Blackmagic’s video camera announcement seems like it came out of nowhere. A company known for their converter boxes and HDMI recorders is now set to release a DSLR form factor video camera that shoots up to 2.5k  (2432 x 1366) raw in an open CinemaDNG format. All the inputs and outputs you would expect in a normal video camera, plus it records directly to SSD drives. The camera also supports Canon EF mount lenses among others.

The biggest thing about this announcement is that the Blackmagic camera offers a raw file format for under $3000, which is less then the Canon 5d mark III. No word yet on the low light performance but they say 13 stops of dynamic range.  The downside is the small sensor size. Not quit sure on the crop factor of the 15.6 mm x 8.8 mm sensor, but it should be somewhere around 2.3x to 2.6x, so don’t expect to have many wide angle lenses to choose from.

I think a camera like this is a little closer to what low budget film makers are looking for, but many people will find the crop factor unacceptable. If you film a lot of action sports, the lack of supper wide angle lens options will be a large downside. Change the sensor to full frame or at least a APS-C size sensor and I think a camera like this would take over the low budget market. I think this will end up being almost but not quit.

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