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Today we had a tech dem on the new Blackmagic cameras. There's also a manual on the VLE which I will read in my own time to further familiarise myself with the different settings. This camera can shoot in 4.6k, and has a larger sensor than the previous Blackmagic cameras so even if we film in 1080p, it will appear better quality.
The viewfinder doesn't fit in the bag, so will have to ask for that separately. There are new lenses that come with the kit; 24-105 variable, 50mm, 85mm, as well as the ones (14mm and 35mm). The prime lenses are faster and will be my port of call, but remember to turn off the camera before changing lenses!
Histograms are on the bottom left of the display screen. There are also build in ND filters on the front numbered dial. The native ISO is 800 but it's worth changing if we are filming in a compressed format (it's suggested that we do NOT film in 4K RAW as it's just too big). The recommended format is PRO RES HQ, but if we do film in RAW, the setting has to be 'lossless'.
The camera can also stack batteries, much like the P2 camera and the cards, so it continues onto the next one. 2 batteries can last all day and takes 3 hours to charge. Blackmagic cameras take CFAST cards as well as SD cards if filming in basic 1080. There should be a toggle above the card slot so the camera knows where it is recording to. If I do decide to film in 4k, it's a good idea to warn the editors as it will take longer to edit.
The left side of the camera has ISO/GAIN, SHUTTER, and WHITE BAL toggle switches and you are also able to lock them off once happy with the settings. There are a lot of record buttons, but the one on the handle grip must be plugged in in order to use.
There's also a setting called 'false colours' which helps with exposure settings, especially when using green screen. To turn them on, go to menu-guidelines-monitor-frame guides. The codec will be at the top of the screen and the resolution is at the bottom. The recommended settings are 4k 16:9.
There are XLR ports in the camera just in case. You can't adjust gain settings while recording. LUTS can also be installed from an SD card. Opposite the LCD screen are waveforms which are useful when filming outside. Playback is the button 'play'.
We also had a look at filming in slow motion, which the director of Afterlife was particularly interested in, so I have made plenty of notes and booked a test on the 16th to explore these settings. If you go into menu-record-frame rate. You can have 60fps max. There's a HFR button on the camera near the front which allows for a higher frame rate for slow motion. A lower shutter angle should also be applied to compensate (11.2). The HD window sensor (menu-record) should be on 120fps. Handheld works particularly well for slow mo. If you remove HFR and change it to 12fps, it gives a blurry 'drunk' effect.
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