Photoartsla, Thanks for the excellent analysis. I am simply trying to keep up with the latest developments.
quote=PhotoArtsLA]
The new Blackmagic Cinema Camera ONLY shoots video. It does not do stills. Further, Blackmagic has gone back to the drawing board on the Cinema Camera. The attendees at NAB gave them a lot to think about, and expect the production model of the Cinema Camera to be quite a bit different.
As to the D800, it ALSO can produce uncompressed video through its HDMI port, but at 1080p, not 2.5K as the Cinema Camera. That said, the Cinema Camera, if you want to take advantage of compression to make those SSD cards last a lot longer, will do ProRes (Mac) and DNxHD (PC) compression, but ONLY in 1080p.
So, at 1080p, the Nikon D800 out-shoots the Cinema Camera. It is unclear if the SDI output of the Cinema Camera is recordable to another deck.
As to lenses, the Cinema Camera uses Canon and Nikon mounts.
Finally, the EXPEED 3 processor on the D800 provides much higher, high quality, high ISO shooting in video than does the Cinema Camera. ISO 2500, for example, is fine on the D800, but not available on the Cinema Camera, which tops out at about ISO 1600.
Were you planning on wooing Warner Bros. with your movie production, the Cinema Camera and Zeiss ZF lenses (starting at $3,900 each) are in your future.
If you just want to make state of the art, better than broadcast HDTV videos for your HDTV, the D800 absolutely fits the bill.
Of the two cameras, the D800 is the more versatile.[/quote]