BLACKMAGIC POCKET CINEMA CAMERA 4K TEST
FIT FOR PURPOSE
Finally a mirrorless camera that really is designed for makingmovies above all else
WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH
W hile other companies might say they make a filmmaker-specific version of their mirrorless cameras, the reality is that they are largely just playing at it. Taking a camera clearly designed for stills and adding more features for movies doesn’t make the camera ideal for filming. There are still the handling quirks and often handicapped specs, in order to avoid cannibalising sales of their more expensive video cameras. In comparison, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K really is designed solely for filmmaking, with specs that leave other wannabes lagging far behind. Features include a huge five-inch screen that means you can largely do away with an external monitor, and a USB-C output so you can record up to 12-bit to inexpensive external SSD drives. There’s a dual-native ISO for great low-light capture, and a claimed 13 stops of dynamic range to provide detailed HDR images. And there is a full- size HDMI socket, a mini-XLR input with phantom power for pro- style mics, and an internal stereo mic that is genuinely useful thanks to decent preamps. But the unique selling point is that it can record up to DCI 4K at rates of up to 60fps in a variety of codecs, including different quality levels of CinemaDNG Raw and ProRes 422 to a CFast 2.0
SPECIFICATIONS Price: £1055/ $1295 body only Sensor: 18.96x 10mmFour Thirds Image stabiliser: None ISO range: 100-25,600. 400 and 3200 Dual Native Dynamic range: 13 stops LCD: 3in LCD touch screen, 1920x1080 Viewfinder: None Auto focus: Contrast detect Recording format: DCI 4K 4096x 2160, 4K 3840x2160, HD 1920x1080. 480Mbps and 120Mbps. 60p/ 59.94p/ 50p/ 30p/ 29.97p/ 25p/ 24p/ 23.98p. 120p inwindowedHD. Codecs: CinemaDNGRaw, CinemaDNGRaw 3.1, CinemaDNGRaw4.1, ProRes 422HQ, LT, Proxy Connectivity: USB-C, HDMI, mini XLR, 3.5mmstereo input formic and timecode, Bluetooth Storage: 1x CFast, 1x SDUHS-II slot Dimensions (WxHxD): 178.1x96x85.5mm/ 7.01x3.78x3.34in Weight: 722g/ 1.59lbwith battery and card
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WINTER 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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