Blackmagic Production 4K... But It's 2024

[@CultEntertainment]

Just got a great deal on a Production 4k PL! Still solid a decade later! Those 1st gen sensors are what put Blackmagic on the map.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

It's true! A friend and collaborator of mine at the time had the OG Pocket 4K, and I wasn't genuinely impressed, nor was it a camera I wanted to have, but I'm so glad I got and held onto the Production 4K. "Still ticking!" Thanks!

[@theyeahpodcast]

Great video!! Will this fit on a hand held gimbal? I’m trying to decide on this or micro studio 4k. I need something for run and gun. I already have the gimbal and focus motor and on a budget

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

It will, provided it's the Ronin RS3 Pro. Depending on the lens, it could be a hassle to balance. I also use the Peak Design straps for extra support when shooting handheld, but they might not be ideal for the "run" part. And thank you!

[@selfesteemproductions]

Love this camera. Shot a sci-fi feature on it called "Our Man in L.A.'. GO the job done and looks great.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

That's awesome! I still use this camera with my full-frame 6K, and it still creates an amazing image. I'll have to look for your movie or post a link here. Cheers!

[@fanbess]

Thank you for providing the information. I also own the same camera and I am interested in connecting it to my TV to use it as a viewfinder. I would greatly appreciate your advice on how to achieve this. If possible, could you create a video tutorial demonstrating the process? or just reply Thank you very much😀😀🎥🎥

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

Sure thing! An SDI to HDMI converter is what I use for my external monitor, so providing your TV has HDMI in, you could use this one made by Blackmagic Design amzn.to/3OglhEH or there's a cheaper knock-off version, but you get what you pay for, like this one amzn.to/42humD5

[@mitchtube3]

What SSD can you recommend for today please?

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

I've had most success using these from Samsung amzn.to/3Y2u6XR or SanDisk amzn.to/3N4Nrl6 I've found that if I use a 1TB card it often will not read. The 500Gb disks read easily, but that could just be my camera.

[@contentviewerjun]

One of my best purchase last year. It's still good for 4K KZbin in the next 10 years.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

Totally agree! I’m glad I’ve kept mine!

[@dalahast06]

Most Home displays are still 1080p. Most Cinema Ads are also 1080p. If you are however going to produce a film, then you might be able to utlize the full 4K. I still export to 1080P, but I record in 4K due to I like to have pixel perfect symmetry in some shots.

[@edwardlthompson]

I would love to see more footage and content around this camera. It is so hard to find recent videos about it.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

Absolutely! I still shoot on this camera and it really delivers.

[@edwardlthompson]

@@mattspadesoundandvision I'm getting ready to go all in on the BMPC4K and some cine zoom lenses because I cannot afford a set of primes. LOL. I'm in love with the older tech like the CCD sensor. I have a Sony a390 which has an APS-C size CCD with 14MP which I LOVE the colors and unlimited flash sync speed on. I started diving deeper into CCD for video and have become fascinated with this one. I'm about to sell my car tomorrow and use that money to take this dive into the madness of cinema cameras and gear.

[@FIRUFILMS]

Hello can you make a test with the vazen anamorphic lens ? I have the BMCC 2.5K MFT and I need to buy this 4K EF mount with a EF MFT adapter to get more less wide angle croop when I use the 2:40 aspect ration on anamorphic final grade video, I saw the MFT croop much and loss the anamorphic curves that I really like to see thanks

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

If I could I would but that kens costs $3250 and is made for MFT mount which I don’t use. I do understand and appreciate your concern with testing this on the camera and I’m sure it would look amazing. Let me send you an Amazon link for the lens. It looks like they have a 30 day return policy on it if you don’t like it. amzn.to/4hfAgLI

[@gawevidio]

Hi, can you suggest me a lens for blackmagic production 4K on a budget ??

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

If you have the EF mount , you can't go wrong with the "Nifty Fifty" here amzn.to/3vMaHyG The Sigma 18-35 is a bit more expensive but is quite versatile and produces a great image, listed here amzn.to/3HFJ4de Thank you so much for responding!

[@contentviewerjun]

I use Nikon vintage lenses. Budget friendly and decent quality

[@onlinetraderucom]

3:19 It’s simply amazing what a huge difference in detail there is against the background of a bright window, and what a huge difference in the crop factor! Is bm production 4k superior to 6k pro in image quality?

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

It really depends! For the most part, yes. It really depends on what file format you're shooting in. On the 4K, ProRes looks better than DNG. On the 6K, ProRes looks the worst, and with BRAW shooting in, Constant Quality would be comparable to the 4K. In the example you mentioned, the 6K was set to CB at 12:1. Thank you!

[@beechtreemanningcroft]

@@mattspadesoundandvision Funny you say this. I love the DNG out of the 4K. It is such a dense raw image that none of the other BM cameras have. Very reminiscent of slide film density. Great match with slimraw too for data footprint management. Let's not forget that there is no "look" to the DNG file, the ProRes is produced from the same raw image and you can developed a raw image any way you want.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

@@beechtreemanningcroft In my experience, mostly wioth locked-down interviews, I found the ProRes to be easier to process, even with Resolve. I have used CDNG, mostly for green screen shoots and there is no doubt that the information contained in the DNG files is far superior to even the highest ProRes, but for my application it didn't make sense to use DNG when the image was properly light and exposed. It's more of a file handling/space issue. The added plus to CDNG is having Resolve's color profile detect it and give it that contrast and saturation as a start.

[@beechtreemanningcroft]

@@mattspadesoundandvision Yes, space can be a problem, that's why this camera works so beautifully with slimraw. We get DNG image control with file sizes similar, if not smaller, than ProRes. Raw developing in Resole into the BMDFilm space and gamma gives a great starting point, quite similar to the baked in ProRres, actually, but with better control of white balance and exposure compensation due to the raw development panel settings being available for tweaks.

