The Blackmagic Cinema Camera is one of those cameras, that makes me wish I was a cinematographer. If when you think of a video camera, you think of a bulky device that sits on your shoulder then you need to take a look at the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, What makes the Blackmagic Cinema Camera special is what they concentrate on. When video cameras are being sold many times they are sold based on how many megapixels they have. More megapixels just create a larger image, it does nothing to improve the quality. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera focuses on capturing a wide contrast range rather than more megapixels. This allows them to capture more detail at the black and white level. The ability to capture a wide contrast range plus the EF and ZF lenses produces a high quality video that looks like film. Being able to capture at a wide contrast range is great but if the data is compressed it will still produce an inferior result. To solve this problem the Blackmagic Cinema Camera has an integrated SSD recorder which allows you to record full 2.5k raw sensor data completely uncompressed CinemaDNG files. It also allows you to record at DNxHD or ProRes for HD resolution files that are compatible with Avid Media Composer and Apple Final Cut Pro X.
There is a standard auto jack which allows you connect a microphone and record high quality audio uncompressed. To add metadata you simply tap on the LCD screen and add it like you would on a smart phone. The metadata is saved and is available as a file in Final Cut Pro X and DaVinci Resolve Format. You can also change many of the camera setting by the LCD touch screen.
I could tell you about the specs all day, but sometimes seeing is believing and this maybe one of those cases. John Brawley an award-winning photographer was able to get a hold of a Blackmagic Cinema Camera for testing and he put up some videos on his site showing off it’s capabilities. It is a handheld and made of blocked aluminum. Making it perfect for a professional trying to produce high quality videos. These Blackmagic Cinema Camera will run about $2995 and ship in July.
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