The new Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT

At IBC last week, before anyone has got their hands on the red hot Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Blackmagic has already announced a second model. This new model, dubbed the Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT, contains a passive Micro Four Thirds lens (MTF) mount, which will support any Micro Four Thirds lenses with manual iris and focus and can also be adapted to a PL mount via third party adapters. Because the MFT mount is closer to the image sensor, it allows more space for PL mount lens adapters.

The Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT is the same as the original camera EF-mounted Blackmagic Cinema Camera, although it does not include lens communication so manual lenses will be used. The BMCC MTF has 13-stops of dynamic range, a large 2.5K sensor, a built-in SSD recorder that can capture CinemaDNG RAW, Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD files, a built-in touch screen LCD monitor, standard jack audio connection, Thunderbolt connection, a 3-Gb/s SDI output, and a refrigerated sensor for low noise. It also comes with a full copy of DaVinci Resolve for color correction, as well as Blackmagic UltraScope for waveform monitoring. With a Thunderbolt enabled laptop, you can get full waveform monitoring scopes on set. (I still can’t believe how incredible this camera sounds on paper!)

The BMCC MFT contains a passive Micro Four Thirds lens mount

Fyi, the current BMCC will be renamed the Blackmagic Cinema Camera EF so people can tell the difference between the two. The price will also be the same at $2,995.

Can’t wait to get a review unit. Hook me up Blackmagic!

So which unit do you think will be more popular?

DaVinci Resolve 9 public beta is available for free download to existing Resolve and Resolve Lite customers

If you haven’t noticed, Blackmagic Design has been on a roll. With the upcoming release of their new Cinema Camera (the talk of NAB) and their recent acquisition of film scanner Cintel International, the Australian company has become a major player in both the production and post-production industry due to their forward thinking moves.

Today they announced the release of DaVinci Resolve 9 public beta, which is an update to their powerful color correction software that they purchased a few years ago. Featuring a new UI, Resolve 9 public beta is a free download for both full Resolve users, as well as Resolve Lite users. The new user interface is faster to use and eliminates unnecessary clicks and settings to speed up your workflow. This is especially true for the many new technologies Blackmagic has implemented such as 3D eye matching, multi layering timelines, XML and new camera file support. According to their press release, a colorist can be up and running in three moves – log in, drop media, and grade. Simple as that.

Additional UI improvements include a streamlined project import, export and selection workflow, scrubbable media thumbnails, production metadata fields for on set note taking and bigger color control palettes that give you more control over your power windows, keys, sizing, tracking, stabilization, camera raw and data burn ins. Resolve 9 also includes  ’Log grading’ in every corrector node, audio playback support up to 16-channels per source clip and audio renders in QuickTime and MXF, and much more.

“This is a major rewrite of the DaVinci Resolve software, and the workflow speed we can now achieve for the whole color correction process is simply stunning,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “DaVinci Resolve has always dominated high end feature film markets, and with this new user interface it will be one of the world’s best looking user experiences. Now customers can focus on their creative work rather than struggling with cumbersome software feature sets. DaVinci Resolve 9 will be great for new users, as it includes user interface elements that are common to other video software. Now it is fast, simple but still just as powerful. Our customers will love it.”

Resolve 9 has a new user interface that is designed to speed up your workflow.

DaVinci Resolve public beta is available now for free on the Support Center of their website.

Apple has released Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3, which solves many of the system's initial criticisms.

With its release, Final Cut Pro X was widely panned by the professional editing community, who have been leaving their beloved editing system in droves. For most pros, FCP X had the look and feel more in line with iMovie or iPhoto than a professional NLE system. Because of this, Adobe and Avid have been stealing many Final Cut Pro users in the past year with much improved systems of their own.

Well, Apple has been listening closely and today they released Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3, which introduces multicam editing that syncs up to 64 angles of video and photos; advanced chroma keying for handling adjustments in the app; and enhanced XML for an interchange with third party apps and plug-ins that support the Final Cut Pro X ecosystem. The update is free from the Mac App Store. V10.0.3 also includes a beta of broadcast monitoring that supports Thunderbolt devices as well as PCIe cards.

For professional users, one of the big knocks against FCP X was the inability to work on multicam projects. V10.0.3 releases new tools that fix that problem. You can now sync different clips using audio waveforms, time and date, or timecode to create a Multicam Clip with up to 64 angles of video, which can include mixed formats, frame sizes and frame rates. The new Angle Editor gives you more detailed access to your Multicam Clip to make more precise adjustments, and the Angle Viewer lets you play back multiple angles at the same time and perform edits between them.

V10.0.3 also builds upon one-step chroma key by adding more controls, including color sampling, edge adjustment and light wrap. Now, you can work on keying inside Final Cut Pro X, without having to export to a motion graphics application, and see the results in real time. This is a very welcome trend.

One of the biggest criticism of FCP X was the lack of compatibility with 3rd party systems as well as the inability to work on projects cut on previous systems like Final Cut Pro 7. Well, now you can. Intelligent Assistance has released a new app, 7toX, that uses XML to import Final Cut Pro 7 projects into Final Cut Pro X. (The app is available in the Mac App store for $9.99.) You can now use XML-compatible programs like Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve to do more professional color correction.In addition, some of the industry’s largest visual effects developers, including GenArts and Red Giant, have developed motion graphics plug-ins that take advantage of the speed and real-time preview capabilities of Final Cut Pro X.

Broadcast monitoring in Final Cut Pro X was also a huge sticking point. V10.0.3′s broadcast monitoring is currently in beta and allows you to connect to waveform displays, vectorscopes, and calibrated, high-quality monitors to ensure that your project meets broadcast specifications. For editors and colorists, this feature will need to be flawless and if not,  I can’t see the pros coming back. I’m glad Apple is working on this with the new update. With nearly all new Mac computers supporting Thunderbolt technology, v10.0.3 will support the monitoring of video and audio through Thunderbolt I/O devices, as well as through third party PCIe cards.

V10.0.3 introduces multicam editing, advanced XML, and a beta for broadcast monitoring.

Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3 is available from the Mac App Store for $299.99 (US) to new users, or as a free update for existing Final Cut Pro X customers. A 30-day free trial of Final Cut Pro X is available at www.apple.com/finalcutpro/trial.

The low price point and new features should lock up many users who are new to the editing process, not to mention the millions of low budget DSLR users. But in order for FCP X to truly matter, the mighty Apple still needs to shift its focus back to its professional base in order to lure them back. They have a lot of work to do convincing the base that FCP X is indeed suitable for professional work.

But they are listening. And with the Mac App store, they’ll be able to implement these updates at a much faster pace.

Let the NLE wars continue!

For more info, please visit www.apple.com/finalcutpro.