Here is some test footage using vintage professional 16mm cinema camera lenses and the footage does not disappoint. I am grateful to Los Angeles Bombs Car Club and friends for the opportunity to capture this impromptu get together known as a “kickback” which is to relax with friends over some drinks on a beautiful Southern California day!
What I can say about these lenses is that they surpass man modern $10k+ “professional cinema lenses” LOL, for a tiny fraction of the cost. Full lens review coming soon.
I decided to head out and shoot some test footage with the Lomo 10-100mm 2.5 and was a bit unprepared since I used a monopod which made some shots more difficult. Note to self: use a tripod next time!
Anywho, the footage came out amazing and a FULL REVIEW SOON!
Gear: BMPCC4k, PL to mft adapter, Kinor16 to PL adapter, Lomo 10-100mm 2.5, Vari ND, BRAW 8:1, S16 1080 mode. All edited in Davinci Resolve, slight color and correction.
I recently started exploring the world of vintage professional 16mm cinema lenses and I am continually blown away at the images, complexity and uniqueness that they capture. Are they perfect, razor sharp, or digital? NO! Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy my full frame Vintage Zeiss Contax, Zeiss Jena, Zeiss Classics and the occasional Sigma razor sharp. But I am a firm believer that we continue chasing the “look” which sometimes is vaguely described as “cinematic”, “character” or “creamy”.
I recently acquired a set of Schneider Cine lenses and am thoroughly impressed with the quality build but also the image that they capture. If you want to read the entire history check out this website. But needless to say, I have the Cinegon 10mm 1.8, Cine-Xenon 16mm 2, and Cine-Xenon 25mm 1.4 with amazing results. Now before you get yourself bent and twisted at the samples, as you know, the Marvel universe will have to be my models for now LOL.
Just to reiterate from my previous post, 16mm is a great selection because the BMPPCC4k/BMPCC6k/URSA12k and others S16 mode (1080/hd): 1) file size is super small, 2) great cinema lens selection, 3) can be upscaled to 4k with NO noticeable degradation, 4) the journey of finding cinema 16mm lenses will be beyond exciting and thrilling.
These Schneider’s are Arriflex/Arri-S mount and can be adapted to MFT or PL with simple adapter. The images speak for themselves and merely meant to show FOV and DOF. I am not a colorist and just did a simple grade. Maybe I’ll jump in front of the camera as your model! LOL. Either way, I hope you enjoy the images and magic.
The long forgotten 16mm cinema lens revolution for 4k+ cameras has begun! These lenses have been forgotten as we chase S35 and FF lenses with digital clarity that borders on CGI. Many spend hundred of dollars on Black Pro Mist filters to soften the look of these digital clear lenses which seems counterproductive.
Enter the vintage character filled 16mm cinema lenses which offer not only a wide range of focal lengths but also unique character that is highly sought after. Of course, not all 16mm cinema lenses will work properly and may still vignette in 1080. Most vintage 16mm cinema lenses are made for rigorous production needs and therefore are metal.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Vario-Tevidon 18mm-90mm f2.0 is a great lens that has a 77mm filter thread with geared rings. My copy was professionally adapted for M39 and with an adapter that fit right onto my MFT BMPCC4k and with the sensor mode set to 1080 had not vignetting.
It’s been about 3 years since I have regularly posted but after completing my award-winning documentary on the car culture known as Lowriders I am now able to post regularly on this blog.
Documentary poster
First, I want to discuss the Lowrider documentary that has about 90%+ footage shot on BMPCC4k with the Sigma 18-35. About 5% was BMCC 2.5k and the other 5% a mix of Red Raven/Gemini and GH4. By far the BMPCC4k was the most flexible and best performing due to small form factor, great color science and DR! I was able to mount this on a gimbal with the Sigma 18-35 with no problem or shoot at night along a busy cruising boulevard and get great footage.
Second, I recently shot a proof of concept short film that is currently being entered into film festivals. It’s a sci-fi/horror about “El Cucuy pt.1” (The Boogie Man). This was shot on a anamorphic rig Zeiss Classic 50mm 1.4, Red Isco 2.1, Rapido 16a which was mounted onto the URSA 12k! The images are beautiful and I will be posting the full review on the URSA 12k soon.
I also will be doing some lens pairings and my recommendations. If you guys have any ideas please drop a comment or email and let me know. I look forward to being back and writing about our beloved BlackMagic Design cameras!
BlackMagic Design never ceases to amaze me because today they announced that they lowered the price of the 6k camera by $500! That’s right, this is not an April Fools joke but its really happening.
One of the reasons they cite for the price drop is,
“With the current demand for multi camera live streaming from home broadcast studios, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K makes a perfect studio camera when combined with the recent studio camera software update!”
