We put seven camera cages (from six different manufacturers) for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (shortly BMPCC 4K) head to head for an in-depth look, review, and comparison. 8Sinn, CAME-TV, Smallrig, Tilta, Vocas, and Zacuto… Let’s see which one comes out on top in this ultimate BMPCC 4K Cage Shootout! First off: BMPCC 6K Compatibility of Cages? First off, let me add that with the recently announced Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, the question of course will be: Do the Pocket 4K cages fit the Pocket 6K too? The short answer: in most cases, they will! The measurements of the housing are identical on both cameras. The main difference are the slightly larger vents on the Pocket 6K, plus the larger (EF) mount, which might be a problem if you have a cage that encloses that mount (like for example some of the CAME-TV cages, see below). We already know that the Tilta cages for the BMPCC 4K will also fit the BMPCC 6K. What’s the Point of a Camera Cage for the BMPCC 4K? To use the full potential of any camera, it is crucial to find the right cage in order to mount whatever third-party accessories you may need. That said, cages don’t just add several mounting threads and cold shoes, they also improve the protection of the camera body, usually add better grips and handles, and protect the HDMI connector and other ports. In the case of the BMPCC 4K, there is now a wide variety of compatible cages, and the quality differences are quite significant. Most filmmakers who use this camera like (or even need) to rig it in the cage for several reasons – the most important ones in my opinion are: to protect the plastic body of the camera, to provide mounting for an external powering solution (the battery life of the internal batteries is not so good), to mount an SSD on the body for external recording via USB-C port, to provide further mounting points for accessories (the camera does not have a cold shoe at all), to provide mounting for follow focus (BMPCC 4K doesn’t have usable AF). For this comparison, we received cages from six different manufacturers for testing. CAME-TV sent us both their full cage and half cage, so it is a total of 7 devices. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of BMPCC 4K cages. There are more companies out there which offer cages for the Pocket 4K. If we receive additional cages, we might do another round of the review in the future. Structure of Each Review: Ease of assembly and disassembly and how securely is the camera attached to the cage? HDMI and USB-C cables protector design. Is there an SSD mount and/or external battery mount? The top handle and side handles design. Overall ergonomics and conclusion. Firstly, I have to say that with all tested cages we have good access to all the buttons, slots, and connectors of the BMPCC 4K. In some cases (when the cage has two “pillars” on the left side) it is quite difficult to open the rubber caps on the left side to get access to all the connectors once the camera is mounted in the cage. Therefore, if you plan on using the connectors, it is better to open the rubber caps before inserting the camera in the cage. From most manufacturers, we didn’t receive all accessories for the BMPCC 4K cage. On our photos, you can see everything that we received for testing, but we always mention if the manufacturer offers additional accessories or even other versions of the BMPCC 4K cage. We have also put each cage on a scale. In order for the weight to be fair and comparable, we reduced each cage to a simple setup – cage itself, HDMI and USB-C protector, and a top handle. Further, in the test, we will refer to this setup as a “basic setup”. Now let’s take a look at all the cages in alphabetical order. 8sinn Full Cage Firstly, 8Sinn also offers half cage for the BMPCC 4K, but we did not receive it for our test. We only tested the full cage, which was actually one of the first cages to be available for the Pocket 4K. 1. Ease of Assembly and Disassembly and How Securely is the Camera Attached to the Cage? It is quite easy to assemble and disassemble the camera in the cage. It secures with one screw at the bottom in the camera’s tripod screw thread and with one screw at the top thread. The bottom side of the cage has retractable pins on both sides of the screw to slide in the pin holes on the bottom to prevent wiggle when the camera is mounted in the cage. The cage itself also has quite a big opening for the lens, so even inserting the BMPCC 4K with a bigger lens mounted should not be a problem. The camera is secured very well in the cage. Thanks to the bottom screw with fitting side pins and top screw there is no wiggle whatsoever. 2. HDMI and USB-C Cables Protector Design. The HDMI and USB-C cables protector that came with the 8Sinn cage is not that great in my opinion. It prevents the cables from bending to the sides, but it does not prevent them so well from being pulled out. It depends on the exact shape of the connector, but I did not manage to tighten the protector enough to prevent the cable from being accidentally pulled out. 3. Is there an SSD Mount and/or External Battery Mount? We didn’t receive these mounts for testing, but 8Sinn offers a clamp for the Samsung T5 SSD. It seems they don’t offer any external battery mount though. There wasn’t any Metabones adapter support included with the cage, but 8Sinn offers it as an additional accessory. They also offer the 15mm rods base, but we didn’t receive it for our test as well. 4. The Top Handle and Side Handles Design. 8Sinn has multiple top handles available for all their cages – basic handle, pro handle, and Scorpio handle. I tested the cage with the Scorpio handle and I like its design and ergonomics. It is an all-aluminium handle with lots of 1/4″ and 3/8″ threads and a total of 4 (!) cold shoes on both ends. It is possible to unscrew the large nut holding the handle in place and rotate it freely to face whichever direction. There is also 15mm rod side mount on the handle’s neck. Thanks to the removable mount with NATO rail and ARRI Rosette, the handle can be mounted on various places on the cage. 5. Overall Ergonomics and Conclusion. 8Sinn BMPCC 4K cage has a simple but functional aluminium design with a tight fit. I like the amount of both 1/4″ and 3/8″ threads this cage offers. It is also possible to attach neck strap on the camera as there are mounts for that on the right side of the camera. There is a cold shoe mount on the left top side. It is also suitable for frequent mounting and removing of the camera. Big advantage for me is the possibility to choose from three different top handles. I am not a big fan of the HDMI and USB-C protector which 8Sinn uses, but it certainly helps in some way. The total weight of the basic setup of the 8Sinn cage is 564g. CAME-TV Half Cage and Full Cage CAME-TV offers three different full cages for the BMPCC 4K – Basic, Plus, and Rig. We tested the “Rig” version. On CAME-TV website the rig version has different accessories and wooden handles, though. They offer one version of half cage, which we also received for the test. 1. Ease of Assembly and Disassembly and How Securely is the Camera Attached to the Cage? It is quite easy (although not as easy as with the 8Sinn cage) to assemble and disassemble the camera in the cage. It secures with one screw at the bottom in the camera’s tripod screw thread and with one screw at the top thread. Instead of retractable pins at the bottom of the cage, there are tiny bolts that need to be screwed in the small holes in the camera. This process takes a bit longer than with the pins. It has a tight front element, so when mounting the camera in the cage, the lens has to be detached first, and then attached again once the cage is mounted. The front element can be removed though. What really surprised me, is that both cages which we received for our test do not precisely fit the BMPCC4K! The cages are approximately 1mm higher than the camera, so the bolts cannot be tightened properly. With force, they can be tightened, but they slightly bent the cage. With the front element attached they cannot be tightened at all, because the cage cannot bend so easily. I hope that’s not the case with all CAME-TV BMPCC 4K cages and that we just received an early version. The camera also has a small wiggle even when all bolts are tightened, so it seems the tiny bolts don’t hold it in place as firmly as the pins would. 