Blackmagic Camera Control with ATEM Switchers

[@leftcoastjack]

This is so helpful.

[@zephanmoses]

@@leftcoastjack glad I could help

[@titusking-coloradorealtor]

at 8:33 it's also cool that the HD8 displays the camera's actual f stop. The software control doesn't do that...

[@titusking-coloradorealtor]

I also have a MicroG2. I ended up using an HDMI -> 3G-SDI microconverter to an extra input on an ATEM SDI Extreme ISO. This way I have the clean feed via SDI, and the "dirty" feed with all settings and a view of the menu on the extra input. This is also nice because I can leave the focus peaking on the "dirty" feed. However, this will only work if you have an extra input you aren't using.

[@zephanmoses]

That's a great idea

[@Jason-mk3nn]

Why can't they make the camera menus available from remote, whether it be from an app, or right within the ATEM software? This whole platform seems like it was built to bring things together, yet it only operates episodically that way.

[@Jason-mk3nn]

Not sure if you are aware, but MiddleThings makes a PTZ control for BMD cameras with DJI RS gimbals, allowing the little micro to be a full ptz. Too bad BMD cannot find a way to integrate it with MiddleThings directly.

[@zephanmoses]

Yea it's nifty that they do that but I'm just going to buy the right tool for the job and get a PTZ camera. I have three Canon CRN cameras so it's silly to have to buy a camera, a gimbal and the MiddleThings just to get it to work. I can just buy a PTZ camera and be done with it. I feel like it's making things equally complicated.

[@Jason-mk3nn]

@@zephanmoses Agreed, but when trying to have adaptable systems, they can be a great win-win. Gimbal for other things is a powerful tool, whereas dragging a ptz camera outside is less than ideal. lol

[@Jason-mk3nn]

The fact that BD did/does not put scalers into anything other than the ATEM minis is just plain STUPID. If it is affordable enough for a consumer device, put it into all of them. This is one of my chief complaints about BMD. I have bought a tons of their stuff, but nothing is consistent. Mounts, formats, protocols, cables, etc. Instead, organizations have to have a ton of adapters, or make adaptations to equipment that they should not have to, if the system was more holistically designed, something BMD likes to sell itself as.

[@aaronpk]

All the new ATEM Constellation switchers have scalers. It's just that the generations prior to the Minis do not.

[@Jason-mk3nn]

@@aaronpk But not the mid-range HDs, etc. Just the expensive Constellations. If the inexpensive ones and the most expensive ones can have them, why are the mid-range ones left to a million adapters and locking in frame rates on the cameras, when they can remain dynamic? To me, it is just sloppy design choices.

[@zephanmoses]

@@Jason-mk3nn You mean the mid range that was replaced by the HD8 and 4K8 that all have scalers? The older mid-range products aren't even listed on the Blackmagic website anymore. I think you have a valid concern wanting scalers but I think you're using older gear... They're getting to a point where it is indeed built into all their switchers. But I've still been in venues that haven't upgraded past VGA so you can't really talk holistic when venues aren't just shelling out money to upgrade all their stuff too.

[@aaronpk]

@@Jason-mk3nn which mid-range are you talking about? The cheapest Constellation is cheaper than the most expensive ATEM Mini. All the new ATEM models have scalers on the inputs, it's only the older lighter grey models that don't.

[@Jason-mk3nn]

@@aaronpk I did not think the Studios did, which is a good mid-range option.