I'm surprised at the amount of people already asking for m4/3 mounts. This shows the demand is there and if this camera sells like I think it will, then the race is on to produce a good quality m4/3 mount.

IMS would have been nice, which Ikonoskop were smart enough to include as standard. But at the listed price of the BM, they've already included enough!

But I'm sure Evan's right, a larger share of the target market are likely to already own EF mount lenses so it's an easier transfer, even if less than optimal for the camera.

I'm not sure that would have been very smart on the part of BlackMagic. For one thing, how did they come to the conclusion that the target market uses EF mounts exclusively?

E.g. Let's take the 7D vs the XF105. The XF105 has better audio, bit rate, form factor, video options etc. Considering the addition of lenses, media and accessories, etc to bring them up to par, they both cost roughly the same, and as far as I can tell, the only major advantage the 7D has is the sensor size + interchangeable lens option.

So, even if we stay within Canon country, where does the BlackMagic camera fit? It does not top the 7D/T3i sensor in terms of DOF and does not take 18MP RAW images. It does not top the XF105 as far as audio or form factor is concerned, but one could make a case to use it rather than the XF105, only if one were shooting a major production that needed RAW or DNxHD, etc. The XF105 allows one to edit native and finish quickly.

Let's bring in the 5DIII. Considering the 5DIII can shoot exceptionally well in low-light, and shoot brilliant 22MP stills as well, with an intraframe codec to boot, would a cash-strapped indie filmmaker sacrifice all this for a small sensor camera only for RAW capability? I'm not sure. Maybe BlackMagic knows the answer. What were they hoping for? Someone who has invested in a 10-22mm or a 11-16 Tokina lens would be happy to switch their entire cinematic style and go no wider than 25mm? Or that someone who has invested in a 50mm 1.4 would be happy to see his/her FOV change to 125mm, and to get that 50mm back, he/she would have to buy a 20mm f2.8, and console themselves on the loss of two stops of light?

Even though BlackMagic have to be applauded for their effort, and I'm sure within the specifications the camera will be a great performer, I'm just not convinced enough to make a switch from my existing Canon gear, and as an independent filmmaker I would hope I'm their target audience.

There is a misconnection in the industry that only XLR equals good audio and this is just not true at all. There is nothing wrong at all with balanced 1/4" audio, especially if you are talking short cable runs which will cover most mic setups that will be used with this camera. XLR is nice but it is not the end all to good audio. I would take a high quality mic plugged in via 1/8" over a average quality mic plugged in via XLR. 1/4" balanced is not the same as 1/8".

By target audience we mean a large user base. There is insane overly large user based of Canon DSLR users out there. Some how the Canon DSLR line really caught on with indy film makers and now there is a massive user base of EF lens out there who shoot video. That doesn't mean the EF lenses are better just that a lot of that glass is floating around out there. If BM had to pick one lens mount they clearly picked the one that would have the most impact on sales and help them grow the largest user base quickly. While the lens mount choice may not be the best for some of us we are in the minority compared to the amount of EF users out there.

As a M43 user myself dealing with crop factor is nothing new. Both the GH1 and GH2 have to deal with a 2x crop factor when adapting other lenses such as FD lor Nikon lenses. Others have tried to say this was unacceptable but a lot of M43 users have proved there is nothing wrong with this type of crop factor and have dealt with it with very little problems. Perhaps we have to be a bit more careful when shooting wide but it has not been the impossible situation some said it would be. So dealing with the crop factor on the BM camera will be a bit more difficult but no where near impossible.

Yes Raw is a pretty big deal. It's like shooting jpegs for years and suddenly being able to shoot raw photos. The amount of control one has over the entire image is insane. Some film makers realize that resolution is the least important image quality component and have always strived for the least amount of compression and the highest gradable range. This has been the holy grail of the GH1/GH2 camera hacks to minimize compression and attempt to bring back as much of the raw sensor image as possible.

