Blackmagic Design just released the final version of DaVinci Resolve 16.1. You now have access to enhanced tools on the cut page like a smart indicator, the new Boring Detector, Sync-Bins and other improvements – without having to worry using a beta version. The jump from DaVinci 16 to 16.1 doesn’t seem to be a very significant one but Blackmagic Design keeps impressing me with the vast number of new and improved features for each end every release. This time: New Boring Detector, new Smart Indicator, new Sync-Bins, new close-up feature,  auto-grouping multiple clips.. and that’s just the Cut page (full change log here) DaVinci Resolve 16.1 Blackmagic did something new this year. Not only did the company release its annual major release update on DaVinci Resolve on August 9th but also did they release version 16.1 as a beta version simultaneously. That way users could update to the stable version 16 on their production systems and still be able to play with some of the new features of 16.1 on another machine. That beta period is now over and the final version 16.1 is out in the wild. As always, you can download it for free. The Studio labeled version is $299 but this 16.1 update is free of charge if you already own a serial or usb dongle, of course. Watch the video below for a summery of DaVinci Resolve 16 (not 16.1, there’s no video for it, yet). For a full rundown of all the new features of version 16.1, head over to our article by Jakub Han where he’s covering the changes for 16.1 beta 2. The full change log for 16.1 can be found on blackmagicdesign.com, the list is a bit too extensive to be posted here, I think. Hopefully this final version of DaVinci Resolve, well, resolves all the wiggles users had with one of the beta versions. Make sure to post any bugs and/or weird behavior in the comments below! Blackmagic RAW 1.5.1 Also new is Blackmagic RAW in version 1.5.1 which seems to improve the overall stability of the developer SDK for various platforms such as the plugins for Premiere Pro or Avid Media Composer. With the publicly available SDK developers can compile their own plugins for decoding Blackmagic RAW files. Overall, Blackmagic Design keeps on pushing their software side of things. A few years ago nobody would have considered Resolve for something like editing or audio mixing. Now this piece of (free!) software is becoming a one-stop shop for all things video. Pretty neat! Link: Blackmagicdesign.com Do you use DaVinci Resolve for your editing/color/finishing jobs? What do you think about this update? Share your experiences in the comments below!

After part 1 and part 2 of our coverage of the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K we finally can bring the cinema5D Lab results to you. Interested to see how it fares? Will the lab reveal differences to the Pocket 4K? Well – let’s get started … Being a long time owner & user of the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera for 6 years now, and having tested the BMPCC 4K already in our lab a while ago, I was now really curious to get my hands on the new BMPCC 6K. The spec’s on Blackmagic Design’s website would list no difference to the Pocket 4K in terms of dynamic range – both cameras are listed with 13 stops dynamic range. So we decided to do our new latitude test in addition to the standard dynamic range and rolling shutter test with the BMPCC 6K and BMPCC 4K in order to see if we can find differences. And yes, as you will see below there are differences. But let’s start first with the rolling shutter measurements. BMPCC 6K Rolling Shutter Test We are using a new test method based on a high frequency, quartz & micro controller based strobe light at 300Hz. As the sensor readout happens from the top to the bottom, we are getting a sequence of black and white bars from the strobe. The strobe test reveals a rolling shutter of 19.8 [ms] – now we know why it cannot do full sensor readout in 6K faster than 50 frames per second (60fps at 1:2.4 aspect ratio) – there is simply not enough time for a higher frame rate in full sensor mode. This rolling shutter value is significantly higher than the BMPCC 4K which has a rolling shutter of 16 [ms]. BMPCC 6K rolling shutter result: 19.8 [ms] Dynamic Range of the BMPCC 6K Like always, we use our DSC Labs Xyla 21 Stepchart in conjunction with the IMATEST software to derive our results (see how we test here). The BMPCC 6K uses a dual ISO sensor with 400 and 3200 as base values, hence both will be shown below. Dynamic Range at full sensor readout, ISO400, 6K BRAW 25p Using the full sensor readout at the maximum resolution of 6K (6144×3456) with BRAW 3:1 constant bitrate settings, the waveform plot of the stepchart visually reveals about 12 stops of dynamic range. BMPCC 6K waveform plot of the stepchart. About 12 stops can be identified above the noise floor. Developing the raw files via DaVinci Resolve and exporting high quality tiff’s to IMATEST a dynamic range of 11.8 stops at a signal to noise ratio of 2 is calculated (12.9 stops for SNR = 1). BMPCC 6K IMATEST result of 6K BRAW ISO400. 11.8 stops are calculated for a signal to noise ratio of 2. This is 0.2 stops better than the result we got for the BMPCC 4K. Dynamic Range at full sensor readout, UHD ProRes HQ ISO400 Quite interestingly, using the ProRes HQ full sensor readout at Ultra HD, the dynamic range increases slightly from 11.8 stops to 11.9 stops at a signal to noise ratio of 2 (13 stops for SNR = 1). As mentioned by Blackmagic Design, the full sensor 6K resolution is scaled to Ultra HD, thereby reducing the noise hence increasing slightly the dynamic range – quite nice! Dynamic Range at full sensor readout, ISO3200, 6K BRAW 25p At ISO3200 the dynamic range drops quite significantly to 10.0 stops (SNR = 2, medium value in the upper right hand table below) according to the IMATEST calculations, see the result below.  BMPCC 6K IMATEST result of 6K BRAW ISO3200. 10 stops are calculated for a signal to noise ratio of 2. This is less than the BMPCC 4K which shows a corresponding value of 10.5 stops at the higher ISO setting of the dual gain circuit. But as mentioned many times before, while transmissive tests using stepcharts are the simplest/most accurate/comparable tests of dynamic range – they also give us very little information regarding how the camera responds to colors and detail across that range. That is why we are introducing an additional lab test, the latitude test. The cinema5D latitude test First results of this new test have been shown already in the Panasonic S1 VLOG article of my colleague Johnnie, but let me briefly explain again what it is. Latitude basically shows the capability of a camera to retain color and detail while over- or underexposing the image and normalizing it thereafter. In our latitude test, we have a standard scene where either Johnnie or Nino are sitting next to a Color Checker. Standard studio test scene showing Nino’s face at 60% luma value, the white sheet of paper at 65% luma. The face is exposed at max. 60% luma value, the white sheet of paper at 65%. From there on in a succession of tests we always double the shutter value from scene to scene, hence underexposing