Announcing the all new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, a handheld digital film camera with full 4/3 HDR sensor, dual native ISO with up to 25600 ISO for incredible low light performance as well as 13 stops of dynamic range. It also eliminates expensive external recorders, as it features a unique new USB-C Expansion Port, which allows customers to record using the internal SD/UHS-II and CFast recorders or directly to the same external disks they will use for editing and color correction.
The revolutionary new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is the handheld digital film camera that customers have been asking for. It packs incredibly high end imaging and professional features into a portable and affordable design that can be used anywhere. The compact body style is perfect for shooting independent films and documentaries, fashion shows, travel blogs, web videos, weddings, corporate video, sports and much more.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K features a full size 4/3 HDR sensor with native 4096 x 2160 resolution and 13 stops of dynamic range for true digital film quality. The full size of the 4/3 sensor is designed to perfectly match MFT lenses so the crop factor is greatly reduced, giving customers a wider field of view. It also features dual native ISO with up to 25600 ISO for incredible low light performance.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is packed with features such as a MFT lens mount, large 5 inch touchscreen monitor, 10-bit ProRes and 12-bit RAW recording, 3D LUTs, 4 built in microphones, mini XLR audio input with phantom power, Bluetooth wireless camera control, HDMI on set monitoring output and more. The latest Blackmagic Design color science lets customers shoot images that are far better than DSLR cameras and even better than professional digital film cameras costing tens of thousands more.
Designed using a space age carbon fiber polycarbonate composite, the body of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is extremely strong and light. The carbon composite material consists of a high strength polymer that’s reinforced with carbon fibers. This gives the camera body incredible strength and rigidity to help protect it from accidental knocks and drops which can often result in damage. The handheld design features a multi function grip which has logically placed buttons and dials that allow super fast access to essential shooting functions such as recording start/stop, still photos, ISO, shutter, aperture, white balance, power and more.
Fourth generation Blackmagic Design color science lets customers shoot HDR images in film, video and new extended video modes. The new extended mode combines the latitude of digital film with an optimized video file. This gives customers working on fast turnaround projects an ideal solution for shooting great looking images that don’t need a lot of color correction or post production work.
Images can be recorded onto standard SD cards, faster UHS-II cards or CFast 2.0 cards in either ProRes or RAW formats. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K can record 4K images at up to 60 frames per second and windowed HD at up to 120 frames per second. It’s also the first camera that lets customers record directly onto the same exact external USB-C media drives they use for editing and color correction. That means customers can turn projects around much more quickly because they don’t have to transfer files. All they need to do is unplug the USB-C drive and then connect it to their computer to start editing.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K uses the same MFT (Micro Four Thirds) lens mount as the original Pocket Cinema Camera so customers can use the investment in lenses they already own. The MFT mount is extremely flexible and allows for different lens adapters so customers can also use PL, C, EF and other types of lenses from manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Leica and even Panavision.
The rear of the camera features a large bright 5 inch touchscreen that makes it easy to frame shots and accurately focus. It also uses the same Blackmagic OS as URSA Mini so customers can use simple tap and swipe gestures to adjust settings, add metadata and view recording status. On screen overlays make it easy to see recording parameters, status, histogram, focus and peaking indicators, and playback controls. In addition, 3D LUTs can be applied for both monitoring and recording.
For audio, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K features multiple built in microphones with an extremely low noise floor, a mini XLR input with 48 volts of phantom power to connect professional lapel and boom mics, and a 3.5mm stereo audio jack for connecting different types of video camera microphones. The high quality built in audio recording means customers don’t have to carry around a separate recorder.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K also includes a full size HDMI connector which can output HDR video as well as a clean 10-bit video feed with optional on screen overlays. There’s also an innovative high speed USB-C Expansion Port for adding external accessories such as flash drives and an SSD for external recording. The camera uses standard LP-E6 batteries and can be charged via USB-C or the locking DC power connector, which protects the camera from being accidentally unplugged during a shoot.
“Customers love the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and have been asking us for a 4K version,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “We’ve listened and built a camera that combines all of our newest ideas and customer feedback from the previous model! The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is exciting because it packs so much technology into an incredibly small design. We feel it will go well beyond what customers expected. It’s perfect for anyone that needs a truly professional ultra compact digital film camera. This is not a consumer camera that's trying to do high end work, it’s a true high end camera designed for high end work.”