This camera may not be for everybody but watch as a massive amount of indy shooters buy these cameras and start producing work at 2k that can only be touched by cameras costing 3x or 4x as much. The camera is only a tool but this camera is a tool that gives a lot of creative options to users instead of forcing them into a hole. Forget hacking of cameras. This camera is already hacked out of the box to give raw sensor data.

BMD should change its name to Disrupting-Technology-INC

Once again taking everyone by surprise and releasing a product as capable as the rest, at a 10th of the price.

If the BMD camera delivers, this is the death of DLSRs as video cams and a very serious wound to RED, Canon, Sony and the rest.

This thing will fly off the shelves.

Maybe its time independent camera makers did undercut the greed of the big boys.

John Brawley, the shooter of the Vimeo footage, advises that M4/3 and other mounts are on the to do list for BMD.

That's good news! I'm sure BM are working on better features, and it's exciting to see them in the camera race.

Guess this thing has hit a nerve everywhere.

I get the feeling that when everyone has calmed down the the sensor size will be the most sobering factor, certainly to the legions of Canon DSLR users that have grown accustomed to the depth of field. If BM had designed it with a larger sensor then this would have been the new undisputed king of the hill. Interesting to see where it lands.

In all our years as a camera sales and rental shop, we've never seen such demand for a camera overnight.

We were already getting requests for purchase for this camera yesterday when it was first announced.

And since there are so many Blackmagic resellers in the country, to think that we were only seeing a small portion of the requests boggles my mind.

That said - I need to throw in the obligatory plug for us and say we are taking per-orders for the camera, so drop by our website or give us a call for details and your place in line. We do happen to be one of the leading Blackmagic dealers and I assure you we will be stocking plenty of inventory on this piece!

Allan Barnwell
Omega Broadcast Group - Professional Video Sales, Rental & Services (http://www.omegabroadcast.com)

The people who are at NAB say the BMD booth is a madhouse. This is what happens when a company listens to the wants and the needs of their user base. Look how many new customers BMD will gain - and how many Sony, Panasonic, Nikon, RED and especially Canon will lose.

OK, so who's gonna make an 6 or 8mm EF-mount prime so this camera can capture a proper wide-angle shot? Maybe someone will come up with an adapter to let it use old cine C-mounts. And future owners better be buying those vintage lenses before they all become unobtainium.

Crop-factor aside, hats off to BlackMagic. This is fantastic news for the industry. I could say mean things about Red or Canon here, but I won't. And I feel really, REALLY bad for those who donated to the Kickstarter Bolex.

I disagree that this will cause even a ripple in the DSLR world, since 90% of those are sold to take stills, and the cine market compared to photo pros, semi-pros, wannabe pros, and soccer moms is almost negligible. But BlackMagic will no doubt be selling these babies as fast as they can make 'em.

But only if you compare it to the full frame Canon cameras. t2i, t3i, 60d, 7d ect users have always had to deal with a crop factor. Sure it wasn't as high at 1.6 but it was still there. I feel at the end of the day the ability to shoot raw and close to uncompressed video at an insane quality level will win out over a sometimes useful creative feature. Also the GH2 which has a crop factor and level of depth of field very similar to the BM camera has shown that very creative results can still happen with that size of a sensor. M43 has been a quality powerhouse and so will this camera. Think of it as where the Gh2 wishes it could be with the hacks.

Canon may be a bit worried about body sales but this camera is also going to greatly help the sales on their EF lenses. I would argue that camera companies make a heck of a lot more on the lenses then they do the bodies. So while this may take a notch off Canon in terms of pride they can basically sit back and save their RD money and still watch the money roll in as people buy EF lenses in even larger record numbers. At least in the short term until BM supports other lens mounts.

If Panasonic was smart they would call BM right away and add support for M43 lenses to the camera when it ships in July. M43 is already more or less perfect for this camera since they have had to deal with a 2x crop factor. They have a lot of ultra wide lenses that would be a great fit. Then Panasonic could watch their lens sales fly through the roof. Well of course if they could actually produce them fast enough.