the scene by 1 stop from the previous one until we have reached 5 stops of underexposure. BMPCC 6K 5 stops underexposed Hence, we brutally underexpose the studio scene – and then normalize it back to 0 stops to reveal the color, detail  and noise. This is really a torture test and the images of most cameras with less sophisticated codecs break down already at 2-3 stops underexposure. Both the Pocket 4K (using 3840×2160 resolution) and 6K (6144×3456 resolution) were setup with BRAW 3:1 constant bitrate, ISO400 25p. The shots from both cams were graded in DaVinci Resolve using a Blackmagic film to video LUT, and then I tried to match both cams as closely as possible by some smallish tweaks. BMPCC 6K 5 stops underexposed – pushed back to 0 via the camera raw tab in DaVinci Resolve And above you can already see the result – the BMPCC 6K camera fares very very well in this test. It starts to show horizontal stripes (which cannot be removed by noise reduction as you will see further down) and the noise becomes excessive, but color information is retained very well. See below the same scene, shot with the BMPCC 4K, also 5 stops underexposed and brought back to 0: BMPCC 4K 5 stops underexposed, brought back to 0 using the camera raw tab in DaVinci Resolve Clearly, color information deteriorates with the BMPCC 4K and the image becomes pink. Let’s remember that both cams started like this: BMPCC 4K vs 6K at the zero underexposure studio scene setting. Here are both cams again side by side at 5 stops underexposure, brought back to zero: BMPCC 4K vs. BMPCC 6K at 5 stops underexposure, brought back to 0 Hence, in this test it becomes clear that the BMPCC 6K retains the color surprisingly well, whereas the BMPCC 4K image starts to become pink already at 3 stops under, and larger patches of pink noise appears – which is difficult to remove as you will see below. What I found interesting though, while the waveforms at zero underexposure look completely identical on both cams (after grading), the more we underexpose and bring it back by adjusting the exposure (by the exact amount of stops) in the camera raw tab in Resolve, the brighter the BMPCC 4K image appears. The BMPCC 6K image stays the same across the exposure range. BMPCC 4K vs. BMPCC 6K side by side at 3 stops underexposure, brought back to 0 using the camera raw tab in DaVinci Resolve – the limit of underexposure is reached with the BMPCC 4K whereas the Pocket 6K is still fine Now, as we shot in BRAW with both cams, the big question is whether using noise reduction in DaVinci Resolve can save some of the underexposed shots (temporal NR: 3 frames, threshold:30, spatial threshold: 10). Yes, it can, but only on to a certain point – as soon as the horizontal stripes start to appear in the image, noise reduction cannot get rid of those and I found that the pink chroma noise is not removed any longer at 4 stops underexposure with the BMPCC 4K. On the BMPCC 6K, noise reduction helps to get an almost stripe and noise free image up until 4 stops under – impressive! The 2x higher resolution of the BMPCC 6K along with noise reduction certainly helps to achieve this result. And this brings us also to the clear, final result, using noise reduction: BMPCC 4K is very clean until 3 stops under, BMPCC 6K until 4 stops under! (Note: this result is clear during playback of the video files – the static, scaled images in this article tend to look much better than the moving images). BMPCC 4K vs BMPCC 6K at 4 stops underexposure, brought back via the camera raw tab in Resolve, temporal and spatial noise reduction applied Conclusion The lab results obtained with the new BMPCC 6K are impressive to say the least. The combination of a very good dynamic range with a superb codec (Blackmagic RAW) leads to superb images. At a time where brand new much more expensive “cinema” camera’s are released with H.265 / H.264 as the only codec options, Blackmagic Design once more shows us all what is possible at this price point.  The only little drawback with the Pocket 6K that I see from the lab test is the rolling shutter value which is a bit on the higher side – given the lack of internal stabilization handheld shots are risky business with this camera. Have you made your first experiences with the new BMPCC 6K? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

Blackmagic announced the release of DaVinci Resolve 16.1 public beta 2. This update improves the close up edit feature by using DaVinci Neural Engine to automatically find faces, zoom in and reframe shots. It also adds support for BMPCC presets in the 3D camera and camera tracker tools, improved render status indicators for saver nodes and support for ACEScg as a gamut option, and more. In addition, Fusion Studio 16.1 Public Beta 2 makes adding images with different resolutions to OpenFX and ResolveFX plugins more stable, improves color dodge and burn tools, the white balance tool and more. DaVinci Resolve 16.1. Source: Blackmagic At the beginning of August, Blackmagic Design announced new promising camera and software products. Probably the most significant announcement was the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K (BMPCC 6K) – take a look at our Pocket 6K review and our BMPCC 4K and 6K comparison in case you missed it. During their livestream on 8th August, Blackmagic also announced updates to their post-production software DaVinci Resolve. They announced the final release of DaVinci Resolve 16.0 and the new Resolve 16.1 public beta. The 16.1 public beta includes major updates to the Cut Page to help create the “world’s fastest editor”. It brought new features like smart indicator, cut clip icon, boring detector, sync bin, and more. For more information about the new features of the Resolve 16.1 public beta please refer to this article. Now after some user feedback, Blackmagic announced a new updated version – DaVinci Resolve 16.1 public beta 2. What is new? DaVinci Resolve 16.1 Public Beta 2 The public beta 2 reflects all the user feedback from Resolve 16.1 beta. Blackmagic fixed numerous bugs and improved many new features. The update is free for all existing customers and the new Resolve 16.1 beta 2 can be downloaded for free directly from Blackmagic support center webpage. In case you want to upgrade to the new 16.1 beta 2 from Resolve 15 or earlier, Blackmagic recommends to back up your database, both DiskDB and PostgreSQL if you use them, export your drp’s of your active projects and then restore the v15 DB before upgrading to v16 in preparation for the version upgrade as you can not go back to v15 with a v16 DB. While there is no change of the database format from v16, DaVinci Resolve Studio 16.1 requires a firmware update for the DaVinci Resolve Micro and Mini Panels. DaVinci Resolve 16.1 – Edit page. Source: Blackmagic Here is a complete list of what’s new in DaVinci Resolve 16.1 beta 2: Key Improvements Support for quickly creating close up edits using facial recognition to automatically reframe and zoom in on faces Support for Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera presets in the Fusion Camera3D and CameraTracker tools Support for retaining the original creation