BMPCC6K + Leica R - Camera Test

Well, I finally did it and I purchased a BMPCC6K. But the best purchase I’ve ever done when it comes to gear is definitely my new set of Leica R lenses. Before we jump into it, you are probably wondering why? And there are a couple of reasons why I invested in a new lens set and in a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K. First of all, I needed a backup camera. My BMPCC4K has been extremely reliable in the past year, but there were times when I thought: what if it dies and I am in the middle of nowhere? That’s the main reason why I got a new camera. My BMPCC4K is gonna probably become my B cam right now, but I didn’t test the 6K enough yet and I will definitely do some side by side and let you know what I think. A couple of things I noticed after 2 days filming random footage is that the BMPCC6K is definitely cleaner and has less noise. The files are huge of course. If you film in 6K 24p BRAW 8:1 you will get about 171 minutes on a 1TB SSD. That’s a lot of space, but it’s also 6K RAW, so it makes sense. The highlights roll off seems a bit smoother, but again, I can’t say that for sure.

And then there are those beautiful Leica Rs. Well, I have to be honest, I always thought about investing in a nice set of lenses that I could use with virtually any camera, but as you know, cinema lenses are very expensive. And I am not talking about Cooke or Zeiss SS, even Sigma or Xeen cost a lot of money. They are ok lenses, but for me they are not worth the price and they didn’t look like a good investment. I used those Leica R before with the Ursa Mini Pro and I always loved them, but they are pretty rare and it’s hard to find a good set of cine-mod ones. The thing that I really like about them is that yes, they are vintage lenses, but they are incredibly sharp (in a good way) and the image quality they produced is seriously comparable to a Cooke S4 or a Zeiss SS. You could use them for a movie, but also for a corporate video. So it was a very good timing for investing some money and I found this great set online from Mark Magnarella. They literally look new. No scratches or dust or anything. I got a set with a 19mm f/2.8 and a 35/50/90 f/2 and wow, they look incredible. I thought they could be the perfect match for the Pocket 6K and I think my guess was right. I am absolutely in love with the image that that combo produced. Not sure if you can tell from Youtube, but on my monitor some of these clips seem to be shot on an Arri Alexa and Cooke lenses. A lot of people that follow me asked me how they compare to my Canon FDs, but these are on an all other level. They are probably the only stills glasses that can compete with top cinema lenses. The guy that designed them is the same one that designed the Panavision Primos. Of course different coating, but the optic is very similar. What’s really impressive is how controlled the flares are. Typically with a vintage lens you need a french flag to avoid washing out the image. You can point these Leicas straight at the sun and they won’t lose contrast. The bokeh is just magical and I love that touch of green they have. Also the subject pops out, almost like a 3D effect. These are seriously some of the best lenses I’ve ever used. Of course they are not cheap, my set with 4 lenses costed me roughly 8K dollars, but again, we are talking about top of the line glasses. They will also hold their value very well and it’s even possible that in two year I could sell them for even more. That’s why used lenses are always a good investment, while cameras... Are not.
Also keep in mind that you might find them for way less, but you need to check the serial number. 31xx and above are the very good ones.

Of course this is totally random footage, but I was so excited that I needed to get out of the house and test them. Big thanks to my wife and my friend Azzam for starring in the video!

Everything was shot on the BMPCC6K and the Leica Rs. NiSi IRND and Tiffen BPM 1/4 in my trusty Tilta Matte Box. Editing and grading was done in DaVinci. The only thing I did in terms of coloring was applying the BUTTERY Natural Rec709 and adjust the WB and contrast a little bit. Entire color grading process took me probably 15 minutes.

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