And for only $3,000!
Davinci resolve 9.0 included!

http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/blackmagiccinemacamera/techspecs/

Holy cow I want one NOW...

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.

Only one negative so far: 2.3x crop factor. Oh well, nothing's perfect!

this is probably the end of DSLR

Sounds pretty amazing. Looks like they've just about delivered on the original Scarlet promise.

Is this an S35 sized sensor? Or S16?

How did they keep the development of this thing under wraps?

Canon must be taking notes at this point. This camera pretty much represents a checklist of what everyone wanted!

Not so sure if it is the death of DSLR's. $3,000.00 is a bit more then a $1,000.00 DSLR. Also recording to SSD is going to be a very expensive option compared to SDHC. Granted the quality should kick the $#@% out of DSLRs even the GH2 but a lot of people that buy DSLRs are extreme budget seekers.

Canon should be a bit concerned however because those who wanted a DSLR for a pro camera will be considering these for sure.

The thing I like the most about this camera is moire and aliasing should not be a problem since the camera is filtered for 1080p video. Should be about as sexy of 1080p video as you could expect from a single CMOS sensor.

Of course just like any video camera we all have to wait to see how it actually looks and performs. At the end of the day pretty much every HD camera on the market looks awesome when you just look at the specs. It is the image quality resolved that will ultimately make or break this camera. On paper however I do like what I see so far.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera - John Brawley (http://vimeopro.com/johnbrawleytests/blackmagic-cinema-camera/video/40381671)

Great looking footage, this thing is astounding value.

I understand the sensor size is a bit smaller than a micro 4/3, but larger than Super-16.

Looks like the sensor is about a fourth of 135 format (FF photo), therefore also also smaller than the standard S35.

This will affect depth of field and multiply the focals of all lenses.

Wonder why they chose such an odd sensor size.

Samples and firsthand user information is here:

Blackmagic Cinema Camera – Let’s take it from the top | johnbrawley (http://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/blackmagic-cinema-camera-lets-take-it-from-the-top/)

So far I like what I've seen. He doesn't make it sound particularly good in low light, so that may be a strike against it compared to the latest generation of cameras from the big manufacturers. I also hadn't noticed the 2.3x crop factor mentioned before... that could be another reason to go with another camera.

I wonder how this will impact the 'Digital Bolex' people - it sounds like BM basically did exactly what they were planning to do. I would guess the odd sensor size is because they are simply working with an off-the-shelf industrial sensor that was originally designed for something other than traditional cinematography.

People are guessing its the same sensor as the A-Cam dII, and maybe the same sensor the digital bolex will be using.
ikonoskop.com

Also, integrated battery is a no go for event work.

Looks like Blackmagic has stolen the show!

SB

The expression game changer get's ridiculously over-used, but not in this instance.

Actually, you can use a powerpack, so looks like a good b-cam replacement for a gh2 for ceremony coverage.

Looks very interesting.

The 2.3 magnification is a big problem for ultra wide SLR/DSLR lenses and would even crop with EFS lenses or Olympus 4/3 lenses.

The low light performance is nowhere near that of the DSLRs.

No viewfinder or many other options as standard on a DSLR body.

It cannot shoot 23MP or 36MP stills combined with HD video.

So, I can't see it 'killing' DSLRs at all.

But, it still has caught my interest and want to find out more.

Certainly a bit of 'Black Magic'! :)

The active sensor size is 15.6mm x 8.8mm.

More than a A-CAM (10,6 mm x 6 mm) and less than a FS100 (23.4mm x 15.6mm)

Most likely ccd sensor?

That's pretty close to Micro 4/3. Assuming compatible mounts, I guess those lenses might make sense on this camera.

The choice of using EF lenses is an interesting one. I agree with others that the crop factor is going to be a bit interesting to deal with. Users are going to need some very wide lenses to get wide shots.

