Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera: Why I want it yet just a little bit on the fence about it

As a frustrated film maker and a wedding videographer for more than three years, I've been using DSLRs for shooting videos. I preferred using DSLRs since they're much cheaper and much more portable and convenient than those huge Professional Broadcast type camcorders. Aside from that, DSLRs have interchangeable lenses so you can get the exact look you need for a particular shot. So, what's the downside to DSLRs?


Well, for one they use particularly compressed video to save space on a SD Card. True, the quality of these compressed videos are High Definition, clear and have beautiful colors, but for some film makers and true video enthusiasts, that's necessarily not enough. It didn't have enough dynamic range (well, for video) and somehow for some models it is plagued with rolling shutter issues and moire issues (those dreadful electric cable lines!). But a lot of enthusiasts and low budget film makers didn't mind these. You know what they say, "You always get what you pay for".

Last year, 2012, Blackmagic Design released the shockingly low priced 2.5k Cinema Camera that shoots in RAW format. For only $2,995 (its back in 2012, now it's only $1,995!) you get video that is larger than 1080p and great dynamic range! That means you get to color grade your video with so much depth! Goodbye to overblown highlights, extremely black dark areas, and of course, almost no loss of color depth.

Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera a.k.a. BMCC
(DSLR Killer or  not?)

I was highly convinced, this was the Camera of my dreams -- until I heard more about its technical Specifications. It's storage is SSD (Solid State Drive) based so in order to capture the footage onto your computer easily you need a means of connecting the SSD through a dock and other connections that will cost you additional expenses. Also, the camera's design wasn't meant for handheld use so you'd have to buy a rig and additional accessories just to be able to use the camera for handheld. Not to mention, this camera doesn't have a batterpack so you'd have to charge it internally. So charging the batery is like, charging the camera as well. So I told myself, if Blackmagic can figure out a way to make the camera more portable in a way that DSLRs are, I'm in.

A year later they release the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC).

Blackmagic Desing Pocket Cinema Camera a.k.a. BMPCC
(Oh yes!)

The BMPCC shoots in HD 1080p ( a resolution lower than the BMCC but is the current high standard on the Web and HDTVs) and shoots in Prores 422 (extremely high dynamic range format for video) and soon update it with RAW codec. All for the price of only $995. That's 1/3 the price of other high End DSLRs that offer the same resolution of video with dynamic range not that close to the BMPCC. The BMPCC also offers an external battery that you can replace easily with another battery. Best part is, these batteries are batteries used by another popular camera brand, Nikon. Another winning specification with this camera? You can shoot on SD cards. Now that's a total winner for me.

Yup, it's that small and portable! :)

Now, why am I on the fence about it? BMCC (the larger camera) had two types of mounts. The MFT (Micro Four-Thirds) and the EF Mount versions are available. I am a Canon user and all my lenses are Canon mountable. Now, what about the BMPCC? The BMPCC has only one version as of the moment and that is the MFT version.

Now I have two options; 1) I buy new MFT lenses ($300-$1800) 2) Buy an expensive ($300-$500) lens adapter for EF Lenses to MFT mount. Either way, I'm going to have to dish out some extra cash just to be able to use the camera.

Now, what do you think? Is this a camera a must buy for me? Do take note that I'm not going to use it particularly for weddings due to the large size of the video format, though. I'd rather use it more for "creative" projects. Below are some pros and cons.

Pros

• High Definition Pro Res 422 footage 
• 13 Stops Dynamic Range
• Replaceable Battery
• Can take it anywhere. Looks like a point and shoot camera so "Manong Guard"/Strict Security guards may not notice
• Has a voltage adapter port so that means you can shoot without worrying about the battery dying
• Headphone Jack!!!
• Did I say High Dynamic Range?

Cons

• For a Canon User like me, it's a MFT mount and sensor camera. So my lenses' focal length will be doubled. Ultra-wide angles may require a new lens for me.
• Additional adapter needed in order to use/ Buy new lenses.
• May require rig for bigger lenses.
• Large file size. Wait no, HUGE file size. Then again, when did video take up little space?