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Blackmagic Camera app for iPhone revolutionizes ENG and more

Allan Tépper

Blackmagic Camera app for iPhone revolutionizes ENG and more 1

In addition to a new, full frame 6K camera, Blackmagic Design also just released the free —yet powerful— Blackmagic Camera app which can revolutionize ENG (Electronic News Gathering). Whether you use a single iPhone/iPad camera or multi iPhone or iPad cameras to cover a single event, the iPhone/iPad footage can be automatically sent wirelessly to a particular DaVinci Resolve project via Blackmagic Cloud, where the multiple clips will be in sync on the DaVinci Resolve timeline. By default, the Blackmagic Camera app sends the proxy files first and the high quality files second, in the selected códec. I must interject that (unlike the RØDE Capture app I’ve been covering recently, which just a few days ago silently added support for 25 FPS, but still lacks 50 FPS), the brand-new Blackmagic Camera app was launched with all desired framerates, including VFR (variable frame rate) 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 FPS, as well as a full range of shutter speeds, including the coveted 1/48 for shooting 24 FPS with a 180º shutter angle, which is often omitted. Both were documented in a short video produced by Memo Sauceda you’ll see ahead. Another video from Team 2 Films confirms compatibility with RØDE wireless microphones in the Blackmagic Camera app, among many more details.

Framerates offered in the Blackmagic Camera app

 

https://www.provideocoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/Blackmagic-Camera-framerates.mp4?_=1

As indicated in the introductory paragraph, the brand-new Blackmagic Camera app was fortunately launched with all desired VFR (variable frame rate) framerates, including 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 FPS, as illustrated in the above short video from Memo Sauceda. After our request, the RØDE Capture app silently added support for 25 FPS, but still lacks 50 FPS. See:

RØDE Capture silently adds 25 fps, but still no 50 fps (illustrated above)

As covered in previous articles, VFR (variable frame rate) is the way most recordings are made on smartphones, since it is more efficient and represents the target rate, not the precise rate (as with CFR or constant frame rate). Later, we can conform the VFR footage to the desired delivery rate by manually setting it in the video editing program (even for non-integer rates like 23.976 – 29.97 and 59.94 used in NTSC and ex-NTSC regions) and saying NO to the question about whether we want to have the timeline match the rate of the first clip added.

The rates 25 and 50 are derived from the analog PAL system. The more modern digital systems used in the PAL or ex-PAL regions still require these rates for conventional television broadcast there. Those regions include Africa, Australia, parts of Asia, parts of South America (i.e. Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay at least*), Europe, the Middle East and the United Kingdom.

*I am still awaiting confirmation from colleagues in French Guiana and the Falkland Islands about the current rates in those two places, although I suspect those also likely use 25/50.

Shutter speeds and shutter angles offered in the Blackmagic Camera app

https://www.provideocoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/Blackmagic-Camera-shutter-speeds.mp4?_=2

As shown in the above short video from Memo Sauceda, the Blackmagic Camera app includes many desired shutter speeds, including the coveted 1/48 for 24 FPS, in addition to many more. When shooting VFR 24 FPS (which also covers 23.976), 1/48 will provide a 180-degree shutter angle. When shooting at VFR 25 FPS, a 1/50 will also provide a 180-degree shutter angle. When shooting at VFR 30 FPS (which also covers 29.97), a 1/60 shutter speed will also provide a 180-degree shutter angle.

I also understand that the Blackmagic Camera app allows for directly setting and displaying shutter angle directly, although I haven’t been able to confirm that detail by publication time of this article.

Anamorphic modes offered in the Blackmagic Camera app

The Blackmagic Camera app currently offers Anamorphic De-Squeeze for 1.33 and 1.55. This is desired if an anamorphic lens is attached to an iPhone or iPad.

Códecs offered in the Blackmagic Camera app 

The Blackmagic Camera App currently offers the following códec options:

The available options will be fewer with older iPhones and iPads.

LUTS offered in the Blackmagic Camera app 

You may import your own LUT (Look Up Table).

Audio settings offered in the Blackmagic Camera app

You may choose the source, format (AAC or PCM/uncompressed), Stereo/Mono, sample rate (including our standard 48 kHz) and type of monitoring.

Audio source selection offered in the Blackmagic Camera app

Thanks to Team 2 Films of the United Kingdom, we now know that RØDE wireless receivers are indeed compatible with the Blackmagic Camera app.

I highly recommend this video from Team 2 Films, where DaVinci Resolve experts Natalie and Leon Barnard emphasize different details than I do. They also demonstrate the use of the internal chat system between the Blackmagic Camera app and DaVinci Resolve.

We don’t currently have evidence that the Blackmagic Camera app for iOS and iPad OS can record ISO (isolating) audio tracks from the latest RØDE wireless systems which allow for multiple microphones, we hope that the two Australian companies (Blackmagic Design and RØDE) can work together to make that happen.

Upcoming article

Stand by for my upcoming article:

Choose the best shooting framerate for 1080i news stations (and much more)

This article will clarify how to choose the ideal camera spatial resolution and temporal resolution (i.e. framerate) for a final project for different outlets, including:

Be sure to be on one of my mailing lists listed below to be notified when this is published.

Initial conclusions

In addition to being a competitor to FiLMiC Pro (which is now available only as a subscription for iOS), the new Blackmagic Camera app, with its integration into DaVinci Resolve via Blackmagic Cloud will indeed revolutionize both ENG shooting (Electronic News Gathering) and broadcast contribution, to get the just recorded footage to the news editor(s) who use DaVinci Resolve (Studio). I applaud Blackmagic for including all of the desired VFRs (variable frame rates) including VFR 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 and all of the desired shutter speeds, including the coveted 1/48, in addition to many more.The Blackmagic Camera app for iOS is currently in palindromic version 1.01 and is free from the Apple App Store. As of publication time, there is no word about any potential Android version.

 

Lee este artículo en castellano

La aplicación Blackmagic Camera para iPhone revoluciona la prensa electrónica y más

 

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FTC disclosure

No company listed in this article is not paying for this article, although Blackmagic has lent Allan Tépper review units to facilitate the review. Some of the companies listed above have contracted Tépper and/or TecnoTur LLC to carry out consulting and/or translations/localizations/transcreations. So far, none of the manufacturers listed above is/are sponsors of the TecnoTur, BeyondPodcasting, CapicúaFM or TuSaludSecreta programs, although they are welcome to do so, and some are, may be (or may have been) sponsors of ProVideo Coalition magazine. Some links to third parties listed in this article and/or on this web page may indirectly benefit TecnoTur LLC via affiliate programs. Allan Tépper’s opinions are his own. Allan Tépper is not liable for misuse or misunderstanding of information he shares.

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