But only if you compare it to the full frame Canon cameras. t2i, t3i, 60d, 7d ect users have always had to deal with a crop factor. Sure it wasn't as high at 1.6 but it was still there. Sure, but the lens manufacturers stepped-up and made super-wide EF-S and DX lenses to give us a 90-100 degree FOV on APS sensors. My Tokina 11-16mm becomes a 25-37mm effective on a 2.3x sensor.

So no one will make a superwide 2.3x crop lens for an EF mount. I agree, the M4/3 mount makes a lot more sense for wide glass. Or c-mount or s-mount to take advantage of all of the S16mm cine lenses that will cover this sensor. This is a cine camera, so no one will care about autofocus and auto exposure of EF and M4/3 lenses.

OTOH, I'd be pleased as punch to mount up a 300mm IS lens (assuming IS will still work) to a 2.3x crop and go film wildlife.

I had a dream last night... there I was rummaging through my old equipment closet. Stuff falling on my head. I had just received my new Black Magic camera, and I was trying to match it up with gear I had already.. and off the top shelf falls my old Letus 35mm adapter.... right on my head. There I was, trying to rig something up to work with my 35mm lenses again..... omg.... please help us all...... this is going to be fun...

The crop factor is a worry, but this fuss about XLR inputs on every camera really gets over done sometimes.
I personally have only seen one or two single system shoots in six years, from budgets zero and up. And then it was only abject desperation. In video schools single system is strictly 'Video 101' "in a pinch" and from then on it is multi-system all the way. Colour grading is also in the program usually (and you would have spent some time reading about how it was integral to proper film movie making anyway).
This is of course just me talking, but this camera's feature list lands it pretty much where every media school graduate filmmaker is right now as far as I can see and hits a number of previously expensive aspirations. They know who they are aiming at.

Hmmmmm....


I had a dream last night... there I was rummaging through my old equipment closet. Stuff falling on my head. I had just received my new Black Magic camera, and I was trying to match it up with gear I had already.. and off the top shelf falls my old Letus 35mm adapter.... right on my head. There I was, trying to rig something up to work with my 35mm lenses again..... omg.... please help us all...... this is going to be fun...

I think the majority of folks attracted to this camera at this price point will be more inclined to purchase used EF mount lenses which there is a "boat load" of out there. I don't think Canon is going to be rewarded by a significant increase in lens sales.

Sure, but the lens manufacturers stepped-up and made super-wide EF-S and DX lenses to give us a 90-100 degree FOV on APS sensors. My Tokina 11-16mm becomes a 25-37mm effective on a 2.3x sensor.

So no one will make a superwide 2.3x crop lens for an EF mount. I agree, the M4/3 mount makes a lot more sense for wide glass. Or c-mount or s-mount to take advantage of all of the S16mm cine lenses that will cover this sensor. This is a cine camera, so no one will care about autofocus and auto exposure of EF and M4/3 lenses.

OTOH, I'd be pleased as punch to mount up a 300mm IS lens (assuming IS will still work) to a 2.3x crop and go film wildlife.

I heard it is more like 2.1x which is much closer to M43. If they would adapt M43 we would basically be all set. Trust me if this camera is a hit I bet you will start seeing some EF lenses pushed even wider. A camera that sells well is going to attract lens manufacturers. If Canon doesn't then 3rd party will for sure. There has already been word that BM has other mounts including M43 on their list of to do items. Nobody knows if and when that will happen for sure but BM is listening. EF was just the start to get the thing out there and in the hands of pros.

We also have to keep in mind these are not dumb full manual mounts. BM hopes to have full electronic control of the EF lenses including stabilization. They already have full iris control via the touch screen which is impressive. This isn't a $30.00 adapter from Ebay but a serious attempt at full native digital lens control which is not easy to do. If there were not so many darn digital lens mounts this could have been a lot easier. In the meantime there are oodles of EF users who will learn to adapt to the longer FOV and make due.