date metadata when restoring or importing projects Support for tooltips to show track names in the edit page in the mini track view Support for automatically selecting the newly added take in the take selector Support for a 2.0:1 output blanking preset in the timeline menu Support for user selectable audio sample rates for timeline renders Support for Fujifilm F-Log colorspace Support for additional flag and marker colors Improved handling of clips with multiple faces when performing a close up edit in the cut page Improved behavior when editing parameter values using Wacom tablets Improved playback performance in the media, edit and cut pages Improved scripting API with support for deleting a project Improved responsiveness when scrubbing the in and out points for long clips in range editor on the cut page Cut Page Improvements Support for quickly creating create close up edits using facial recognition to automatically reframe and zoom in on faces Improved handling of clips with multiple faces when performing close ups Improved responsiveness when scrubbing the in and out points for long clips in range editor Addressed an issue where resetting the speed tool in the cut page would not work correctly Addressed an issue where adding a clip with in and out points from source tape using place on top would sometimes incorrectly skip the audio Addressed an issue where waveform displays in source tape mode would show artifacts when one or more clips were offline Addressed an issue where performing a close up on a still image would not work correctly Addressed an issue where markers would get applied at an incorrect location when added after using timecode entry to change the playhead position Addressed an issue where stopping playback in sync bin mode would sometimes not correctly refresh the viewer Addressed an issue where Text+ titles in the Cut page would not show inspector controls correctly Addressed an issue where the sync bin playhead would be positioned incorrectly at playback stop if there was no timeline Addressed an issue where selecting an angle in the sync bin and applying trim in or trim out would apply it on the timeline Addressed an issue where audio waveforms would be displayed incorrectly in source tape if some clips were offline DaVinci Resolve 16.1 – Cut page. Source: Blackmagic Edit Page Improvements Support for tooltips to show track names in the mini track view Support for automatically selecting the newly added take in the take selector Improved dual screen behavior for the Edit page with support for single viewer and full height metadata and effects library Addressed an issue where creating a timeline from a media pool selection would sometimes initialize incorrect audio track formats Addressed an issue where the roll end to playhead action would not work correctly Addressed an issue where inserting a clip in the Edit timeline would place the playhead in an incorrect position when Live Save was enabled Addressed an issue where the new multicam dialog would not remember last used settings Addressed an issue where the normalize audio levels dialog would not remember last used settings Addressed an issue where selecting linked clips with an adjustment clip would sometimes cause a crash Addressed an issue where moving audio clips between tracks would sometimes not refresh the waveform color Addressed an issue where marker annotations would not be drawn correctly for some zoom settings Addressed an issue where the undo list would not show accurate text for some edit actions Addressed an issue where audio waveforms would not update smoothly when modifying gain keyframes Addressed an issue where opening an audio-only compound clip in the timeline would cause a crash Addressed an issue where audio would not play when performing dynamic trims in the Edit timeline Addressed an issue where applying Fusion effects to retimed clips with freeze frames would sometimes show an incorrect freeze frame Addressed an issue where angle names for sync clips would not be displayed correctly in the Edit page Fusion Page Improvements Support for Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera presets in the Camera3D and CameraTracker tools Addressed an issue where undoing an action from the application menu would not work correctly Addressed an issue where adding images with different resolutions to some OpenFX or ResolveFX plugins would cause a crash Addressed an issue where Fusion color dodge and burn would produce inverted results if the input image had invalid values Addressed an issue where the White Balance tool would sometimes show incorrect results when using GPU processing DaVinci Resolve 16.1 – Fusion page. Source: Blackmagic Color Page Improvements Support for a 2.0:1 output blanking preset in the timeline menu Support for Fujifilm F-Log colorspace Addressed an issue where adjusting OpenFX parameters on a shared node would not correctly update the render cache Addressed an issue where pre-clip and post-clip groups would incorrectly allow OpenFX parameters to be keyframed Addressed an issue where adding a Fusion composition to an EXR file would cause Color mattes to behave incorrectly Addressed an issue where switching between cut and color pages would not persist the video scopes dialog Addressed an issue where trying to move multiple on-screen points in ResolveFX Warper would move only one point Addressed an issue where dragging a node from the stills node graph dialog would not copy the node label Addressed an issue where using Mac display color profiles alongside a Blackmagic Design playback device would sometimes cause intermittent black frames Addressed an issue where the unmix mode would show incorrect previews for clips with straight alpha during playback Addressed an issue where shot matching some clips with output cache in the color page would cause a crash Addressed an issue where the gallery view would not automatically scroll to reveal newly grabbed stills Addressed an issue where exporting imported Dolby Vision metadata would only export the first trim for each clip Addressed an issue where exporting imported Dolby Vision metadata would not preserve the original L2 values in a Dolby Vision 4.0 project Addressed an issue where adjusting scopes parameters on some Windows systems would sometimes cause the viewer to show black frames DaVinci Resolve 16.1 – Color page. Source: Blackmagic Fairlight Page Improvements Addressed an issue where EQ and dynamics on bus mixers would not being updated correctly when switching timelines or reloading projects Addressed an issue where Alt/Option-clicking clip gain to add keyframes would not work correctly Addressed an issue where dragging a stereo clip to a mono track in range mode would behave incorrectly Addressed an issue where the timeline ruler could be dragged before the start of the timeline in some scenarios Addressed an issue where the patch I/O dialog would not reflect changing audio input devices without an application restart on macOS Addressed an issue where native input devices would not be detected in the patch I/O dialog when using a Blackmagic Design playback device Addressed an issue where video scrollers