blackmagic pocket Archives

01 January 2015

Atomos Shogun Tests: Panasonic GH4 and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera

Written by Paul Moon

Here’s an original video overview with commentary on the Atomos Shogun, emphasizing camera tests and comparisons, rather than a critical review. Mentioned at the beginning, you should start with Atomos’ own introductory video, if you haven’t already, for an explanation of the Shogun’s menus and features in-depth. The product is shipping now from the usual places, e.g., B&H Photo and Video, and Adorama.

These results show only slight differences, but they are precise. For apples-to-apples comparison without deviation, there’s always a compromise between getting things into perfect docile alignment, and pushing devices to their respective limits using shot diversity and severe motion. I chose the first approach here, for formal comparison, but subsequent field work will bear out the other more instinctual types of comparisons (and I’ll be looking forward to seeing your samples).

As explained in this video’s commentary, I was satisfied by the proof here comparing 10-bit 4:2:2 via ProRes HQ (Shogun) against 8-bit 4:2:0 via .MOV (GH4 internal), ironically by way of deduction: the capture looked identical between the Shogun externally versus the BMPCC internally, both recording at 10-bit 4:2:2 via ProRes HQ. The design philosophy at Atomos is right-on: they are leaving sensor design to the big industry vets, while pushing the envelope on this recorder/monitor side where it’s usually neglected in camera bodies. I look forward to mating the Shogun as often as possible with the GH4, but as I mention in the commentary, V-Log couldn’t come soon enough. For now, as you’ll see during each sample, I’m relying upon the FilmConvert plug-in to match footage between different camera color spaces, for common ground. (FYI, they are giving 10% off using exclusive code FOCUSPULLING at filmconvert.com.) And 10-bit 4:2:2 capture really shows its “colors” when you grade footage heaviliy, which I do.

I “obey” the 180-degree shutter rule always, because a camera test is useless if it doesn’t approximate field use, and good cinematographers are obligated to capture correct motion blur (for the sake of their audiences)! Thus all of these shots are locked down to a shutter speed of 1/60, as I’m shooting at 30 frames per second. My GH4’s ISO was at the minimum 200 in movie mode, though I cranked up to 600 or so after the sun went down. Rather than fiddling with the shutter speed (boo!), I compensated by opening up my aperture on bright lenses, including the lovely Leica 42.5m f/1.2, and the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8.

Thanks for watching, and for a quick look behind-the-scenes from this shoot, and for full-resolution comparison stills, here’s the photo album from Flickr:

January 1, 2015 Blackmagic Cinema Cameras, FocusPulling Original Video, Panasonic GH4 10-bit, 4:2:2, atomos, atomos shogun, blackmagic, blackmagic pocket, bmpcc, gh4, national mall, panasonic gh4, prores, recorder, shogun, smithsonian, smithsonian castle, washington monument 4 Comments

24 December 2014

HIGHSTEP | Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera on Filmpower Nebula 4000 Lite Stabilizer

Written by Paul Moon

HIGHSTEP is an encounter on the beach with rock climbers honing their craft and hanging out with friends. I was home for the holidays in Orange County, off to the tidal basin at Corona del Mar with my nephew to try out the new Filmpower Nebula 4000 Lite 3-axis brushless motorized gimbal stabilizer. Always on the lookout for character subjects, I ran into these climbers, and their friendly enthusiasm was the real thing. This video owes completely to their casual kindness: it was serendipitous to meet them, and to come up with this unplanned film within an hour on December 22, 2014.

No less, I caught some beautiful light flares from the setting sun that you just can’t stage. And I thought the stabilizer brought a revolutionary new capability to this sort of simplified backpack shoot, for total elegance of movement equivalent to large-scale productions that require hours of setup time with dolly tracks and jibs. That’s the essence of this small camera revolution: it’s been only a year since we got 10-bit 4:2:2 RAW capture in a film log color space at such a tiny profile in the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC). It’s the perfect match for the Nebula 4000: flying past online nerd fights (you wouldn’t believe) over firmware tuning and PID settings, it’s buttery smooth right out of the flight case after just a few minutes of physical balancing. I could have pushed the weight limits, mounting a Panasonic GH4, but then would have needed to hook up a heavy Atomos Shogun for capturing video quality equivalent to the BMPCC, defeating the purpose of the Nebula 4000’s miniature freedom of movement.

I am grateful to Moby for permission to use his cerebral tune “Look Back In,” while Silent Partner rounds things out with their aggressive “Armadillo.” Thanks to my nephew Aaron Richter for assisting on camera and pulling together the music. Thanks also to Filmpower for creating the Nebula 4000 Lite. And mostly, thanks to the climbers in this film for their inspiration.

For a quick look behind-the-scenes from this shoot, here’s the photo album from Flickr:

December 24, 2014 Blackmagic Cinema Cameras, FocusPulling Original Video 3-axis gimbal, blackmagic, blackmagic pocket, bmpc, bmpcc, brushless, cliff, climbers, climbing, corona del mar, filmpower, highstep, nebula 4000, nebula 4000 lite, stabilizer 1 Comment

12 December 2014

Moonicam: When a Snorricam Says No to GoPro

Written by Paul Moon

Although you can mount a GoPro on a helmet and turn it around to point at your face, the video quality on a GoPro is inadequate for anything serious. Not that this is serious.

But I just worked on a shoot that needed to play game at multiplexes, and big screens need clarity. What you’ll see in this video is a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and Rokinon 7.5mm prime lens (while my surrounding how-to is shot on a Panasonic GH4). The articulating arm that I mention is a Kamerar 11-inch Tough Friction Arm. It stays out of the frame, but there’s no getting rid of the helmet without aiming the camera severely downward. So, point: SnorriCam, though it wasn’t a problem for this skateboarding shoot with helmets anyway.

I was surprised by the image stabilization of my own head, without having the benefit of any gimbal or active lens (and without me being some kind of half-fowl mutation, thinking of that viral clip shown here of SmarterEveryDay’s “chicken-powered steadicam”). To get the shots I was brought in for, I got tempted to go down the SnorriCam route that starts off this video; but my scene didn’t call for stability that’s locked onto the torso – instead, the head. I’m pretty stoked at how the gizmo worked out. Yet this commentary ends with a reflection on how Hollywood is a helluva lot different from indie filmmaking, and I’ll be writing more about that later at the blog.

Big thanks to the friendly experts at the under-wraps studio production, especially Julio Macat, A.S.C., Max Macat and Jeremy Hays. And of course, Dad. Music is “A Freak” by Moby, licensed via mobygratis.com.

[NOTE: If you make one of these, proceed carefully, at your own risk. You are responsible for taking extra precautions on account of the additional mass created by any head-mounted rig.]

December 12, 2014 Blackmagic Cinema Cameras, FocusPulling Original Video articulating arm, blackmagic, blackmagic pocket, bmpc, bmpcc, diy, gh4, gopro, helmet, helmet cam, helmet camera, kamerar, moonicam, pov, rokinon, snoricam, snorricam Leave a Comment

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