilm X-H1 with VPB-XH1 battery grip and Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR professional zoom lens. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Australia.

Commentary

Once again Patrick DiVino of Fuji Rumors goes above and beyond the call of duty by providing a workable translation of the Kitamura YouTube video about the Fujinon XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR prime lens.

Many thanks to Mr DiVino for all his good work!

My personal high points in Patrick DiVino’s translation:

Fujifilm’s first focus was resolution

sensors will evolve also in future offering more megapixel

on the XF18mmF1.4, Fujifilm used an optical design that is very effective to increase resolution

also chromatic aberration, coma, etc are corrected as much as possible optically

autofocus has been improved too thanks to linear motor

20cm close focusing is very close and allows you to get nice background blur, when you focus on a close subject

XF18mmF1.4 has an aperture lock

future lenses will have the A-lock too

in future there will be higher megapixel cameras with higher pixel pitch, and more precise manual focus will be required, given the fact that various characteristics (such as temperature), have influence on manual focus

the linear motor makes autofocus very fast, which should give you great AF results

optical performance between XF18mmF2 and XF18mmF1.4 is different. On XF18mmF2 the priority was keeping size small

XF16mmF1.4 still has first class optical performance, but XF18mmF1.4 is “one or two ranks higher” in terms of performance, as it h[a]s less aberration wide open

2mm difference in APS-C gives a different look on wide angle lenses

olympus_m-zuiko_primes_square_17_25_45_1024px_02_60 — Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.2 Pro, Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 Pro and Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 Pro professional prime lenses with manual clutch focusing, brilliant for shooting video or stills where accurate focus is absolutely critical. Image courtesy of Olympus.

Some very promising information there about this long-awaited major update to the Fujinon XF 18mm f/2.0 R. and one that augurs well for documentary photography under available light and darkness as well as cinematography with autofocus and follow-focus.

The following point about the manual clutch focusing capability of first generation Fujinon XF lenses such as the 14mm f/2.8 R, 16mm f/1.4 R WR and 23mm f/1.4 R is interesting.

I often rely upon manual clutch focus, especially when working in available darkness where the camera’s autofocus is challenged, but I prefer the manual clutch focus solution in Olympus’ M. Zuiko Pro prime and zoom lenses to Fujifilm’s.

focus clutch fits well on lenses that are often used with rangefinder styled cameras like the X-Pro series, to achieve manual focus at a more far distance. In the past, this was a very popular way to achieve focus

My favourite M.Zuiko Pro-capable Micro Four Thirds camera for stills photography is the legendary Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 rangefinder-style camera and I often cover rapidly-evolving events with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro zoom lens mounted on it for situations where changing prime lenses is not an option.

The 12-40mm’s manual clutch focus ring has hard stops at each end of the focusing scale and a beautifully smooth action that is excellent for pulling focus by hand or with a follow-focus device.

If money were not an option, and I was doing major work with M43 cameras such as the coming Panasonic Lumix DC-GH6, Lumix BGH1 Cinema 4K Box Camera or the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (hopefully soon to be upgraded in the same way as its 6K sibling) then I would default to a large kit of M. Zuiko Pro zoom and prime lenses.

on the XF18mmF1.4 the focus ring turns 360° all around, meaning that the focus ring position is not fixed to a definitive focus value

olympus_m-zuiko_pro_collection_2017_1024px_80pc — The Olympus M.Zuiko Pro professional prime and zoom lens collection as of late 2017, all with manual clutch focus, invaluable for fast, accurate and repeatable manual focusing as well as linear focus-by-wire and autofocus. Image courtesy of Olympus.

So, apparently, no hard stops at either end on the XF 18mm f1/4’s ring when manual focusing, but time will tell how well the lens works with manual focusing.

Let’s hope some professional cinematographers put the lens to the test soon.

Mr DiVino has linked the Fujinon 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR and other rumoured second-generation lens updates including the XF 23mm f/1.4 and XF 56mm f/1.2 as well as the coming XF 33mm f/1.4 to the Fujifilm X-H2 flagship stills and video camera apparently to be released sometime in 2022.

Although current X-Tn cameras, the X-T3 and X-T4, have some great traits for stills and video, I much prefer the X-Hn series cameras’ form factor for hybrid work and especially with larger lenses that demand good balance with a larger, heavier camera body plus vertical battery grip.

