Fremont, CA—The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K camera is a compact, handheld digital film camera from Blackmagic Design. It features a full Super 35 (6,144×3,456) 6K HDR image sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range and an EF lens mount. Moreover, the sensor is designed to reduce thermal noise, allowing cleaner shadows and higher ISO.
“The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K camera features incredible new 6K imaging and EF lens support that customers have asked for,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design’s CEO. “It has all of the great features customers love from the 4K model but now adds an EF lens mount, increased 6K resolution for even higher quality images and more. Plus, with the built-in Video Assist features, customers don’t have to purchase and carry around extra equipment.”
The camera provides dual native ISO settings up to 25,600 for low-light performance. In addition, its EF lens mount works with lenses from Canon, Zeiss, Sigma and Schneider. As a result, photographers/videographers can use larger EF photographic lenses to create cinematic images with shallower depth of field. This enables creative defocused backgrounds and artistic bokeh effects. Consequently, users can shoot in 6K and then in postproduction zoom and reframe to create wide shots and close-ups.
Made from lightweight carbon fiber polycarbonate composite, the camera also has a multifunction handgrip. The grip provides all controls for recording, ISO, WB and shutter angle at the user’s fingertips.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K Specs
Providing 13 stops of dynamic range, the camera allows users to preserve more detail in the lightest and darkest areas of an image. They can, for example, set exposure for an indoor scene such as a cafe and still retain the details of bright outdoor light coming through a window. In addition, the camera provides more colors than the standard DCI-P3 color space used for feature films.
Furthermore, its dual gain ISO up to 25,600 means both the 4K and 6K models are optimized to minimize grain or noise in images, while maintaining the full dynamic range of the sensor. The native ISO of 400 is for scenes with on-set lighting. The gain is set automatically as users adjust the ISO setting on the camera.
In addition, the 6K model shoots up to 50 frames per second at 6,144×3,456 16:9 resolution or 60 fps at 6,144×2,560 2.4:1 and 60 fps at 5,744×3,024 17:9. For higher frame rates, users can window the sensor and shoot up to 120 fps at 2.8K (2,868×1,512 17:9). Additionally, they can work in true anamorphic 6:5 using anamorphic lenses in 3.7K at 60 fps (3,728×3,104).
Another features is a large, 5-inch touch screen on the rear of the camera for framing shots and focusing. The touch screen also displays critical information while shooting; menus for setting up the camera; and intuitive touch-to-focus controls. In addition, on-screen overlays show status, a histogram, focus and peaking indicators, levels, frame guides and also playback controls.
The interface uses tap and swipe gestures to adjust settings, add metadata and view recording status. Users also have control over advanced camera features such as on-screen focus and exposure tools, 3D LUTs, HDR, metadata entry, timecode as well as Blackmagic RAW settings.
Blackmagic RAW
Blackmagic RAW is a new format to capture and preserve the quality of the camera’s sensor data. Video formats such as H.264 are highly compressed, plus add noise and artifacts; this can cause original sensor detail to be lost. Blackmagic RAW eliminates this problem to maintain detail and color throughout the production pipeline from camera to edit, color and mastering.
It also saves camera settings as metadata so users can set ISO, white balance and exposure in camera or override them later while editing. Blackmagic RAW files are also small and fast to use.
In addition, the 6K cameras employs the same Generation 4 Color Science as the high-end URSA Mini Pro G2. As a result, it can deliver accurate skin tones and faithful color. Blackmagic Generation 4 Color Science uses a dynamic 12-bit gamma curve to capture more color data in the highlights and shadows. The technology also handles some of the complex Blackmagic RAW image processing, so color and dynamic range data from the sensor is preserved via metadata that can be used in postproduction.
Storage & Output
Moreover, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema camera records in standard open file formats, so there’s no need to transcode media. Recording works in industry standard 10-bit Apple ProRes files in all formats up to 4K; or 12-bit Blackmagic RAW in all formats up to 6K. And files work on all operating systems; plus users can format media cards and disks in HFS+ for Mac and ExFAT for Windows.
In addition, the camera has built-in CFast and SD UHS-II card recorders. And a USB-C expansion port enables recording directly to an external media disk. Shooters can use regular SD cards for HD or higher performance UHS-II and CFast cards for native 4K or 6K when using Blackmagic RAW. 
Furthermore, there is a full-size HDMI connector for monitoring with support for HDR and clean 10-bit output. Also featured are: a mini XLR connection with 48 volt phantom power for attaching professional microphones; a 3.5mm video camera style microphone input; a headphone connection; and a locking DC power connector.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K and 6K cameras include a full version of DaVinci Resolve Studio. This is the same software used in Hollywood for creating feature films, television shows and commercials. Other features include: compatibility with MFT lenses; a built-in timecode generator for syncing multi-camera shoots; support for still frame capture up to 21.2 megapixels; and remote camera control via Bluetooth.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K is available for $2,495.
Additional Product Announcements
In related news, Blackmagic Design released other products.
UltraStudio 4K Mini
This new capture and playback solution works with Thunderbolt 3 computers with 12G-SDI, HDMI, analog video and audio connections. It allows users to build solutions for editing, color grading, live broadcast graphics, archiving from traditional broadcast decks as well as livestreaming. $995.
DaVinci Resolve 16.1
An update to the company’s edit, color, visual effects and audio postproduction software, it includes enhancements to the new cut page. Updates also allow editors to improve sorting of media.
The software provides the following features:
- Smart Indicator adds UI feedback for intelligent edit features
- New cut clip tool allows instant cutting of clips in the timeline
- Boring Detector shows areas of the timeline that lack interest
- New Sync Bin organizes and displays sync media for shot selection.
- Close-up edit mode now includes face recognition to better frame shots
- New sync window allows manual syncing of clips, or audio based sync
Blackmagic RAW Speed Test
This new performance measurement tool is for Mac OS X. It tests a computer’s CPU and GPU speeds using full-resolution Blackmagic RAW image decodes. This makes it possible for users to get a real-world estimate of their computer’s performance.
Blackmagic RAW Speed Test is available for download now from the Blackmagic Design website.