[@yesfilmfestival]

I have a 2.5k, and went out and got the 4k. Bought the first one in 2015, still going strong.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

They really are great cameras! Mine is still going out on jobs with me.

[@bennieCTR]

I will be filming a stage musical and want to get several angles. What cameras would you pair with the black magic production 4k?

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

I always recommend Blackmagic cameras so maybe a pocket 6k Pro since the ISO range s higher. One of the dual natives is 3200 on the BMPCC6k Pro. Any of the Sony cams can do really well in low light, providing you can color match well in post.

[@bennieCTR]

Thank you for the thoughtful reply!

[@birlikberaberlik346]

Hi Matt! Could you make lens review on Blackmagic production 4k.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

How did you know what I had due next? OK, good to hear this. I should have something out next week as I plan to review the prime lenses I've been using. Thanks!

[@fluffcrunchmini4572]

It's such a good camera! I marry mine to a Shogun and it's exceptional

[@verebellus]

I've considered the Sony f55 because of it's global shutter

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

Nice! If I had the budget, I'd do the Sony A9. The global shutter really makes a difference to me.

[@meanmarine24]

Rolling shutter should not be an issue. The Pocket cams have accelerometer data in the clips that can be used wirh Resolve to correcr rolling shutter issues.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

To a degree, yes, and providing you are shooting in BRASW the gyro cam stabilization works wonders. With ProRes, it's not an option and often crops in too much.

[@shueibdahir]

I rock a Canon Rebel T5i/EOS 700D with the Magic Lantern Crop Mood custom firmware. It does 14bit Uncompressed Linear RAW video (matches the RAW photos 1:1) at a resolution similar to the BMCC 2.5K It absolutely stomps any 4k non-raw video camera in color fidelity, tonal range and looks like actual 4k video if you process it right. The only thing it lacks is detail due to the lower resolution while shooting video. But one thing I've managed to figure out working with a lower resolution raw footage is that lenses make or break the image completely, aswell as the Signal to Noise Ratio.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

My first camera was the T3i; great camera! It was a loaner but I eventually got the 6D, which I still use.

[@meanmarine24]

What is the bitrate on raw video from the 700D?

[@shueibdahir]

@@meanmarine24 most of the time it hovers around 55-75mb/s mark depending on what you shoot

[@meanmarine24]

Thanks. Is that 80mb/s or 80MB/s?

[@meanmarine24]

*55-75

[@rdanalytics9197]

The picture quality of Production 4k is amazing. Any improvement would be hard to see.

[@ХЕЙТЕРЫ-ы2б]

you can greatly improve it by adding OLPF + LucAdapter booster

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

It still blows my mind! Thank you.

[@kinoromantic]

I got one as part of a trade for 300$ a couple of years ago. For the (basically free) price you can get these today it’s an absolute killer value camera, although I only used it on one professional project as a B cam - was a bad idea lol. The monitor looks dim in any condition, the camera gets pretty loud, CDNG workflow is outdated compared to BRAW. My biggest peeve were the colours. When used on its own footage looks quite good, but it’s very tough to match with newer cameras and even Blackmagic 4k saturation and vibrancy being the main points of deflection. Great camera to learn on though

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

I agree! I was surprised at how much better my workflow is when using ProRes on this camera. I had a few instances where I was able to really push the image and have it look great. Cheers!

[@kinoromantic]

@@mattspadesoundandvision With their modern pro res capable cameras, and with the abundance of T7 drives, I don't feel particularly compelled to shoot pro res when the trade off is BRAW. I think it's gotten a lot more optimized, and in a lot of instances, compressed BRAW is even more preferable because of it giving access to camera settings and gyro data. It’s upsetting that there is no work around to use Pro Res and camera gyro (not one that I know of anyway)

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

@@kinoromantic oh and I do agree and prefer to shoot in BRAW. I'm talking about how great ProRes is on the Production 4K, especially with matching it to other cameras.

[@asirib3670]

Hello sir, kindly do a lens review on this camera it will be appreciated

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

It's been on my to-do for a while. I shot footage outdoors in February but, I'll get it put together shortly. Thank you!

[@FilmSpook]

Thanks Matt! Awesome review! I still have my BMPCC OG, and love it. Cheers, Brother.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

Cheers to you and thanks! I love that these cameras are still being used!

[@FilmSpook]

@@mattspadesoundandvision You're very welcome, and thanks man. Most definitely. 😎 New subscriber here. Best Wishes to you.

[@thewellvideoproductions8244]

Dude that looks great!

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

Thank you so much!

[@ХЕЙТЕРЫ-ы2б]

Camera is great, but BMD is not great. They abandoned this unique camera. Camera software support is dead. I mean they even removed the Black Sun Fix from DaVinci Resolve, didn't add the False Color, etc.

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

I agree with you that this camera is great. I disagree on the sentiment about BMD. It's hard to give everyone the features they want but I feel like they do listen and make updates. Hopefully, they make the ones you are looking for. Cjeers.

[@ХЕЙТЕРЫ-ы2б]

​@@mattspadesoundandvision I'm suprized to see this kind of response from BMPC4k user. This is not about the updates. (And - yes, they could easily implement a false color and LUT tools, but nobody cares, nevermind) BMD just removed a BMPC4k fixing feature that peeople used. A feature adressing created due to BMD fault color bug. Then users did ask BMD for the Black Sun fix to be returned. Users just got ignored. Nothing but the facts. Cheers!

It's super 35 it's bigger than standered 35

[@mattspadesoundandvision]

It's alos a super camera. I need to take this out on shoots more often. The sensor is incredible.