would not be updated correctly when editing video in the Fairlight timeline Addressed an issue where loudness graph would not be shown correctly for buses other than Main1 Addressed an issue where automation curves in Trim and Write modes would be represented in the same color Address multiple issues with synchronized audio and video playback when using a Blackmagic Design playback device with the Fairlight Audio Accelerator Addressed an issue where dragging media pool clips with custom audio track mapping to the Fairlight timeline would show incorrect waveforms Addressed an issue where setting up a B-chain with more than 60 input and output channels would cause a crash Addressed an issue where changing a track name would not refresh all channels in the space view dialog Media & Deliver Page Improvements Support for user selectable audio sample rates for timeline renders Addressed an issue where the pixel aspect ratio would not be read correctly from Blackmagic RAW files Addressed an issue where decoding some H.264 clips would cause a crash on macOS Addressed an issue where decoding some H.264 clips would show the last frame as offline Addressed an issue where exporting AAF timelines with muted tracks would sometimes cause a crash on macOS systems Addressed an issue where rendering DCP packages in the individual clips mode would incorrectly show errors about audio formats Addressed an issue where renders could be accidentally stopped by selecting a render preset from the MacBook Pro Touch Bar Addressed an issue where some DNxUncompressed clips rendered from DaVinci Resolve would be decoded with incorrect levels Addressed an issue where updating a render job referencing a deleted timeline would sometimes cause a crash Addressed an issue where saving a new project with a render job would sometimes cause a crash Addressed an issue where rendering using Resolve in headless mode would not work correctly Addressed an issue where uploading clips with accented file names to Frame io, YouTube or Vimeo would sometimes fail General Improvements Support for retaining the original creation date metadata when restoring or importing projects Support for additional flag and marker colors Improved behavior when editing parameter values using Wacom tablets Improved playback performance in the media, edit and cut pages Improved scripting API with support for deleting a project Addressed an issue where plugging in a monitor and switching to dual screen mode would sometimes cause a crash Addressed an issue where launching the preferences dialog using the shortcut would not work when the language was set to Portuguese Addressed an issue where changing decode quality for a clip would cause corresponding thumbnails in the People dialog to be incorrect Addressed an issue where custom keyboard shortcuts would not work correctly in the full screen viewer General performance and stability improvements Did you test DaVinci Resolve 16.1 public beta? If yes, how did you like it? Let us know in the comments below the article. Source: Blackmagic Design

The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K has already started to ship (although it’s not so clear in what quantities), but based on the excitement and interest in this camera, it was important for us to put it through its paces as quickly as possible. In our previous article and video I’ve already highlighted the similarity and differences between the new camera and its sibling, the BMPCC 4K, and now it was about time to go out and create some nice images with it.  BMPCC 6K camera Blackmagic Design was proud to release a “Pocket” camera with an APS-C sensor and a Canon EF mount. Are those two reasons enough to make one buy the new camera? From the feedback we have been getting from our audience, the answer is apparently yes! Combining robust acquisition codec(s) with an attractive price makes people “forgive” some lacking features that would be useful. It has been a while since I shot with the older Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (watch Nino’s extensive review of it here) and being out and about with the new 6K version reminded me of what I liked when first filming with the Pocket 4K. I was also reminded why for me as a documentary filmmaker, it’s a mixed bag in many ways. But first things first, so let’s start on all the positive notes, and there are quite a few. BMPCC 6K – Five Reasons to Love it 1- Picture quality: Let me start with the obvious: Blackmagic has proven again that one of the main advantages of their cameras (including the new Ursa Mini G2 and the BMPCC 6K) is its color science. The picture looks organic, “film-like” and has its own identity. Now with the addition of 6K, this is even more noticeable. The footage coming out of this camera is simply beautiful! 2- Recording Codecs: Blackmagic Design is the ONLY manufacturer who gives the filmmaking community a budget tool to record with proper codecs internally. If there is anything I’m learning to dislike in our industry it’s H264/H265 and external recorders. Both are highly hyped and could be completely avoided if manufacturers took the initiative to do so, because alternatives exist. By the way, licensing ProRes is free (although needs Apple’s approval) and I have yet to understand what makes the camera makers stick with H264/H265 when the possibility to improve is there. (I’m not referring to ProRes RAW, where things gets a bit more complicated due to RED’s patents on some elements related to the encoding process.) Adding a robust recording codec will instantly save us money, will make us carry less accessories, and on top, will allow much faster and smoother editing. Blackmagic Design went a step further and in this camera (like in the BMPCC 4K) included their newly developed Blackmagic RAW codec. 3- Camera Operating System: I already mentioned it in previous posts and will continue to advocate it whenever possible: Blackmagic Design offers the best camera operating system I came across in recent times. It’s easy to understand, it’s logical to operate and there is no need to dive into ocean of pages and sub pages to find what you are looking for. 3- Resolution and Frame Rates: Personally, I think that the resolution race is a bit unnecessary, but in this price range, let it be. I’m one of those who is happy to have good internal 4K material. For now, recorded file sizes, overall picture quality and delivery (who has a TV with more than 4K resolution??) make absolute sense in 4K, especially if you are a documentary filmmaker like me. (As opposed to SFX professionals who might appreciate the higher resolution). HOWEVER, having said that, recording at a resolution greater than 4K can result in having a better 4K master – so in this case, the 6K (and it is beautiful!), might be a useful thing to have. With regards to frame rates, it is nice to see that the camera allows for a lot of flexibility in order to unleash creativity to its full potential or help with potential client requests. 