NAB 2014

[eaglespremiers]

So a couple of things have got me really interested at NAB this year.
Firstly the Blackmagic Ursa:

Now I like this for a couple of reasons. Firstly it is an all-encompassing system (well, at least in comparison to their other production cameras). You can have a three-person work crew with this camera. With in-built screens (including a massive 10" screen) it does not require many optional extras that the other BM products may require. It has obviously got better form factor than the Cinema Camera or Production Camera and could foreseeably sit on your shoulder. It also shoots at 4K. And the battery life will be much better (as determined by the extra batteries you decide to invest in). And amazingly the asking price is AU$7,300. Which is fantastic value and will also encourage competitors to drop their price (and indeed Canon have recently dropped the price of the 1Dc by $2000). What makes this attractive to me is that it can be purchased with an EF mount which means I can utilize all my still lenses on this (rather than spending approx. $7,500 per lens on PL mounted lenses).
However, I think there are obvious downsides. Firstly, the weight. It is 7.5kg which, while not huge, still puts it beyond the scale of many indie film-makers and wedding videographers (including yours truly). Lugging this much weight around is just not feasible for run and gun shooting (of course that's not the market BM are probably aiming for).
Secondly, as far as we know the sensor in this camera is the exact same sensor that you'd get in the Production Camera for approx. $3,500 less. Now I know that there is some argument that that sensor is still ahead of its time. However, there are still some short-comings to that sensor that will continue into this camera. Vertical banding etc.... will still be present.
Then there's the price. On paper it sounds good but there will be other items required. You have to choose the battery which will cost more again. And the CFast cards are ridiculously expensive (we're talking $1,200 for a 120GB card). If you are shooting in RAW 4K you will chew through that card like its nothing.
Then there's the 10" screen. It will be great for studio shoots, however if you mount this camera on your shoulder you will not be able to utilize that screen effectively. A 10 inch picture viewed at 3 inches away is not a useful monitor. So, again, for run and gun shooting this camera is not the best.
Finally, there is the fact that you are purchasing a BM product. While this means great value for money it also means poor service in regards to firmware updates. No doubt many owners of the Cinema Camera or the Production Camera are feeling jibbed by this announcement because they are yet to receive the asked-for updates. So many current BM customers will feel disenchanted by this announcement. Now perhaps BM don't care and are aiming this camera at those who aren't currently BM customers but this type of mindset will simply cause problems in the future.

All in all this is an exciting product but one with several question marks. On face value it seems excellent, but I think I will refrain from getting it on pre-order.

 

[eaglespremiers]

Secondly, the AJA Cion:

This is comparable to the URSA in the sense that they are in the same ball park in terms of price. We're probably looking at about AU$10,000 for this camera. There's a number of things I prefer about the Cion, regardless of the price.
Firstly, the weight. This weighs 3.36kg. Which is almost half the weight of the URSA. This will make this camera much more appealing to the videographer on the move (i.e. indie and wedding).
Secondly, the form factor. This has great ergonomics to be a shoulder camera. And with the weight being substantially less than the URSA and other cameras it should be capable to film entire afternoons with this camera without tiring out.
Thirdly, no 10" screen. For me, I think I prefer the EVF rather than the screen. Sure, in some circumstances the screen is going to be a much better option, however, I prefer to add a screen later if that's the case, not have it already. I don't mind that this is not set up for a three person team because I never roll like that, so whatever.
Finally, AJA is reknown for putting out finished products. The same cannot be said for Blackmagic.
There are a couple of things that I don't like.
Firstly, the specs of the sensor sound suspiciously like that of the BM Production Camera. So any problems you might have with the URSA may be present with the Cion. Plus you're paying even more money for something that really is going to get the same quality image as the BM Production Camera. So the question is whether or not the bells and whistles are worth the extra $7,000.
Then there's the mount. I understand that the PL is industry standard but when BM are offering the option of a EF mount I feel that the Cion becomes much more of an investment for a shooter who has been working from a DSLR and wanted to upgrade. Suddenly this camera + initial lens starts to clock in at twice the price of the URSA.

