Blackmagic today introduced a new Pocket Cinema 6K Pro that includes features everyone wants in a small compact body. The two big new features are internal neutral density and an optional EVF.
New 6K Pro Features
- 5″ tilting HDR capacitive touchscreen LCD with 1500 cd/m² brightness
- Built-in clear/2/4/6-stop IR ND filters
- Dual mini-XLR inputs
- Super-accurate timecode clock
- NP-F570 L-series battery slot
- Updated Gen 5 color science
- Optional Pro EVF and battery grip
The new Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro now uses Sony NP-F570 type batteries that have much better performance than the original Pocket that uses Canon LP-E6 battery. The lens mount is still EF and uses the same CFast type media.
All Pocket Cinema Camera models include a full version of DaVinci Resolve Studio.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras feature a mini XLR input with 48 volts of phantom power for connecting professional microphones. The 6K Pro model features 2 mini XLR connections, to record 2 separate audio tracks using 2 mics, without an external mixer. The four built-in mics have an extremely low noise floor and are shock and wind-resistant. There’s also a 3.5mm audio input for connecting video camera microphones, along with a built-in speaker for playback and a 3.5mm headphone jack similar to the other current Pocket cameras.
Below is the entire presentation for your viewing pleasure
Camera Features
Featuring the same generation 5 color science as the URSA Mini Pro 12K, the new Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro delivers accurate skin tones and faithful color. A new dynamic 12-bit gamma curve is designed to capture more color data in the highlights and shadows, for better-looking images. The color science also handles some of the complex Blackmagic RAW image processing, so color and dynamic range data from the sensor is preserved via metadata which customers can use in post-production.
Internal ND Filters
The inclusion of internal ND is a big one. It has 2, 4, and 6 stop IR ND filters.
The IR filters have been designed to filter both optical and IR wavelengths evenly, eliminating IR contamination of the images.
Activation buttons are located on the rear of the camera body, placed within easy reach of your thumb from the multi-function hand grip. User-selectable filter settings can even be displayed as either an ND number, stop reduction or fraction on the LCD.
Recording Formats
- Blackmagic RAW 3:1, 5:1, 8:1, 12:1, Q0, Q1, Q3 and Q5 at 6144 x 3456, 6144 x 2560, 5744 x 3024, 4096 x 2160, 3728 x 3104 and 2868 x 1512 with film, extended video, video dynamic range or custom 3D LUT embedded in metadata.
- ProRes at 4096 x 2160, 3840 x 2160 and 1920 x 1080 with film, extended video or video dynamic range or custom 3D LUT.
- Storage Rates
- Storage rates based on 30 frames per second.
- 6144 x 3456 (6K)
- Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 323 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 194 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 121 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 12:1 – 81 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 242 to 483 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 162 to 387 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 108 to 277 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q5 – 65 to 162 MB/s
- 6144 x 2560 (6K 2.4:1)
- Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 240 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 144 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 90 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 12:1 – 60 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 180 to 359 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 120 to 287 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 80 to 205 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q5 – 49 to 120 MB/s
- 5744 x 3024 (5.7K 17:9)
- Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 264 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 159 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 100 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 12:1 – 67 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 198 to 396 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 133 to 317 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 89 to 227 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q5 – 54 to 133 MB/s
- 4096 x 2160 (4K DCI)
- Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 136 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 82 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 51 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 12:1 – 35 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 102 to 203 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 68 to 163 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 46 to 116 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q5 – 28 to 68 MB/s
- Apple ProRes 422 HQ – 117.88 MB/s
- Apple ProRes 422 – 78.63 MB/s
- Apple ProRes 422 LT – 54.63 MB/s
- Apple ProRes Proxy – 24.25 MB/s
- 3728 x 3104 (3.7K 6:5 anamorphic)
- Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 177 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 106 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 67 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 12:1 – 45 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 133 to 265 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 89 to 212 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 60 to 152 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q5 – 36 to 89 MB/s
- 2868 x 1512 (2.8K 17:9)
- Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 67 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 41 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 26 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW 12:1 – 17 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 51 to 101 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 34 to 81 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 23 to 58 MB/s
- Blackmagic RAW Q5 – 14 to 34 MB/s
- 1920 x 1080
- Apple ProRes 422 HQ – 27.5 MB/s
- Apple ProRes 422 – 18.4 MB/s
- Apple ProRes 422 LT – 12.75 MB/s
- Apple ProRes Proxy – 5.6 MB/s
Tilting Rear Screen
The rear LCD screen is now an adjustable tilt HDR LCD with a bright 1500 nits. The monitor doesn’t flip out or articulate. This design is similar to the Fujifilm XT-3 design.
What’s Included
- Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
- Lens turret dust cap
- Camera strap
- 30W power supply with locking connector and international adapters
- NP-F570 battery
- Welcome booklet
- DaVinci Resolve Studio activation key
Cinema Camera Pro EVF
It’s hard to choose which new feature is my favorite but I think the addition of an optional EVF has to be my top pick.
The EVF is designed specifically to fit into the EVF slot on the 6K Pro, and it locks using an integrated M4 screw. When in use, it turns off the built-in touchscreen LCD, so you don’t accidentally change settings while using the EVF.
The new EVF Pro is a 1280 x 960 color OLED and an extra 33% of the display is dedicated to critical information such as frame rate, histogram, record status, audio meters, and more.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Pro EVF has a 70-degree range of motion and 4 different types of eyecups, with options for left or right eyes. The built-in proximity sensor not only activates the viewfinder but also switches off the LCD touchscreen. This conserves battery power and prevents you from accidentally changing the camera setup by pressing the touchscreen controls.
The Pocket Cinema Camera Pro EVF is only compatible with the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro. It won’t work with any other Blackmagic camera.
Battery Grip
Similarly, the new Pocket has a battery Pro Grip that also uses two NP batteries giving the camera a nice long runtime. The Camera Battery Grip pro retails for $145 US.
Initial Thoughts
The new Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro ticks many boxes that the original models didn’t and looks to be an excellent option for all shooting conditions. One feature that didn’t get updated is improved autofocus or internal IS such as IBIS.
The new Blackmagic Generation 5 Color Science will be available for all the Pocket cameras in an upcoming update. This s great news if you want to add the 6K Pro to your existing Pocket cameras for Multicam work.
Price & Availability
The Pocket 6K Pro retails for $2495 which is around $400 more than the Pocket 6K and I think it’s worth every penny. The EVF is $495 and includes four eyecups.
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