Videomaker - USA (2019-11)

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4 VIDEOMAKER >>> NOVEMBER 2019

by Chris Monlux

Ugly outside,

pretty inside

Blackmagic

Pocket Cinema

Camera 6K

Blackmagic Design

http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/

STRENGTHS

• Affordable Price


• 6K RAW internal capture


• EF lens mount


• Intuitive menu

WEAKNESSES

• Battery life sucks


• 4K is only ProRes


• 6K is Only Blackmagic RAW


• Low-quality build materials

SUMMARY

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cam-

era 6K offers heaps of features at

a reasonable price. However, there

are some major flaws you’ll need to

accept first.

RECOMMENDED USERS

• Documentary Filmmaking and
  Journalism


• Corporate and Event Videography


• Marketing Video Production

Blackmagic Design has updated their

popular Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema

Camera 6K. Priced at $2,495, this new

camera boasts a 6144×3456 Super 35

image sensor and an EF lens mount.

That makes it a cool $1,200 more

expensive than the aggressively priced

Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, which is

currently listed at $1,295.

Blackmagic Design continues to

show its penchant for disruption,

releasing to market the most afford-

able 6K camera available. On the

heels of Panasonic’s announcement

of their own entry-level 6K camera,

the LUMIX S1H, Blackmagic appears

to have the edge with a notably low-

er price. At $4,000 the LUMIX S1H

is $1,500 more

expensive. We’ve

loved Blackmagic

cameras going

all the way back

to the original

Blackmagic Cin-

ema Camera back

in 2012. Every

iteration of the

Pocket Cinema

Camera has been

an incredible

value, but they

always come with

some notable flaws. This new ver-

sion continues that tradition.

Let’s talk details

What Blackmagic has been able to

include in a $2,500 camera is just

short of incredible. The headline

feature is internal capture of 6K

12-bit RAW video to one of three

capture media options: SD, CFast2.

or external SSD via the USB-C port.

The camera also comes with a top

frame rate of 120 frames per second

in 2.8K and options for Black-

magic RAW and ProRes capture.

The camera can also output 10-bit

4:2:2 to an external recorder. It has

a headphone jack and not one but

two audio inputs, though neither are

$2,

REVIEW

full-sized XLR. Last but not least, the

camera uses the EF lens mount.

Design and functionality

While this camera includes some

impressive features, it’s not all rain-

bows. First off, have you ever seen a

camera that’s more unattractive? If

you thought the Blackmagic Pocket

Cinema Camera 4K was a potato, the

6K version is even worse. The size

and shape needed for the EF mount

mean this ugly kid got big nose to

boot. But let’s not be superficial; how

much does the look of the camera

matter? Outside of being inspired by

the aesthetic of the camera — which

shouldn’t be undervalued — the look

of the camera isn’t that big of a deal.

Plus, the camera is small when you

compare it to the original 16-pound

Blackmagic URSA.

Although it would have been cool

for this camera to have one of the

mirrorless lens mounts — we would

pick Sony E mount because of the

wide selection currently available

— EF is a wonderful choice. Sure, it

means there’s a big bump for spacing

a DSLR lens, but the number of EF

lenses available at all price points is a

big strength for a camera that costs so

little in the scheme of things.

Hidden costs

Another quirk for this camera is the

screen. It’s large and touch-sensitive,

but it can’t move. Get in a situation

where there is glare on the screen,

and you get to guess how good your

exposure is. One more note: It’s easy

to change the brightness of the screen,

but it’s not bright enough to overcome

any glare, especially given that the

monitor doesn’t move. Even a little tilt

would make it much more usable. The

solution to this is to get an external

monitor or a hood of some kind. Even

if you go cheap, you’re still talking

about an added cost.

Another pitfall for this camera is the

horrible battery life. Just like the Pocket

6K top resolution

390 R02 BlackMagic PCC 6K.indd 4 9/24/19 1:50 PM

VIDEOMAKER >>> NOVEMBER 2019 5

some notable flaws. This new ver-

sion continues that tradition.

Let’s talk details

What Blackmagic has been able to

include in a $2,500 camera is just

short of incredible. The headline

feature is internal capture of 6K

12-bit RAW video to one of three

capture media options: SD, CFast2.

or external SSD via the USB-C port.