Fujifilm has long needed to prove its dedication to Super 35 video with a matched set of professional video-capable primes in addition to its existing Red Badge zooms, and I would love to see the company produce a second-generation XF 14mm f/2.8 and a “Fujilux”-style 27mm or 28mm f/1.4 as a professional-quality alternative to its recently-released XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR pancake prime lens.

In order words, Fujifilm, please take a leaf out of the Olympus M. Zuiko Pro book with a matched set of excellent zoom and prime lenses equally suitable for stills and video, autofocus and manual focus, with wide-enough maximum apertures for most lighting situations.

PauL Leeming’s Leeming LUT Pro Now Released for Fujifilm F-Log, LUTs for Eterna Cinema, Pro Neg Std and HLG for Rec709 Coming Soon

Cinematographer/director Paul Leeming of Leeming LUT Pro and Visceral Psyche. Photograph made by Karin Gottschalk with Fujifilm X-T3 and Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R then processed in Alien Skin Exposure X4 using Summer Blockbuster cinematic preset.

Australian feature film cinematographer/director Paul Leeming has released the first camera profile correction look-up table in his Leeming LUT Pro set for Fujifilm X-Trans sensor-equipped cameras, for Fujifilm’s F-Log logarithmic shooting profile, with Eterna Cinema, Pro Neg Std and HLG for Rec709 LUTs to come.

This is a significant and long-awaited event given that Fujifilm has finally delivered on its longtime promise to radically improve its cameras’ video capabilities with the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-H1, with the coming X-H2 hopefully improving on the X-T3 as a moviemaking hybrid mirrorless camera in Super 35 format.

Super 35 has long been the feature film format of choice for narrative and documentary production, and the arrival of improved video capabilities on Fujifilm’s X-T2 cameras was a relief after the disappointment of the X-Pro2’s video support.

Leeming LUT Pro for F-Log on Fujifilm cameras with X-Trans sensors

LeemingLUTPro_Fujifilm_F-Log_Sample_2019-10-29 — Still frame from sample footage of Leeming LUT Pro for Fujifilm F-Log in use with video from Fujifilm X-T3.

Even the recently announced X-Pro3 appears to have 4K Super 35 video features that may prove good enough in a pinch when more video-oriented cameras are unavailable.

The Leeming LUT Pro expose and correction methodology is based on exposing to the right aka ETTR followed by correction via camera-specific look-up-table files in one’s nonlinear editing suite or colour grading software of choice.

The ETTR method’s most vocal proponent was the late Michael Reichmann who was in favour for its use in photography and videography, and although he and many other photographers constantly lobbied camera makers for auto-ETTR in their Live View-capable cameras, to no effect so far.

Why camera makers continue to ignore the necessity of optimal exposure is anyone’s guess.

For that reason I am grateful that Paul Leeming has applied himself to solving the problem of correct exposure followed by correcting colour via Leeming LUT Pro, with the added benefit of making footage shot on a variety of affordable cameras usable in the same timeline without excessive shot matching work.

The ideal, maximum possible dynamic range and realistic colours, using Leeming LUT Pro and Expose-To-The-Right (ETTR)

leeminglutpro_corrected_2048px — Footage with Leeming LUT Pro applied in nonlinear editing suite.

Uncorrected camera maker luma and colorimetry

leeminglutpro_outofcamera-uncorrected_02_1129px — “Uncorrected manufacturer luma curve and colorimetry. Notice how the X shape is all distorted and not straight, and how it artificially lifts the mids to make them much brighter (a favourite trick of the manufacturers to make their images appear brighter than the sensor is recording them).”

Luma curve and colorimetry levels corrected with Leeming LUT Pro

leeminglutpro_outofcamera-to-corrected_02_1129px — “Corrected luma curve. Notice how straight the X shape is. As an aside, you can also see the fixed colorimetry levels.”

In the light of camera makers’ tendency to fudge their camera’s video output as illustrated above, exposing to the right appears to make footage appear darker than one may be accustomed to, but Mr Leeming has made available other, secondary, LUTs to quickly and easily raise footage low values, as explained below.

As usual, the LUT will “darken” the footage, which really just means it will make the curve perfectly LINEAR. Examine the attached image using your waveform scope in your favourite editing software, and you’ll see what that means, with the exposure steps forming a perfect “X” shape in linear fashion. This is of course ETTR, so if you under-expose your image, it will look darker.

The LUT(s) don’t make the image darker. The LUT(s) correct the manufacturer luma curves to be linear. In most (but not all) cases, this results in the image “appearing” to be darker, but it’s not affecting anything, nor clipping anything, nor adding additional noise that wasn’t in the shot to begin with.

