Blackmagic Design announces a new software update for its Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and 6K models that include studio camera features. Now customers can connect to an ATEM Mini switcher and get control of the camera parameters, lens and tally light. ATEM Mini can control up to four cameras via the HDMI video connection and ensure all cameras are matched for a professional live studio workflow. Now the same Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is designed to work as a digital film camera and a studio camera.
Blackmagic Camera Update 6.9 is available for download now from the Blackmagic Design web site.
Video and control is via the HDMI connection, which is available when customers plug in the cameras. The record light becomes a tally light to see which camera is on air. The ATEM Software Control camera page has a camera control unit (CCU) style interface for adjusting and matching cameras. Move the CCU control vertically for iris and left to right to adjust black level. It's the same as a broadcast CCU. There are also controls for color tint to balance the camera as well as focus, gain and shutter speed. Customers can ISO record Blackmagic RAW in the camera for editing later.
Made from lightweight carbon fiber polycarbonate composite, the camera features a multifunction handgrip with all controls for recording, ISO, WB and shutter angle at fingertips. The sensor is designed to reduce thermal noise allowing cleaner shadows and higher ISO. Plus the large 5-inch LCD allows focus at 4K and 6K resolutions.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K model features a 4/3 image sensor with 4096 x 2160 resolution and an MFT lens mount, designed to capture wide dynamic range and Hollywood quality, digital film images. The MFT mount allows use of super compact, lightweight and affordable lenses for extra portability.
Featuring a larger 6144 x 3456 Super 35 sensor and EF lens mount, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K model lets customers use larger EF photographic lenses to create cinematic images with shallower depth of field, allowing creative defocused backgrounds and bokeh effects. Users can shoot in 6K and then in post-production zoom and re-frame to allow wide shots and close ups to be created from a single camera and without losing image quality.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras have 13 stops of dynamic range designed to preserve more detail in the lightest and darkest areas of an image. Users can set exposure for an indoor scene and still retain the details of bright outdoor light coming through a window.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera features dual gain ISO up to 25,600, which means both the 4K and 6K models are optimized to minimize grain or noise in images, while maintaining the full dynamic range of the sensor. The native ISO of 400 is designed for scenes with on-set lighting. The dual gain is changed automatically to capture images when customers don’t have time to set up lights.
Blackmagic RAW is a revolutionary new format designed to capture and preserve the quality of the sensor data from their camera. Video formats such as H.264 are highly compressed, plus add noise and artifacts, causing original sensor detail to be lost forever. Blackmagic RAW eliminates this problem and gives customers quality images with detail and color throughout the production pipeline from camera to edit, color and mastering. It also saves camera settings as metadata so customers can set ISO, white balance and exposure in camera or override them later while editing, all without loss of quality. Blackmagic RAW files are also small, designed to be fast and easy to work with.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera features a large, bright 5-inch touchscreen for framing shots and accurate focus. The touchscreen displays critical information while users are shooting, menus for setting up the camera and intuitive touch to focus controls. On screen overlays show status, a histogram, focus and peaking indicators, levels, frame guides, playback controls and more.
With the advanced Blackmagic OS is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. The interface uses tap and swipe gestures to adjust settings, add metadata and view recording status. Users have control over advanced camera features such as on-screen focus and exposure tools, 3D LUTs, HDR, metadata entry, timecode, Blackmagic RAW settings and more.
The new ATEM Mini makes it easy to create professional multi camera productions for live streaming to YouTube and innovative business presentations using Skype. Connect a computer for PowerPoint slides or gaming consoles and DVE allows picture in picture effects plus lots of video effects and transitions. All ATEM Mini models have USB that works like a webcam so customers can use any streaming software while the ATEM Mini Pro model adds live streaming via Ethernet and recording to USB disks. ATEM Mini also has advanced broadcast features for high end work.
"This is a very exciting software update because it allows the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras to become even more useful as they can now be used for both digital film production or live production for streaming," says Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. "We've seen a lot of customers use the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras with ATEM Mini for live streaming because of their fantastic images, great low light capability and very creative looks when using 3D LUTS. Now customers will get new studio camera remote control plus a powerful built in DaVinci color corrector, so there are even more creative options for live production!"
Blackmagic Camera Update 6.9 is available now for download from the Blackmagic Design website https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support/family/professional-cameras.