The trouble with any manufacturer making a super-wide EF lens that only covers this 2.1-2.3x crop sensor from BlackMagic is that it wouldn't ALSO cover the APS-C sensor. 10mm seems to be about the affordable limit right now on the EFS-C.

Now... maybe they can make an EFS-BM mount (or something) to differentiate it, and prevent the chagrin of APS shooters mounting up what they THOUGHT would be a fab rectilinear 6mm UBERwide... and it just shows a big, dark circle. But I can't imagine there's enough BM shooters or sales to justify the R&D. Would LOVE to be proven wrong by this, though.

I think the majority of folks attracted to this camera at this price point will be more inclined to purchase used EF mount lenses which there is a "boat load" of out there. I don't think Canon is going to be rewarded by a significant increase in lens sales.

On top of this, I think that the more attractive EF lenses to use with this camera are going to come from Tokina, Sigma and Tamron anyway.

I am amazed at what BMD has done. This is the big story this year out of NAB. Out of seemingly nowhere, a 'dark horse' has BLOWN BY the pack and produced a cine camera for $3K with an amazing feature list AND also includes the proven Resolve software to take those 12bit raw files and produce a cinematic look.

Is it perfect? Of course not. I still think RED, Sony and Canon are producing better images, but at 5X-20X more money, I think they should, don't you? As others have pointed out, this camera is really a bit difficult to label, strange even, but it has already moved the ground under the industry's feet - that's for sure - AND we're at V.1 here folks. The future is bright at BMD.

My hat's off to NAB's dark horse winner, Black Magic Design, who in my opinion deserve the award for Best New Product and best DEAL of NAB 2012.

I am amazed at what BMD has done. This is the big story this year out of NAB. Out of seemingly nowhere, a 'dark horse' has BLOWN BY the pack and produced a cine camera for $3K with an amazing feature list AND also includes the proven Resolve software to take those 12bit raw files and produce a cinematic look.

Is it perfect? Of course not. I still think RED, Sony and Canon are producing better images, but at 5X-20X more money, I think they should, don't you? As others have pointed out, this camera is really a bit difficult to label, strange even, but it has already moved the ground under the industry's feet - that's for sure - AND we're at V.1 here folks. The future is bright at BMD.

My hat's off to NAB's dark horse winner, Black Magic Design, who in my opinion deserve the award for Best New Product and best DEAL of NAB 2012.

Agreed. Very well stated.

Is it perfect? Of course not. I still think RED, Sony and Canon are producing better images, but at 5X-20X more money, I think they should, don't you? .

No offense intended Jacques but you couldn't know if RED or anyone else is producing better images because we haven't seen any comparisons or any footage from a finished camera.

All that exists now is a little home movie footage shot on an early pre-production model with a sensor that they say wasn't even calibrated yet.

So I agree with your post but I wouldn't assume anything about the quality of the footage until they have some real scenes to show. While the camera itself isn't meant to rival a RED or Alexa, the footage it produces may very well.

Also, integrated battery is a no go for event work.
BlackMagic Cinema Camera: Whopping 2.5K Resolution for Under $3000 (http://gizmodo.com/5902337/blackmagic-teases-cinema-camera-whopping-25k-resolution-for-under-3000)
I'm pretty sure that I read that you can attach an external battery pack. It looks like they "glued" a Hyperdeck Shuttle 2 to a lens! The Shuttle also has an integrated battery and a 12v plug for charging or using a battery pack.

Cant remember where I saw the video but it was an interview with Simon Westland of BMD and yes, the camera can be powered by an external battery and get this...the thunderbolt port if you are tethered to your laptop! The internal battery limitations are moot for me!
The wide angle lens is something of a concern but if I can get to a 28mm (FF DSLR equivalent) I will be happy as that will cover my green screen for full body shooting!
It also has iris control for the Canon lenses which is awesome!
And the fact that I shoot air shows on occasion makes the crop factor very useable. I have a 70-200 f2.8L USMII with 2x extender III waiting to become an 800mm??? Ha Ha Ha!!!
Can't wait!

