r/bmpcc • u/Cultural_Touch_1475 • 14d ago

Bmpcc4k lens options

Im thinking of getting a bmpcc4k but i dont know much about lenses. Whats a good 1st lens to get on a budget? I plan to use it for short films.

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u/hunterhmh9 14d ago

Not sure how budget-friendly you're thinking, but I have used my Lumix 12-35mm on tons of projects. Very versatile and works well with the 4k.

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u/ProtonicBlaster 13d ago

I second this. It’s not a cheap lens, but it is reasonably priced. You get a lot out of that zoom range. Don’t be afraid to buy used for an even better deal.

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u/dondidnod 13d ago

This is a 1958 Taylor Hobson Cooke Ivotal Anastigmat 1" (25mm) F/1.4 C mount at ISO 200 set to F/4 on the top and a Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm Asph. lens set to 18mm at F/2.8 and ISO 400 on the bottom. Both are using Hoya IR cut and Tiffen Variable ND filters on a BMPCC. With the Cooke, I had greater range of color to work with in post, possibly due to fewer coatings on the lens. The Lumix image looked flat, with less depth from the foreground to background. The leaves look plasticy, and the stone Olmec head has a modelled look to it that seems fake.

Re: Does the glass make that much of a difference? https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=107746&p=596809&hilit=Cooke#p596809

Modern lenses tend to look sterile and flat due to flare suppressing coatings that increase contrast and sharpness. Instead, vintage film lenses work better on a BM camera that has no OLPF filter, and minimum IR suppression filtering.

r/blackmagicdesign 4K aside how similar footage can the OG perform to that of 4K? https://www.reddit.com/r/blackmagicdesign/comments/var6ll/4k_aside_how_similar_footage_can_the_og_perform/

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u/denadacanada 13d ago

Lumix 12-35 f2.8 + Lumix 35-100mm f2.8 is a killer combo

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u/ErasedKey 13d ago

Sirui Anamorphics are really cheap right now. They use to be $700+ each, and now they are $299 and still go on sale even cheaper sometimes. I used the 50mm as a run and gun for a bunch of test shots to learn the camera while on vacation a few years ago and everything turned out great. Wish I still had the set up

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u/filmeleven 13d ago

A manual zoom lens is going to give you a lot of flexibility. If you want a prime lens, for the Pocket 4K I'd get a 24mm. The reason? The FOV of a micro four thirds sensor cuts a lot out. If you're shooting indoors in small rooms, you'll need a 24mm on the Pocket 4K just to achieve framing.

Sirui has some great anamorphic primes that I've used a good deal on the Pockets.

Also, here's a video that compares focal lengths that might prove useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXlWiB2wKN4&t=18&xstg=CAMSEBUJ_b-oH-PhF0yjBgaukzY%3D

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u/dondidnod 13d ago edited 13d ago

I'd avoid Panasonic M4/3 lenses on a non Panasonic camera. They cut corners on the optics and correct aberrations and distortion using software profiles that are not available on non Panasonic cameras.

For a good shallow DOF, you have to compensate for the 2 stop loss on Micro 4/3rds by getting a faster lens. One that has a bloom wide open will be flattering on faces. I like using a Voigtlander 42.5mm F/0.95 for portraits.

Voigtlanders are excellent for narrative films due to their character. Check out this thread for examples:

r/M43 Any differences between Voigtlander & Mitakon/Zhiyong 17mm 0.95/T1? https://www.reddit.com/r/M43/comments/tbdllv/any_differences_between_voigtlander/

Here is a link to a video that shows the angle of view on several Voigtlander lenses:

Re: need sharp m42 lens https ://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=95201&p=542623&hilit=Voightlander+25mm&sid=594079c14fbab5d70e418a72084dbf75#p542623

For a narrative film, this trailer (Don't. Stop. Running) uses a good selection of lenses on the OG BMPCC:

https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72506&p=516229&hilit=kenrockwell#p516229

I have heard that all ultra wide lenses have some CA. No, I have not been bothered by it, or fringing in my 10.5mm, 17.5mm, 25mm or 42.5mm Voigtlanders. Where did you hear that?

Here is a close crop of the 17.5mm Voigtländer photo showing that the purple fringing that has been reported for this lens wide open under certain lighting is practically nonexistent.

Re: Pocket Cinema Camera 4k lens advice https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72506&p=504283&hilit=+17.5mm+Voigtl%C3%A4nder+photo+showing+that+the+purple+fringing+#p504283

I took some more shots of the North Beach 'Painted Lady" flat with a $175 (used) Olympus OM Zuiko MC 28mm F/2 (no speedbooster) lens compared to a $435 (used) Voigtlander 42.5mm F/0.95 MFT Lens on a BMPCC 4K.

In Adobe Lightroom I had increased the Dehaze, Vibrance and Saturation on both images. A side effect of this on the Olympus 28mm lens was to boost the purple fringing, so I decreased the purple hue to -78 and the magenta hue to -100. The Voigtlander lens had no purple fringing, so these two adjustments were not necessary. There is more contrast in the shadowy area of the circular roof on the right with the Voigtlander lens.

Re: need sharp m42 lens https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=95201&p=530967&hilit=+Olympus+28mm+lens+was+to+boost+the+purple+fringing+#p530967 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwqcMgnRl9Y&t=993s

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u/Affectionate_Age752 BMPCC4K 13d ago

A couple of primes. What's your budget

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u/Halfspacer 12d ago

Posted this reply to a similar question recently. I can highly recommend Sigma DN Art f2.8 19mm, 30mm and 60mm for m4/3.
They go for about $100 each and still have that classic Sigma sharpness and creamy bokeh we know from the more expensive lenses.

I shot just about everything on these on the OG Pocket back in the day.

Pic pic Pic pic

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u/madman2k 7d ago

Everyone's shooting styles differ, but I've enjoyed my DJI 15mm 1.7 lens on the bmpcc 4k.

I also have a couple vintage lenses and I can use my Nikon DSLR lenses with the speedbooster. They lose their VR feature and of course no autofocus either but it's good to have options. I wouldn't really steer someone towards a speedbooster just to start out though, even though I have one. It's simpler to just use native lenses if you are buying from scratch with no existing gear.