4- Choice of Recording Media: This is one of my favourites: This camera (Like the BMPCC 4K), allows internal recording to SD and CFast cards, or externally to SSD. Indeed not all the mentioned recording media options bare the same recording possibilities and some impose limitations when attempting to film at higher frame rates. Nevertheless, having this flexibility of course helps with accommodating different needs and budgets. (Don’t forget that using the SSD option will eat the internal battery even faster – but more on battery life further down.) 5- Price: When it comes to value for money, this new camera gives an excellent fight to even more expensive cameras. BMPCC 6K – Four Reasons to Doubt it 1- Cinema camera? I’ve deliberately chosen to start with this point. Ask 5 people what a “cinema camera” is and I bet you will be getting 10 different answers. In all honesty, I couldn’t care less about the word “cinema” in the camera title (The same goes for “Pocket”)…. If it does what it supposed to do and does it well, BRAVO! The way I look at it, the word “cinema” allows Blackmagic Design to elegantly avoid the subject of much necessary features like continuous autofocus and internal stabilisation altogether. (Maybe they would say, “It’s a cinema camera Johnnie, so why are you whining about those missing features ….”) Nice resolution and sharp, but not good in direct sunlight: the LCD screen. 2- Big fixed LCD screen: The ones who are following my filmmaking work and article writing know that I’m already with one leg in the grave, meaning, the hair that once used to be on my head is now happily growing on my shoulders.  So how is this connected to the camera’s LCD screen? Well, as an old fashioned guy, give me a good EVF instead of a huge LCD and make me happy! This screen, as much as it is good for indoor menu navigation, is a complete nightmare to operate outdoors in bright sunlight. I wish Blackmagic Design would have considered making a “Cinema Pocket EVF”. An accessory that can easily be connected to this camera, maybe when being powered externally, so power consumption isn’t becoming even worse. A necessity for me: a proper EVF on the camera. 3- Autofocus and In-Body Stabilisation System:  Yes, I mentioned it before, now it deserves its own dedicated few lines. Our production world is constantly changing and what was great before might not be good enough anymore. Good autofocus and in-body stabilisation systems are now far from being a luxury. They are becoming a necessity! The BMPCC 6K body size “shouts” mobility, so improvement is needed to make it truly portable. I’ll dare taking it a step farther and write that during my current shoot (just like with the BMPCC 4K before), I felt that I’m compromising on some of my shots and skipping what I really wanted to do, because the camera couldn’t do some of the things I needed it to do. In other words, I was working for the camera instead of it working for me, and it was always related to lacking continuous autofocus and the non-existent in-body stabiliser. This has NOTHING to do with its ability to produce beautiful images or shine when a certain shooting style is being implemented. It is about feeling limited when greater usability is needed (and offered by cameras competing at a similar size). 4- Camera Lens Mount: For me, the choice of camera lens mount is odd and brilliant at the same time: Brilliant, because Blackmagic Design has experience with this mount from earlier on (URSA Mini), and for some of us, the EF mount offers the opportunity to use widely available lenses. On the other hand, it’s also an odd choice because this mount is completely outdated, even to the point that Canon themselves deserted it already by introducing the RF Mount for their mirrorless cameras. Not only that: As Canon stopped delivering mirrorless cameras that are appealing to many filmmakers (cameras that don’t compromise on good quality video), many of us moved on, sold our Canon equipment and invested in Sony, FUJIFILM or Panasonic. A modern short flange lens mount would have allowed users to easily adapt many of the (EF) lenses we already (or still) have, or, in some cases, even use a Metabones Speed Booster to get an even wider field-of-view, which would give this camera with an APS-C sensor full-frame image aesthetics. 6K Frame Grab – click for full 6K resolution image BMPCC 6K – In the Field High temperatures, light rain, dust, kids and horses. Facing it all, the camera performed very well! Additionally, no sign of overheating was spotted. The redesigned ventilation chamber proved to do a good job. Now, regarding resolution, frame rates and compression method, I decided to use Blackmagic RAW, 6K 2.4:1 .(6144×2560) resolution at 25p frame rate. (Constant bitrate was set on 5:1.) For slow-motion (120fps), I chose to film in 2.8K 17:9, 2868×1512 (crop factor of 3.388x). In order to get the cleanest possible image I took advantage of the dual ISO functionality of the camera and used ISO 400 for the outdoor shots and 3200 for indoor. A side note: The camera can record at a higher resolution (6144×3456), at a better compression (3:1) and even at a higher data rate (Constant Quality “Q0”), but, for this project and the number of recording media cards I had, the settings I chose to go with were sufficient. When it comes to lenses, I was surprised to see how limited the selection of Canon EF lenses at my disposal was. (I used to have so many more ….) So in order to cover different focal lengths and different shooting scenarios I went with a SIGMA 18-35mm (as alway, a beautiful, fast and sharp lens), a Canon 70-200mm f/4 IS, and a Canon 24mm EF-S f/2.8. Please don’t laugh, this lightweight pancake EF-S lens (modified at the back to fit the camera EF mount), proved to be good enough for handheld filming. The camera cage was from 8Sinn (fits perfectly – check our recent extensive BMPCC 4K Cage Shootout here in case you missed it)! For monitoring the image I used my Zacuto Gratical EVF. As for recording media, I used Angelbird’s AV Pro CF CFast 2.0 cards. Maybe not the cheapest, but very reliable. When it comes to powering the camera, I used a bunch of original Canon LP-E6 batteries and that was just OK. I had enough of those to use and a place to charge when they got empty. Sound was recorded in camera and I’m pleased to say it is very clear and clean. (When using the camera’s internal mics there is some additional noise/hum, but for this mini documentary I used only an external mic for sound. Unfortunately and as you can see, during this project I had no chance to record scenes in low light conditions, but from a quick test I conducted at the office, the camera did surprisingly well! We might revisit lowlight capabilities in later more extensive tests with the camera. During my shoot, lighting conditions kept changing. Not ideal for the film itself but great for the test… Nice to see how the camera and codec are coping with highlights. I also put Katharina (the owner of the riding school) against the open grey sky just in order to see if that’s indeed possible to stretch the dynamic range quite a bit – there was still lots of detail in the skies after post production. What you can also notice from the video above: at times, I was struggling to keep my subjects in focus. I’m not sure why. Either I’m getting old, or maybe my Zacuto