I think there is a mistake in their specs. ZF is Zeiss designation for Nikon compatible lenses, while ZEis for CAnon. Does anybody know if it is a mistake or they mean something else?

<<No offense intended Jacques but you couldn't know if RED or anyone else is producing better images because we haven't seen any comparisons or any footage from a finished camera.>>

None taken Jim. You are correct that we have yet to see what the *delivered product* can do. That said, my tri-corder tells me that the smaller sensor (rumored as Panasonic) will not be quite as state of the art as Red's or Canons larger and latest offerings. And after all, this is BMD's very first camera. Experience matters.

At the CML party, only an hour ago, one industry expert offered the following cautions.

1) The power input is not a locking plug. True that, but not a deal killer for me.
2) The HDSDI BNC, as is typical with BMD, is motherboard mounted and very prone to fail. This complaint has a long history as a major weakness, and yet, has never been addressed.
3) BMD support historically has been problematic on all levels.

The conversation turned to AJA vs BMD. AJA video has a great and well deserved rep. of being solid and reliable vs. BMD. We both have high praise for AJA.

Next question: So when does AJA video come out with their camera :-D

The times they are a changin'!

Just read a report by someone who's had a play with the Blackmagic camera and rolling shutter may be an issue. I guess how big will depend on the type of productions you do, but it's something to take into consideration.

My hat's off to NAB's dark horse winner, Black Magic Design, who in my opinion deserve the award for Best New Product and best DEAL of NAB 2012.Retaining the award that they won in 2011 with the HyperDeck Shuttle which didn't quite live up to the initial jaw dropping enthusiasm when considered in the cold light of day. This may also be true of this product that on paper looks sensational for the price & unlike Scarlet (which is resembles in many ways) it looks like there is a strong likelihood that they will deliver on time at the promised price & specification.

Wouldn't the Bowen 8mm/f3,5 lens be an answer to wide angle lens for this camera? It would equal to 20mm at the full frame. Quite wide, insn't it? I mean, it is not a L lens, but still... at only 400 $.

Daniel, isn't the Bowen the same as the Samyang? This is a fish eye lens, but yes, it should give very wide coverage on the new camera. The Peleng 8mm fish eye was a popular cheapish option for 16mm and would work too. Actually doing some homework last night, m42 lenses seem to be quite adaptable to the EF mount. There are some pretty awful lenses in this mount, but also a few corkers for not much money.

My point exactly. So lack of desirable extream wide angle issue can be easily abridged, and - at least for me - I have a couple of 5DMk2 so I can always use them for desired extream wide anlge shots. So, this BM marvell is for me just what I needed, with no additional lens I have to purchase. Just a cheap 8 mm Bowen. And look what happens with my modest 200 mm tele lens: all of a sudden I have a 500 mm lens!

Furthermore, 2,5 K is more then enough for the work I do, and I think BM targeted exactly this niche of 5D owners with tons of Canon glass. As for me, I will sell my Sony EX3, no second thoughts about it. And no additional bag required, it will fit in my existing bag just fine, making my trips so much easier. What a thrill.....

I agree with you Nigel 100%. But even if the BMD camera turns out to be problematic due to rolling shutter, weak build or whatever, it has already shaken up the industry and will help drive the competition.

The new Zeiss 15mm lens would like quite nice on this camera. Not uber wide with this crop factor but certainly wide enough for a lot of shots. You then have a lens costing as much as the camera of course but good glass is always a sound investment.

Looks interesting.
It expands the choice we have even more.
Super16 and raw (at 2,5K) isn't available yet, is it?

The cropfactor will probably make this camera interesting for wildlife-projects.

I think the internal battery is a weird choice. That means you need to add extra stuff to your riggs if you need to shoot for more than 1,5 hour.

