Review of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro.
If you haven’t heard about it yet, Black Magic recently announced the new Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro. I don’t know what it is about Black Magic but they always manage to gather the attention of the independent filmmaker circuit.
With the BMPCC 6K already a very popular and affordable cinema camera, the 6K Pro brings new features and updates
New features of the Black Magic Pocket Cinema 6K Pro
The New BMPCC 6K Pro HDR Display
The new BMPCC 6K Pro includes new high-end digital film features and maintains the slick handheld design of the 6K model.
The 5 inch LCD Monitor allows you to get perfect focus at 4K and 6K resolutions. The BMPCC 6K Pro LCD Monitor is a more advanced HDR display that can be tilted up and down, a feature that will come in handy in tight dynamic shots.
Another plus is that the HDR display features 1500 nits of brightness, which should make the camera easier to work with in the sunlight.
The BMPCC 6K Pro has a larger Super 35 sensor, so you can use larger photographic lenses and create images with a shallow depth of field and creative defocused backgrounds. The cool thing about the BMPCC 6K Pro is that it is coming after the release of the URSA Mini Pro 12K and it features the same color science as their high end cameras. The benefit is that you can capture more accurate skin tones, and faithful color.
Watch this footage from the Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro.
BMPCC 6K Pro Review
We’ve previously discussed the problems with the BMPCC 6K, and now with the 6K Pro. The Camera is too heavy and unbalanced, and it is difficult to work with using a gimbal. This remains, and actually, the new BMPCC 6K Pro is heavier. Not ideal for someone that needs a stable shot on the go. One of the new features that makes the Camera heavier is a new XLR input, which allows you to record from two professionally balanced mics.
Overall, the BMPCC 6K Pro seems to be an improvement but not a total redesign of the BMPCC 6K. The new features are mainly there to optimize the ones that were already available in the previous model. It’s the best version of the existing pocket camera models, but it’s not totally worth it to replace the BMPCC 6K for the Pro, if you already have one. If you’re simply looking for a new camera, then I’d recommend it, as I will recommend most Black Magic Cameras for independent budget productions.
There are some small issues that I run into, with the BMPCC 6K, that I wish they had fixed with 6K Pro… but they too remain. The battery life is still not good, you still need a cage and the camera can still be a little finicky with audio. However, it is still an amazing picture quality at an accessible price point.
I think filmmakers are becoming more friendly with Black Magic cameras, because they are providing various quality options. In a time when content is everything, productions need to deliver high end video with smaller budgets.
Black Magic is thriving in this growing market. I do wish to see what comes next for lightweight cinema cameras. I’m noticing a trend in videos that blur the line between narrative cinema and documentary footage, and I love it.
You can book a full 10 hour shoot, with this camera and a professional team.
You can shoot a short film, a music video, a commercial, a series of social media video posts, and much more.
Email us at [email protected] with your specific needs. Let’s see what develops!