EVF is losing its juvenility, or, 6K is 6K, meaning, no excuses here when you don’t nail focus 100%. Either you are in focus or you are not…. So if I have to summarize my field experience with the camera, I can say it is like driving an electric car. You love many aspects of it yet at the same time must look closely at your mileage at all times (actually, battery levels). In addition, I felt like I should always be aware of the camera’s media consumption when filming in 6K. Both battery consumption and the hunger for storage with this camera need to be properly managed and planned for when shooting with this camera. Not directly related to the camera but important to mention here: it was the first time that I used Nexto DI NPS-10 for backing up some of the material. It is new, very intuitive and working extremely well! A full review will be coming soon. 6K Frame Grab – Click for full resolution 6K image Editing the footage You need to be aware that there’s no 6K recording option in ProRes: 6K can be recorded in-camera using Blackmagic RAW exclusively, and 4K can be recorded also in ProRes codecs. I am not sure if it’s technical limitation or if there’s a marketing reason behind it. (“Forcing” people to edit 6K RAW footage in Resolve only?) I don’t know. The data rate might have gotten out of hand with ProRes in 6K though, so we guess that’s the reason behind it. To my knowledge, no other editing platform can currently support Blackmagic RAW, with the exception of Adobe Premiere Pro. Yes, you heard it right, and it is not because of Adobe being so fast in adopting this RAW recording format. There is a way to edit Blackmagic RAW on Premiere, but in order to do so, you will need to use BRAW Studio from Autokroma. Windows and Mac are both supported and I’ve tried it and it is working like a charm! (The best $30 you can spend if you are editing in Premiere). Conclusion The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K is a great technical achievement and offers amazing value for money. Don’t forget that you will also get a full two-seat license of DaVinci Resolve Studio 16 with the camera. Yet, is it a camera for me, the independent documentary filmmaker? Here is a real life scenario that I encountered almost a year ago: I’m about to leave to India and shoot a short documentary under our “camera review umbrella” featuring an Indian wedding. At the time, I was able to choose between the new Canon EOS R, or the BMPCC 4K. I know that in terms of picture quality the BMPCC 4K will beat the Canon EOS R hands down, but, I also know that as a one-man-band operator I might be struggling capturing the moments I need with the BMPCC 4K. Filming in such a demanding real-world environment is anyway not easy, so dealing with large amount of data/power consumption/focusing issues was not an option for me. And this is what I want to avoid, the hesitation of using a camera because of the possibility of limiting myself on the operational side. I hope my point is clear, and I also hope that Blackmagic Design (under the leadership of their visionary Grant Petty) can move forward by eventually creating a camera that keeps ALL the technical achievements of the BMPCC 6K but, add extended usability to it. In our third part of our BMPCC 6K coverage we will share our technical findings related to the camera’s dynamic range, latitude and rolling shutter effect results with you. Stay tuned. A special thanks to Katharina and Theresa Teschler. More information about their ridding school can be found by clicking here. Music for the above video is courtesy of MusicVine. Get 25% off your next music license with code C5D25 (valid for one use per customer). Color by Lutify.me What do you think about the new BMPCC 6K? Do you have any plans taking a closer look at it? Please share your thoughts with us below. 

The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K has landed. It offers (up to) 6K resolution, a Super 35 sensor, and a Canon EF mount. Aside from those changes, what are the main differences (or similarities) between this one and the older Pocket Cinema 4K? In case you are already a proud owner of the 4K version, will it make sense to upgrade? In the above video and in this article I’ve tried to answer this question.  BMPCC 6K (Left) VS BMPCC 4K (Right) Blackmagic Design, the company who engraved on its flag to cater us, the filmmakers, with high quality “on the budget” tools for filming/editing and postproduction, has done it again by delivering a camera that obviously managed to stir our swamp. Personally, in all my cinema5D years, I haven’t seen such a phenomenon where people endorse a camera so fast. Probably Blackmagic Design did something right. Apparently, when it comes to “value for money”, people are more forgiving when some (important) features are missing. But for now, let’s leave usability aside as this is not the essence of this article. 8Sinn cage. Perfect fit Stay Tune – Three Parts Continues Coverage As this camera proved to be of great interest for many, we’ve decided to dedicate the extra time to review it inside out. Here in part one, I’m talking about how the new camera compares to the older BMPCC 4K. The second part, which I took the new BMPCC 6K for a short spin and shot a short documentary with it, will see the day of light early next week.  The third part is a bit more technical. Gunther, my colleague, will conduct aDynamic Range, Latitude and Rolling shutter tests during next week. Of course, we will share our results with you guys as soon as we have them ready. EF Mount VS Micro Forth Third Mount BMPCC 6K vs. BMPCC 4K – The Differences 6K Resolution: Let me start from the obvious… Unlike its 4K brother (or is it sister?), the new 6K camera can be used for filming in up to 6K resolution in different frame rates. The nice thing is, that even when filming in the highest resolution and codec, a fast SD card can still be used for convenient internal recording. (BM RAW 3:1, 6144 x 3456. We heartily recommend using Angelbird V90 cards. They are fast and reliable). Mind you that this will work when filming in 24/25p. If your wish is to film in 50/60p, CFast 2.0 cards will become your best friend. Both cards options are rather limited when it comes to capacity, so a feasible solution will be to use an external SSD. Again, I can recommend using Angelbird as I’m yet to be disappointed with their media quality or, customer service. (Wish the same could have been said about Lexar. What a horrible customer service experience. NEVER again!). By the way, speaking of resolution, mind you that recording in 6K is available in Blackmagic RAW codec only. (4K can be recorded in ProRes). I guess Blackmagic design wanting people to convert and use their DaVinci resolve platform for the purpose of editing. S35 sensor: Unlike its sister (or is it brother?), the sensor inside this camera is larger than the one found inside its 4K sibling. (Super 35 vs. Micro Four Third). In fact, it is a little bit smaller than other S35 sensors, especially those made by Canon, but who are we be too so picky… In general, the advantages of having a larger sensor are a wider field of view, easily manipulating depth