Don’t forget, you also have the Apollo Pro Quickies to use after the corrective LUT in case you want to brighten the image without clipping the highlights or adding any more shot noise. But when you can, please ETTR and save yourself the problems (and give yourself the cleanest possible log image to begin with).

If your shot after LUT application has its highlights not reaching 100% IRE, then you underexposed it. Use the zebras as per the guide to see where the clipping point is. Expose just shy of that and you’ll maximise sensor dynamic range and minimise shot noise.

If you HAVE underexposed or simply want a brighter image post-corrective LUT, try following it with one or more of my Apollo Pro Quickies, which are expressly designed to lift the shadows in a natural way without clipping the highlights.

Stills frames from feature film shot by Paul Leeming, ungraded then graded with Leeming LUT Pro

Ungraded, straight out of camera footage. The sort of non grading currently popular in Australian TV commercials.

Graded with Leeming LUT Pro. Cinematic and filmic, and far more emotive.

Settings for shooting video Fujifilm cameras for processing with Leeming LUT Pro

Pro Neg Std, Eterna Cinema, F-log or HLG
H265 recording format
DR100 for all profiles
Highlight tone 0
Shadow tone 0
Color 0
Sharpness -4
Noise Reduction -4
Zebra level 100%

Quick and dirty Leeming LUT Pro for Fujifilm F-Log tryout with Fujifilm X-H1 F-Log footage

Ungraded, out of camera footage from Fujifilm X-H1 with F-Log.

Graded footage from Fujifilm X-H1 with Leeming LUT Pro for Fujifilm F-Log, plus a LUT from Leeming LUT Pro Quickies and colour correction.

I shoot documentary stills and video rather than make narrative feature movies, so often work alone under challenging conditions as in this example.

The Fujifilm X-H1 had a vintage Zeiss Jena Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 MC Auto prime lens attached to it via a Gobe M42-to-X-mount adapter with no neutral density filter, and I fudged on setting a custom white balance as I was more concerned with understanding the creative possibilities of this lens for video than in getting technicalities perfect.

An adapted 50mm lens on an APS-C/Super 35 camera equates to 75mm in the 35mm sensor format, which is one of my favourite focal lengths for documentary photography and video.

I have been throughly enjoying trying out this lens and its companion, a Panagor PMC 28mm f/2.8 wide-angle prime lens that Paul Leeming kindly gave us.

These sorts of vintage prime lenses are rare and overpriced here in Sydney, at least ever since camera stores like Foto Reisel with their secondhand gear cabinets closed down.

Fujifilm Super 35/APS-C hybrid cameras capable of shooting 4K and Cinema 4K F-Log video as well as in other picture profiles: X-T3, X-H1 and X-Pro3

Fujifilm X-H1 with VPB-XH1 battery grip and Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR professional zoom lens. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Australia.

Fujifilm X-Pro3 with MHG-XPRO3 grip and Fujinon XF 35mm f/2.0 R WR prime lens.

fujifilm_vg-xt3_vertical_battery_grip_05_1024px_80pc

Fujifilm X-T3 with VG-XT3 Vertical Battery Grip and Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS zoom lens. Image courtesy of B&H.

