Blackmagic Design recently announced the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, a handheld digital film camera with full 4/3 HDR sensor, dual native ISO with up to 25600 ISO for incredible low light performance as well as 13 stops of dynamic range. It also eliminates expensive external recorders, as it features a unique new USB-C Expansion Port, which allows customers to record using the internal SD/UHS-II and CFast recorders or directly to the same external disks they will use for editing and colour correction. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K will be available from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide later this year for US$1,295.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K will be demonstrated on the Blackmagic Design NAB 2018 booth at #SL216.
The revolutionary new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is a handheld digital film camera that packs incredibly high-end imaging and professional features into a portable and affordable design that can be used anywhere. The compact body style is perfect for shooting independent films and documentaries, fashion shows, travel blogs, web videos, weddings, corporate video, sports and much more.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K features a full size 4/3 HDR sensor with native 4096 x 2160 resolution and 13 stops of dynamic range for true digital film quality. The full size of the 4/3 sensor is designed to match MFT lenses so the crop factor is greatly reduced, giving customers a wider field of view. It also features dual native ISO with up to 25600 ISO for low light performance.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is packed with features such as an MFT lens mount, large 5-inch touchscreen monitor, 10-bit ProRes and 12-bit RAW recording, 3D LUTs, 4 built-in microphones, mini XLR audio input with phantom power, Bluetooth wireless camera control, HDMI on-set monitoring output and more. The latest Blackmagic Design colour science lets customers shoot images that are far better than DSLR cameras and even better than professional digital film cameras costing tens of thousands more.
Designed using a space age carbon fibre polycarbonate composite, the body of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is extremely strong and light. The carbon composite material consists of a high strength polymer that’s reinforced with carbon fibres. This gives the camera body incredible strength and rigidity to help protect it from accidental knocks and drops which can often result in damage. The handheld design features a multi-function grip which has logically placed buttons and dials that allow super-fast access to essential shooting functions such as recording start/stop, still photos, ISO, shutter, aperture, white balance, power and more.
Fourth generation Blackmagic Design colour science lets customers shoot HDR images in film, video and new extended video modes. The new extended mode combines the latitude of a digital film with an optimised video file. This gives customers working on fast turnaround projects an ideal solution for shooting great looking images that don’t need a lot of colour correction or post-production work.
Images can be recorded onto standard SD cards, faster UHS-II cards or CFast 2.0 cards in either ProRes or RAW formats. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K can record 4K images at up to 60 frames per second and windowed HD at up to 120 frames per second. It’s also the first camera that lets customers record directly onto the same exact external USB-C media drives they use for editing and colour correction. That means customers can turn projects around much more quickly because they don’t have to transfer files. All they need to do is unplug the USB-C drive and then connect it to their computer to start editing.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K uses the same MFT (Micro Four Thirds) lens mount as the original Pocket Cinema Camera so customers can use the investment in lenses they already own. The MFT mount is extremely flexible and allows for different lens adapters so customers can also use PL, C, EF and other types of lenses from manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Leica and even Panavision.
The rear of the camera features a large bright 5-inch touchscreen that makes it easy to frame shots and accurately focus. It also uses the same Blackmagic OS as URSA Mini so customers can use simple tap and swipe gestures to adjust settings, add metadata and view recording status. On-screen overlays make it easy to see recording parameters, status, histogram, focus and peaking indicators, and playback controls. In addition, 3D LUTs can be applied for both monitoring and recording.
For audio, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K features multiple built-in microphones with an extremely low noise floor, a mini XLR input with 48 volts of phantom power to connect professional lapel and boom mics, and a 3.5mm stereo audio jack for connecting different types of video camera microphones. The high quality built-in audio recording means customers don’t have to carry around a separate recorder.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K also includes a full-size HDMI connector which can output HDR video as well as a clean 10-bit video feed with optional on-screen overlays. There’s also an innovative high-speed USB-C Expansion Port for adding external accessories such as flash drives and an SSD for external recording. The camera uses standard LP-E6 batteries and can be charged via USB-C or the locking DC power connector, which protects the camera from being accidentally unplugged during a shoot.
“Customers love the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and have been asking us for a 4K version,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “We’ve listened and built a camera that combines all of our newest ideas and customer feedback from the previous model! The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is exciting because it packs so much technology into an incredibly small design. We feel it will go well beyond what customers expected. It’s perfect for anyone that needs a truly professional ultra compact digital film camera. This is not a consumer camera that’s trying to do high-end work, it’s a true high-end camera designed for high-end work.”
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Features
- Full size 4/3 sized sensor with native 4096 x 2160 resolution sized sensor.
- Compatible with extremely high quality Micro Four Thirds lenses.
- Super wide 13 stops of dynamic range that allows capture for high-end feature film look.
- Up to 25600 ISO for incredible low light performance.
- Carbon fibre polycarbonate composite body which makes it lightweight, portable and durable.
- Multi-function grip for quick access to recording start/stop, still photos, ISO, shutter, aperture, white balance, power and more.
- Built-in SD, UHS-II and CFast card recorders.
- A USB-C expansion port allows longer duration recording directly to an external SSD or flash disk.
- Standard open file formats compatible with popular NLE software such as 10-bit ProRes and 12 bit RAW.
- Features full-size HDMI output for monitoring with camera status graphic overlay.
- Professional mini XLR input with 48 volts of phantom power for connecting to pro microphones.
- 3.5mm audio jack, headphone jack, and locking DC 12 volt power connection.
- Built-in 5” LCD touchscreen allows accurate focus when shooting 4K.
- LCD supports on-screen overlays including status, histogram, focus peaking, and transport controls.
- Records 4K images at up to 60 frames per second and windowed HD at up to 120 frames per second.
- 3D LUTs can be applied for both monitoring and recording.
- Blackmagic OS as used in URSA Mini and URSA Broadcast cameras.
- 4th generation Blackmagic colour science.
- Supports remote camera control via Bluetooth.
- Includes full license for DaVinci Resolve Studio editing, colour, visual effects and audio post-production.
Availability and Price
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K will be available later this year for US$1,295 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.
Press Photography
Product photos of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, as well as all other Blackmagic Design products, are available on their website.
