A quick and dirty sensor stress test.
There had been a great deal of discussions on the Blackmagic forums about how the Blackmagic Cinema Camera performs when under exposed in lowlight conditions (http://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4269). This test was based on those discussions.
We used the Sony NEX-FS100, recording to ProRes HQ via an Atomos Ninja 2, as known refrences for comparison. All shots were underexposed by over 2 stops.
No noise reduction was done in post and there is a rolling noise pattern in the BMCC footage but at over 2 stops under exposed I’d expect to see sensor take strain.
Light meter reading
ISO1600
180º Shutter (1/50th)
Aperture f/0.9
Camera Set-up
ISO1600, 25p, 180º Shutter (1/50th)
Sony NEX-FS100
Lens: Carl Zeiss ZF.2 Planar T* 1,4/50 @ f/5.6
Picture Profile: G-Log Ultimate 1.0
Recorded in ProRes HQ via an Atomos Ninja 2
Blackmagic Cinema Camera
Lens: Carl Zeiss ZF.2 Distagon T* 2/35 @ f/5.6
Shot in ProRes HQ – Film and 2.5K RAW
Sample DNGs can be downloaded here: dl.dropbox.com/u/6460491/Lowlight_DNG.zip