Camera Features | |
Effective Sensor Size | 18.96mm x 10mm (Four Thirds) |
Lens Mount | Active MFT mount. |
Lens Control | Iris, focus and zoom on supported lenses |
Dynamic Range | 13 Stops |
Dual Native ISO | 400 and 3200 |
Shooting Resolutions | 4096 x 2160 (4K DCI), 3840 x 2160 (Ultra HD), 1920 x 1080 (HD). |
Frame Rates | Maximum sensor frame rate dependent on resolution and codec selected. Project frame rates of 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60 fps supported. Off-speed frame rates up to 60 fps in 4K DCI, 120 fps in HD windowed. |
Focus | Focus button turns on peaking, auto focus available using compatible lenses. |
Iris Control | Iris wheel and touchscreen slider for manual iris adjustment on electronically controllable lenses, iris button for instant auto iris settings on compatible lenses so no pixel is clipped in film mode. Scene average auto exposure in video mode. |
Screen Dimensions | 5” 1920 x 1080. |
Screen Type | LCD capacitive touchscreen |
Metadata Support | Automatically populated lens data from electronic Micro Four Thirds lenses. Automatic recording of camera settings and slate data such as project, scene number, take and special notes. |
Controls | Touchscreen menus on 5 inch screen. 1 x Power Switch, 1 x Record Button, 1 x Stills Button, 1 x Scroll Wheel with push integrated into handgrip, 1 x ISO Button, 1 x White Balance, 1 x Shutter Button, 3 x software configurable Fn buttons, 1 x High Frame Rate (HFR) Button, 1 x Zoom Button, 1 x Menu Button, 1 x Play Button, 1 x Focus Button and 1 x IRIS Button. |
Connections | |
Total Video Inputs | None |
Total Video Outputs | 1 x HDMI Type A |
Analog Audio Inputs | 1 x mini XLR analog switchable between mic with phantom power support and line level (up to +14dBu). 1 x 3.5mm Stereo Input. Can also be used for Timecode input. |
Analog Audio Outputs | 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack |
Computer Interface | USB Type-C for external drive recording, software updates and media download |
Audio | |
Microphone | Integrated stereo microphone. |
Built in Speaker | 1 x mono speaker |
Standards | |
SD Video Standards | None |
HD Video Standards | 1080p23.98, 1080p24, 1080p25, 1080p29.97, 1080p30, 1080p50, 1080p59.94, 1080p60. |
Ultra HD Video Standards | 2160p23.98, 2160p24, 2160p25, 2160p29.97, 2160p30, 2160p50, 2160p59.94, 2160p60. |
4K DCI Standards | 4KDCIp23.98, 4KDCIp24, 4KDCIp25, 4KDCIp29.97, 4KDCIp30, 4KDCIp50, 4KDCIp59.94, 4KDCIp60. |
Media | |
Media | 1 x CFast and 1 x SD UHS-II card slot for CinemaDNG Raw and ProRes Recording. Actual supported codec and frame rates are media dependent. |
Media Format | Can format cards to ExFAT for Windows and Mac or HFS+ for Mac (file systems). |
Supported Codecs | |
Codecs | CinemaDNG RAW, CinemaDNG RAW 3:1, CinemaDNG RAW 4:1, ProRes 422 HQ QuickTime, ProRes 422 QuickTime, ProRes 422 LT QuickTime, ProRes 422 Proxy QuickTime. |
Storage Features | |
Storage Type |
1 x CFast 2.0.
1 x SD UHS-II card. |
Storage Rates |
4096 x 2160 CinemaDNG RAW - 272 MB/s CinemaDNG RAW 3:1 - 129 MB/s CinemaDNG RAW 4:1 - 97 MB/s Apple ProRes 422 HQ - 117.88 MB/s Apple ProRes 422 - 78.63 MB/s Apple ProRes 422 LT - 54.63 MB/s Apple ProRes Proxy - 24.25 MB/s 3840 x 2160 CinemaDNG RAW - 255 MB/s CinemaDNG RAW 3:1 - 122 MB/s CinemaDNG RAW 4:1 - 92 MB/s Apple ProRes 422 HQ - 110 MB/s Apple ProRes 422 - 73.6 MB/s Apple ProRes 422 LT - 51 MB/s Apple ProRes Proxy - 22.4 MB/s 1920 x 1080 CinemaDNG RAW - 66 MB/s CinemaDNG RAW 3:1 - 32 MB/s CinemaDNG RAW 4:1 - 24 MB/s Apple ProRes 422 HQ - 27.5 MB/s Apple ProRes 422 - 18.4 MB/s Apple ProRes 422 LT - 12.75 MB/s Apple ProRes Proxy - 5.6 MB/s Storage rates based on 30 frames per second. |
Recording Formats | Lossless CinemaDNG RAW, RAW 3:1 and RAW 4:1 with film dynamic range at 4096 x 2160, 3840 x 2160 and 1920 x 1080. Apple ProRes 4096 x 2160, 3840 x 2160 and 1920 x 1080 in either film, video, extended video dynamic range or custom 3D LUT. |
Operating Systems | |
Mac | Mac 10.12 Sierra, Mac 10.13 High Sierra or later. |
Windows | Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. |
Power Requirements | |
Power Supply | 1 x External 12V power supply. |
External Power Input | 1 x 2-pin locking connector. |
Battery Type | Canon LP-E6. |
Battery Life | Approximately 60 minutes (recording at 24 fps without any external USB-C device connected) |
Power | 12V-20V |