of filed and, depending on the sensor pixel count (and pixels size), better lowlight capability. Active Canon EF Mount: BMPCC 4K has a Micro Four Third lens mount. The new BMPCC 6K is now equipped with an EF lens mount. It’s absolutely legit to ask if Blackmagic did the right choice here, but in all honesty, I do understand why they went this way. The good thing, it’s time to air brush some dusty EF mount lenses. I thought I’ll never use them again… The less good thing, any other modern mount could have taken this camera to a different level when it comes to lens usage flexibility (shorter flange, bigger chance for adaptivity). In a way, that’s where the older BMPCC 4K shines. The MFT mount is very adaptable. Throw a Metabones Speed Booster EF to MFT ULTRA  0.71X on it and bang, your field of view becomes wider (even more than the one found in the new camera), and on top, you gain one stop of light. As a result of using the EF mount on the new BMPCC 6K camera, NOT all cages suited to the 4K model will fit. We can confirm that 8Sin and SmallRig cages will. In regards to Tilta’s cage, “as is”, the cage WILL NOT fit. With a little adjustment that forces one to move the front nose part (“Tilta’s logo”) and the very small rubber band under it, it will fit, BUT it will also be VERY tight and can cause some scratches to the camera body itself. Photo capabilities:  Up to 21.2MP still image capture. This is an improvement over the 8MP the BMPCC 4K offered. Will test this feature when in the field. Price:  BMPCC 6K is $2,495 and the BMPCC 4K is $1,295. No doubt that both camera prices are fair, yet, it is a difference that should be mentioned. Same Inputs and Outputs BMPCC 6K vs. BMPCC 4K – The Similarities Where to start. Both cameras share so much together. Excellent OS (The best in the industry to my taste), color science, 1920 x 1080 touchscreen 5″ LCD, buttons layout, general camera body structure (but the upper EF mount and lower ventilation ribs). Inputs/outputs, power options. Even the battery life is almost the same. The advantage goes to the new 6K camera as it was running about 6 minutes longer… (Yehhh). When it comes to autofocus performance, both cameras showed inconsistency, so each did a bit better on a different round (long story short, both behaved the same). Weight-wise, the BMCC 6K is 168g heavier. I guess I can live with this… When it comes to low light, I’ll try and take a closer look, but for now, it looks as if both are performing in a similar way. Dual native ISO values are the same, the cleanest image should be obtained when using ISO 400 and ISO 3200. Last but not least, even the rolling shutter effect seems to be visually similar. As I wrote before, we will test and come up with a number soon. BMPCC 6K Conclusion: Both, the old BMPCC 4K and new BMPCC 6K are very efficient filming devices. At the end of the day, it really depends on your needs and budget. I guess if I was a BMPCC 4K owner, I wouldn’t rush to replace my camera, while if I was in the market for purchasing a new capable device, the BMPCC 6K would certainly be a candidate to capture the top of my list. Music for the above video is courtesy of MusicVine. Get 25% off your next music license with code C5D25 (valid for one use per customer). If you are an owner of the BMPCC 4K, please share with us your thoughts. Did it cross your mind to change your beloved 4K camera? If yes, did you pull the trigger? I’m genuinely interested to know why. 

LucAdapters is currently redesigning their Magicbooster for the Blackmagic URSA Mini cameras to fit the new BMPCC 6K. The optical adapter inserts directly between the EF lens mount and the sensor and it will reduce the crop factor from 1.5 to 1.1 and add 1 stop of light. That will result in (almost) full-frame look while retaining all the functionality and EF lens mount of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K. BMPCC 6K equipped with Magicbooster. Source: LucAdapters LucAdapters is a small Italian company, which specializes in optical focal reducers – also known as speed boosters. Years ago, the company released the world’s first NX mount speed booster for the Samsung NX1 camera. Recently, LucAdapters has been designing and selling Magicboosters – optical focal reducers for Blackmagic URSA cameras. The Magicboosters only work on URSA Mini 4K and 4.6K, they don’t function on URSA Mini PRO cameras – most likely because of the built-in variable ND filter. Magicbooster is an optical element, which is inserted directly inside the EF mount in front of the sensor. The variable ND would probably stand in the way. The recently released Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K (our article is available here) actually has a lot in common with URSA Mini cameras – a Super 35 image sensor, Canon EF mount, and the lack of the internal variable ND filter. That means there is a certain unused space between the mount and the sensor, which could be utilized. This is what Magicbooster looks like – URSA Mini Version. Source: LucAdapters That’s exactly where LucAdapters come in. The company announced they are currently adapting their Magicbooster to fit the BMPCC 6K. Thanks to its optical design it will reduce the crop factor almost to the equivalent of full-frame sensors – from 1.5 to 1.1. It will also add one stop of light. There are unfortunately no MTF charts available to see the quality of Magicbooster – if and how it degrades the image quality. LucAdapters has a lot of various tests with the URSA Mini Magicbooster on their Youtube channel, so feel free to check these out and get the idea about the overall image quality. I think it is actually quite good. As I mentioned earlier, the Magicbooster is not a traditional Speedbooster which goes between the lens and the lens mount. It is more of an insert – a group of lenses that fits inside the camera. It requires a bit of an effort to install it and once it is in, you will most likely not remove it anytime soon. The Magicbooster is certainly not a good solution for frequent mounting and unmounting. The following video demonstrates the Magicbooster installing process for URSA Mini 4K and 4.6K cameras. I am also not sure if such a modification voids the warranty for the camera or not. Please note, that with the Magicbooster installed, the BMPCC 6K can only be used with full-frame EF lenses. APS-C lenses will suffer from heavy vignetting as the crop factor gets significantly reduced. It seems like LucAdapters will try to offer their Magicbooster via a Kickstarter Campaign. For now, the company launched a draft page on Kickstarter to collect feedback. We will keep you updated as soon as there are more details about the exact way of distribution. According to the Kickstarter draft page, the Magicbooster will be available for €499 plus VAT (roughly €599 with VAT) in the EU countries. For the rest of the world, the price will be €499 which is now about US $559. LucAdapters estimates to start shipping the Magicboosters in November 2019. What do you think of the Magicbooster? Would you get it for your BMPCC 6K? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

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.

