http://www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2019 DIGITAL CAMERA^115
6K is never going to be a cinema
or broadcast standard – so why is
Blackmagic making a 6K camera? The
simple answer: versatility and quality.
Shooting at a higher resolution gives
you more scope to play about with your
footage, crop in a bit, or apply digital
stabilisation if needed, for example.
The benefit in image quality is a
no-brainer. 4K footage downsampled
to Full HD looks richer than native Full
HD footage, and the principle stands
with 6K capture downsampled to 4K
footage. Naturally, with 8K on the
horizon and several TVs sporting the
resolution expected in the near future,
6K capture will also look better than 4K
capture when it’s scaled up, so there’s
an element of future-proofing involved.
One point worth noting is that there’s
no in-body stabilisation on the Pocket
Cinema Camera 6K, so if you plan
on shooting handheld, be sure to
use a gimbal or a stabilised lens.
Build and handling
Sporting a virtually identical design
to that of its predecessor, everything
about the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema
6K is familiar if you’re coming from
4The rear display
presents widescreen
video at Full HD
resolution, but the
display is not tiltable.
5The rear buttons
handle focus-check,
High Frame Rate,
menu and playback
responsibilities.
6
A two-pin connector
accepts mains power
when you’re using
the Pocket Cinema
6K in a studio.7
The mini XLR port
greatly extends the
variety of audio
sources the Pocket
Cinema 6K supports.The familiar red
stripe of a Canon EF
lens, fitted without
need of an adaptor.654Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K Video camera
the 4K model – for better or worse. It’s
got the same excellent array of ports,
but with a retro look and plastic build.
Its bulbous body features a
combination of textures, with a ribbed
grip for a secure hold, which extends
around the back by way of the card
slot. The rest is a matte plastic – and
the Pocket Cinema 6K does rather feel
like a toy until you put a giant lens on it.
The camera has buttons on the top
for recording and 6K stills capture
(RAW) as well as ISO, shutter angle
(shutter speed) and white balancecontrols. Three handy customisable
function buttons are also in easy
reach, along with the power switch.
While many might complain about the
lack of an articulating screen, the Full HD
capacitive touchscreen on the back of
the Pocket Cinema 6K is sensational
compared with the smaller displays
on much of the competition. It measures
in at five inches, is highly responsive
and showcases Blackmagic OS, the
company’s proprietary interface.
While audio can be fed in via the 3.5mm
microphone input – ideal for run-and-gun
Røde mic scenarios – the mini XLR port
is the pro port of choice, complete with
Phantom Power support. This is the type of
connector that plays nicely with everything
from wireless mics through to concert hall
audio rigs, adding a considerable amount
of audio clout to the Pocket Cinema 6K.Performance
Blackmagic hasn’t included continuous
autofocus in either of its Pocket Cinema
cameras. The lack of an built-in ND filter
also means if you need to swap between
shooting indoors and outdoors at a
moment’s notice regularly, you’ll
have to fit an ND filter to the lens.
It’s also worth noting that when shooting
in Blackmagic RAW, the footage has to be
ingested by Davinci Resolve. At the time of
going to press, Final Cut does not support
Blackmagic RAW, and while the AutoKroma
Braw Studio plugin will allow you to import
and edit your .braw footage directly and
natively in Premiere Pro, that’s only for
the Windows version. Otherwise, you will
need to shoot ProRes, which caps out at 4K.
That said, the Pocket Cinema 6K
captures fantastic-quality video that
looks sensationally cinematic and flat.
Skin tones look rich and nuanced, and
the dynamic range the 6K can capture
is stellar for the price. Basil KronfliDigital Camera verdict
When it comes to entry-level video cameras that
punch way above their weight, the Blackmagic
Pocket Cinema 4K and 6K models are the best
around. Neither camera is perfect, but the things
they can’t do are far outweighed by what they can.5.0 A best in class product
Features4.0Build &
handling4.5Performance5.0Value5.067