Following on the success of 2013’s Pocket Cinema Camera, Blackmagic Design’s compact camera sporting a Super 16 sensor with cinema-recording quality capabilities, the company has announced another iteration in the now-popular line: Meet the new Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.
Like its predecessor, the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K will allow users to record cinema-quality footage but also will feature significant upgrades over the Pocket Cinema Camera in response to user requests for a more ergonomic and field-friendly form factor.
Debuting at NAB in Las Vegas, the new Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is designed around a core Four Thirds sensor with dual native ISO and a native DCI 4K (4096×2160) resolution. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K records DCI 4K at 60 fps and windowed HD (a native 1080 crop) at up to 120 fps in either 10-bit ProRes or 12-bit Raw formats according to DP Review. The camera will support standard SD cards, UHS-II cards, and CFast 2.0 cards for storage.
Blackmagic is also promising external recording capabilities through the device’s USB-C port. There is also a full sized HDMI port, a mini XLR input with 48v phantom power for audio, 3.5mm audio input, and a headphone jack to boot. The camera is powered by a standard Canon LP-E6 battery as well as a locking DC power connector that prevents accidental unplugging.
The back of the camera will have a large 5″ touchscreen with 1920×1080 resolution. Further, and somewhat as a special incentive to users, the Black Magic Cinema Camera 4K will also have a license for DaVinci Resolve Studio software.
In describing the camera, Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO said in a press release: “Customers love the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and have been asking us for a 4K version…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.”
Blackmagic has not mentioned a specific street date for the camera as of press but the pricing announced puts the unit at $1295.