2. HDMI and USB-C Cables Protector Design. There is only an HDMI adapter protector, no USB-C protector. Its design is quite weird in my opinion. When installed, it supports the connector from one side and there is a small bolt, which can fix the connector in place. However, there is no support from the other side – when fixing the connector with the bolt, it is actually bending it as there is nothing to hold it from the other side. Minus points for CAME-TV here. I found out on CAME-TV website, that they also offer a different protector, so hopefully, that one works better. 3. Is there an SSD Mount and/or External Battery Mount? There is a simple aluminium clamp for the Samsung T5 SSD. CAME-TV does not seem to offer any external battery mounting solution. 4. The Top Handle and Side Handles Design. We received two different top handles with CAME-TV cages. They are both quite comfortable to hold. They have four mounting threads – two 1/4″ and two 3/8″, one cold shoe and they can be rotated in four different directions. One of the handles mounts to the top of the cage with two Hex screws. The other handle (in my opinion the better one) mounts to the front of the cage and offers an extra 15mm rod mount. When the front element of the cage is installed, however, the better top handle cannot be used, because the screw holes are taken by the front element. We also received wooden side handles for CAME-TV cages. They don’t have any buttons. I think the handle on the left side makes some sense, but the one on the right does not because it makes it hard to operate the buttons of the camera. 5. Overall Ergonomics and Conclusion. The whole frame of the full cage is made out of one piece of aluminium, whereas the half cage consists of three pieces bolted together. Both cages came with a bottom 15mm rods holder, which is a standard CAME-TV holder. It slides from the side to the bottom of the cage, so the camera and the rods can be positioned off-axis if needed. The 15mm rods base, however, seem to have a bigger height than standard. This could be problematic when mounting a follow focus with a smaller lens. Ports on the side can be opened without trouble because the cage only covers the front edges of the camera. The Grip protector is kind of a unique design bit of the CAME-TV full cage. It protects the grip but makes it actually too bulky to hold. My hands are not small, but I didn’t feel like I am holding the camera with the grip cover very safely. Good thing is, that it can be removed if you don’t want to use it. A good advantage is, that both cages offer two 3/8” threads with ARRI locating pins on the top side. The cages’ design with colorful strips is not my favorite, but someone might like it. The total weight of the basic setup of the CAME-TV half cage is 461g. The total weight of the basic setup of the CAME-TV full cage is 588g. Smallrig Half Cage I tested the Smallrig half cage (type 2254) with the 15mm rod support, top handle, and the wooden side handle with the SSD slot. Smallrig also offers QR half cage (type 2255) with quick release plate in the cage and full cage (type 2203), which we didn’t get for our test. They also started offering a sunhood for the Pocket 4K’s display, but we also didn’t receive it for our test. I also have to say that we didn’t receive this cage directly from Smallrig, but we wanted to include it thanks to its popularity, so we borrowed it from a friendly gear rental place in Vienna, Austria – the AV-Professional. We are very thankful for that. 1. Ease of Assembly and Disassembly and How Securely is the Camera Attached to the Cage? The Smallrig half cage is quite easy for assembly and disassembly. It secures with the top and bottom bolts and it has a metal piece with two pins for the bottom, which can be taken out completely. The camera is secured very well in the cage. Thanks to the bottom screw with side pins and top screw there is no wiggle whatsoever. 2. HDMI and USB-C Cables Protector Design The HDMI and USB-C cables protector that came with the Smallrig cage uses a similar approach as the one from 8Sinn, but this version from Smallrig works better in my opinion – the screws can be tightened better and the cables can not be pulled out anymore so easily. It holds the cables pretty well in place in my opinion. 3. Is there an SSD Mount and/or External Battery Mount? With the Smallrig cage in the version we got, there are two possibilities to mount an SSD and both are only made for Samsung T5 SSDs. The first option is a simple aluminium bracket which can be mounted on top of the cage. The second option, which I would prefer, is mounting the Samsung T5 SSD inside in the wooden side handle. Smallrig made a handle with a tight fit space where you can lock the SSD in place. After looking at Smallrig web, they also offer a universal SSD mounting clamp, which should be able to hold other SSDs too. 4. The Top Handle and Side Handles Design The top handle is used with other Smallrig cages as well and it is ergonomic and quite comfortable. The handle is mounted to the cage with NATO clamp. Smallrig cage has NATO rails both on top and on the side, so you can choose where to mount it. It has many 1/4″ and 3/8” threads, two cold shoe mounts and a proper size HEX key built-in and held by magnets. Side handle contains a slot for the SSD as mentioned above and I like its design a lot. 5. Overall Ergonomics and Conclusion Smallrig BMPCC 4K half-cage has a simple one-piece aluminium design. There is a lot of 1/4″ and 3/8” threads on the cage. There is a cold shoe mount on the left top side. The cage is very lightweight. I would be afraid to use the strap mount in the top left corner because it seems to have a very sharp edge, so it could cut the strap and make the camera fall. The rod support piece is solid with standard mounts. There is a Metabones mount included with the cage as well. The total weight of the basic setup of the Smallrig cage is 396g. Tilta Full Cage Tilta cage is made out of aluminium and can be purchased in grey or tactical finish version. We received the tactical finish version and I have to say I like it a lot. Their cage design is also unique in a way that you can detach the whole right side of the full cage and simply get a half cage if needed. We received a LOT of Tilta accessories to test with the cage. They really offer a wide variety of gadgets. 1. Ease of Assembly and Disassembly and How Securely is the Camera Attached to the Cage? The cage is well fixed in position with the top and bottom screw and with two retractable pins at the bottom. It is quite easy for assembly and disassembly. 2. HDMI and USB-C Cables Protector Design Instead of just a protector, Tilta offers its own adapters and cables. The USB-C cable from Tilta has special connectors with screws, which I find to be the best type of protection. The cable sits perfectly in place and cannot be pulled out unintentionally. For the HDMI connector, Tilta also supplies their own L-shape adapter with a small screw which fixes it securely in position. For me, it is the best and safest solution out of all tested protectors. 