The camera also comes with a top

frame rate of 120 frames per second

in 2.8K and options for Black-

magic RAW and ProRes capture.

The camera can also output 10-bit

4:2:2 to an external recorder. It has

a headphone jack and not one but

two audio inputs, though neither are

okay. The layout of the buttons is ac-

ceptable, though we would have liked

a different feel to each button when

they are next to each other. They

could put a dot on one, two dots on

the next and three on the last — any-

thing to be able to identify the button

by feel. We found ourselves using the

touch menu most of the time, which

fortunately is well-designed.

The menu is great; other

brands should take note

It takes no time to figure out where

everything is in the Blackmagic OS. All

touch function extends into the menu

and is super intuitive. Not only can you

see all of the important settings while

you shoot, but each menu page makes

it easy to navigate to and execute a

function. As an example of the thought-

fulness of the Blackmagic OS, when

formatting media, before it will format,

it has you hold a button for 3 seconds to

confirm the format. Just that little road-

block would keep you from accidentally

destroying your work. As for the rest of

the menu, all of the resolution options

are on one page and then frame rates

are on the next. Plus, instead of offering

a list of features, the layout optimizes

the menu for its full-screen layout.

Like other Blackmagic cameras, the

Pocket Cinema Camera 6K offers all the

shoot assists you need. Frame guides,

safe guides and a grid will all help

perfect your composition. You can also

full-sized XLR. Last but not least, the

camera uses the EF lens mount.

Design and functionality

While this camera includes some

impressive features, it’s not all rain-

bows. First off, have you ever seen a

camera that’s more unattractive? If

you thought the Blackmagic Pocket

Cinema Camera 4K was a potato, the

6K version is even worse. The size

and shape needed for the EF mount

mean this ugly kid got big nose to

boot. But let’s not be superficial; how

much does the look of the camera

matter? Outside of being inspired by

the aesthetic of the camera — which

shouldn’t be undervalued — the look

of the camera isn’t that big of a deal.

Plus, the camera is small when you

compare it to the original 16-pound

Blackmagic URSA.

Although it would have been cool

for this camera to have one of the

mirrorless lens mounts — we would

pick Sony E mount because of the

wide selection currently available

— EF is a wonderful choice. Sure, it

means there’s a big bump for spacing

a DSLR lens, but the number of EF

lenses available at all price points is a

big strength for a camera that costs so

little in the scheme of things.

Hidden costs

Another quirk for this camera is the

screen. It’s large and touch-sensitive,

but it can’t move. Get in a situation

where there is glare on the screen,

and you get to guess how good your

exposure is. One more note: It’s easy

to change the brightness of the screen,

but it’s not bright enough to overcome

any glare, especially given that the

monitor doesn’t move. Even a little tilt

would make it much more usable. The

solution to this is to get an external

monitor or a hood of some kind. Even

if you go cheap, you’re still talking

about an added cost.

Another pitfall for this camera is the

horrible battery life. Just like the Pocket

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K

REVIEW

Cinema Camera

4K, the BMPCC6K

chews through bat-

teries. Make sure

to save a couple

hundred dollars for

extra batteries. You

will need them.

Likewise, in-

ternal 6K RAW is

pretty rad for the

money, but buyer

beware, that is

some heavy data

being created.

You could easily spend more money

on storage than you did to buy the

camera body.

In the end, there has to be some

kind of give and take to achieve such

a value. This is the major question

you should ask yourself about this

camera: Are the drawbacks worth the

affordable price tag?

It looks like a potato —

does it feel like one too?

We joke, but it is pretty ugly, right?

Anyhow, the camera weighs just 1.

pounds, but we still think having

“pocket” in its name is just silly. I

don’t know who has pockets this big,

but maybe Blackmagic should start

transitioning to a new naming con-

vention. The camera is usually wide

and much larger than even a large

DSLR like the Canon 5D MK IV.

In all, we are not impressed with

the build materials compared to any

other mirrorless camera. The lack of

quality is quite evident. The case feels

cheap. There are not a ton of buttons

and the ones it does have are just

Super 35 image sensor

EACH MENU PAGE

MAKES IT EASY TO NAVI-

GATE TO AND EXECUTE

A FUNCTION.

390 R02 BlackMagic PCC 6K.indd 5 9/24/19 1:51 PM