New Footage shot with the BMPCC

[John McCully]

This is better. Well, maybe...

Seems I am not permitted to embed here. Seems he want us to go first to his site and that's fair enough I guess.

Here's the link where he talks about this: Shooting from the Hip Pocket | johnbrawley

[Noa Put]

I wonder why there is only one person in the world allowed to shoot with the thing and share the results and why they pick someone that doesn't have the time to produce something decent? The images look great for a quick handheld test but some more tripod footage would be nice for a change.

[John McCully]

Beats me, Noa, it sure beats me. Extreme close-ups of out-of-focus whiskers and a couple of soft landscapes! Must be some kind of weird marketing plan. Tripod footage, presumably, is not the province of the BMPCC.

Maybe they can't get it right. I'm loosing interest real fast..

[Noa Put]

That's why I realy would like to see some controlled tripod or slider footage so you could at least look better at all the details in the image, now it's mostly all over the place, as if they have something to hide.

[John McCully]

My thinking precisely. Not very encouraging...

[Philip Lipetz]

the Vimeo site stream look better than the embedded stream on John's site.

[Philip Lipetz]

"I shot some tests with the BMCC alongside (the BMPCC) and there’s not much difference between them in resolution to the eye. I was actually surprised there wasn’t a bigger difference. There should be."

John Brawley

Shooting from the Hip Pocket | johnbrawley

[John McCully]

So Mr. Brawley, rather than tell us what you spied with your little eye show us the test footage in order that we might see for ourselves. For heaven's sake why not? That would be 'professional'.

All very strange! I remain hugely skeptical about this.

[John Brawley]

Originally Posted by John McCully

So Mr. Brawley, rather than tell us what you spied with your little eye show us the test footage in order that we might see for ourselves. For heaven's sake why not? That would be 'professional'.

All very strange! I remain hugely skeptical about this.

The images are for you to judge. Not me. I'll happily give you my opinion if you wish but it's not that relevant to your requirements and needs is it ? That's why there are pictures for you to look at.

I generally don't allow embedding for a few days after I post something, usually because the footage get's linked without the context or description and people jump to conclusions that aren't correct because they haven't read the description that goes with the footage.

I shoot a lot more than I'm able to release. Firstly, I'm in pre production on a TV drama series and I can't just release test footage of cast and locations. I'm under NDA's.

The footage I'm able to steal also has to be approved for release by BMD. Also, under NDA with prototype footage. I release what I'm allowed to release but it doesn't mean I'm not shooting a lot more than what you get to see.

I'm good friends with the guys at BMD and they trust me and we live in the same country and I shoot with a lot of different cameras, so it's always easy for me to benchmark the cameras for them.

This is no different to the way we released footage for the BMCC. I showed some "home movies", then eventually, once the camera's firmware was finished to the point BMD was happy, I was able to organise a little shoot that was more "professional" and feature tripod shots (cause that's what marks a professional shoot).

Once the camera's firmware is done, you'll see more footage and camera original files.

There's no point in eating a roast that hasn't been baked.

Thanks for watching.

jb

[Philip Lipetz]

John Brawley Tests PRO 1 hour ago
With regards to softness and the "softness" of this image....
Firstly, people said the same thing about the BMCC when it came out...and this is a camera with no OLPF. I think we're used to seeing very processed images, Most .264 cameras tend to add sharpening in-camera as well as other things like coring.
The BMCC and RAW way is to give you un-adulterated images. Even in ProRes. So these images haven't been sharpened or noise reduced AT ALL.
You also have to remember that there IS a difference between this camera and the BMCC...resolution.
I think the softness people are seeing is more to do these two differences than the lenses. The SLR Magic, especially the 25mm is actually pretty sharp.
jb

[John McCully]

Now we’re getting somewhere (I think). Thanks for the post JB updating us here on the goings on regarding the forthcoming BMPCC. Indeed it is for us, the intending purchaser, to decide if the product is ‘relevant to your requirements and needs...’ Unfortunately thus far the pictures you have provided, that I am aware of, have not enabled that in my instance and perhaps more fool me I have already placed an order and paid a deposit. I fully appreciate the NDA thing and understand that you have only made available that which Blackmagic (and others) has approved.

