TOOLKIT BLACKMAGIC CINEMA CAMERA 6K
SENSOR SENSIBILITY WORDS Adam Duckworth The full-frame sensor inside the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K makes this affordable new machine a serious production tool F rom its bloated body, reminiscent of a 25-year-old medium format DSLR, the new Blackmagic Cinema SPECIFICATIONS
includes everything from anamorphic to 17:9 and even 9:16 for social media – all from one camera setting – aided by a huge range of in-camera overlays to enhance monitoring. It supports full 6K 3:2 recording and offers various recording options, including DCI 6K, DCI 4K, anamorphic, Super 35 4:3, Super 16 16:9 and 1080p. Obtaining these options doesn’t involve trickery; during shooting, the sensor is simply windowed. This introduces a crop factor to the shot, but the advantage is an increase in the maximum frame rate, as the camera doesn’t scan the entire sensor. For example, in 6K, the frame rate is 36fps with no crop. DCI 6K offers 48fps with a 1.06x crop, while 6K 2.4:1 allows 60p with a 1.11x crop. Dropping to DCI 4K at 60fps has a 1.57x crop, while 1920x1080 at 120fps incurs a 3.3x crop. These
Price: £2412/$2595 Sensor: 36x24mm full-frame CMOS sensor Image stabiliser: None ISO range: 400-3200, extended 100-25,600 Dynamic range: 13 stops Lens mount: Leica L Monitor: 127mm/5in tilting LCD touchscreen, 1920x1080 Viewfinder: Optional Autofocus: Contrast detection Recording format: Blackmagic Raw 12-bit 6K 6048x4032 to 36p, 6048x3200 to 48p, 6048x2520 to 60p, 4096x3072 to 50p. DCI 4K 4096x2160 to 60p, 1920x1080 to 120p External recording: None Connectivity: USB-C, HDMI, mini XLR, 3.5mm stereo input for mic and timecode, Bluetooth, iOS app Storage: 1x CFexpress Type B Battery: Sony NP-F570 Dimensions (wxhxd): 179.8x94x122mm/7.1x3.7x4.8in Weight: 1200g/2.65lb with battery and card
Camera 6K doesn’t look like a dream machine to set pulses racing. But what makes the 6K camera worth investigating is what’s inside – a full-frame 6K CMOS sensor that shoots open gate 3:2 format in Blackmagic Raw. This is by far the star feature, meaning it’s easy to overlook the handling shortcomings – especially at the body-only price of £2412/$2595. In fact, everything else pales in comparison when considering the possibilities of shooting glorious 12-bit Blackmagic Raw in full-resolution 6K 6048x4032 pixels. Although the frame rate maxes out at 36fps, this large sensor and unusually useful image size means it can be cropped in many different ratios to mix with all production workflows. This
COLOUR TAPESTRY Explore the intricacies of full-resolution 6K Raws, revealing vibrant colours in a flexible file format
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