All is possible

Author: carlomacchiavello Page 2 of 18

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6k FF

Since the first Cinema Camera from Blackmagic I have always left a comment on them, I have owned several, I own several, and I find them to be very interesting products for different reasons, often not the mainstream ones that everyone gets excited about.

Everyone screaming about the miracle because it’s a fullframe, larger sensor than the classic cinema super 35, as if it were the panacea for all ills, or the secret sausage for the cinema effect (which remember the classic cinema format is smaller…).

The specifications have all been bandied about, and if you are interested, just go to the dedicated page here.

Let’s analyze what I think is most interesting about this camera and why :

Open Gate 3:2 : finally the possibility to shoot in a format not pushed in width, a concept that comes from early cinema, which many modern filmmakers (from Sam Raimi to Wes Andreson) have exploited in Arri cameras to create formats with particular proportions and then use them as a narrative method.

Option that introduces Multi Aspect ratio that allows traditional, Anamorphic, and many combinations of formats and frame rates to solve all kinds of shooting needs.

New Dual ISO Sensor at 13.5 stops of DR in the first gain stage : many people talk about dynamic range, but they don’t know that most cameras have the maximum dynamic range ONLY at native Iso, moving around they don’t offer the same dynamic range, while here we find the same range spread over the different ISOs.

H264 proxies created in parallel with the Braw files, to simplify both previewing and editing as well as using the Blackmagic Cloud where you can upload materials and start working before you have even received the derived raw.

CfExpress for high-speed recording.
There has been a lot of controversy in the past regarding SD cards (fast ones cost a kidney) and Cfasts that have never come down in price, while CfExpress in addition to being adopted by several brands, already seem to be cheaper than the equivalent Cfast2 or SD v90s (of course we are comparing similar products in performance, not the mobile microsd that would not even be able to record raw frames).

Display 5-inch HDR 1500 nits articulated inherited from the pro, to make it easier to use the camera in bright sunlight and not have to add additional monitors. Then if you prefer, there is always the Blackmagic Viewfinder already in use for pocketG2 and 6kPro.

Last but not least L mount, to be able to mount high-end optics, or with simple adapters the classic EF lenses to others, the L mount having a very short 20mm flange.
The real difference in using L mount is that in addition to having a product with a more modern mount, it is part of a consortium that has completely spread the data to support in the correct and best way the management of the lenses, as opposed to the EF mount that is adopted by more brands, but always and only with a Reverse engeneering work of the mount, electronics and communication, which then leads to issues of camera lens management.

Optical Low Pass Filter to reduce any moires effects with fabrics or other elements, e.g., ledwalls, which are increasingly present today as backgrounds or set elements. It is also a key element (it seems) in getting that mythical NetFlix certification…for those who care.

I usually ironize about the meanings that come out of the usual incontentativists, who don’t buy anyway, they just stand behind their keyboards and complain…
this time… but also not…

I don’t think I’m going to upgrade anytime soon because many modern optics I own are aps-c (would work equally because in the different modes it also has the crop for aps-c), while the vintage ones are obviously Fullframe.

But if Blackmagic wants to give me one for my project of photographing with a Cinema Camera, to see the alternative effects 😀

Meanwhile on a sunny morning, it allowed me to capture some interesting images, and although I had to halve the size for a purely technical issue (the site would not allow me to upload 6k frames to the gallery) I would say that you can appreciate the quality of the individual frames.

Cable does Matter

It’s just a cable, what do you want it to change?

How many times have I heard that phrase, and I knew they wouldn’t understand the answer? So.
Short, concise, pragmatic answer….

Below you see the difference of the same Cfast2, same player, same USB port, two different Usb C cables: one expensive quality one, one cheap but often twice as thick and with lots of big words and highfalutin specifications in the description…

Guess which of the two usb-C 3.1 cables offers results from usb 2.0velocità confrontateToday unfortunately since usb-C cables have become standard for charging ccell phones and other devices, they have filled us with perhaps decent cabling for charging, or fast charging, but as data cabling they are quite poor, so the thickness we see probably comes from a cable for charging more, so as not to make resistance, because there is no time to wait to charge one’s smartphone, but when we use it to copy data it’s definitely the fault of the device, not the cable… so much fast charging, we know it’s fast of everything…

 

Communicative obsolescence

The reflection stems from the fact that I have always gone against the grain, I can’t do things because they are fashionable, popular, because they are done that way, and so I can call myself an outsider, a “weirdo,” one of those who used to be called Nerds, today more polically correct Geeks, sometimes it has paid to be different from others, other times it has been a social limitation, in communication or in social skills, but as I am made of character it is more a problem for others than for me.