It is helpful to have reviewed the circumstances regarding the softness we are seeing and hopefully that will be significantly reduced in the finished product however we should not expect the same level of sharpness as that obtained with the BMCC, is my read of the situation. Just how close remains to be seen. We wait with bated breath!

Be careful with the ‘baked’ metaphor. Some like it RAW you know! Right now seems it’s about half done. Please tell the mates at Blackmagic to turn up the heat on the engineers and those involved in getting this thing to market. After all the fanfare and high-powered hype at NAB expectations are on the front burner; boiling over in fact, and dipping fingers in for a test taste has been somewhat less than finger-licking lip-smacking wonderful.

Cheers.

[John Brawley]

Originally Posted by John McCully

It is helpful to have reviewed the circumstances regarding the softness we are seeing and hopefully that will be significantly reduced in the finished product however we should not expect the same level of sharpness as that obtained with the BMCC, is my read of the situation. Just how close remains to be seen. We wait with bated breath!

There are a lot less pixels in the pocket. Any bayer sensor should oversample by about 30% to give you the target resolution. That's why the 2.5K BMCC does such nice 1920.

So now with the pocket we have a sensor that's the same pixel size as the acquisition file.

It's also one of the main reasons RED went for 5K with the EPIC. They copped a lot of flack for claiming they were a true 4K camera. On a resolution chart though no one could get more than 3K of resolution. So the camera had a 4K sensor and created 4K files that had 3K of information.

For those that think that the pocket somehow supersedes the BMCC...this is a key difference.

Originally Posted by John McCully

Be careful with the ‘baked’ metaphor. Some like it RAW you know!

RAW still needs to be processed or developed. You can't do anything with the RAW files till they are "cooked". The metaphor still works. You wouldn't eat the chicken RAW. You just want to be in control of how you season it and roast it. What Oven you use. What pans you use. What else you serve with it.... Rather than buying it pre-roasted like you do with any other non RAW camera.

Originally Posted by John McCully

Right now seems it’s about half done. Please tell the mates at Blackmagic to turn up the heat on the engineers and those involved in getting this thing to market. After all the fanfare and high-powered hype at NAB expectations are on the front burner; boiling over in fact, and dipping fingers in for a test taste has been somewhat less than finger-licking lip-smacking wonderful.

Cheers.

Well it is a prototype !

Although BMD had a big presence at NAB, I wouldn't say that they HYPE things up beyond expectation. Most of that happens from others. Excited users, bloggers etc. BMD don't even commission demo footage like Canon and Panasonic do with celebrity shooters. The crazy hyping of the Movi comes to mind as perhaps an example of exuberance. I don't think BMD are guilty of that to the same degree. Yeah they get excited about what they are doing but they're not literally calling themselves game changers....

jb

[Frank Glencairn]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

That's why I realy would like to see some controlled tripod or slider footage so you could at least look better at all the details in the image, now it's mostly all over the place, as if they have something to hide.

If I want to use tripods, sliders or rigs, why get a POCKET camera in the first place? The form factor literally asks for handheld and stealth shooting. The whole point of having a such a tiny camera, is NOT too use all that extra gear and being super fast and mobile. For everything else there are the original BMCs and the 4k. Horses for courses.

[Jason Lowe]

Originally Posted by Frank Glencairn

If I want to use tripods, sliders or rigs, why get a POCKET camera in the first place? The form factor literally asks for handheld and stealth shooting. The whole point of having a such a tiny camera, is NOT too use all that extra gear and being super fast and mobile. For everything else there are the original BMCs and the 4k. Horses for courses.

Agreed. This will be incredible for run and gun work, shooting in urban areas, and stealth work. Think an extremely powerful cousin to the GoPro. Stick this on a Gorillapod with a short lens and it just looks like another P&S/consumer camera to the average person. Nothing to see here, move along. Just someone taking snapshots.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Frank Glencairn

If I want to use tripods, sliders or rigs, why get a POCKET camera in the first place?

Handheld shots might have their place but I don't like them in general, it reminds me too much of shaky vacation movies. A pocket camera that is able to provide high quality images is for me just a reason to get a small and light tripod and/or slider to fit in a backpack so I can go out on foot to shoot in places where I otherwise never would get with 3 times the weight. I will be waiting for the first videos to appear where I can actually see what the camera is capable of before I will purchase one.