BMPCC Underwater Test

Hi all

Here is an example video from a quick 3 day / 8 dive test I did with the BMPCC / Nauticam last week.

I spent the dives mainly playing around with settings to see what worked best and I've done a full review so if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Also here is an video showing a comparison between the ungraded / graded video.

Cheers, Simon

Nice Simon,

Is it worth all the effort (of grading it) compared to a correctly white balanced baked file? I appreciate that there is massive difference, but is there a night/day difference?

How do you perceive the resolution of the BMPCC? Is it sharp for a 1080 recording?

Because Youtube is banned in my country in this century, unfortunately im not able to watch thoose videos

Sory

Nice Simon,

Good results ith the 14-42 and that crop size. I would like to lend you my 8mm fisheye

Nice Simon,

 

Is it worth all the effort (of grading it) compared to a correctly white balanced baked file? I appreciate that there is massive difference, but is there a night/day difference?

 

How do you perceive the resolution of the BMPCC? Is it sharp for a 1080 recording?

I think any lack of sharpness was down to the lens that was used which was the only one I had available (14-42mm cheap kit lens). With a sharper wider lens I think it would be great.

I think the main difference with using ProRes (which was used for this video) over a lower end codec is you have so much more flexibility in post. There was not really a single image from shooting that I would not have been able to use if I'd had enough knowledge to grade it correctly and once you get going it doesn't really take much time.

I'm learning Resolve now though so the rabbit is REALLY out of the hat!

Nice Simon,

 

Good results ith the 14-42 and that crop size. I would like to lend you my 8mm fisheye

I would very much have liked to use your 8mm fisheye Davide!

I'm actually thinking of getting the Olympus 7-14mm. You've used that before haven't you?

This camera is going to be my lightweight system from now on for when 3 bags isn't practical, so unless they bring out the EF Metabones and Nauticam support it I'll need a decent lens!

Because Youtube is banned in my country in this century, unfortunately im not able to watch thoose videos

Sory

I'll post a Vimeo link once it is uploaded. Where you at btw?

The 7-14mm is a super lens.. I much prefer it over the 8mm (for video)

Any chance of an un-messed with 1080p download version? Youtube kills the quality.

I've down the GH4 route now - but still really interested in the BM 4/3 cameras - keep them coming

Also just noticed the embedded file is only playing a 720p. If you want to watch 1080p apparently you need to go to YouTube?

I can put an ungraded 1080p file onto Vimeo and allow downloads if you want to have a play around. It would have to be H264 though rather than the original ProRes, so I doubt you'd get anything like the flexibility you'd need when grading.

I can probably make a couple of ProRes clips available for download though - let me see....

 

I would very much have liked to use your 8mm fisheye Davide!

 

I'm actually thinking of getting the Olympus 7-14mm. You've used that before haven't you?

 

 

Panasonic 7-14 is my default lens with nauticam and GH2. The 8mm is really sharp but is a PITA to cover the entire FOV with artificial lights. I think that with a 3X crop factor would be perfect.

If you are going to spend some cash remember that the 8mm has a back filter holder while the 7-14mm not. (Does exist a diy mod).

A cheaper lens it's the Olympus 9-18mm.

PS

I'm curious to download the clip from Vimeo

Also just noticed the embedded file is only playing a 720p. If you want to watch 1080p apparently you need to go to YouTube?

 

 

There's a specific option on Vimeo for 1080p play

 

I'm actually thinking of getting the Olympus 7-14mm. You've used that before haven't you?

 

The Olympus (original) 7-14mm lens is for the older FourThirds mount and without an adaptor won't work with the BMPCC - and then the AF won't work.

The 7-14mm f/4 from Panasonic is the only 7-14mm for MicroFourThirds at the moment

The new (Q3 2014) Olympus 7-14mm will be f/2,8 - but only a mock up at present.

The Olympus 9-18mm (which I had) - was very soft - even at f/5. I found.