This post stems from the fact that Social goes more today, than blog posts (and in fact I have several youtube channels, the first since 2006, as soon as it was born), and Instagram, Vero, Wave and I frequent (but do not produce) for TikTok, Facebook I have always used since its inception, but little because of its scattered nature and strongly oriented to make things disappear, and you read little in theory…

“Algorithms prefer short, redundant articles…”
translation : I should treat you like decelebrates with a 20 mm nail pierced in the frontal lobe by repeating the same intro at least three times, in a different way to become more popular for the algorithm…
I have respect for you. No thanks…

“You write too much, then people don’t read everything”
bah… whatever… these are views of people who don’t even read the basic instructions and then complain that things don’t work because they didn’t remove the plastic tab on the batteries… according to those people, those blogs that have 8 lines but the page looks full because it’s all ads and a headline related to the news are better…
Twitter is the place for you … not my site, here people who want to know and learn come here

” videos are better”
yes, I also have more than one youtube channel for almost 20 years, for different things….

” your channel has no regular content”
the main channel contains tutorials, tricks, on different programs, which I do along with many other things, maybe more varied ones will be born, when I feel like it 😛

Ok … arrived almost to 50 years … I think I can continue like this, be different from others, and be happy to have near those who appreciate it, and far away those who do not understand my choices …
ps Obviously the choice for the image is that of the Geek par excellence, namely the legendary Tim Burton.
pps on curiosity of a friend I found out that although my blog is all against the grain it is visited more than I think, even from Japan…
Different is the new Popular 😛

 

Netflix Approved

At this time the words “Approved by Netflix” bounce around for the umpteenth time as an excuse to buy the new camera or to justify one’s choice of camera.

All the fault of yet another advertising video by Netflix itself where it makes people believe that they try them out, test them thoroughly, because technical quality is important to them (it’s true of course), but their guidelines are funny… too bad people don’t understand the irony of the choices.

Let’s start with a basic absurdity, the approved cameras are the ones used during official NetFlix Original productions, so billion-dollar productions where the camera is the least of the economic problems, owning a NetFlix-approved camera does not mean you can sell them imams, work or products.

If you produce something, with cameras that are not among those approved, still it can be sold to NetFlix, as a no NetFlix Original product, so much so that in their catalog there are products made with all kinds of chambers.
In the Italian catalog there was for some time also an Italian product “Across the river” made in miniDv, acquired for the catalog because it had won several festivals.

Their requirements are related to resolution (Min 4k), dynamic range (at least 9), color sampling quality, for which masterpieces shot in Imax film are not suitable as quality, because film has a dynamic range between 6 and 9 stops. At the same time much of the products made in recent years with the best Arri cameras, not having 4k as a basic resolution (sensor in 3.5k opengate) are technically to be discarded…

I agree that minimum production limits are set to maintain very high quality standards, but at the same time there should be a practical discourse of result use, it is possible to put an exceptional camera in the hands of a neophyte and bring out horrible footage, and take a basic camera and put it in the hands of a professional bring out good quality footage.

Pocket6k G2

Blackmagic Design surprisingly releases second set of pocket6k, is that a good thing?

And everyone talking about it … looking for flaws and reasons not to buy it, shooting it down … without having it in their hands …

Of course, I’m not going to sit on my hands and as usual, with my critical and defeatist style I’m going to list all the mistakes he made to make it a bestseller … undermining the sale of its own chambers….

Every camera manufacturer thinks about improving its products, and it is embarrassing how in Blackmagic Design they had the courage to improve their original camera by listening to user requests with :

  • sony battery like the pro
  • viewfinder compatibility
  • improved and bausculating monitor
  • New improved Os 7.9
  • Gyroscope recording to stabilize in post in a more modern way

Before, the battery seemed to be a problem, and now the battery is 3500 mAh, so one of the many “shortcomings” of the camera is gone.

Now instead of using external monitors you can use a very good viewfinder that is sold at a very honest price.

The bausculating monitor so one can complain that it is now not articulated….

About the new Os I talked about it the other day.

Of course many will think of it as a hybrid of the old 6k and pro, and the concept is right, they have taken the innovations of the pro, which is bulkier, and put the pluses in the box of the regular 6k, creating a scalar line of products for all needs:

  • pocket 4k the cheapest entry level 4k raw in the world
  • pocket 6k g2, 6k sensor, bauscular monitor, small footprint with many features.
  • pocket6k pro for those who need more audio inputs, internal ND filters, 1500 nits display.

for those who complain that they recently bought the “old pocket6k” well … the market goes on for all brands, indeed … many brands come out with a new model every year, while Blackmagic tends to bring out a new product or update every two years.

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