Links

Gerald Undone – Best LUT for Beginners – Leeming vs FilmConvert vs Buttery – “Comparing some quick color grades using the Leeming LUTs, the Buttery LUTs, & FilmConvert with some general color correction tips and usage scenarios.” – video
Jon Pais – Getting Good Colors Using ETTR, X-Rite Colorchecker & Leeming LUT Pro – “I made this video in response to a viewer’s question about ETTR.” – video
Jon Pais – How to Expose to the Right – “How to expose to the right using the X-Rite Colorchecker and false color.” – video
Jon Pais – Leeming LUT Pro and Leeming LUT Quickies – “Leeming LUT Pro and Leeming LUT Quickies” – video
Jon Pais – Leeming LUT Pro Sample Footage – “A quick demo of applying Leeming LUT Pro to Sony Cine2 footage.” – video
Jon Pais – Response to Viewer – “I believe a viewer didn’t like the flat lighting in my last video, so I’m uploading one with a little more punch.” – video
Leeming LUT Pro – website
Paul Leeming – How to ETTR – Quick And Dirty Edition! – “How to Expose To The Right (ETTR) to maximise your camera’s sensor dynamic range :)” – video
The Luminous Landscape – Expose Right – This once-essential website is now paywalled, though a limited number of free page views is permitted before paying for access.
The Luminous Landscape – Optimizing Exposure – “In 2003 I wrote a tutorial titled Expose Right. To my knowledge this was the first generally available essay that discussed the realities of digital exposure, as opposed to that required for film. Since then the technique described has become known as ETTR (Expose To The Right)…. A live-view histogram-based auto-exposure system is all that needed to generate the best possible exposure from a technical perspective.”
Wayback Machine – Expose (to the) Right: Maximizing S/N Ratio in Digital Photography
Wayback Machine – Optimizing Exposure: Why Do Camera Makers Give Us 19th Century Exposures With Our 21st Century Cameras? – “In digital photography, exposing to the right (ETTR) is the technique of adjusting the exposure of an image as high as possible at base ISO (without causing unwanted saturation) to collect the maximum amount. So – here we are, more than a decade into the DSLR revolution (and the new century) and camera makers are still using 25, 50, even 100+ year old exposure technology in our latest cameras. Why? I really can’t say, but they should be taken to task for not delivering the best image quality that their cameras are capable of and thus get the optimum performance out of the digital image sensor.”
Wikipedia – Colorimetry
Wikipedia – Exposing to the right
Wikipedia – Gamma correction
Wikipedia – Hybrid Log-Gamma
Wikipedia – Log profile
Wikipedia – Luma (video)
Wikipedia – Michael Reichmann – “Reichmann proposed a new digital exposure method called exposing to the right (ETTR) in 2003.”
Wikipedia – Super 35

Help support ‘Untitled’

Clicking on the links and purchasing through them for our affiliate accounts at Adorama, Alien Skin, B&H Photo Video, Skylum, SmallRig or Think Tank Photo helps us continue our work for ‘Unititled’.

Fujifilm XF and GFX Cameras – B&H
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 Mirrorless Digital Camera – B&H
Fujifilm XF Lenses – B&H

Gerald Undone: Exposure Tips for the BMPCC4K & Why I Don’t Use ProRes

Discussing Blackmagic Pocket 4K exposure complications, ETTR vs middle grey, what Highlight Recovery does, and why ProRes isn’t good for low ISOs.

blackmagic_pocket_cinema_camera_4k_bmpcc4k_06_1024px_60pc — Blackmagic Design’s Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K aka BMPCC 4K.

Commentary

With Blackmagic Design’s Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K being a reasonably recent release in short supply in many parts of the world, high-value information on how to get the best out of it also remains in short supply so Gerald Undone’s data on the two best ISOs is particularly welcome.

Instead of the more commonly used base dual native ISOs of 400 and 3200, Mr Undone recommends ISOs of 400 and 4000 and supports those numbers with a thorough set of tests.

Using these preferred ISOs on your BMPCC 4K in conjunction with the expose-to-the-right aka ETTR principles espoused by Australian cinematographer/director Paul Leeming of Leeming LUT Pro will provide optimum exposure and the most suitable footage for grading.

Help support ‘Untitled’

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K – B&H

Paul Leeming Releases Leeming LUT Pro for Panasonic, Sony and Other Cameras, Now Working on LUTs and Settings for Fujifilm Cameras

Leeming LUT Pro has been released for a range of popular mirrorless, drone and action cameras, so Paul Leeming is working on his Leeming LUT Pro Fujifilm combo pack.

Mr Leeming has just purchased a Fujifilm X-T3 Super 35/APS-C hybrid camera in order to dig deep into Fujifilm cameras’ video settings and capabilities.

Cameras currently supported by Leeming LUT Pro include those made by Blackmagic Design, DJI, GoPro, Panasonic and Sony, with a list of which camera models are included now available at the Leeming LUT Pro web page.

The use of LUTs aka look-up tables for camera-matching profiles, dynamic range curve correction and creative looks is supported by a number modern nonlinear editing and colour grading applications including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, Cyberlink PowerDirector, DaVince Resolve and Resolve Studio, Grass Valley Edius, HitFilm, Magix Vegas and a number of third-party colour grading plug-ins.

Several external recorders and monitor/recorders connected via SDI or HDMI are also supported by Leeming LUT Pro including those made by Atomos, BlackMagic Design, Convergent Design and Video Devices.

The news that Leeming LUT Pro will soon be supporting Fujifilm cameras is particularly welcome given that the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-T30 are proving to be excellent and affordable Super 35 video production cameras whether used standalone or connected via HDMI to external monitor/recorders.

