The film/videomaking world was set aflame last year when Blackmagic Design announced their Cinema Camera. It looks like these bunch of rogues are back for more with a RAW-shooting $US995 video camera that fits in the palm of your hand.
Filmmaker John Brawley, Blackmagic’s go-to guy for testing and revealing their cameras, has posted on his blog a detailed account of what to expect from the Pocket Cinema Camera. The device sports a super-16 sensor, a size slightly smaller than the one in the current larger Cinema Camera. It records full HD 1920 x 1080 to ProRes or CinemaDNG RAW, and supposedly packs the same 13 stops of dynamic range.
As for lenses, the mount is active micro four-thirds, meaning you can not only use all your Olympus and Panasonic glass, but auto-focus and optical image stabilisation should work as well.
If this camera delivers on image quality, it will be a huge deal for consumers. The DSLR market has mauled the field dedicated video-cameras, and to have a device that can provide the kind of cinematic qualities filmmakers drool over, at an accessible price of $US995 is sure to leave many indy filmmakers grinning. [BlackMagic Press Release]
Picture: John Brawley