When it comes to disruptive cinema technology no one holds a candle to Blackmagic Design. Since the introduction of their first Cinema Camera at NAB in 2012, they’ve demonstrated an unparalleled drive to push the market forward with high-end production features at competitive, market-shifting prices. And while Blackmagic’s technological reach has sometimes slightly exceeded their grasp, the quality of the imagery produced by the cameras has made them a go-to solution for many cinematographers the world over.
The 2018 NAB conference continued the tradition of breathtaking reveals with the introduction of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (BPCC4K). Borrowing heavily from the popular URSA Mini Pro feature set, the BPCC4K is primed to provide another welcomed jolt to the market when it’s released September 2018. In this First Look article we’ll examine those headline promises and explore how this camera could open brand new possibilities for filmmakers at almost any level.
Feature attractions
From the moment of its announcement it’s been clear that the BPCC4K is designed to be one of the very best values in all of digital cinema. It boasts full 4K resolution at up to 60fps, and can also capture 120fps at a windowed HD frame size. It films to RAW 3:1 and 4:1 as well as all flavors of the popular ProRes422 codec. The 4/3” sensor is rated at up to 13 stops of dynamic range and promises dual native ISO low-light performance up to 25,600 ISO, which would represent a massive step forward in low-light gathering capability for Blackmagic cameras.
One of the most striking features of the BPCC4K, however, is the fact that all of this high-end functionality is built into a relatively small form factor designed with handheld shooting in mind. The camera itself closely resembles a wider DSLR body, complete with a 5-inch touchscreen monitor taking up most of the back of the camera body. On the side of the camera are a number of professional connection points including HDMI, 3.5mm audio in and out jacks, a mini-XLR microphone port and a USB-C connection for external recording.
Most excitingly, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera will release at a very impressive and very affordable $1,295 price point. As an additional bonus Blackmagic Design will also throw in a full version of DaVinci Resolve Studio, a $300 value, for free with purchase of the camera. No other digital cinema camera on the market comes anywhere near this price, and if the BPCC4K can fulfill its initial promise it could become one of the most influential cameras of the current generation.
Getting on target
Right away it’s clear that the BPCC4K could be a run-and-gun/documentary-style dream camera. Cinematographers will be able go handheld or throw this camera on a small shoulder rig and capture high-quality footage with little or no additional gear needed. Having said that, Blackmagic’s choice to include professional level codecs, RAW recording and very respectable dynamic range also means this camera should have the ability to be used in commercial and cinematic settings equally well. Best of all, it may be possible that the BPCC4K is ideally suited to fly on a gimbal rig as well, depending on the camera’s auto focus performance.
Filmmakers will want to keep a few things in mind before putting down their deposits however. Although the BPCC4K could represent an incredibly compelling value, some users may find that a few add-ons are necessary to be ready to film in any condition. For example, the camera itself doesn’t have ND filters built in, which could make achieving shallow depth of field difficult in bright sunlight without a matte box and filters.
Filmmakers with large collections of Canon or Sony glass may also want to budget for adapters that will allow them to use their current lens collect with the camera’s MFT mount. An ideal choice would be the Metabones Speed Booster Ultra, which not only boosts the light hitting the sensor but also compensates for the inherent crop factor. Given the camera’s high-end codecs it may be wise to budget for recording media that can handle the data transfer rates.
In conclusion
Again, this article is simply a First Look; we won’t know for sure how well the camera delivers on it’s promise until we get our hands on a unit and put it through its paces. A few of the big questions we’re excited to explore include how the camera’s low-light and auto-focus performance work in real world settings. We’re also curious about the BPCC4K’s audio recording quality as well at its final weight and heft.
These questions aside, this camera could be a massive leap forward for affordable, high-quality cinema cameras. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K represents an impressive list of high-end features for the price, and if the quality of the footage is close to comparable to the URSA Mini Pro they could have a real winner on their hands.