The one thing that is interesting however is the amount of EF glass out there already. Pretty much any Canon DSLR user out there which we all know is a dime a dozen these days already has most of the gear they would need to transition to the BM camera. Glass is the area where most of us spend the largest chunk of change when we adopt DSLRs for video. As a Panasonic user myself this kind of sucks since I do not have any EF lenses.

So for current Canon users the tradeoff is going to be buy another DSLR to shoot stills and deal with heavy compressed low detail video with artifacts or be able to shoot raw video or at the bottom end 10bit ProRes. Of course the DSLR will offer perhaps better range and better low light but is that worth it to give up raw or 10 bit recording that is virtually uncompressed. Tough choice really.

To be honest I don't put much stock in low light shooting anyway. We always light our video. You can always add light to a production but it is much harder to add 12 bit raw recording.

Finally audio has always been the bastard child of the DSLR world. The BM camera seems to have that area covered fairly well. If any DSLR user ever wished they had better audio support this camera may be it.

One thing is for sure, it will be interesting to see how the DSLRs respond to this. If the BM camera really takes off Canon and Panasonic may have to rethink their directions.

Yeah, but I'm not looking for a stills camera that shoots video, I'm looking for my next filmmaking camera.

We definitely need to see more, but the ups seem way more than the downs - 4:4:4 pro res ready to edit ad grade right out of the camera, A focus on film latitude and workflow.

Keep the VF on the 5D and use this as your A camera with SDI out to your monitor. For $3k I can deal with a crop sensor if it rivals Alexa image quality.

Amazing potential.

Daaaammmnnnn! Focus peaking, iris control, xlr's, 5" screen and so on - very nice -- but -- integrated battery with 90 minute record time and 2 hour charge time. Not exactly your camera for a day of shooting. I do like the strap lugs on top, that'll be something hanging around your neck.

This looks like a very interesting option.

It's super light, compact, I think they borrowed a few pages from the RED playbook on user interface which is very straightforward and intuitive. The menu structure isn't overly complicated but has everything you need. 2-channel audio inputs running 1/4'' jacks so similar sound quality to XLR inputs. You can choose ZF mount or Canon mount.

Shipping in July reportedly. The guy I spoke with said that 128gb drive would cost about $140, so not exactly cheap but not exactly expensive either - media in the middle, cost-wise.

The form factor is a little unusual and offers little in the way of visible mounting points, which can be problematic. The guy who I spoke with didn't have any answers to that question. My impression is that it took him slightly off guard - but right now I didn't get an answer on where you would mount an external monitor, microphone, even basic items. I'm sure third-party and even BlackMagic solutions will come fast once they hear back from a user base.

I don't think this is "killer" anything. Just a very interesting option in a field of increasingly interesting options. Honestly, I think the acquisition wars are reaching a point of saturation - affordable post-production, storage, and delivery systems are the next important bits.

Actually, I think Canon is still a big winner in all of these camera wars because they stand to sell tons of lenses to a burgeoning, emerging market.

I have some pictures but my stupid Flip cam #$%^& ran out of batteries so I can't load anything until I obtain some batteries. By then, someone may beat me to it.

It's pretty cool though. Finally, one of these companies is getting with the fact that RAW is the revolution. I'm still surprised that Canon has not been able to take advantage of that fact. BlackMagic taking the step of bundling Resolve with this camera is a bold move from a company which has become known for its bold moves.

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.

This is the best thing I've read so far:
Compressed Recording Formats - Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD. All compressed recording in 1920x1080 10-bit YUV with choice of Film or Video Dynamic Range.
I love being able to take a ProRes file & start editing. Still great quality & much smaller file sizes than raw.
--
Dissapointed in the audio input, I'd much rather have XLR than 1/4".
Analog Audio Input - 2 x 1/4” jacks for professional balanced analog audio, switchable between mic and line levels.
--
Intrigued by this:
Thunderbolt port for capture of RAW video and audio.
--
Mounting Options - 3 x 1/4" thread mounting points on top of camera.
1 x 1/4" thread tripod mount with locator pin.
I wish there was more than a 1/4" & VHS pin on the bottom of the camera. I have fallen in love with the 2x 1/4" + VHS pin on the bottom of my Z7U, I was happy to see it on the EX1R & think Panasonic took it a step farther by have a 1/4" & 3/8" + VHS pin on the AC130/160 HPX250.