This is another example that BMD is ultimately supporting the industry even during these hard times and doing their best to get the tools to create into our hands.
Compared to other 6k cameras they are by far the best bang for the buck but it’s almost unfair to compare BMD color science, features, performance and let’s not forget the FREE ALMIGHTY Davinci Resolve. But here are some other 6k cameras and prices: ZCAM E2-S6 Super 35 $2,995, Panasonic S1H $3,997.
As many of us had our lifestyles changed due to the dangerous Corona Virus outbreak worldwide I hope this video can inspire and take your mind off of it for a little while. My prayers, thoughts and concern are for your wellbeing. Stay safe and healthy.
I am officially addicted to anamorphic but unfortunately cannot afford the $3,000-$100,000 to purchase a modern anamorphic lenses such as Vazen, Atlas Orion or Arri Master Anamorphics so I am on the path of using and adapting vintage anamorphic scopes that were originally designed for projectors.
This review is the behind the scenes of the testing that I do to select the proper scope and taking lens combinations. The footage at the end was not sharpened and there was no noise reduction applied just basic curves, contrast and saturation to give you an idea of how the setup works in real life, also it was all shot handheld. and some shots are not in total focus LOL.
I have been immersed in a massive indie solo documentary that I am preparing for film festivals in 2020 so all my time is spent editing, editing and then editing. As you can imagine it is a labor of love and I remain focused.
So what has changed or developed in the past few months has truly shocked me and the market. Everything from Red being outed by Jinni Tech with several videos on
Youtube unveiling the tech and the off the shelf origins to BlackMagic Design releasing their BMPCC6k. The times are surely changing but is it innovative progress?
The v1 introduction of the BMPCC4k was truly ground shaking and revolutionary with the dual iso, lowlight performance, 4k, form factor, dynamic range, color science and powerhouse codecs CDNG and Prores. We must not forget the insanely low and unreal price of $1,295! I have tested it against Red Gemini 5k which the DP purchased for $19,500 for the brain alone and aside color science the performance to price ratio was insane! The v1 BMPCC4k with CDNG stood its ground.
But then came the infamous letter from lawyers claiming BMD was infringing on Red ‘s patent for CDNG and boom the next firmware update introduced a new codec called BRAW which was BMD’s attempt to provide a replacement for CDNG. But after testing and discovering aliasing/moire, chromatic aberrations and softer image I deemed it a failure. To add insult to injury for those who purchased the camera with CDNG clearly advertised and now having it forcefully removed because of firmware updates was a bad move on BMD’s part. OK, I’ll stop ranting about that for now LOL.
Those hoping for another great technological leap forward with the BMPCC6k have clearly been let down with the fact that the camera cannot record 4k in BRAW. With the latest update BMD continues to add features such as anamorphic and level guides.
The marketing hype is clearly the “K-Race” but other manufacturers are going large format. Take a look at Kinefinity and ARRI, with the later name truly the giant and holy grail for true cinema. Hell, even Z Cam is going to Full Frame format.
As the market, we can clearly change where manufacturers are going and what they are creating by simple economics. Innovative products will continue to be used after more advancements have been made and a good examples is the original BMPCC which is still used by indie folks to create amazing content. Recently it was tested side by side with the BMPCC4k and many people fell in love with the little true pocket camera! How can a 1080 camera look more cinematic and appealing than a 4k? It may be subjective but the point is innovation is timeless and advancements have a shelf life.
If BMD and others want to continue to advance cameras that is their prerogative and business model but I would encourage them to innovate and create true magic.
Ok, ok, I have been on hiatus from the blog for a while actually working filming, editing and getting funding for my documentary. It’s all going very well thank God! So what disturbed my deep focus? The announcement of the BMPCC6k rang like a gong at 2 am, LOL! My first inclination was WTF BMD how can you step on this great camera that has truly been an innovation from the BMCC, BMPC4k and the beloved BMPCC. After further researching and talking to the PR rep here are the TWO biggest selling points they are marketing.
Depth of field
click image to expand. Image pulled from BMD wesbite.
2. Sensor size
click image to expand. Image pulled from BMD wesbite.
These are the basic marketing points that BMD is focusing on and the fact that you no longer need a focal reducer/speedbooster for your EF lenses. A few things to consider and I am sure users will start to test the products and release their findings but these questions must be asked.
How can the SD, CFAST, or SSD handle the data rates and file size for record/playback.
With such a demanding resolution is there anything degraded such as highlights or DR?
Based on the DOF image provided by BMD and others who started posting on forums the difference is barely noticeable.
Also not all codecs are available in FPS.
The pitch that you can reframe 6k to smaller 4k, 2k or 1080 is that really necessary if you are framing each shot carefully?
Is this BMD’s way of undercutting the industry leaders such as RED who recently threatened a lawsuit?