Yes, the weird and weak Part is the battery, if it just was a normal battery. Than this would be nice for wildlife.

For wide shots maybe the Sigma 4,5/2.8 will work and for normal shot the Sigma 20/1.8 may be good.

The battery is not weird at all. Think of it as a built in bonus. Others are describing it like the hyperdeck line of BM products where you use an external battery system and the internal battery is there to power the camera while you switch batteries. This way you can power the camera non stop when you change batteries. It isn't really intended to power the camera on its own for run and gun shooting although you could use it for that in short bursts if you really wan to.

When the camera sales are huge I would expect a massive amount of power options for the camera. The 12v to 30v pretty much leaves the adapter open to a lot of battery options.

Personally I do not consider the EF lens options to be bad at all. A lot of people wish it supported M43 lenses but there are only a handful of decent M43 lenses out there and most of the great ones are around 20mm or 24mm. This 24mm will be the same as 24mm of a EF lens so I think Ef lenses actually cover the camera very well. A lot of M43 shooters are used to working with a lack of ultra wide lenses and typically use old Nikon or FD lenses of 24mm or 28mm at f2.0 and f2.8. The widest decent lens I know of for M43 is the Olympus 12mm f2.0 lens. In fact I think there is only one lens that is wider and it is very slow. On the long end forget about M43. There are a few but they are slow. There are 10x more options for EF and you can buy faster zooms which is something that just does not exist for M43. I love M43 but I really was shocked at just how many good EF lenses out there that will work the same or better then what we have as M43 options.

While the sensor is slightly smaller then M43 it is very close and in the real world we can expect about the same crop factor give or take a mm or two.

Here's a new clip. How do you like the dynamic range? Depth of field? Detail?

Another Blackmagic Clip | johnbrawley (http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/another-blackmagic-clip/)

I think there is a mistake in their specs. ZF is Zeiss designation for Nikon compatible lenses, while ZEis for CAnon. Does anybody know if it is a mistake or they mean something else?

They keep saying this, even in their interviews at NAB... things like "and we have ZF mount so you can use Zeiss lenses" - you're quite right, either they are confused and mean ZE or they have a Nikon mount (presumably the former).

Yes, the weird and weak Part is the battery, if it just was a normal battery. Than this would be nice for wildlife.


The battery, the ridiculous side handles they're demonstrating the cameras with, the form factor, and other little choices (hot shoe, audio mount anyone?) indicate computer wizz kids have cobbled together an - abiet spec wise very impressive - camera very quickly with little consideration given to operators.

Personally I do not consider the EF lens options to be bad at all. A lot of people wish it supported M43 lenses but there are only a handful of decent M43 lenses out there and most of the great ones are around 20mm or 24mm.

Can't agree with you here Thomas. Already available from Panny/Oly are excellent 12, 14, 17, 20, 25 and 45mm primes, and a 75mm 1.8 recently announced. Also lots of nice third party primes, and the ability to easily mount old Nikkors, Leica glass etc. Not only is the focal range much better suited, m43 glass is tiny!!

EF will do... and probably makes sense from a marketing point of view, but m43 is a much better fit IMO.

Here's a new clip. How do you like the dynamic range? Depth of field? Detail?

Another Blackmagic Clip | johnbrawley (http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/another-blackmagic-clip/)

Well, I have very strong reservations about the form-factor, build and usability of the camera - but one can have no issue with the price and this shot does look gorgeous ideed! I imagine there will be a lot of people (like me) who wince at certain design choices, but are intrigued anyway because hey, 13 stops dynamic range for $3K ($2K for me, as I was about to buy Resolve anyway).

It's not 2.5K resolution, it's 2.5K bayer pixels so the real resolution will be roughly full HD. The BlackMagic sensor is 8.8 mm x 15.6 mm with a 17.9mm diagonal which is a little bigger than super16, so I make the crop factor about 2.5. As your tied to the ZE/EF mount, getting any kind of wide FOV is going to be very hard. A 18mm lens would represent a "standard" lens. For a good wide angle you'll need something in the 8 to 10mm region. Great for wildlife shooters! Sensitivity should be comparable to an EX1 as the pixel size should be pretty similar.