3. Is there an SSD Mount and/or External Battery Mount? There is a Samsung T5 SSD holder clamp on top of the camera. Tilta also provides a different version of the clamp for SSDs from Angelbird. It might be possible to mount other brands of SSDs in the clamp too. Other than that, there is also a special side handle with one slot for the Samsung T5 SSD. This side handle also offers a slot for an external battery. More on that in the handles section. When it comes to powering solutions, apart from the side handles with battery slots Tilta also offers V-mount plates either for the back to be mounted on 15mm rods or under the camera as a baseplate. They also offer baseplate battery mount for Sony NP-F batteries. 4. The Top Handle and Side Handles Design The top handle is mounted on top using a mini NATO rail and can be fixed in three different positions. It has a 15mm rod mount, two cold shoes on each end and many ¼” and 3/8” threads. The handle can also be turned 180 degrees and positioned facing “forward”, but only when the monitor sunhood is not mounted. It stands in a way otherwise. The grip of the handle is comfortable. Tilta offers a variety of side handles. Standard handle with one ¼” thread and one 3/8” thread with ARRI locating pins on top. Than the Nucleus_N handle module with a slot for Sony NP-F970 battery and for a Samsung T5 SSD, which even has a strap and focus wheel to control the Nucleus Nano. Last but not least, there is a Nucleus handle in a thinner version for Sony NP-F550 batteries and without the SSD mount. I especially like the big handle as Sony NP-F970 batteries provide a high capacity for the BMPCC 4K. Both Nucleus handles have 12V output for the camera and 8V output for the Nucleus Nano motor. All handles can be inserted in the bottom piece of the cage and can even be used with the 15mm rod support, but the space is limited. I think the side handles are better secured in place without the rod support attached. 5. Overall Ergonomics and Conclusion The cage is a tight fit and so the camera can still be used very well handheld. There are lots of threads and two cold shoes on top of the cage. The 15mm rod support base slides in from the side, so it can be used in offset position too if needed. I like the fact that you can either have a full cage or half cage by simply detaching a part of the cage. The cage itself is not a one piece of aluminium – it is made out of more parts which are bolted together. It is important to check those bolts and tighten them from time to time as they might get loose. I like that Tilta included the HEX key in the design and it is held by magnets at the bottom of the cage. On top of the cage, there is one extra cold shoe on the right side and one ¼” thread with ARRI locating pins left from the handle. I also like very much the wide range of accessories that Tilta offers for the cage. It is a whole ecosystem, which also incorporates nicely their Nucleus follow focus. It’s also important to add that Tilta says that their cage ecosystem will also fit the recently announced Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K (BMPCC 6K). The total weight of the basic setup of the Tilta full cage is 515g. Vocas Half Cage 1. Ease of Assembly and Disassembly and How Securely is the Camera Attached to the Cage? It is not that easy to assemble and disassemble the camera in the cage. It also secures with one screw at the bottom in the camera’s tripod screw thread and with one screw at the top thread. There are two pins on the bottom side of the cage on both sides of the screw. Those pins are, however, fixed in the cage’s design and that complicates things a bit when inserting the camera in the cage. The Vocas half-cage is made out of three pieces bolted together and to mount the camera in you need to loosen two of those screws and open the cage a bit for the pins to go in their place. The camera is secured very well in the cage. Thanks to the bottom screw with side pins and top screw there is no wiggle whatsoever. 2. HDMI and USB-C Cables Protector Design There is no USB-C connection protector included. The included HDMI connection protector is very solid. It consists of a simple L-piece HDMI adapter and small bracket which keeps it securely in place. That means the HDMI cable will always face to the back next to the screen. The connected cable itself is not secured in place in any way. 3. Is there an SSD Mount and/or External Battery Mount? There is an SSD mount included with the cage. It is a simple platform with rubber straps. It holds the SSD quite safely in place, although not as safely as a solid aluminium clamp. Big advantage of this solution is that it can accommodate SSDs of various sizes. It seems Vocas does not offer any amount for external battery especially for the BMPCC 4K. 4. The Top Handle and Side Handles Design The top handle is ergonomic and quite comfortable. It has a thin design, but I didn’t have problems with it even though my hands are rather big. The handle is fixed in place with two screws and can be slightly moved back and forth or mounted in the other direction or on the side of the cage. It has a 15mm rod mount, many 1/4″ threads and one cold shoe mount on the top side. There are no side handles available. 5. Overall Ergonomics and Conclusion Vocas BMPCC 4K half-cage has a simple and very lightweight aluminium design with a tight fit. There is a lot of 1/4″ threads, but only two 3/8″ threads at the bottom of the cage. There is a cold shoe mount on the left top side. We did not receive the 15mm rod support for our test, but Vocas does offer it. It is not very suitable for frequent mounting and removing of the camera. The advantage is that there is a universal SSD mount included with the cage. The total weight of the basic setup of the Vocas cage is 332g, which makes it the lightest cage in our test. Zacuto 1. Ease of Assembly and Disassembly and How Securely is the Camera Attached to the Cage? When inserting the camera it was quite a struggle to position it correctly inside, because the cage is a very tight fit. Furthermore, the top and bottom bolts are held on the cage with springs, which means you can’t lose them, but it was hard to see if the threads are positioned correctly. Also, the pins at the bottom are quite thick and they fit precisely in the camera’s bottom holes. Because of the exact fit, I had problems getting the camera out of the cage. Once the camera is inside, it is fixed very well in place though. There is no wiggle whatsoever. 