Hi Simon,

In your review you wrote about "spot focus"... How does it works AF underwater with BMPCC?

Actually I do not know how exactly AF works on BM camera... I read a lot of negative reviews: slow and inaccurate.

Is there a button of AF?

On my Pana I do not use multi point AF but I use single centered AF. Usually I focus prior to start recording via the Lock AF/AE button.

Thanks

Hi Simon,

 

In your review you wrote about "spot focus"... How does it works AF underwater with BMPCC?

Actually I do not know how exactly AF works on BM camera... I read a lot of negative reviews: slow and inaccurate.

Is there a button of AF?

 

On my Pana I do not use multi point AF but I use single centered AF. Usually I focus prior to start recording via the Lock AF/AE button.

 

Thanks

Hi,

BMPCC has a focus button at the back. You press one time and they hunt the focus for you. But it focus really slow and not give you the right focus sometime.That's why Nauticam has a new 6" dome port with focus knob on the left side for manual focus. Together with Ninja 2's peaking, I found it very easy and user friendly to find the right focus manually. I have been practising with the 8mm and 7-14mm lens for a while and I prefer 7-14 lens for the reason that the new port with focus knob really give me the proper focus.

But if you intended to use the new 6" dome port on other housing like the GH3 housing that I have as well, the focus knob is pressing the len release button. You need to some modification on the GH3 housing to allow more space for the lens release button to move in.

Edmond

Hi Simon,

Great work on your grading !! Super nice !!

Did you use the preset DaVinci resolve looks or you grade it yourself ?

Can you share some of you preference when grading?

Thank you.

Cheers

Edmond

Hi Edmond thank you for your explanation.

I have both lens and I'm fully satisfied with the focus ability on my GH2. I'll check this new dome.

Is it possible to use other manual lens or Nauticam should design proper focus gear for them?

As Edmond says the focus button will auto 'spot' focus (not continuous) like a stills camera would except that it is very slow and not so accurate. I didn't find it impossible to use, but a manual control would have been much preferable. Nauticam do provide manual controls on zoom/focus on some of the supported lenses, but not on the 14-42mm which is why I was relying on the camera control for this example.

I didn't realise that there were so many different 7-14 lenses! I'll have to do some research! The 8mm although fisheye is designed for a x2 crop, so with a x2.88 crop factor it should remove a lot of the fisheye effect? That would probably be very similar to when I used the Tokina 10-17mm on the BMCC. It wasn't perfectly rectangular, but it wasn't that bad of a fisheye.

 

Great work on your grading !! Super nice !!

Did you use the preset DaVinci resolve looks or you grade it yourself ?

I did all the colour correction in Premiere.

I'm still learning Resolve and I'm no where near ready to tackle something like this with it yet! Premiere has pretty decent colour tools and although I loved the colour wheels in FCP7 I'm finding that the tools in Premiere are as good, if not better.

if you intended to use the new 6" dome port on other housing like the GH3 housing that I have as well, the focus knob is pressing the len release button. You need to some modification on the GH3 housing to allow more space for the lens release button to move in.

 

 

Edmond

That is really interesting. Good job I have the 170mm on order. I was really tempted by that dome and the additional Manual Focus knob for the NA-GH3!!

Nauticam do both Zoom and Focus rings for the 7-14mm and 12-35mm. So you can use the normal knob on the housing for either. But you would have to choose before the dive if you want to fix your FoV and just manual focus. Or AF and zoom....

Choices. Choices!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm learning Resolve now though so the rabbit is REALLY out of the hat!

I found the following tutorial really useful, got me over the first hurdles with Resolve and basic grading

Some of the tutorials you can find for free are insane, but there is a lot of chaff around too so thanks for the link. I've penciled in a Training day again for Friday so I'll watch it then!

IMHO Matt Scott tutorials are some of the best out there as clarity and authority.

He is a Edius guru and nearly all I learnt about Edius CC comes from his tutorials. They worth a look because most of that concepts are valid also for other NLE.

Bye