BVE 2013

A busy old week.

I was presenting for Zeiss(much more of this in a forthcoming post, along with a new video short shot with Zeiss CP.2 lenses) at the Broadcast and Video Expo at London's Excel centre.

Impressions?

Well a couple stand out, but he most asked question of the show was 'What is the Black Magic cinema camera like?'

Perhaps this was because there was one on the Zeiss stand at BVE, and I was often standing next to it.

All the same it did cause a fair bit of interest.

In truth I could not honestly answer the question as I have not yet used one, but I have seen some very impressive footage from it. Have a look at 'A night in Nine Elms' a piece commissioned by Black Magic.

Pay particular attention to its tonality, and how well it holds the highlights and shadows. No great surprise here as it shoots 12bit raw, giving 13 stops dynamic range.......

All this for a whisker under £2000.

Good value indeed.

'A Night in Nine Elms' from hangman on Vimeo.

My impressions?

Well, the futuristic form factor is provoking to say the least, but it did grow on me.

It is actually intended to be part of a 'bigger set up' with parts bolted onto it such as an external recorder, monitor.

This rig for the Black Magic from Zacuto particularly impressed me, suiting the camera well.

Zacuto Rigs for the Blackmagic Camera from Zacuto on Vimeo.

There has to be draw backs with something that cost's under £2k, right?

Well to reiterate, I have not used it, but a few things did stand out as possible issues for some users.

The built in battery means that you cannot carry a spare in your pocket, you need to keep an eye on your power options.

The form factor means some sort of support system is a necessity.

The 16.64 x 14.04mm sensor has a crop factor of x2.3, meaning a 13mm lens will become the equivalent of a 30mm, an 85mm becomes the equivalent of a 200mm.
Some will find one or more of these factors a deal breaker, but many will not, if the enthusiasm of passers by was anything do go by, quite a few of whom had one (or more!) on order.
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Focus on Imaging 2013 with Manfrotto

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The end of 'Photographic' discoveries in the attic?