2. HDMI and USB-C Cables Protector Design Zacuto uses a different system to protect the USB-C and HDMI connections and I am not sure if it is the right one. It uses standard L-shape adaptors and some sort of aluminium clamps which are supposed to hold them in place. When I tried to mount them, I found out the clamps are positioned so unfortunately, they even bent the adapters when tightened. That is not ideal. Zacuto actually demonstrates their cage in their videos with a different type of protector. We got information directly from Zacuto, that they fixed this issue in the production run of the cages, so the HDMI and USB-C protectors have been redesigned and should work better now. 3. Is there an SSD Mount and/or External Battery Mount? There is a Samsung T5 SSD clamp on top of the cage, which has quite a nice design with big Zacuto logo on top and an extra cold shoe. It seems Zacuto does not offer any external battery mount for the BMPCC 4K. 4. The Top Handle and Side Handles Design The top handle design is quite nice, it has one cold shoe on the top, many threads on the top, and wooden grip. As the only handle, it also has an additional very long NATO rail on top. It mounts to a long NATO rail no the cage so it can be moved back and forth. There is a side wooden handle with a cold shoe on top, which can be useful for mounting various accessories. The handle itself is mounted on the cage through a long NATO rail, so it can be moved up and down. 5. Overall Ergonomics and Conclusion Zacuto is a tight lightweight one-piece aluminium cage. If needed, it offers a totally flat top. The hand strap on the right side is nice and ensures a safe grip. I just find the upper aluminium piece by the hand strap at the end of the cage too sharp and I can imagine it can hurt after a long time holding and operating the cage. There is a Hex key at the bottom of the cage which is held in place with magnets. It is the exact size for the top and bottom screw, so that is quite helpful when mounting the camera in the cage. Zacuto cage is, however, not so great for frequent mounting and unmounting of the camera. Zacuto has a new quick mounting system Polaris which we also received for the test and it was part of the 15mm rods support base. Zacuto also offers a metabones adapter support, but we didn’t receive it for the test. Overall, I like the amount and length of NATO rails with this cage. It provides good flexibility. The total weight of the basic setup of the Zacuto full cage is 473g. BMPCC 4K Cages Review and Shootout Conclusion When evaluating all cages, I have to say all of them had their advantages and disadvantages. Generally, I wish more manufacturers provided slots for other SSDs than just the Samsung T5. Thumbs up for Tilta and Vocas in this regard. For me, the clear winner of our test is the Tilta. They offer a wide range of accessories. Their cage is modestly priced, sturdy, and well designed. The tactical finish is also very a nice touch. I like how they focused on external powering solutions too. As a bonus, their Nucleus follows focus also works well with the side handles. Vocas cage is also an interesting choice thanks to its lightweight minimalistic design, the universal SSD mount, and good HDMI adaptor. Smallrig is a very affordable cage with nice side grip and good design. 8Sinn can also be a good choice as it offers different handles and it does not have any big flaws. It is also probably the best cage for frequent mounting and removing of the camera. Zacuto offers a very secure grip with the hand strap and great flexibility thanks to the long NATO rails. CAME-TV has a few flaws, but it can also be considered with the right price. I really hope they solved the problem with the right dimensions. It really depends on what you are looking for and which factors are important for you when choosing the right cage. We have links to all the cages underneath our article, so it will be much appreciated if you can use them as we get a small commission from every purchase. That helps us to keep creating long reviews like this one. Congratulations if you managed to read the whole article. Which cage for the BMPCC 4K do you like the most? What is an important factor for you when choosing a cage? Can you imagine using the Pocket 4K without a cage? How do you like our new wallpaper in the cinema5D studio? :) Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

Metabones announced new series of Speed Booster adapters especially designed for Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (BMPCC4K). The redesigned optics provide better sharpness when shooting with low aperture numbers. They come in standard versions – ULTRA 0.71x and XL 0.64x, and for Canon EF mount, Nikon G mount, and ARRI PL Mount. The adapters can only be used with the BMPCC 4K, they cannot be mounted on any other M43 camera. Speed Booster Adapters for BMPCC 4K. Source: Metabones Although there are now many lens adapter manufacturers, when it comes to Speed Boosters – adapters with optical elements – Metabones is still providing unmatched image quality. They offer a wide range of adapters for various lens mount and large number of SLR lenses. One of those adapters are Speed Boosters for micro four thirds cameras. These Speed Boosters can be used with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, but the image can sometimes get soft when shooting with low aperture numbers. That’s why Metabones releases new series of Speed Booster adapters especially designed for the BMPCC 4K. Metabones Speed Boosters for BMPCC 4K The new series of Metabones Speed Booster is especially designed for Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (BMPCC4K). The optics were designed by Caldwell Photographic. The adapters come in standard versions – ULTRA 0.71x and XL 0.64x. Both versions are similar to the standard Micro four thirds Speed Booster adapters, but the optics have been re-designed to optimize for the filter stack thickness of the Blackmagic cameras, which is substantially thinner than that of standard M43 cameras. Speed Booster Canon EF Standard and Cine Adapters for BMPCC 4K. Source: Metabones I will not dive too deep into the filter stack thickness topic here. If you want to know more about it, there is a useful article on Lens Rentals blog about it. The thickness of the camera’s filter stack is an important component of the overall optical design, and the re-designed optics ensure that the new Speed Boosters can achieve the same high performance with the BMPCC 4K as the Speed Booster versions for standard M43 do with other M43 cameras. As I mentioned, this is especially critical at wide apertures (fully open). Speed Booster Nikon G Adapter for BMPCC 4K. Source: Metabones In addition to the new optical designs, the new series of Speed Boosters also features a longer tripod mount to match the height of the BMPCC4K camera body. This way the camera and the Speed Booster can be mounted firmly on the same quick release plate. Speed Booster ARRI PL Adapter for BMPCC 4K. Source: Metabones Both versions – the Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x and XL 0.64x – are available with Nikon G lens mount, with Canon EF lens mount and with Canon EF CINE lens mount. The ARRI PL lens mount is available in ULTRA 0.71x version only. The Canon EF CINE lens mount creates a positive lock for a secure electronic connection, and together with the matching length of new the tripod mount, allows for a rock-solid mechanical setup, which is important when using follow focus attachments. Crop factors table. Source: Metabones The new Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x for BMPCC4K uses 6-element 4-group optical design incorporating ultra-high index tantalum-based optical glass. According to Metabones, optical performance of the new Speed Boosters will even improve MTF of any lens attached to it. Here are the MTF charts with commentary taken directly from Metabones website. MTF Charts for the Spped Booster ULTRA. Source: Metabones All of the charts show the optical performance of the Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x when mounted behind an ideal “perfect” lens. Figures 1 through 3 show MTF at 10, 20, and 40 lp/mm as a function of image height for output apertures of f/0.9, f/1.0, and f/2.0, respectively.  At the maximum aperture of f/0.90 (i.e., with an f/1.2 master lens) the sharpness and contrast are extraordinary across the entire image circle. At just one-third stop down to f/1.0 the performance is equal to or better than the best photographic lenses used at their optimum apertures. An additional stop down to f/2.0 yields performance that is rarely encountered in photographic optics. In practice, what all of this means is that the new Speed Boosters will always enhance and never degrade the performance of the attached master lens. Figure 4 shows that there is less than 1 stop of corner illumination falloff even wide-open at f/0.9. There is no vignetting at all after the output aperture reaches f/2.82. Figure 5 shows that rectilinear distortion added by the Speed Booster ULTRA is negligible at less than 0.7%.   