Blackmagic reveals Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

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Blackmagic has released the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, a feature-rich handheld camera costing US$1,295 (around £1,000). The 4K camera has a 4/3 HDR sensor, the same MFT lens mount as the original Pocket Cinema Camera, 13 stops of dynamic range and a dual native ISO (400 and 3200), with the ability to capture up to 25,600 ISO for “incredible low light performance,” says Blackmagic.

It records in 10-bit ProRes or 12-bit RAW to internal SD/UHS-II and CFast cards and can also record to external USB-C drives.

On the top of the camera is a HFR (high frame rate) button to jump straight into 60fps capture, in 4K. It captures up to 120fps in HD. There’s also a stills button on top for capturing still images at 4K UHD resolution.

“The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is exciting because it packs so much technology into an incredibly small design.”

Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO

On the back of the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is a 5-inch touchscreen monitor, with a user interface that matches Blackmagic’s URSA Mini Pro camera. It also offers Bluetooth wireless camera control.

The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has four built-in microphones and a mini XLR audio input with phantom power for an external microphone.

It has a HDMI connector that can output HDR video as well as a clean video feed.

The body of the camera has been created using what Blackmagic describes as “space age carbon fiber polycarbonate composite”, which is robust but lightweight.

“This is not a consumer camera that’s trying to do high-end work, it’s a true high-end camera.”

Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO

The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K incorporates colour science that Blackmagic claims “lets customers shoot images that are far better than DSLR cameras and even better than professional digital film cameras costing tens of thousands more.” 3D LUTs can be applied for both monitoring and 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.

The company says the camera, which was revealed at a press conference held immediately as NAB 2018 opened on Monday morning, will appeal to indie film and documentary makers and for fashion shows, travel blogs, web videos, weddings, corporate video and sports content.

The camera is available now for pre-oders and will ship in September. It will be packaged with Blackmagic’s Resolve Studio software.

Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO, said: “The 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.”