Cinematography : Black Magik camera by Iva Stel

i have one-and i love it! makes brilliant pictures-best asa is 400 - not so good in low light- but its worth the price:)

I have shot several shorts on the BMCC 2.5K and 4K (mostly the 4k) and here are my thoughts: Don't get the MFT mount. It really restricts you for shooting in cramped quarters. Be prepared to spend some time color grading - you get decent software for this with the camera. The "white film" mentioned earlier is actually more information in the highlights (and shadows) that need to be graded to something "better". Generally you lose information in the highlights and shadows - the MBCC captures that - all that extra data in the highlights comes through as "white haze" - spending 30 seconds with a color grader will fix this. This is one of the selling points of the MBCC. Get an external battery Don't expect to shoot by hand - you'll need a rig of some kind or a tripod. Use external sound - the camera microphone picks up the camera's fan. You can use an externally mounted microphone or just record separately. The cost vs. the performance is spectacular and I will continue to use it.

I have a 4K and love it. Its such a forgiving camera especially in the dynamic range even just in the pro res. Treat it like you would a red in terms of extra gear. The battery inside is only there as a fail safe, you will have to get external batteries, rig etc. Team it with the cheap rokinon primes and you'll get some stunning images.

I have one and use it when I'm not working as a DIT. I love it! There are some issues with fixed pattern noise in some of the mid tones and I had to send one back already because the internal battery crapped out on it. Blackmagic support and customer service is awesome, though, and they had a new one in my hands before I even shipped back the old one. You can see some of the most recent stuff I shot on it here http://vimeo.com/randymills/firstsnow. I have the ikan/Tilta Blackmagic rig and love it. Get an external battery, I have the Switronix XP-L90S on the ikan power supply system for the Blackmagic Camera, and I love both of em. I sold my RedRock Micro shoulder mount but will definitely buy another shoulder mount soon to replace it, this camera requires it to go handheld. It's pretty nice having the internal battery if you want to shoot really low profile and not bring much attention to yourself. It doesn't last long, though, since this camera is definitely a battery hog. If you are recording audio I would suggest an external recorder. The audio capabilities definitely left me a little disappointed. That being said, I just recently found out that you can feed a timecode track into the audio inputs for easy syncing later on. (Easily acheived in DaVinci Resolve which is included with the purchase of the camera or any other NLE system nowdays.) Shoot at the lowest possible ASA and I shoot in Film mode as it gives a nice flat image to grade but just recently read that the Video mode will render richer blacks as it mimicks Rec709 and will probably start experimenting with that when shooting darker/night scenes. I like this camera a lot for the price. Just know that you will need to spend a lot on "extras" with the purchase of this camera. It does take my Canon EF glass which is a plus. The monitor sucks in daylight and you will probably want a better one, so think about that as well. A lot to consider, but I don't regret my purchase at all. The images speak for themselves. Hope that helps.

Hi, I have used all these are very very good. But i go for red scarlet because of its accessories.

You might want to check out the new Black Magic Ursa which comes with three monitors (A 10" monitor! Wow!)and two additional 5" monitors! And it has a very good sensor, all for under $6K. The price is without lens. Additionally, the user has the ability to change the sensor themselves! Black Magic has three or four available. Lots of very useful features and extras on this model which would cost thousands with a Red or Alexa. Here's a link if you want to check it out: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicursa

The Black Magic rocks , I worked with the 2.5k aswell as with the 4k and the image is in Raw as good as Arri alexa or Red to me , the rest is all up to postproduction. But i'ts a complete other camera to work with. The 2.5 k is indeed you best choice. So my advice, if your on a tight budget go for the 2.5k and shoot raw or at least S-log. If you go for 4K remind that you will need a power pc to handle the 4K and if you gone shoot 4K Raw I advise to compress to 2K Raw after imediate for post or shoot in S-log, but even then it will be intensive work becourse of the big files. You will need also quit a few expensive high data raid SSD disks for storage in 4K raw.

Iva, I'm kinda with you with this. Right now, I'm at the upper end of the Nikon DSLR range, looking to up-grade. So far I've heard good & bad about the BM - I think I'll just save my pennies until I can make the jump to a RED.

Iva, If you are considering being a DP consider hiring a Red epic operator (I've done it for $700 a day as a DP) rather than renting equipment or going out and spending an average $80K for camera and accessories. If you are considering being a camera operator remember you are competing with $700/day which includes camera, lenses, dollies, lights, and other accessories and you will need 115 work days to break even if you pay cash plus additional days for routine repairs, maintenance, and insurance before you see a profit and you still have food, travel, and housing to pay for during those 115 days. With a $5k budget as DP for 3 days I can still hire the operator and make a profit. Also, keep in mind average DP salary is $66K plus the budget for equipment.

Checkout HurlbutVisuals.com --- Shane just did a camera test on the the BM 4K Ursa ... Shane's a DP with solid credits - Act of Valor, Terminator Salvation, Need For Speed ...