The new Speed Booster XL 0.64x for BMPCC 4K uses 7-element optical design to achieve high optical performance at apertures up to f/0.80 (with a full-frame f/1.2 lens). Here are again the MTF charts with commentary taken directly from Metabones website. MTF Charts for the Spped Booster XL. Source: Metabones Figures 1 through 3 below show MTF at 10, 20, and 40 lp/mm as a function of image height for output apertures of f/0.8, f/1.1, and f/1.81. At f/0.80 (i.e., with an f/1.2 master lens) the sharpness and contrast are extraordinary out to an image height of 5.1 mm, which is the limiting image height of the BMPCC4K camera’s FHD video mode.  Beyond 5.1 mm the performance drops gracefully, but remains very good even in the extreme corner of the full Blackmagic sensor. Note that as the master lens aperture is reduced to f/1.8 and then f/2.8 (corresponding to output apertures of f/1.1 and f/1.8, respectively) the performance improves everywhere, especially in the extreme corners. Figure 4 shows that there is only about 1 stop of corner illumination falloff even at f/0.8. There is no vignetting at all after the output aperture reaches f/3.42. Figure 5 shows that rectilinear distortion added by the Speed Booster XL 0.64x is negligible at less than 0.8%. (MTF data is a full diffraction-based calculation that assumes the Speed Booster is attached to a perfect master lens having an exit pupil distance of 100mm.  Note that the MTF calculations do not take into account sensor-induced apodization effects, sometimes called “pixel vignetting” or “pixel shading”, so actual results at large apertures are likely to be better than the calculations indicate.) (Illumination data assumes a perfect master lens with an exit pupil distance of 100mm and zero vignetting.  The slight falloff shown at f/2.8 is due to cos4 effects alone, as the mechanical vignetting is zero.  Actual results will depend on the exit pupil distance and vignetting characteristics of the master lens used.) An important note – this new series of Metabones Speed Booster adapters is designed exclusively for the BMPCC 4K. They cannot be attached to any other M43 cameras such as JVC, Olympus or Panasonic. The BMPCC 4K Speed Booster adapters are now available for pre-order and the prices are between US $490 and $720 depending on the version. They should ship in mid August. Do you use some kind of lens adapter with the BMPCC 4K? How are you satisfied with the optical quality? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

Do you miss an articulating screen with the BMPCC 4K? There now is a possibility to have the camera’s screen modified in China and get a tilting screen. The modification is non-destructive (reversible) and also adds a USB-C port at the back, between the backside of the camera and the screen. BMPCC 4K Screen Modification. Source: power_cheung The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (further only BMPCC 4K) has been a popular camera amongst (not only) indie filmmakers since its announcement. It offers great image quality for a really low price. If you want to know more about the BMPCC 4K, make sure to check out Nino’s hands-on review. Aside from great image quality with high-bitrate codecs, this camera also introduced an unusually large screen. It features a 5-inch touchscreen with 1080p resolution. However, one of the downsides of the screen is that it is fixed on the back of the camera. No tilting, no flipping out, nothing. It seems like there is an unofficial solution for this downside now. BMPCC 4K Tilting Screen Hack BMPCC 4K Screen Modification – First Prototype. Source: power_cheung A user named power_cheung modified his BMPCC 4K screen by adding a tilting mechanism and posted a couple of photos on a Chinese filmmaking forum, filmaker.cn. In fact, he posted photos of the first prototype already in May 2019. That first prototype seemed to be working, but the design wasn’t so neat. That’s how it is with prototypes. BMPCC 4K Screen Modification. Source: power_cheung Now it seems like he managed to improve the mechanics and design of the modification. He posted new photos of the latest version, which actually looks pretty good. The important fact about this modification, as power_cheung claims, is that it is non-destructive. This means that, if needed, the BMPCC 4K can be assembled back to its original shape with the built-in screen. BMPCC 4K Screen Modification. Source: power_cheung His solution looks very interesting. The screen can be tilted 180° up and serve as a selfie screen for vloggers. The only downside of this is that the image cannot be flipped. There is no such option in the menu, as Blackmagic never counted on using the camera upside down. The screen can also be tilted to face down up to 90°. This certainly makes shooting from very low or very high perspectives much easier, as there is no need for an external monitor. The GH-style flip-out mechanism would have probably been better, but I guess it would have led to a more problematic cable management. BMPCC 4K Screen Modification. Source: power_cheung Another advantage of this modification is that there is now additional space available between the backside of the camera and the screen. Power_cheung even put one USB-C connector to this space to connect an SSD for high-speed recording. From what I understood, he will offer the special chassis for the SSD to fit perfectly in that space. BMPCC 4K Screen Modification with USB-C port for SSD. Source: power_cheung Price and Availability The price of the BMPCC 4K tilting screen modification is between ¥ 1500 and 2050 (chinese juan), depending on the version. This translates to roughly $220 to $300. The two versions are both with an SSD box with an M.2 slot, either with SATA or NVMe protocol. The modification can be purchased here on taobao.com. After purchasing, users need to send their BMPCC 4K to China and let the store perform the modification. They claim the modding will take up to three business days. For non-Chinese residents, there are certain risks of sending the camera to China, for sure – the shipping alone is kind of risky. I don’t know if there is any kind of warranty provided by the modders. They do offer a free replacement service for the life of the flexible cable though. I also believe that such a modification will probably lead to a warranty void with Blackmagic (I don’t know if there is a way to tell the camera has been modified, even after being assembled back to its original shape). Considering the relatively low price of the camera, I think it would still be interesting to have it modded. What do you think about this modification? Do you miss an articulating screen with the BMPCC 4K? Would you consider having something like this done? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