 

[eaglespremiers]

Finally a negative assessment on Canon.
While I understand that their product lineup is still going strong and the C300 is still the go-to camera for indie film-makers I can't help but feeling they are falling behind in the technology expansion race.
The C300 has the perfect compromise in form factor. It can be rigged out or it can be handheld. But it is just trailing other cameras in specs. Now I know that megapixels are not the be-all-and-end-all in photography. But 4K is not just some gimmick like 3D televisions and movies were. This is the way of the future.
And when you can buy 4K cameras for $2000 (GH4) or $3,500 (BMPC) as opposed to the $15,000 you'll pay for the C300 then you have to ask the question as to whether Canon are resting on their laurels. Now, no doubt, while 4K is the future, it is not quite present reality. But a lack of any announcement from Canon of a new camera body means that any improvements are likely 12 months or more away. This means that they will be well behind the ball by the time the above cameras are released (well maybe not the URSA, we know how poor BM are with deadlines).
These cameras were released in 2012 but product cycles simply aren't what they once were.
I suppose the problem for Canon is that they don't want to cannibalise their current cameras. With the C100 at about $7,000, the C300 at about $15,000 and the C500 at about $25,000 any attempts to put 4K into a Canon camera would undercut sales of any of these three. Particularly if you allowed 4K recording in the chassis of the camera. Then the C500 would become a rather unappealing option at the price it is now offered at.
Where Canon are not hurting themselves is the continued creation of PL mount lenses. As the Canon representative said at the show they don't care if people are buying their lenses for third party cameras.
They'd better watch out on the stills front, though, as Sigma and Tamron are making strong inroads into the Canon/Nikon monopoly on lenses.
Whether any of this affects Canon enough to care or not, I'm not too sure.
However, camera sales for 2013 were down for Canon. This is in no small part due to the Canon 70D being the only camera (outside of the consumer DSLR) released by Canon last year.
I'm a Canon fan through and through but I can't help but feel Canon are playing this next step in technology way too conservatively. While they won't miss the boat, they certainly are not joining the party just yet.

 

[Engimal]

So a couple of things have got me really interested at NAB this year.
Firstly the Blackmagic Ursa:

Now I like this for a couple of reasons. Firstly it is an all-encompassing system (well, at least in comparison to their other production cameras). You can have a three-person work crew with this camera. With in-built screens (including a massive 10" screen) it does not require many optional extras that the other BM products may require. It has obviously got better form factor than the Cinema Camera or Production Camera and could foreseeably sit on your shoulder. It also shoots at 4K. And the battery life will be much better (as determined by the extra batteries you decide to invest in). And amazingly the asking price is AU$7,300. Which is fantastic value and will also encourage competitors to drop their price (and indeed Canon have recently dropped the price of the 1Dc by $2000). What makes this attractive to me is that it can be purchased with an EF mount which means I can utilize all my still lenses on this (rather than spending approx. $7,500 per lens on PL mounted lenses).
However, I think there are obvious downsides. Firstly, the weight. It is 7.5kg which, while not huge, still puts it beyond the scale of many indie film-makers and wedding videographers (including yours truly). Lugging this much weight around is just not feasible for run and gun shooting (of course that's not the market BM are probably aiming for).
Secondly, as far as we know the sensor in this camera is the exact same sensor that you'd get in the Production Camera for approx. $3,500 less. Now I know that there is some argument that that sensor is still ahead of its time. However, there are still some short-comings to that sensor that will continue into this camera. Vertical banding etc.... will still be present.
Then there's the price. On paper it sounds good but there will be other items required. You have to choose the battery which will cost more again. And the CFast cards are ridiculously expensive (we're talking $1,200 for a 120GB card). If you are shooting in RAW 4K you will chew through that card like its nothing.
Then there's the 10" screen. It will be great for studio shoots, however if you mount this camera on your shoulder you will not be able to utilize that screen effectively. A 10 inch picture viewed at 3 inches away is not a useful monitor. So, again, for run and gun shooting this camera is not the best.
Finally, there is the fact that you are purchasing a BM product. While this means great value for money it also means poor service in regards to firmware updates. No doubt many owners of the Cinema Camera or the Production Camera are feeling jibbed by this announcement because they are yet to receive the asked-for updates. So many current BM customers will feel disenchanted by this announcement. Now perhaps BM don't care and are aiming this camera at those who aren't currently BM customers but this type of mindset will simply cause problems in the future.

All in all this is an exciting product but one with several question marks. On face value it seems excellent, but I think I will refrain from getting it on pre-order.

I don't know much about cameras but that's a pretty good price for something of that quality, yeah?

 

[eaglespremiers]

I don't know much about cameras but that's a pretty good price for something of that quality, yeah?

Sure is, you've just got to deal with the compromises that BlackMagic inevitably put into their cameras.
But considering you would be paying about $25,000 for the equivalent Canon, or $38,000-$55,000 for the Red Epic.
I suppose the good news is that we now have some details about Firmware updates for the BlackMagic range:
http://blog.planet5d.com/2014/04/bl...a-camera-and-blackmagic-pocket-cinema-camera/