Blackmagic Design today announced the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, a new handheld camera with a Super 35 sized 6K HDR image sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range, an EF lens mount and dual native ISO up to 25,600. BMPCC 6K is supposed to be available immediately and the price has been set to US $2,495 (including DaVinci Resolve license). Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Blackmagic Design shared some exciting news today. They announced new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, DaVinci Resolve 16.1 public beta, and a new performance measurement tool – Blackmagic RAW Speed Test. This article only covers the new BMPCC 6K camera. For the other news, please check our second article. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (BMPCC 4K) was announced at NAB 2018 – nearly one and a half years ago. Since then it got fairly popular among filmmakers. Mostly because of the high quality video codecs, great dynamic range, dual ISO, and overall great selection of resolutions and framerates. On the other hand, the camera’s build quality and power management are not that great. And, unlike its predecessor, it’s not pocket-sized anymore. For more information about the BMPCC 4K, please check Nino’s hands-on review of the camera. Today Blackmagic announces the new Pocket 6K. The company states that the BMPCC 6K is very different from the Pocket 4K in specifications and price, being a higher resolution EF lens based solution. The Pocket 6K sits between the Pocket 4K and URSA Mini Pro G2, complimenting the range, rather than replacing the Pocket 4K. What are the new Pocket 6K specs? Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K First and foremost, BMPCC 6K features a larger Super 35 sensor with a resolution of 6144 x 3456 (16:9 ratio). Just like the URSA Mini line of cameras, the Pocket 6K utilizes the Canon EF lens mount. The new camera will shoot in the following resolutions: up to 50 fps at 6144 x 3456 16:9 up to 60 fps at 6144 x 2560 2.4:1 up to 60 fps at 5744 x 3024 17:9 up to 120 fps at 2.8K 2868 x 1512 17:9 (windowed mode with higher crop) true anamorphic 6:5 mode in 3.7K 60 fps at 3728 x 3104 The new Pocket 6K features same dual gain ISO as the 4K version – ISO 400 and 3200 (maximum ISO value is 25,600). Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Recording works in 10-bit Apple ProRes files in all formats up to 4K or 12-bit Blackmagic RAW in all formats up to 6K. The camera features built-in CFast and SD UHS-II card slots, and a USB-C expansion port for recording directly to an external SSD. Media cards and disks can be formatted in HFS+ for Mac and ExFAT for Windows. In terms of dynamic range, Blackmagic Design claims the new camera will have 13 stops (just like the BMPCC 4K). Just a reminder – in our hands-on review with the BMPCC 4K during cinema5D lab test we measured 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 ISO 3200) in ProRes 4K DCI 25p. BMPCC 6K body is made from lightweight carbon fiber polycarbonate composite. The camera features a multifunction handgrip with all controls for recording, ISO, WB, and shutter angle reachable by one hand. Just like the BMPCC 4K, it has the large 5 inch touchscreen LCD in the back to help with precise manual focus at high resolutions. The camera supports “touch to focus” controls. Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K We said this many times already and I will say it again – Blackmagic camera menu is one of the best and most straightforward solutions for cameramen and all Japanese manufacturers with complicated menus could take an example from Blackmagic. The BMPCC 6K menu interface stays the same as with other Blackmagic cameras, which is good. The Blackmagic OS interface uses simple tap and swipe gestures to adjust settings, add metadata and view recording status. On screen overlays show status, a histogram, focus and peaking indicators, levels, frame guides, playback controls and more. The new Pocket 6K features the same Generation 4 Color Science as the high-end URSA Mini Pro G2 for accurate skin tones and pleasing colors. The camera works with industry standard 17 and 33 point 3D LUT files, or users can work with the built-in LUTs such as Extended Video, Film to Video, Film to Rec.2020 and more. Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K The camera includes a full size HDMI connector for monitoring with support for HDR and clean 10-bit output. There’s also a mini XLR connection with 48 volt phantom power for attaching professional microphones, a 3.5 mm video camera style microphone input, and headphone connection. When it comes to power, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K uses standard removable LP-E6 type batteries and also features a locking DC power connector. The included AC plug pack can power the camera and charge the battery at the same time. The USB-C expansion port can also be used to charge the battery from portable battery packs, mobile phone chargers or a laptop computer. The new BMPCC 6K is also compatible with the Blackmagic Pocket Battery Grip. The BMPCC 6K also includes built-in timecode generator to keep multiple cameras synced. After plugging in an external timecode generator such as Tentacle Sync into the 3.5 mm audio jack, the camera will automatically detect timecode and lock the internal generator. The new DaVinci Resolve 16.1 will automatically find and sync the shots from all cameras. The camera also supports still frame capture up to 21.2 megapixel and remote camera control via Bluetooth. Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K compared with the 4K version Price and Availability Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K is available now for US $2,495. Just like BMPCC 4K, the 6K version also includes a full version of DaVinci Resolve Studio. The price is incredible given the camera’s specs and I really hope Blackmagic will be able to accommodate the demand quickly enough this time. Blackmagic Design also thinks on their customers who are currently waiting for their ordered BMPCC 4K. The company will support any customers who wish to transition a Pocket 4K back order to the new Pocket 6K. They advise that customer wishing to do so should speak with their authorized reseller. What do you think about the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K? Are you going to include it in your kit? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.