The BMPCC4K Controller app is available for Android devices and it enables controlling of almost all aspects of the camera. It is very quick and responsive without any noticeable delay and it offers customizable minibar for quick settings. BMPCC4K Controller App from SayEffect The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (or shortly BMPCC4K) was introduced last year. Despite not being as portable as the first generation, the camera brings high image quality with internal recording for an unprecedented price tag. Watch and read our detailed assessment of the camera in our hands-on review. The BMPCC4K features a Bluetooth wireless communication module, which can also be used to control various functions of the camera. Since Blackmagic Design does not supply any remote control app on their own, there is a place on the market for apps from third-party developers. One of those apps is the BMPCC4K Controller from SayEffect Tech Solutions. Firstly, the app is only available on Google Play for Android devices. It’s not for free – the app costs €6.99. I downloaded the app and briefly tested it on my Samsung Galaxy S9 (SM-G960F) phone with Android 9 installed. BMPCC4K Controller App from SayEffect To my surprise, the app needs location service to be turned on to connect to the camera. I don’t like that, because turning on the GPS location on the phone just drains the battery faster. This has, however, something to do with the Bluetooth communication and would probably be the case for any app which uses Bluetooth. Controlling the camera with the app is really responsive. There is no noticeable delay whatsoever. When adjusting the functions through the dials and buttons, everything worked instantly. BMPCC4K Controller App from SayEffect The app provides fast access to recording, setting up exposure, white balance, lens focus and more. Based on the information from the app developers, the features include: start/stop recording choose recording codec/formats – ProRes and BRAW choose the resolution, frame-rate (off-speed framerates toggle with a single click), dynamic range, detail sharpening (in ProRes) manage Iris, shutter and ISO and auto exposure (if your lens supports it) manage white balance and tint lens control – focus and zoom (if your lens supports it) play last clip manage camera LCD frame guides manage clip/slate + project and lens information I can confirm, that all of the functions were really available and quite intuitive to control. I tested the app with the BMPCC4K with the Olympus M.ZUIKO 25mm f/1.2 lens. When adjusting the IRIS of the lens through the app, it works well and the aperture changes instantly. The app, however, does not know what is the minimum and maximum aperture of the lens, so I could move the sliding controller in the app all the way from f/1.0 to f/22 although the lens of course only goes between f/1.2 and f/16. The camera itself has this data, so the app could also have it in my opinion. That is, however, only a minor issue and does not affect the actual usage. BMPCC4K Controller App from SayEffect One important thing to mention – the app does not have a live preview. It can trigger a review of the last filmed clip, but that will only be played on the camera’s display. The app also offers Slate mode only. There is a customizable minibar to view and speed click to a particular setting. The bar can be positioned on the left side of the phone screen, on the right side, or turned off. BMPCC4K Controller App from SayEffect The BMPCC4K controller app requires the camera to be updated with the latest firmware version 6.2. As I mentioned earlier, the app is only available on the Google Play store (link here) and it costs €6.99. There are more BMPCC4K control apps in Play store with different ratings, but they are all paid apps. I only found one free app, which can only start/stop the recording with the camera though. What do you think of this BMPCC4K controller app? Have you tried some app to control your Pocket 4K? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

In previous articles, we talked about cages options for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K from LockCircle and 8Sinn. At BSC Expo 2019, Vocas – the Dutch manufacturer well-known for his third-party camera accessories – released their new cage for the BMPCC4K. Let’s take a look at Vocas’ cage. Vocas C-Cage The Vocas C-Cage is a half-cage design, which means it covers only the left side of the camera, which gives you free access to the controls and right side of the camera. Like many other cages, there are multiple 1/4″ mounting points on top and side of the cage. Also, there is a built-in cold shoe on the top. The C-Cage consists of 3 parts, bottom, side, and top piece. The camera is held onto place by one screw at the bottom, and one screw at the top. To keep the camera from twisting there are two locating pins at the bottom of the C-cage. Mounting a BMPCC4K to the cage seems pretty easy, but you have to use a hex key. The Vocas C-Cage is lighter than the 8Sinn cage at 223g vs. 291g for the cage only. Kits and Accessories You can buy the C-Cage as a cage only, or in a package that includes a Top Handgrip Mini, an SSD holder, and an HDMI protector. Also, all accessories are available separately. The Top Handgrip Mini features a 15mm rod adapter – to mount a viewfinder for example – but also a cold shoe and multiple 1/4″ mounting holes. I like the design of the handle, but I would have preferred a NATO-style mount rather than the two provided screws you have to use to mount it on the cage. The Vocas SSD holder is a plate that uses two rubber bands to hold your SSD into place. A 1/4″ screw at the bottom is used to mount it on the cage. Finally, in a nice touch, Vocas adds to the cage an angled HDMI connector, that acts as a camera connector protector. Pricing and Availability Regarding pricing : The Vocas C-Cage Kit for the BMDPCC4K with everything included is €425 ex. VAT The C-cage only is €225 ex. VAT The top handgrip Mini is €150 ex. VAT The SSD holder is €75 ex. VAT All products should be available on February 8th. What do you think of the new Vocas C-Cage? Do you use a cage for your Pocket Cinema Camera 4K? Let us know in the comments below!

The DriveMount is a new Kickstarter project – an aluminum case, which allows you to attach a standard 2.5″ SSD to a 1/4″-20 screw hole (like the one on top of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K). Depending on the pledge you choose, the bundle will come with a USB-C cable, standard 1/4″-20 threaded mount, standard Shoe Mount, 15mm Rail or even a 500GB SSD.  The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has already been on the market for a couple of months now. For more information about the BMPCC 4K, you can check out the comprehensive review that my colleague Nino did in October. The one feature of the new BMPCC 4K that is relevant for this article right now, is the ability to record to an external SSD via USB-C port. Many filmmakers were really thrilled when this feature was first announced, because SSDs are a great speed-size-price package. Why Record to SSD? The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K can record to either SD cards, CFast 2.0 cards or SSDs. SD cards are relatively cheap, but their write speed does not allow for highest quality (Cinema DNG RAW 270MBps) recording. CFast 2.0 cards are fast enough for whatever the BMPCC 4K sends their way, but they are quite expensive. Last but not least, SSDs are fast enough and they are significantly cheaper than CFast 2.0 memory cards. Please note that we are comparing prices-per-GB here. One question arose: “How to conveniently and securely attach SSDs to the camera?” By the time the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has started shipping, there have already been a few cages available. Other cage manufacturers introduced their versions shortly after. Now, there are a lot of options when it comes to rigging the BMPCC 4K. We already reported about: 8Sinn LockCircle Tilta Shape, Wooden Camera, SmallRig This is not a comprehensive list, as there are probably even more options by now. Important is that some of the cage manufacturers already considered the SSD mounting option and offer solutions for that. I particularly like Tilta’s approach with their screws-secured USB-C cable. DriveMount – 2.5″ SSD Mounting