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full screenprintcontentsfull screenprint6 VIDEOMAKER >>> NOVEMBER 2019
Lens Mount: Active EF mount
Dynamic Range: 13 Stops
Dual Native ISO: 400 and 3200
Shooting Resolutions- 6144 x 3456 (6K) up to 50 fps
- 6144 x 2560 (6K 2.4:1) up to 60 fps
- 5744 x 3024 (5.7K 17:9) up to 60 fps
- 4096 x 2160 (4K DCI) up to 60 fps
- 3840 x 2160 (Ultra HD) up to 60 fps
- 3728 x 3104 (3.7K 6:5 anamorphic)
up to 60 fps - 2868 x 1512 (2.8K 17:9) up to 120 fps
- 1920 x 1080 (HD) up to 120 fps
Frame Rates - Maximum sensor frame rate
dependent on resolution and codec
selected. Project frame rates of
23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and
60 fps supported. - Off-speed frame rates up to 60 fps
in 6K 2.4:1, 120 fps in 2.8K 17:9 and
1080HD.
Focus: Auto focus available using
compatible lenses.
Screen: 5" 1920 x 1080 LCD capaci-
tive touchscreen.
Video Outputs: 1 x HDMI Type A
TECH SPECSpreview film dynamic range with a LUT
applied, and the camera has zebras,
focus-assist, a histogram and false color.
Additionally, the BMPCC6K has
three different custom function but-
tons, though they can only be set to
control shoot assists, preview LUT
on/off, guides and toggling off-speed
frame rate, the camera’s high frame
rate mode.Three ways to capture
Depending on your workflow and more
importantly your budget, the Pocket
Cinema Camera 6K has a different
capture medium solution. The mostcost-effective option is to record to
an external SSD. However, this can’t
capture all resolution and compression
options. SD cards cost a bit more per
gigabyte than SSDs, but they are the
most common choice. Because of the
data rate, it’s likely that one would need
a new card with faster write speeds.
Blackmagic has a very accurate list
of supported media. We tested a few
cards that were not on the list but had
the same read and write speeds as
supported cards — they couldn’t keep
up. Even if the specs on the card say
it will work, it might not. Check with
Blackmagic before investing.Media for capturing
Blackmagic RAW Q0 at
6K60 doesn’t exist yet
The camera gives you a lot of options
when it comes to bitrate. The top op-
tion is 483 MB/s in Blackmagic RAW
Q0 in 6K. The lowest available bitrate
is 5.6 MB/s when shooting HD in
ProRes Proxy.
However, CFast2.0 is the only media
type currently available that can cap-
ture 6K 60 fps in RAW, and even then
only at the 5:1, 8:1 and 12:1 settings
for constant bitrate or the Q5 setting
for constant quality. There is no sup-
ported media for shooting in 3:1 or QAnalog Audio Inputs: 1 x mini XLR
analog switchable between mic with
phantom power support and line
level (up to +14dBu). 1 x 3.5mm Ste-
reo Input. Can also be used for Time-
code input.
Analog Audio Outputs: 1 x 3.5mm
headphone jack.
Computer Interface: USB Type-C for
external drive recording and software
updates.
Microphone: Integrated stereo
microphone.
Ultra HD Video Standards:
2160p23.98, 2160p24, 2160p25,
2160p29.97, 2160p30, 2160p50,
2160p59.94, 2160p60.
4K DCI Standards: 4KDCIp23.98,
4KDCIp24, 4KDCIp25, 4KDCIp29.97,
4KDCIp30, 4KDCIp50, 4KDCIp59.94,
4KDCIp60.
Media: 1 x CFast card slot, 1 x SD
UHS-II card slot, 1 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1
expansion port for Blackmagic RAW
and ProRes Recording.
Supported Codecs- Blackmagic RAW Constant Bitrate
3:1, 5:1, 8:1, 12:- Blackmagic RAW Constant Quality
Q0, Q5, - ProRes 422 HQ QuickTime,
- ProRes 422 QuickTime,
- ProRes 422 LT QuickTime,
- ProRes 422 Proxy QuickTime.
Recording Formats - Blackmagic RAW 3:1, 5:1, 8:1, 12:1,
Q0 and Q5 at 6144 x 3456, 6144 x
2560, 5744 x 3024, 3728 x 3104 and
2868 x 1512 with film, extended
video, video dynamic range or
custom 3D LUT embedded in meta-
data. - ProRes at 4096 x 2160, 3840 x
2160 and 1920 x 1080with film,
extended video or video dynamic
range or custom 3D LUT.
