Blackmagic launches a new, “Pro” version of its Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, which fixes many of the pain points we found in the original version. It adds a tiltable, brighter screen (and an optional electronic search hook), a larger battery and built-in ND. The camera stands above the regular 6K in Blackmagic’s range, at $ 2,495, about $ 500 more than the non-Pro version.
While the new features will still not make the camera ideal for consumers, it will improve some quality of life to budget filmmakers and video production houses – especially the tiltable screen. I’ve already used a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, and it’s a dream mounted at eye level on a tripod, but an ergonomic nightmare if you’re trying to hold a handle or in a high or low angle. If you can tilt the screen up or down, it can make the camera easier to use and may even eliminate the need for an external monitor, depending on your shooting style.
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In our review, we also found that the original Pocket Cinema 6K screen is hard to see outside, but the Pro has two different solutions for that. The one is that the screen now works on 1500 nets, which is just as bright or brighter than most of the small HDHD cameras, and that should help the monitor’s visibility in bright sunlight. The second is an optional, $ 500 OLED electronic viewfinder, which uses a dedicated (but seemingly proprietary) connector instead of recording the camera’s single HDMI port like a Zacuto EVF would.
To power it all, it uses a larger battery than the original, but Blackmagic only quotes an hour of recording time with the screen at 50 percent brightness (although this is an improvement over the estimated 45 minutes).
More complicated, especially for those who shoot a lot outside, are the built-in ND filters. The camera has four built-in filters that reduce the light by two, four and six times, if the sun is shining a little too bright. Of course I would love to see an electronically variable ND filter like on Sony’s cameras, which offers a continuous range instead of a discrete stop, but at this price I can understand why Blackmagic did not follow the path .
Throw in an extra mini-XLR connector for a total of two, and the Pro is a great upgrade from the original Pocket 6K. It also makes the camera more competitive with Canon C100 Mark II, which has a similar Super-35 sensor, EF mount and built-in ND. The cameras may find different types of shooters attractive, but I know I’ve crossed Canon’s and Blackmagic’s offerings before, especially if I’m not sure what type of project I want to work on.
If you, like me, have been put off by the asterisks and reservations of the original version, the Pro version might be worth a look – especially since all the extra features have a relatively low price premium.