Fujifilm X-T3 with VG-XT3 Vertical Battery Grip and Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS zoom lens. Image courtesy of B&H.

Fujifilm X-T30 with Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 R LM OIS zoom lens. Image courtesy of B&H.

Using Leeming LUT Pro

There appears to be persistent and widespread confusion about how best to expose video with no end of theories flying about and pundits purporting to know which theory is currently the best or the trendiest.

Mr Leeming has throughly researched the technical aspects and limitations of a range of current and recent hybrid camera sensors and has delved deep into each manufacturer’s colour science in this longtime RED camera owner’s quest to derive the best and most photorealistic colour from every camera.

I have watched him test cameras at the Unititled studio and have noted the thoroughness with which he does it, well-qualifying him to issue PDF manuals on how to best set-up each camera, how to best expose and how best to use LUTs in NLEs and colour grading software.

Correct exposure is achieved via exposing-to-the-right aka ETTR, a principle originally promoted by the late Michael Reichmann of The Luminous Landscape aka LuLa for digital stills photography but equally applicable to digital video.

The aim of ETTR is to adjust “the exposure of an image as high as possible at base ISO (without causing unwanted saturation) to collect the maximum amount of light and thus get the optimum performance out of the digital image sensor” according to Wikipedia’s entry on the technique.

I am currently awaiting before and after samples and other supporting images for current Leeming LUT Pro combo packs and when received will be publishing articles on each and how they work, so please come back to Unititled soon!

Help support ‘Untitled’

Clicking on the links and purchasing through them for our affiliate accounts at B&H Photo Video, SmallRig or Think Tank Photo helps us continue our work for ‘Untitled’.

Blackmagic Design: Blackmagic Design Adds Blackmagic RAW to Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/release/20190305-02

Blackmagic Design Adds Blackmagic RAW to Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

New Blackmagic Camera 6.2 update adds Blackmagic RAW to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K!

Fremont, California, USA – March 5, 2019 – Blackmagic Design today announced Blackmagic Camera 6.2 update which adds support for Blackmagic RAW to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.

Blackmagic Camera 6.2 update is available as a free download from the Blackmagic Design website.

Blackmagic RAW, a revolutionary next generation codec that combines the quality and benefits of RAW with the ease of use, speed and file sizes of traditional video formats. Blackmagic RAW is a more intelligent format that gives customers stunning images, incredible performance, cross platform support and a free developer SDK.

With Blackmagic Camera 6.2 update, customers using the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K now have the ability record images using Blackmagic RAW for the first time. This allows them to capture the highest possible quality images in smaller files, giving them much longer recording times with the media they already own. For example, customers can record over 2 hours of full cinematic quality Blackmagic RAW footage in 4K on a single 256GB SD UHS-II card. With Blackmagic RAW 12:1 you can even record 4K DCI images to an SD card, giving you stunning cinematic quality images on incredibly small, inexpensive cards. In addition, Blackmagic RAW gives customers an even faster, more fluid and higher quality editing and color correction workflow in DaVinci Resolve than ever before.

Once the camera has been updated, customers can choose between 3:1, 5:1, 8:1 and 12:1 constant bit-rate recording or between constant quality Q0 and Q5 recording. This lets them prioritize image quality or file size. The constant bit-rate encoding options give customers incredible images at predictable and consistent file sizes. Constant quality Q0 and Q5 use variable bitrate encoding so complex frames are encoded at higher data rates, preserving the maximum amount of detail and quality possible. Blackmagic Design Generation 4 Color Science is used for superior imaging that results in extremely accurate skin tones and gorgeous, lifelike colors. Blackmagic RAW images are encoded using a custom non-linear 12-bit space designed to provide the maximum amount of color data and dynamic range.

In addition, Blackmagic RAW features extensive metadata support, highly optimized GPU and CPU accelerated processing on the desktop and more.

Traditional RAW codecs have large file sizes and are processor intensive, making them hard to work with. Video file formats are faster, but suffer quality problems due to the use of 4:2:2 video filters that reduce color resolution. Blackmagic RAW solves these problems, giving customers the same quality, bit depth, dynamic range and controls as RAW, but with much better performance and smaller file sizes than most popular video codecs. Once files are brought into DaVinci Resolve, additional GPU and CPU acceleration make decoding of frames incredibly fast, so customers get extremely smooth performance for editing and grading.