Can't agree with you here Thomas. Already available from Panny/Oly are excellent 12, 14, 17, 20, 25 and 45mm primes, and a 75mm 1.8 recently announced. Also lots of nice third party primes, and the ability to easily mount old Nikkors, Leica glass etc. Not only is the focal range much better suited, m43 glass is tiny!!

EF will do... and probably makes sense from a marketing point of view, but m43 is a much better fit IMO.
.

EF has a 13mm 14mm and 15mm at f2.8. Maybe not super faster but currently the only M4/3 lens that wide that is faster is the Olympus 12mm at f2.0. The other options are f2.5 and f2.8 at those widths. So basically the same options.

EF has a 20mm at f1.8 or virtually the same as the Panasonic 20mm f1.7.

EF has a lot of options at 24mm that go down to f1.4 so equal or better to all the M4/3 options other then the Voigtlander at that focal range.

EF has a lot of zoom lenses at a constant f2.8. M4/3 does not have a single constant zoom lens and the fastest you can get is f3.5 on the wide end.

EF has plenty of 35mm and 50mm f1.8 lenses. M4/3 only has the Olympus 45mm at F1.8.

EF has many f1.8 or f2.0 primes up to I think 135mm.

So other then the Oly 12mm and the Voigtlander 25mm which is just a hair faster every M4/3 lens has a match with EF. There are at least double the amount of options in almost every focal range with EF compared to M4/3.

The only advantage M4/3 has is that some of the lenses are cheaper and two lenses at equal focal lengths are a bit faster.

It's not 2.5K resolution, it's 2.5K bayer pixels so the real resolution will be roughly full HD. The BlackMagic sensor is 8.8 mm x 15.6 mm with a 17.9mm diagonal which is a little bigger than super16, so I make the crop factor about 2.5. As your tied to the ZE/EF mount, getting any kind of wide FOV is going to be very hard. A 18mm lens would represent a "standard" lens. For a good wide angle you'll need something in the 8 to 10mm region. Great for wildlife shooters! Sensitivity should be comparable to an EX1 as the pixel size should be pretty similar.

Not sure I agree. A lot of Gh1/GH2 users shoot with Nikon and FD lenses that are 24mm and don't seem to have a lot of trouble. We also are not only shooting wildlife. I've also heard on a much larger thread for the camera that the crop factor may be more like 2.1 or only slightly larger then M4/3. I typically shoot with a M4/3 20mm and find that plenty wide with a crop factor of 2x so I can probably live with it a tiny bit longer. I realize some people like to shoot ultra wide but that is not everybody and this camera has plenty of options of wide shooting. M4/3 users have dealt with this for a couple of years now and it has not been as big of a deal.

If you are a FF shooter then yes the adjustment phase may be awkward but if you are a M4/3 shooter or even a 7D shooter it should be an easy adjustment.

I had missed the battery challenge. For wildlife how do you manage with just one internal battery?

The massive crop factor will help in getting some PoV shots. Recently I was filming a massive salt water crocodile. It is the biggest me or my team has ever seen in our life. I was using the heavy Canon EF 400mm f2.8 L IS USM lens with a 2x II TC. With the BMD I could have got just its teeth.

The other question is how good are its weather sealings? Can I fit it to a boat?

Due to its small sensor size, I am interested in knowing how will be the noise characteristics. Will the footage intercut well with Canon footage or will it stick out like a sore thumb due to the higher noise?

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more footage from this camera. If nothing else, it's a reason to wait a little longer to see if this camera's announcement provokes any others. I'd posted this elsewhere, but I definitely agree that the built-in battery is one of the silliest design decisions made here. Leave that stuff for cell phones, please!