Solution There is a new product on Kickstarter from SoulCow (two independent filmmakers Ethan Soule and Ben Cowper), called DriveMount and it allows mounting a standard 2.5″ SSD to any 1/4″-20 screw hole. Because the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K happens to have one 1/4″-20 mounting point on top, this is a convenient way to mount an SSD right there, without any cage. It can, of course, nicely complement any BMPCC 4K cage too, as these always have plenty of 1/4″-20 mounting points. The DriveMount is made out of black aluminum. It features sliding rails for the mounting point, so the case itself can be repositioned if necessary. The advantage I see here is using standard external 2.5″ SSDs, as they are the cheapest option given the capacity. As an example: a 500GB 2.5″ internal SSD costs around $100,- whereas 512GB CFast 2.0 cards start at more than $500,-. The enclosure of a USB-C cable raises the cost of an SSD, yet with DriveMount you won’t need to worry about any of that. The enclosed cable features the SATA connector on one end and USB-C on the other. When taking advantage of the “early backer discount”, the DriveMount case (with the cable) costs $100,- and there are still a couple of those available. When this offer (25 pieces) runs out, the price for a basic package will be $120,-. The DriveMount Shoe Bundle including a cold shoe adapter costs $130,-. The DriveMount Rail Bundle with a 15mm rods adapter costs $150,-. And finally, the DriveMount SSD Bundle with a 500GB SSD will set you back $175,-. Once again, the Kickstarter campaign can be found here. There is still time until the end of 2018 to back this project and get the DriveMount. Please remember: Kickstarter is not a shop and you don’t buy things there. You simply support the manufacturer with your money and as a benefit – if everything goes smoothly – you’ll get the final product at a discount. Links: soulcow.net | DriveMount Kickstarter campaign What do you think of the DriveMount SSD mounting solution? Do you use SSD recording with the BMPCC 4K? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

To say that Blackmagic’s Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has been received well would be an understatement. The online camera community is still bubbling with reviews, comparisons to other cameras and stories about accessories. (Check out our review by clicking here). One essential accessory for most people would be a cage system of some sort, to alleviate some of the rigging problems that smaller cameras inherently face. However, the solutions manufacturers choose can really differ from one another. We have reported about most other BMPCC 4K cages before – here are the ones we haven’t told you about yet. Shape Cage for the BMPCC 4K Shape’s solution for a BMPCC 4K cage is made of CNC machined aluminium and comes at a rather light 0.66 lbs / 0.3kg. This might be due to the fact that it isn’t technically a full cage – it is open on the right side, with a padded side leash securing your hold on the BPMCC 4K’s pretty comfortable grip. The top of the cage features a cold shoe mount, the top and side have numerous 1/4″ mounting points, most of them with anti-rotation pinholes. On the camera’s left side there is an integrated clamp that secures the HDMI-cable into place, but curiously enough this clamp doesn’t extend downwards enough to also secure the USB-C cable while recording to an SSD. The bottom of the cage allows access to the battery compartment and has 1/4″ and 3/8″ mounting points for tripod plates and the like. Shape’s BMPCC 4K cage is available in a barebones version, but also in kits, offering different combinations of accessories, ranging from simple top handle all the way to fully built shoulder mount solutions with a mattebox and follow focus. Notable amongst the generally high-quality Shape accessories are the trademark button rotatable handles and grips (there are two different top handles available) and the side handle for the left side of the BMPCC 4K cage. An SSD mount is also available. Wooden Camera’s Unified BMPCC 4K Cage Wooden Camera’s BMPCC 4K cage shows quite a different approach. It is no full cage, but rather consists of a top and bottom, connected by a rod on the camera’s left side. The rod itself has some 1/4″ mounting points and holds Wooden Cameras’ HDMI angle connector in place, which comes with the kit. One might wonder what will hold the actual cable in place, once it’s connected to this secured angle connector. The bottom of the cage consists of a quick release system for the integrated Manfrotto-style baseplate and a pin to secure lenses or speed boosters. The top of the cage is more or less a cheese plate with numerous 1/4″ and some 3/8″ mounting points, one of the latter also featuring holes for anti-rotation pins. The cage is available in two versions, depending on the top handle you choose. It seems like the only difference between the grips is the material, which can be rubber or wood. The top handle screws into the front of the top cheese plate and has a few mounting points as well as a cold shoe mount and a 15mm rod hole, oriented to the side. The cage comes in at  0.975 lbs / 442g. Amongst the accessories Wooden Camera is offering are a D-Tap to DC cable for the camera, a universal viewfinder mount that can be attached to the top handle’s rod attachment, a unified baseplate that supports 15mm rods and a MFT to PL mount adapter. SmallRig Half Cage and Full Cage for BMPCC 4K Like Tilta, SmallRig offers two versions of their cage, one half cage and one full cage – the main difference being five more 1/4″ and one more 3/8″ mounting points on the full cage’s right side. Both cages don’t hamper your access to the battery compartment and have two integrated NATO rails (one on top, one on  the left side) and a cold shoe mount on top. The full cage also has attachment points for a camera strap on both sides, while obviously, the half cage has this only on one side. The half cage comes in at 0.5 lbs / 228g, the full cage at 0.66 lbs / 300g. Amongst the accessories SmallRig makes for this cage specifically are a Metabones adapter support that attaches to the bottom front of the cages, an SSD mount compatible with Samsung T5 SSDs and a combined HDMI and USB-C clamp that screws into the cage’s side. Obviously, with the cages relying on the standard NATO rails for attaching handles, you can either use some of SmallRig’s own side grips and top handles, or just any manufacturers NATO handles. Of course, the cage is also compatible with SmallRig’s humongous selection of accessories, ranging from offset shoulder mounts, EVF and monitor mounts, magic arms and many others. The competition If you want to compare these cages to the others we have reported about, here are the articles relating to those: Tilta Cage system for BMPCC 4K LockCircle Cage for BMPCC 4K 8Sinn Cage for BMPCC 4K Regarding prices for the most basic version of the cage, the current landscape of BMPCC 4K cages looks like this: SmallRig cages start at $55.00 and $69.00 respectively Tilta is asking for $69.00 (half cage) or $99.00 (not yet available) Shape’s basic cage starts at $175.00 8Sinn’s offerings start at $179.00 (half cage) and $279.00 Wooden Camera’s Unified cage will set you back $350.00 LockCircle hasn’t announced pricing yet Of course we will keep you posted about other new cage systems and accessories being released for the BMPCC 4K. Which of these cages would suit you best? Do you prefer the high integration of Shape’s system or the lower price of SmallRig’s alternatives? Or are you holding out for Tilta to make their very comprehensive accessory system for the BMPCC 4K available? Let us know in the comments!