Power Supply: 1 x External 12V
power supply.
External Power Input: 1 x 2-pin
locking connector.
Battery Type: Canon LP-E6.
Battery Life: Approximately 45 min-
utes (recording 6K RAW at 24 fps to
CFast 2.0 with screen brightness at
50%)
Power: 12V-20V.
- Blackmagic RAW Constant Quality
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K
REVIEW390 R02 BlackMagic PCC 6K.indd 6 9/24/19 2:53 PMTouch-enabled rear displayVIDEOMAKER >>> NOVEMBER 2019 7
Media for capturing
Blackmagic RAW Q0 at
6K60 doesn’t exist yet
The camera gives you a lot of options
when it comes to bitrate. The top op-
tion is 483 MB/s in Blackmagic RAW
Q0 in 6K. The lowest available bitrate
is 5.6 MB/s when shooting HD in
ProRes Proxy.
However, CFast2.0 is the only media
type currently available that can cap-
ture 6K 60 fps in RAW, and even then
only at the 5:1, 8:1 and 12:1 settings
for constant bitrate or the Q5 setting
for constant quality. There is no sup-
ported media for shooting in 3:1 or QRAW at the highest resolution with the
highest frame rate of 6K 60fps.
Though the need for most to shoot
6K at 60fps in Blackmagic RAW Q0 is
pretty low, this is yet another example
of Blackmagic releasing a camera with
features that can not be utilized until
the media catches up. Why even offer
these features? Wouldn’t it be better
to release them at a later date with a
firmware update when media exists to
support that feature?Other recording
limitations
The benefit to a camera designed for
video is you don’t have to deal with re-
cord time limits. What you will have to
worry about, though, is running out of
space on your media. The camera will
switch over to the next media option
when one is full; however, you will be
bouncing around between different
kinds of media. You might not want
to buy two SD cards, but rather an SD
card and a Cfast2.0 card or SSD.
Additionally, although you can
capture proxy quality video, you can
not capture it alongside a more robust
codec unless you capture using an
external recording device at the same
time. Sure, you can make proxies
during the post-production workflow,
but not all proxies are used for easing
the load on an editor — they might be
for dailies or a myriad of other niche
uses. In those cases, in-camera proxy
recording would be useful.
Also, at the time of our testing, you
needed to transcode your BlackmagicRAW footage using DaVinci Resolve if
you wanted to work in any other edit-
ing software. And if you want to shoot
in 6K, you must capture in Black-
magic RAW. Transcoding with DaVinci
Resolve isn’t difficult, and since the
camera comes with DaVinci Resolve
16 Studio, you have the full rendering
output for whatever you create.
However, Blackmagic Design recent-
ly announced Blackmagic RAW 1.5,
which is available as a free download
from the Blackmagic Design website.
The update includes official plug-ins to
allow Blackmagic RAW to be natively
read and edited by Adobe Premiere
Pro and Avid Media Composer, with
complete access to all of the metadata
capabilities that come with the codec.
This should resolve our original gripe.
Finally, if you
shoot in 4K, you
won’t get to use
RAW. All 4K cap-
ture is in ProRes
up to HQ only.How does
the final
image look?
Right off the bat,
the image looks
great. And it
should if you are
going to all theeffort to capture in 6K RAW. However,
the best part is that, since there is very
little demand for 6K delivery, you are
able to downsample the image. This
will make any noise smaller, reduc-
ing its impact on the composition as
a whole. The result is an image that
looks sharper and emphasizes the
many more colors captured. Plus, it
allows you to zoom in without resolu-
tion loss when delivering in 4K or HD.
For the last year or so, whenever
a camera is released, the most asked
about feature is 4K 60 fps internal
capture. No need to worry, because
the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K can
shoot 60 fps in both 4K ProRes and
6K RAW. However, for each available
resolution, there is a corresponding
crop when shooting in RAW. Although
you can capture 2.8K RAW at 120fps,
it has a significant crop — 3.388x to
be exact. The effective focal length of
a 35mm lens with the crop factor is a
118mm. Without image stabilization,
regardless of the focal length of the
lens, the image is going to be very dif-
ficult to keep stable.13 stops of dynamic range
Blackmagic doesn’t call their log
profile log, instead dubbing the option
dynamic range selection. There are
three different dynamic range set-
tings: film, extended video and video.Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K
REVIEWLimited button selection390 R02 BlackMagic PCC 6K.indd 7 9/24/19 2:07 PM