Ergonomics are definitely a bit odd, but probably not a deal-breaker for anybody. At $3k, one probably has budgetary room for a rig.

The other question is how good are its weather sealings? Can I fit it to a boat?



Just from looking at the photos I'd guess you could forget about any weatherizing. Have to wrap it in a raincoat. The crop factor is a plus for wildlife shooters but for me the lack of any overcrank, even to 60p, makes it a no go. Bummer.

The only advantage M4/3 has is that some of the lenses are cheaper and two lenses at equal focal lengths are a bit faster.

To restate, the m43 lenses are also much smaller and optimised for smaller sensors (which is the whole point of m43). Producing a standard lens for m43 doesn't pose the same difficulties as the wide lens you'll need to obtain equivalent field of view with EF mount.

So for instance, the Panny/Leica 25mm 1.4 is a very small, high quailty prime that would be perfectly matched for this camera as a standard lens.

To match it in EF mount you'll have to buy the vastly more expensive, larger and heavier Canon 24 1.4 (and only use a small portion of a rather pricy optic!).

I'm not disagreeing that you can get by with EF, but the Canons were designed with much larger sensors in mind. m43 is just about bang-in in terms of sensor size optimisation... would have been nice at least as an option.


I've also heard on a much larger thread for the camera that the crop factor may be more like 2.1 or only slightly larger then M4/3. I typically shoot with a M4/3 20mm and find that plenty wide with a crop factor of 2x so I can probably live with it a tiny bit longer.

The Gh2 is 1.83 crop in video mode (not so far from APSC @1.6). The BM camera is said to be 2.3, but I agree with the right lens and technique it won't be too challenging to obtain shallow depth of field look if desired.

EF has a lot of zoom lenses at a constant f2.8. M4/3 does not have a single constant zoom lens and the fastest you can get is f3.5 on the wide end.There is an excellent Panasonic 7-14mm F/4 zoom which at 7mm is as wide as any lens on any camera that isn't a fish eye (it's around a 14-28mm FF equivalent). There are also two reputedly excellent but expensive Olympus zooms which as far as I know are unique in the camera world as they are constant F/2. They are the 14-35mm & 35-100mm which on M4/3 have an equivalent FoV to a 28-70mm & 70-200mm respectively.

I heard a rumor on the plane home that already 3500 people are in line to purchase it.
Needless to say, had one of the other *known* camera makers come close ($5K) to
matching this kind of price/performance/features, they too would be selling many
thousands. Well, maybe in another year they will.

This is interesting. The Awards for NAB have been announced and BMD won, not for the camera, but for Resolve 8.0 lite. Best Value Award was handed to Lite Panel?!!!

Looks to me that the industry is trying to ignore what is CLEARLY the best value award of the show.
IMO, whomever gives out these awards, or at least the best value award, no longer has any credibility.

Sony, ARRI, HP, Blackmagic Top StudioDaily Prime Awards | Studio Daily (http://www.studiodaily.com/2012/04/sony-arri-hp-blackmagic-top-studiodaily-prime-awards/)

I had missed the battery challenge. For wildlife how do you manage with just one internal battery?

It has a professional 12-14V DC input so any Anton Bauer/ V-Mount battery will give you enough juice to run for days. The internal battery is purely for worse case scenarios if you ask me.

This is interesting. The Awards for NAB have been announced and BMD won, not for the camera, but for Resolve 8.0 lite. Best Value Award was handed to Lite Panel?!!!

Looks to me that the industry is trying to ignore what is CLEARLY the best value award of the show.
IMO, whomever gives out these awards, or at least the best value award, no longer has any credibility.

Sony, ARRI, HP, Blackmagic Top StudioDaily Prime Awards | Studio Daily (http://www.studiodaily.com/2012/04/sony-arri-hp-blackmagic-top-studiodaily-prime-awards/)They must have had some criteria that excluded new products because it looks like all the winners are actual shipping products rather than anything newly announced this year.