There have been three major announcements from Blackmagic Design in the last two weeks. Let’s talk about a few of them.
It has been a massively busy week on the camera front for filmmakers. With new, potentially game-changing releases from Nikon, Canon, and Fujifilm, it’s been hard for me to write about them all. Working around the clock on my own projects, I’ll admit that I’ve let a story or two slip through the cracks. But that doesn’t mean I’ve missed the headlines. And Blackmagic Design has had three major headlines in the span of two weeks that I think deserve attention.
DaVinci Resolve Studio Now Available On A Rental Model
Now, I know what you’re thinking, and I’ll get to that question in just a second. But first, let’s go with what this new offering is promising. Instead of buying a one-time perpetual-use license for DaVinci Resolve Studio for $325, you can now purchase a rental license for $30 per month through Blackmagic’s Cloud service. If you’re like me, your first thought was probably terror at the idea of DaVinci Resolve going the way of the dreaded Adobe subscription model, where it seems like Adobe is blackmailing me into paying them money every month for all of eternity when the majority of features I actually use haven’t changed since the early 2000s.
Not that I could fully blame Blackmagic Design if they did try a cash grab. I am a dedicated DaVinci Resolve Studio user, and with their amazing line of well-priced cameras (more on that in a second), I have often wondered how they remain profitable while delivering such value to customers. Still, hearing the word “rental” sent a shiver down my spine as my brain immediately dredged up sense-memory of Adobe’s monthly deductions from my bank account.
However, when it comes to Blackmagic’s rental model, there could be a potential upside. They have not (at least not yet) said that they have any plans to get rid of the buy-once-use-forever software purchasing model that we all love. Instead, this rental model is more of an add-on. So, why would you rent DaVinci Resolve Studio instead of just buying it? Well, it actually makes more sense than you might think.
Let’s say that I’m a DaVinci Resolve Studio user. I’ve cut together my project, but I now need to send it to a collaborator (colorist, additional editor, sound, etc.), but that user doesn’t have DaVinci Resolve Studio. That leaves me three options. I could spit my project out of Resolve in a different format and go through the hassle of round-tripping it back in at some point. I could change my workflow to adapt to theirs and use something besides Resolve. Or, I could purchase them a license so they can use my workflow. Now, instead of having to purchase a full license for all of your team members, you can just rent a monthly license for the duration of the project. Over the course of the one or two months it takes to complete the project, it would end up costing you $30–$60 to bring that user into your company’s workflow as opposed to modifying your preferred process or shelling out for a full $325 license. Since filmmaking is a team sport and interacting with people who might not already have DaVinci Resolve Studio isn’t uncommon, this new option is actually a real benefit—as long as it’s not a gateway drug toward making everything a subscription model.
DaVinci Resolve Studio Now Supports Apple ProRes RAW
Speaking of external collaborators, for the longest time, users had to make a choice between Apple ProRes Raw or other forms of raw such as Blackmagic Raw. If you edited in Adobe Premiere, you couldn’t use Blackmagic Raw. If you edited in Resolve Studio, you couldn’t use Apple ProRes Raw. Other forms of raw, like ARRIRAW, for example, could play with either system.
Because I’m a DaVinci Resolve Studio user, I haven’t bothered to shoot Apple ProRes Raw for years. I didn’t want to deal with the hassle, and I don’t want to subscribe to Adobe Premiere (see above rant). But now, I can shoot pretty much whatever flavor of raw I want and know that it will work smoothly within my existing workflow. This is a major plus for users and gives further reason to choose Resolve Studio as your all-in-one post platform. No doubt this addition has grown out of Blackmagic Design's increasing closeness with Apple, and the end result is a win for us all.
Massive Price Drops On URSA Cine Cameras
This one you may have heard about already. Again, apologies for it taking me a moment to get around to writing about this. But the Blackmagic URSA Cine camera line has just undergone a big price drop as follows.
Price drops for the Blackmagic URSA Cine camera kits in USD:
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Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF from $14,995 to $9,495
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Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF + EVF from $16,495 to $10,995
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Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 from $29,995 to $22,995
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Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 + EVF from $31,495 to $24,495
That is excellent news for filmmakers. Blackmagic Design cameras were already an exceptional value. I’ve always said that, especially for the money, Blackmagic Design cameras are tough to beat. If you are an up-and-coming filmmaker on a budget or an independent filmmaker, there are very few better values on the market.
To now be able to get a Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 + EVF for a fraction of the price many manufacturers are asking for their crop sensor or budget cinema bodies is nothing short of amazing. I understand that $25,000 is nothing to sniff at, but in the world of cinema bodies—especially 17K large format bodies—that’s an absolute steal.
Okay, I know this was long for a news update, but as you can see, Blackmagic has been busy. Each of these moves brings added value to its devoted customer base. And each move puts real value in your camera and in your pocket.