We had a 30 minute window with an Arri Alexa before the camera Dept. had to take it away from us.. In that time we mounted an Angenieux 17-80 Zoom to both cameras and tried to match settings as closely as possible.. The only difference between the two camera setups was an adjustment to the zoom length to match framing.. The BMPC was using a 50mm and the Alexa needed to go to 58mm.. Go Figure..
The goal of the test, was to check general compatibility between the two cameras for 'B" unit camera consideration. The considerations were: Skin Tone, Aliasing, Black Noise Levels and Dynamic Range as well as possible VFX Capture..
The BMPC is extremely sharp and yet has a minimum of aliasing issues (The jacket was chosen to be a nightmare scenario clothing choice..) We also found the skin tones to be accurate and pleasing.. The Blackmagic Production Camera doesn't have a very flat log look, but it took to grading well.. You've just got to watch the highlights..
The Alexa, naturally, has a more "buttery-clean" look and has gobs of DR.. But for 3k, my god!.. The BMPC did extremely well..
We also shot some green screen of the same scenes for testing next week.. We'll post it when ready.. I'm also looking into a better solution to post the original footage. We're PC based and a bit ProRes Challenged..
To view (or try out) original footage from the BMPC 4K, look here: vimeo.com/87399769
To view (or try out) original footage from the Arri Alexa, look here: vimeo.com/87401728
Cast:Scott Bryant
Tags:Blackmagic Production Camera 4K, Arri Alexa, Shootout, Comparison, BMPC and 4K