In this first-look hands-on review with the long-awaited Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, we took a close look at all aspects of the camera: Apart from the quality of the footage itself, we judged ergonomics, handling, design as well as low-light and dynamic range performance. Watch above and read below to learn more! The Unicorn Is Here Ever since its announcement at NAB in April this year, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has become the most-anticipated camera release of the year. We shot an exclusive interview with Blackmagic Design founder Grant Petty in Las Vegas, where he answered all of our questions about the newly announced device. Blackmagic promised to start shipping the camera in September – and for once, they somewhat managed to keep that promise. Very small numbers of the BMPCC 4K started being shipped out at the end of September, however they are still nowhere close to meeting demand. It seems like production has been somewhat slow, but at least by having had a press loaner for about two weeks we can confirm that it works, and it works really well. Size, Monitor, Handling What’s most striking about the new Pocket 4K is the fact that you need very big pockets. Just like Blackmagic’s URSA Mini was never “mini”, the Pocket 4K doesn’t fit in a pocket. Compared to its predecessor, the very popular Blackmagic Pocket Camera camera, the BMPCC 4K is very large. However, that is thanks to a gorgeous 5 inch multitouch display at the back of the camera. It’s 1080p and brilliant in every way, particularly for a camera that costs so little. It’s super easy to judge focus and the controls are very responsive. What’s missing is a viewfinder, which means loupe adapters like Zacuto’s Z-Finder might have a renaissance. However, as you are required to use the screen with your hands, such a loupe might prove impractical because you will have to take it off constantly in order to be able to control the menus and change most settings. So that only leaves you with adding an external viewfinder to this camera when working out in sunshine (where you really can’t read the screen well). While the screen is really nice and very responsive to any input, it’s unfortunate that Blackmagic decided against a floppy screen or even just a tilt screen – especially because there is no viewfinder as an alternative whatsoever. Very often you find yourself bent over backwards with this camera when you are shooting with it alone without assistants. The BMPCC 4K feels good in the hand when you have large hands like me, but I know that some other people will have a problem with the hefty grip of the camera. There are two microphones left and right of the lens mount which should in theory bring nice stereo sound, however you find yourself touching these microphones all the time when holding the camera, because they are not ideally placed. However if you are aware of it, it’s of course much easier to avoid doing when filming. In terms of menu design, Blackmagic Design is still my personal champion … the menu is so straightforward and easy-to-use that you really never need to touch a manual or anything like that. When you see camera menus like this, you start wondering why all the other (mostly Japanese) camera manufacturers never managed to make straightforward menus where you can actually find stuff more easily. Battery Life The BMPCC 4K uses Canon LP-E6 type batteries. The same standard as the 5D Mark II and III, and many many other popular Canon cameras. This is a nice move since it means that you can continue using your old batteries. However, the power management of the camera seems to be quite poor. At random times below 20% charge, the camera actually simply shuts off without warning. Also, a battery also typically only lasts 35-45 minutes, which isn’t long at all. We recommend using an external power solution like for example the Core SWX Powerbase EDGE with a dummy battery, which can last you many hours, if not a full day! It makes your footprint with the camera bit bigger, but also more powerful and reliable. Core SWX Powerbase EDGE Battery for Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Sensor and Sensitivity The BMPCC 4K comes with a MFT sensor that is supposed to be quite light sensitive, with a dual ISO of 400 and 3200. In my video test I could verify that these two ISO values were indeed the two with the least amount of noise in the picture. If you are aiming for high quality images, I would not shoot beyond ISO 6400, however I think it’s totally acceptable to do so for documentary or other reality content. The noise of the sensor is quite pleasant and should be fairly easy to get rid of using de-noise in DaVince Resolve (which, by the way, comes for free with the camera in its Studio version – the normal version is free anyhow). This camera is miles better than the original Pocket camera when it comes to low light, and it’s a lot better than many others in the market. During the shoot of the intro of this review, we were losing light rapidly as all of this was shot after sunset in the woods. With a 25mm MFT f/1.2 lens from Olympus, I was able to get exposure by increasing the ISO progressively, with the lens always wide open. As you can see above, even the ISO 16,000 shots are tolerable, albeit noisy. Codecs, Resolutions and Frame Rates What sets Blackmagic cameras apart is the fact that they record RAW and various flavours of ProRes, as opposed to highly compressed proprietary codecs like most other manufacturers. That means 12-bit RAW recorded internally in a camera, and that is a big deal – especially at this price point. The Pocket 4K cannot record in Blackmagic RAW yet (we have reported about it in an interview with Blackmagic here), but it records RAW in DNG sequences (which is of course data intense!) However, the RAW images end up being 12bit, while ProRes HQ is only 10-bit (which is still much better than what 90% of professional cameras in the market can do). What’s impressive is the capability to record up to 60fps in full quality in 4K. Only when you want to go even higher with your frame rates, you have to switch to 1080p and activate a dedicated “sensor crop” button. Under that sensor crop, you are then able to record 120 frames per second. Dynamic Range Tests and Questions … Our technical expert Gunther Machu ran a couple of cinema5D Lab Tests with the BMPCC 4K before it had to go back to the manufacturer. Before you read on, in case you haven’t read it yet, please look at our recent article explaining the methodology of our lab tests – here’s the link. The result: 11.6 stops of dynamic range for a signal to noise ratio of 2 (12.7 stops for a signal to noise ratio of 1) at ISO 400 (10.5 and 11.8 stops for ISO3200), in ProRes 4K DCI 25p. Interestingly, when we tested the same DCI 4K 25p RAW (1:1) we found that the dynamic range reading was lower (by about a half stop). Only when we selected the “highlight recovery” option in DaVinci Resolve and then exported frame grabs into IMATEST we got similar results to ProRes. This is a bit strange, because we tested also the old Pocket Cinema Camera and it had the same dynamic range reading in ProRes and RAW – and when we enabled the “highlight recovery” option in Resolve, we actually got about 0.6 stops higher DR in RAW that with ProRes. How come that the DR of the new Pocket 4K is lower in RAW, and only matched ProRes when “highlight recovery” is selected in Resolve? Is ProRes doing this HL recovery automatically? We reached out to Blackmagic Design, and received a reply very promptly: Reply from Andy Buckland, Blackmagic Design (after a call with Gunther Machu): The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K uses our new demosaic algorithm developed with Blackmagic RAW, before encoding to ProRes. This new algorithm helps to reduce noise and improve the dynamic range in ProRes capture. With Cinema DNG RAW, the demosaic is still performed in DaVinci Resolve. That enables full control and manipulation over debayer settings, noise reduction, and highlight recovery to increase the dynamic range measurement beyond that of ProRes.   By applying minimal temporal noise reduction to the Cinema DNG RAW files in DaVinci Resolve – the lower steps on the waveform can be cleaned up nicely, bringing the available dynamic range of RAW in line with those seen in your ProRes tests. Then by enabling highlight recovery, the available dynamic range in Cinema DNG RAW increases beyond that of ProRes.   ProRes users benefit from the new debayer algorithm in terms of dynamic range and reduced noise at capture, resulting in a faster turnaround. RAW users benefit from the full control and manipulation of the image, to decide which parameters they would like to tweak and finesse. Conclusion There are many more things to say about the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, but please do watch the video if you haven’t seen it yet, as many things are covered there in more detail. Blackmagic really did their homework with this one and listened to as many customers as possible when designing the successor to their original Pocket Camera. The image out of it is beautiful and “cinematic”, the dynamic range is better than the one of similar cameras in the market right now, and it’s just very enjoyable shooting with it. It’s not a perfect camera of course, but it has a lot to offer. I can’t wait to took a much closer look at the camera soon. The music used in the video above is courtesy of Music Vine. Get 25% off your next music license with code C5D25 (valid for one use per customer). What do you think about the BMPCC 4K? Did you pre-order one, and are you still waiting for it? Please let us know in the comments below.