Nauticam NA-BMPCC Underwater Housing for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
Innovation Underwater
Compact Super 16 Raw Video!
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera brings offers raw video at an affordable price point that is reachable for any video enthusiast, in a system that is a breeze for travel.
Pocket Cinema Camera records 1920x1080 30P video in the high quality lossless CinemaDNG RAW and editing friendly Apple ProRes(TM) formats with an astounding 13 stops of dynamic range. A Micro Four Thirds lens mount allows the excellent range of lenses from Panasonic, Olympus, and Sigma to be used; this is an active mount meaning that the camera can control iris (aperture) and focus for most of these lenses. The m4/3 mount also allows for use of almost any lens available - via adapters - examples include Canon EF, Nikon F, PL Mount, Leica M and many Super 16 lenses.
The NA-BMPCC Housing
Over the past year, Nauticam has built a comprehensive line of digital film making tools, embraced by professionals around the globe. DSLR cameras have revolutionized independent natural history production, and Nauticam has been at the forefront of this with ergonomic designs that not only harness the still photo potential of a DSLR camera, but its video capability too. This experience grew into the raw video segment, with housing designs for RED EPIC, RED SCARLET, and Blackmagic Cinema Camera that have been embraced for their ergonomics, balance, small size for travel, and ease of setup.
This experience is clearly evident in the NA-BMPCC housing. Key camera controls for record, focus, and lens control are placed at the grips for stable operation while filming. A tactile trigger mechanism activates record, and is easy to operate by feel even with thick gloves. A rubberized lens control knob, operating either zoom or focus depending upon the lens used, is placed at the left handle for fingertip control.
Integrated rubberized grips provide a comfortable, stable platform for shooting. Handle brackets eliminate any flex when heavy video lights are used, and the handles are angled forward 15 degrees for comfortable use in the prone swimming position.
Understanding that professional film makers will use this system in a variety of shooting scenarios, Nauticam has integrated a number of mounting possibilities. A cheese plate is incorporated in the top of the housing for pole or jib mounting. Dual tripod screws on the bottom of the housing allow ease mounting to a tripod or quick release plate. Handles are supplied as standard equipment, but can be removed for mounting in a shoulder rig while retaining full operational functionality.
The internal Nikon EN-EL20 7.2v 1020 mAh battery offers approximately 1 hr of run time, and can be extended to to 3 hrs using two additional batteries in the accessory Nauticam BMPCC Power Pack. The power pack is a great accessory for rebreather divers, or to avoid having to open the housing on a boat to change batteries between dives.
The housing is compatible with existing Nauticam ports system for Micro Four Thirds lenses, allowing the user to take advantage of superb lenses like the Panasonic 8mm for fisheye work and the Panasonic 7-14mm for rectilinear rectilinear wide angle shooting. A new port with focus control (#36164) is now available for the 7-14mm and 12-35mm, along with new gears for these lenses (#36042: focus gear for 12-35, #36043: focus gear for 7-14, #36044: zoom gear for 7-14).
The accessory Nauticam LCD Magnifier with Dioptric Adjustment (25106) can be extremely advantageous for clearly viewing fine focus and camera display info. The LCD Magnifier also provides generous sun shading, making the cameras LCD screen much easier to see in bright sunlight. Attachment rails are required to mount the LCD Magnifier.
