BLACKMAGIC POCKET CINEMA CAMERA 6K PRO GEAR
BIG NEWS!
The new Blackmagic Design 6K camera improves on the existingmodel, but stepping up in size is no joke!
WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH
Y ou have to give it to the Australians, they do have a sense of humour. Like Blackmagic calling its 6K Super 35machine a ‘Pocket Cinema Camera’, despite its mammoth size dwarfing anything else in its category – including cameras with a much larger sensor. Well, the new 6K Pro version is a tad bigger, especially with the optional EVF. Including the battery grip, it’s a proper beast that looks more like a medium format stills camera or large-bodied pro DSLR. Yet, it’s still a ‘Pocket’ camera. This new Pro version takes our handling criticismof the non-Pro version and comes up with neat solutions. However, it definitely doesn’t cure some of the bigger issues, especially around AF, autoexposure, IBIS and the crop in fast frame rates. More on that later... What the Pro version does is take the older 6K camera and – for the same very reasonable asking price – adds a tilting screen, a longer- life battery, built-in ND filters, Blackmagic’s latest Generation 5 colour science and a port to welcome an optional EVF. That’s a number of additions to what is already a solid and impressive camera, boasting a 6K Super 35 HDR sensor, with 13 stops of dynamic range and dual native ISO. It also records up to 60fps from the full sensor, or 120fps in windowed using 10-bit Apple ProRes in all formats up to 4K, or 12-bit Blackmagic Raw in all formats up to 6K. All recorded internally to a CFast card or externally to a USB-C drive. The USB-C port can also be used to
trickle charge the battery while the camera is in use, but not at the same time as recording Raw externally. One of the big benefits is the new easy-fit viewfinder, which some filmmakers just can’t live without. Previously, you had to fit a pricey external EVF, with the signal coming out of the HDMI port, complete with a rig to hold it and external power source. Blackmagic’s solution is an optional EVF that slots into a port on the top-plate once you remove a blanking panel, and is then clamped down with a screw to keep it secure. This compact EVF costs £510/$495
and is a neat solution, turning off the rear screen when in use. It has a 1280x960 colour OLED display and the unit can swivel through a 70° range. There is an adjustment for different dioptres and it comes with four different styles of eye cups for both left and right eyes. These do fall off easily, though. The view is quite small and largely unimpressive, certainly compared to peering through a mirrorless camera EVF. But when you need a viewfinder in bright sunshine, it does work. The old Canon LP-E6 battery has been dropped for a Sony-fit NP-F
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