When the Blackmagic RAW settings are changed in DaVinci Resolve, a .sidecar file can be generated or updated if one already exists. When opened in other software applications that support Blackmagic RAW, the .sidecar file, which contains the Blackmagic RAW settings made in DaVinci Resolve, will be automatically used to display the image. If the .sidecar file is removed then the file will be displayed using the embedded metadata instead. This innovative new workflow gives customers a non-destructive way to change Blackmagic RAW settings while working between different applications.

Blackmagic RAW is much more than a simple RAW container format. Its intelligent design actually understands the camera and the sensor. This means the image data, along with the unique characteristics of the image sensor, are encoded and saved into the Blackmagic RAW file, giving customers much better image quality, even at higher compression settings, as well as total control over features such as ISO, white balance, exposure, contrast, saturation and more.

In addition, Blackmagic RAW uses Blackmagic Design Generation 4 Color Science for superior imaging that results in reproducing extremely accurate skin tones and gorgeous, lifelike colors that rival those of cameras costing tens of thousands of dollars more. Images are encoded using a custom non-linear 12-bit space designed to provide the maximum amount of color data and dynamic range.

Blackmagic RAW also makes it easy for any software developer to access all this technology. The free developer SDK lets any third party software application add Blackmagic RAW support on Mac, Windows and Linux. The Blackmagic RAW developer SDK automatically handles the embedded sensor profile metadata, along with Blackmagic Design color science, for predictable and accurate image rendering that yields consistent color throughout the entire pipeline.

Blackmagic RAW features two types of file compression. Customers can choose either constant quality or constant bitrate encoding options, depending on the kind of work they are doing. This lets them prioritize image quality or file size. Constant quality uses variable bitrate encoding so complex frames are encoded at higher data rates to preserve detail and maintain the highest possible quality. Blackmagic RAW Q0 has minimum quantization and yields the highest quality, while Blackmagic RAW Q5 uses moderate quantization for more efficient encoding and a smaller file size. Blackmagic RAW 3:1, 5:1, 8:1 and 12:1 use constant bitrate encoding to give customers the best possible images with predictable and consistent file sizes. The ratios are based on the unprocessed file size of a single frame from the camera’s sensor, making it easy to understand the relative amount of compression being used.

The pristine camera native quality of Blackmagic RAW Q0 and 3:1 are perfect for effects heavy feature film and commercial work. Blackmagic RAW Q5 and 5:1 are extremely high quality making them great for episodic television and independent films. Blackmagic RAW 8:1 and 12:1 offer high quality and speed, making it suitable for productions that wouldn’t normally consider shooting RAW. Now, more customers than ever will be able to use high quality Blackmagic RAW images in an incredibly efficient way that was impossible before.

Featuring a fully scalable design and completely modern CPU and GPU acceleration, Blackmagic RAW is optimized for AVX, AVX2 and SSE4.1 enabled processors, multi-threaded, works across multiple CPU cores and is GPU accelerated with support for Apple Metal, CUDA and OpenCL. Frame decoding and image processing is extremely fast, making it super smooth for editing, color correction and visual effects in DaVinci Resolve. Another benefit of media being stored as single files, and not image sequences, is it makes media management easier and file copying much faster.

The free Blackmagic RAW Developer SDK is available on Mac OS, Windows and Linux. This SDK takes care of all the work for developers, so adding support for Blackmagic RAW to third party software applications is easy and fast. Developers get access to GPU and CPU accelerated algorithms for decoding files, along with unique information about the camera’s image sensor so their applications can accurately decode and display the files. The SDK features highly descriptive and flexible metadata options designed to support today’s modern workflows. Metadata is embedded directly in the .braw file or it can be stored in a .sidecar file. Metadata is important because it contains the Blackmagic RAW settings along with information for the slate, iris, focus, focal length, white balance and a lot more. The metadata in .sidecar files can be used on top of the embedded metadata without overwriting it. Blackmagic RAW also supports frame based metadata so customers can access values, such as focus distance, that often change on a frame by frame basis.

“Blackmagic RAW has been incredibly successful since we introduced it last fall on URSA Mini Pro,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “The new Blackmagic Camera 6.2 update is exciting because it makes this incredible new technology available to Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K customers absolutely free! They get the visually lossless image quality of RAW with the speed of traditional video workflows!”