Two threading points are sooooo much better than a single 1/4" & the VHS locator pin.
--
Happy to see this:
Remote Control - 1 x 2.5mm LANC for Rec Start/Stop, Iris Control and Focus Control

Not entirely sure but this may also be the cheapest camera ever with HD-SDI out. The cool thing about this is that with the record options the camera has you almost don't even need it except for live productions or for a monitor. If you ever wish you could have SDI instead of HDMI or no option at all then this camera is a no brainer.

The native thunderbolt output is interesting as well. First time I heard anybody use thunderbolt as a direct port to feed video data.

I keep mulling over the Blackmagic site, hoping/wishing for Genlock to appear in the feature list.

-- DC

So reading more, doesn't look like its the Ikon sensor, different size and more dynamic range. Looks like they capitalized on their gopro acquisition? So whats the gopro have for a sensor? Is this a fancy gopro camera?

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 don't think this is an ideal camera for event work. This is a digital cinema camera. It's purpose is to make films, narrative mostly, but documentaries as well. Commercials, corporate shoots, anything that gives you time to set up shots.
Event cameras are more like run and gun style, quick to set up and use, preferably with power zooms. I would not choose this camera for event videography.

Well this thing threw a spanner in the works - Black Magic makes some great products, and Im glad they came out with this camera at this price point... makes all the other manufacturers move a bit quicker!

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



That's what I'm thinking too.

I think that Blackmagic are the first sensible company, and stuck an SSD slot into the camera for its recording media, and a Thunderbolt (or Lightpeak) port for IO. They're taking commodity PC hardware that has the capacity and throughput for high definition video.

Oh, and how about a 512 GB SSD, capable of recording just over an hour of RAW, lossless video? And I'm pretty sure that 1 TB drives are just around the corner.

It also looks like they're pushing a lot of functionality into software on a laptop, rather than hardware.

I think that they've been very smart. It'd have been nice if they'd offered a few different lens mounts.

Yes, using off-the-shelf, common electronic parts from the computer industry is a very clever thing to do that lowers costs, leaves R&D resources for the important stuff and improves sinergy. This is what Apple has been doing for some time and BMD is following Apple's steps as of lately.

I'm convinced this camera will only be the beginning and in one year BMD will release the S35 model with 120fps under $6k, shaking the industry upside down.
BMD has done it before in other fields, switchers, video cards, video mixers, grading software, etc. Cine Cameras are next.

I'm sure executives at RED, Canon, Sony, Panasonic et all will go to sleep a bit troubled today.

What would be the crop factor when using EF lenses with this camera? Trying to figure out if I have things covered with my existing lenses.

From what I understand, m4/3 is essentially a 2x crop factor vs 1.6 with APS-C and 1.3 with APS-H sizing.

I see it was mentioned that the crop factor might be 2.3x above? So a bit smaller than m4/3... So your 100mm would be 230mm, 50mm is 115mm, 24mm is 55.2, and an 11-16 would be 25.3-36.8. Those being equivalent focal lengths on FF obviously, not new focal lengths.

I don't think this is an ideal camera for event work. This is a digital cinema camera. It's purpose is to make films, narrative mostly, but documentaries as well. Commercials, corporate shoots, anything that gives you time to set up shots.
Event cameras are more like run and gun style, quick to set up and use, preferably with power zooms. I would not choose this camera for event videography.

They actually have a power pack option/port.

If you read their website they call out weddings, so they are marketing it to event film makers. The main issue would be lack of on camera controls, but they've included a lanc control port, so hopefully that is for future iris and shutter controls. Raw format is the future, the storage cost might not be there currently, but I would shoot proress if it saved the sky from blowing out. I offer a document edit (camera on a tripod) that this camera would be a good replacement for (GH2), and would pay for itself. As third party support starts to step in and storage options drop in price, it might get A cam work??

