Blooming Sensor - problem solved!

[Jeff Troiano]

Blackmagic has announced in the forum thread, that they have solved the blooming sensor issue. It requires you to send your camera in, to have the sensor recalibrated. They said not all cameras were affected, and the issue should be solved cameras that are currently shipping.

Blackmagic Forum • View topic - Blooming Sensor Update

[John McCully]

Good news indeed. While I have noted the occasional white orb I'm in no rush to send it in. Most of what I have shot thus far is white orb free. Maybe when the queue is dealt with and the novelty has worn down a tad I shall do so. It also makes sense to wait and see that other untoward effects don't appear as a result of the fix.

[Daniel Epstein]

This is one of those early adopter problems I try and avoid. Too many times I have been a beta tester on a released product. I would find out how long the turn around time is before deciding how lon to wait to get the camera fixed.

[Steven Ansell]

Most products have some sort of teething issues - it is usually best to resist the temptation to be the first kid on the block with the new toy.

It does raise the question though, if they fixed this through adjustment, it probably means performance was dialed down in some other way. So, what are the consequences, and are they really noticeable in real life use?

[Bob Hart]

Years ago, it was put into my feeble brain that one should not expect ideal performance when using lenses purposed for 35mm film cameras on 16mm film cameras, more so the wider angle lenses that were otherwise compatable. The difference in the longer focal lengths was apparently less critical.

As an experienced practitioner, John Brawley might be able to clarify.

There was some high science mentioned about circles of confusion but I do not have the wit to understand let alone explain this.

One thing that has happened with smaller format digital video cameras has been an increase it seems in routinely using larger format lenses on small format sensors. There is also a multiplicity of sensor sizes with optics match-designed for them.

There are now various adaptors which enable fitting to all sorts of cameras of just about any lens type known to man since the ancient Minoan lenses - oh well not quite.

One might speculate that when using the purposed Super16mm lenses on the Blackmagic compact camera, that the flare or orb issue may be diminished. The sensor as far as I can tell is the same as for the original 2.6K camera except that the sensor is cropped to Super16mm size and is offset relative to optical axis.

It has been mentioned that the orb issue presents when using some lens types. It may be that Blackmagic's compact camera may have become vulnerable to too much freedom of lens choice being available today. If the sensor and downstream processing on the 2.6K camera and the compact camera are otherwise identical, then it might come down to lens choices needing to be made.

[Craig Chartier]

Very good points Bob. I think people should be watching the pricing wars about to happen for super 16 glass on eBay. All that wonderful full cinema action in such well made zooms and primes that has been sitting on the shelves for some time now.

[Michael Bishop]

I just seen this video. "White Orbs" #2_The Calibrated BMPCC

"White Orbs" #2_The Calibrated BMPCC on Vimeo