Availability

Blackmagic Camera 6.2 update is available today as a free download from the Blackmagic Design website http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support

Press Photography

Product photos of Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, and all other Blackmagic Design products, are available at http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to http://www.blackmagicdesign.com

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Atomos Store – B&H
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and accessories – B&H

News Shooter: Of Two Lands gives their initial impressions of the BMPCC 4K

https://www.newsshooter.com/2018/10/08/of-two-lands-gives-their-initial-impressions-of-the-bmpcc-4k/

“The Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has started shipping, although in relatively small numbers. Florent from Of Two Lands was lucky enough to pre-order the camera as soon as it was announced and has been using the BMPCC 4K for the last few weeks….

… To me the biggest strengths of this camera are the image quality, being able to record 4K 60P with very strong codecs, great low light performance, and the price point. Also, I should mention the screen again, it is just massive. I like that I can record high-quality content without having people looking at the camera that would be normally much bigger. It allows me to get shots that I wouldn’t be able to get with a large rig….”

8sinn_samsung_t5_holder_bmpcc4k_01_1024px_80pc — Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K mounted in an 8Sinn cage with included cable clamp, improved lens support and Scorpio too handle, with the new 8Sinn holder for the popular Samsung Portable T5 SSD available in capacities from 250GB through to 2TB.

Commentary

I don’t expect to get to see much less try out a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K any time soon, so Matthew Allard ACS of News Shooter and Florent of Of Two Lands have my gratitude for sharing this article and the videos at Two Lands’ YouTube channel.

I have added links to other videos shot with the BMPCC 4K here as well and hope they help form a useful impression of whether this remarkable Australian camera will be of benefit to you in your own work.

Image Credits

Header image concept and hack by Carmel D. Morris.

Help support ‘Untitled’

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.2 Pro, Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 Pro and Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 Pro professional prime lenses with manual clutch focusing, brilliant for shooting video or stills where accurate focus is absolutely critical.

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8Sinn cages and accessories – B&H
Angelbird 128GB AV Pro UHS-II SDXC Memory Card (2-Pack) – B&H
Angelbird 512GB CFast Match Pack, 2 x 256GB CFast 2.0 cards – B&H
Angelbird Atomos Master Caddy 4K RAW – B&H
Angelbird AtomX SSDmini – B&H
Atomos Ninja V 5″ 4K HDMI Recording Monitor – B&H
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K – B&H
Blackmagic Design Mini XLR Cable for Video Assist/4K (Set of 2, 19.5″) – B&H
Breakthrough Photography – B&H – the finest brass traction-framed ND, UV and CPL filters as well as the best step-up rings (sadly only sold direct on the company’s own website at present).
Chiaro Premium UV Protection Filters – B&H
Fujinon MK 18-55mm T2.9 Lens M43-Mount – B&H
Fujinon MK 50-135mm T2.9 Lens M43-Mount – B&H
DJI Ronin-S – B&H
G-Technology Atomos Master Caddy 4K (1TB) – B&H
HPRC 2500 Hard Case for DJI Ronin S – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.2 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f/4 IS PRO Lens – B&H
Panasonic lenses for Micro Four Thirds cameras – B&H
Samsung 500GB T5 Portable Solid-State Drive (Blue) – B&H
Veydra Mini prime lenses – B&H

James Miller’s DELUTS Releases DELUTS Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Creative Looks

https://sellfy.com/p/gg0m/

“DELUTS BMPCC4K Creative Looks, Base transforms for use with Blackmagic ‘Film’ profile for use with BRAW and ProRes.

75 Luts designed for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (This set is also compatable with Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k & Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k Pro using ‘Film’ profile)

• 4 Base Tranforms when working with the Blackmagic Film profile.
• 9 Monotone Creative Looks
• 62 Colour Creative Looks

Davinci Resolve Legacy .cube format Luts. For use in FCPx (Version 4 or Higher), Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Adobe Photoshop, Davinci Resolve and many more supporting applications.

Luts supplied in x64, x33 and x17 resolution. Use x64 for Davinci Resolve, x33 for FCPx and limited adjustment layers with Adobe Premiere CC, x17 for Adobe Premiere CC general use….”

James Miller’s DELUTS Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Creative LUTs for use with Blackmagic raw aka BRAW and Blackmagic camera film profiles.

Commentary

Director/cinematographer James Miller creates and sells creative looks LUTs under the DELUTS brand, and supplies to moviemakers looking for fast, efficient ways of adding strong, emotive looks to their footage.