I'm convinced this camera will only be the beginning and in one year BMD will release the S35 model with 120fps under $6k, shaking the industry upside down.
BMD has done it before in other fields, switchers, video cards, video mixers, grading software, etc. Cine Cameras are next.

I'm sure executives at RED, Canon, Sony, Panasonic et all will go to sleep a bit troubled today.

My thinking exactly. This will kick over the apple cart for the competition for a while but a big brother version with an S35 sensor, XLR inputs etc. for $6k or so will be the follow up punch.

Finally a camera focused on cinema work at a highly accessible price point. Brilliant!

The unfullfilled promise of the red scarlet now gets delivered by a Company who've kicked some goals in the past. Sweet!

Now my choice is between a D800, a kineraw S16 and this.

I don't think this is an ideal camera for event work. This is a digital cinema camera. It's purpose is to make films, narrative mostly, but documentaries as well. Commercials, corporate shoots, anything that gives you time to set up shots.
Event cameras are more like run and gun style, quick to set up and use, preferably with power zooms. I would not choose this camera for event videography.

Exactly Glen. This is definitively not a run and gun camera. No hot shoe, mic mount etc. or quick to grab buttons. This is a film making tool and if it was full sensor it would be the Scarlet or new 5D that everyone wanted, but better...with the codecs and audio and 5" screen and peaking.

Is there a full sensor version in the works I wonder?

I do a lot of music promos and high speed is essential. I could deal with that crop factor, but frame rates let these cameras down for me. Even if they lowered the res to offer 240 at 720p, or 120 at 1080, it's something. I think if you're only offering 30fps max in these modern times, you're effectively turning your back on the entire music video making industry.

I like the BMD offering a lot at that price point though, and that footage looks lovely. I didn't see anything wrong with the low light clips at the skatepark either. But it's a 'no' based on slow frame rates.

The FS700 is still out on top for my requirements at the moment.

High framerates may just be one of those things we still have to pay top dollar for. In the low cost market we always have some kind of tradeoff. At one stage it was not being able to get away from DV. Then it was 24p and so forth. I do agree that at least 60p would have been nice but if that is the only negative then that is more of a creative negative and one that a lot of people could learn to deal with. Given the fact that $3,000.00 could barely give us the option to record a 4:2:2 8bit image via HDMI or SDI I think this is pretty darn slick.

This camera may not have all of the options for everybody but for those who want about as high of quality 2.5k images as you can get your hands on at 24p or 30p then this camera will really shake up the industry.

i think it's already a very good start for BMD into the camera field. At $3k, this will really make all other manufacturer headache. And this is just the first camera to test the market's response.

Looking forward to see the next version

Since this is their first effort, I congratulate BlackMagic.

I'm not too sure about this camera now that I've read the specs. A few questions:

1. 16mm sensor design - Most people with low budgets switched to DSLRs for the FF and Super 35-like DOF characteristics. If that is the case, the T3i and GH2 offer more value for money, doesn't it?

2. Poor audio connectivity - The BlackMagic website harps on about how quality cannot be compromised, and yet they compromise on one-half of any production's quality - it's audio. I for one would have welcomed a couple of XLR inputs for an additional $1K. Why did they overlook this fact?

3. On-screen controls only - I'm a button guy, so I don't know if this is a good thing for run and gun work. Why no buttons, at least for critical work?

4. Integrated battery only - So how many minutes can I shoot before losing charge? The specs claim 90 minutes. What do I do for a feature film, if I have to wait for 2 hours in between recharges? Do I need to hire a generator just for this camera?

5. Poor form-factor that will be front heavy with EF zooms. Unlike DSLRs, there isn't a way to handhold this camera without a rig - not a single grip on camera as far as I can see. The optional grip accessory has two handles - I'm confused on why they didn't include a shoulder rig so the videographer can use one hand for focus control? Their marketing images show a follow focus system.