Mr Miller’s latest DELUTS release is aimed at users of Blackmagic Design’s Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K aka BMPCC 4K, as well as other cameras using Blackmagic Design’s Blackmagic RAW raw video codec such as the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro.

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_sony_128gb_m_series_uhs-ii_sdxc_memory_card_kit_(2-pack)_01_1024px_60% — Sony 128GB M-Series UHS-II SDXC Memory Cards 2-Pack, R: 260 MB/s, W: 100 MB/s

Clicking on the links below and purchasing through them or our affiliate accounts at B&H Photo Video, SmallRig or Think Tank Photo helps us continue our work for ‘Untitled’.

8Sinn cages – B&H
Angelbird 256GBGB Match Pack (2 x 128GB) – B&H
Angelbird AtomX SSDmini (1TB) – B&H
Atomos Ninja V 5″ 4K HDMI Recording Monitor – B&H
Atomos Handle Adapter for AtomX SSDmini (5-Pack) – B&H
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K – B&H
Blackmagic Design Mini XLR Cable for Video Assist/4K (Set of 2, 19.5″) – B&H
Breakthrough Photography – B&H – the finest brass traction-framed ND, UV and CPL filters as well as the best step-up rings (sadly only sold direct on the company’s own website at present).
CFast 2.0 memory cards – B&H
Chiaro Premium UV Protection Filters – B&H
G-Technology Atomos Master Caddy 4K – B&H
LockCircle cages and accessories – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.2 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO Lens – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f/4 IS PRO Lens – B&H
Samsung T5 Portable Solid-State Drive – B&H
SmallRig cages – B&H
Sony 128GB M Series UHS-II SDXC Memory Card Kit (2-Pack) – B&H

Blackmagic Design: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K ‘Nature’ [First footage from the BMPCC 4K, by Mark Wyatt]

“Mark Wyatt talks about using the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. ‘Nature’ is Mark’s test of the camera’s 4K performance in the extreme lighting conditions of rainforests and ravines.

“The camera tests I wanted to do were in the forests and waterfalls on the outer West Coast of Canada. I was really interested in seeing how the new sensor would handle these harsh lighting conditions. By increasing the ISO to an impressive 1250 and 2500, it allowed me to capture the dark moss-lined walls and unique emerald color, yet also hold onto the highlight detail of the top of the waterfall and sky. I feel most cameras would likely struggle with this scene.”

“I had the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K for only a few days, but overall I was really impressed by it. The weight of the camera is very liberating, especially when you are used to using larger camera systems. The screen is big and bright enough to use in daylight, which I found great for judging focus and exposure. And, the colors too on the screen, were also nicely represented. In fact, I would argue it is Blackmagic’s best screen yet.”…”

8sinn_bmpcc4k_preview_03_1024px_80pc — Blackmagic Design’s Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K aka BMPCC 4K in 8Sinn camera cage with Canon 24mm cinema prime lens.

Commentary

It is terrific to see the first footage from Blackmagic Design’s Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K finally begin to appear.

Now we need some footage containing skin tones in order to really begin to understand what the camera is capable of!

Image Credits

Header image concept and hack by Carmel D. Morris.

Help support ‘Untitled’

Clicking on these affiliate links and purchasing through them helps us continue our work for ‘Untitled: Stories of Creativity, Innovation, Success’.

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K – B&H
Blackmagic Design Mini XLR Cable for Video Assist/4K (Set of 2, 19.5″) – B&H
Canon CN-E 24mm T1.5 L F Cinema Prime Lens (EF Mount) – B&H
Metabones Micro Four Thirds adapters – B&H
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens – B&H
Rokinon 50mm T1.5 AS UMC Cine DS Lens for Canon EF Mount – B&H
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens – B&H

RedShark: We’ve tried the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. Here’s all you need to know

https://www.redsharknews.com/production/item/5766-we-ve-tried-the-blackmagic-pocket-cinema-camera-4k-here-s-all-you-need-to-know

“This week Blackmagic Design held a launch event for the new Pocket Cinema Camera 4K in the UK ahead of the forthcoming IBC show. It was a chance for the company to show off the highlights of the new camera to a select group of journalists, and to give us an opportunity to have a very solid amount of hands on time with the new device.

One thing that stood out at the event was how proud the company was of the new camera. A lot of work has been going into it to get it just right, with aspects such as the user interface and, importantly, the colour science being a big focus of that effort. In fact Blackmagic sees the product as another leap forward in its coming of age as a camera manufacturer….”