6. If the sensor is only 16mm, why is the mount specifically EF? What's the point? By having smaller mounts one can technically use lighter glass to reduce the effect of the poor form factor. Is this going to be a future upgrade/downgrade?

I hope they can get a $5K model that will definitely put most questions (and cameras) to rest.

1. 16mm sensor design - Most people with low budgets switched to DSLRs for the FF and Super 35-like DOF characteristics. If that is the case, the T3i and GH2 offer more value for money, doesn't it?

I guess it depends on how you define 'value for the money'. They are both certainly cheaper, but you're getting significantly better quality just in terms of the compression options. You also get software that purchased on it's own would cost more than either of those cameras. You won't get the super shallow DOF (except maybe with specialty lenses like the Noktor) but you do have the ability to get shallow-enough DOF if you want to. It's still a significantly larger sensor than any traditional video camera format.

2. Poor audio connectivity - The BlackMagic website harps on about how quality cannot be compromised, and yet they compromise on one-half of any production's quality - it's audio. I for one would have welcomed a couple of XLR inputs for an additional $1K. Why did they overlook this fact?

They didn't - it includes balanced, mic/line switchable 1/4" audio inputs. XLR probably didn't fit into the form factor well, and you can still connect them with a simple adapter cable without any loss in quality. Doesn't mention phantom power at all though.

6. If the sensor is only 16mm, why is the mount specifically EF? What's the point? By having smaller mounts one can technically use lighter glass to reduce the effect of the poor form factor. Is this going to be a future upgrade/downgrade?

Because there are far, far more EF mount lenses out there than any smaller format... and it's easy to adapt most other mounts to it. I'm sure they'll consider other mounts in the future as the camera takes off, but considering the market this is targeted at it's likely many purchasers will use it with the Canon lenses they are currently using with their DSLRs.

6. If the sensor is only 16mm, why is the mount specifically EF? What's the point? By having smaller mounts one can technically use lighter glass to reduce the effect of the poor form factor. Is this going to be a future upgrade/downgrade?


Agreed, m43 would have been great at least as an option - much more suited to the form factor and sensor size (and Panny/Oly are putting out some lovely, tiny, and relatively inexpensive m43 primes). And there's a pretty large Gh1/Gh2 fan base that are prime candidates for this camera.

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.

In my opinion, this camera is a step in the right direction for many reasons, cost obviously being a significant one.

Shallow Depth of Field is not a requirement for telling a great story. There are have been many 16mm and SD Video Shorts/Features over the years which did not suffer audience appeal or success because there was no shallow depth of field.

For Feature/Narrative/Short work, even at low budgets, most crews record sound double system, so 1/4" on camera audio inputs are adequate for a scratch track or even decent audio recording, if double system can't be done.

The footage is promising, and I can easily see this camera being adopted by someone who doesn't care what tool is used to tell his or her story, provided the quality of the image is there.

This model seems to be an excellent way to step into the fray and create a user base from which further feedback could be gleaned to possibly launch another slightly more expensive model which addresses any shortcomings this model may possess - I don't see much to realistically complain about until I see more footage, and then edit/grade it's raw files.

For my part, I would love to see a line of cameras with this being the first, and a healthy array of accessories to outfit the base camera for whatever need arises.

Well done BMD: a Camera and Resolve for under 3K. That is quite the accomplishment. If I had the cash laying around, I would order one asap.

Jumping Jehosephat, that is right up my alley.
Still salivating over the FS700 or the KineRaw high speed potential though.
These here are crazy times.

I suspect that high speed frame rates are out of the question for bandwidth issues. There was a comment about needing ~5 MB per frame. To support 60 fps you'd need around 300 MB / second (that's bytes not bits) throughput, and I'm not sure how many SSDs would sustain that.

I'd love to see a version with the P+S Technik IMS mount on it. That's that the Ikonoskop uses, and it can be adapted for Leica M, PL and various other things, as well as the more common Canon and Nikon lenses. It would probably bump the price up, but it'd be worth it.