Pumped up to get out and shoot with your brand new Pocket 4K? Well, can’t say we’ve not been there. Every time we get a new camera, we can’t wait to put together a fancy and ergonomic rig, hit the road, and get shooting.
The little sister of the URSA Mini Pro is a beautiful camera, but, as expected from a device in this price range, it lacks in small commodities that make it easier shooting with other rivals with a higher price tag. Arber Baqaj and Voosestore.com have a nice video showcasing the best accessories you can, and in most cases, should buy to pair with your Pocket 4K.
The key to having a good rig is planning ahead. Try to understand what is the most usual scenario you will be working in, and set your rig consequently. A good place, to begin with, will be your lens choice: do you already own some glass? Do you plan on buying some?
Will it be Micro 4/3 or will you adapt other mounts? If you plan on adapting EF or other mounts you can rely on Viltrox adapters. This cheap Chinese rings are using the same principle of the more famous Metabones, meaning they will reduce the crop factor on your sensor.
Unlike other cameras from Blackmagic Design, the Pocket 4K does not have a sturdy metal body, at least on the outside. Instead, it’s shell is made of plastic, and can feel a little too weak, so if you wish to rig your camera up, you can purchase a dedicated cage.
Not only will it offer protection to the camera in case of a fall, but it will also provide various mounting points for accessories. SmallRig makes three cages, one full and two half cages with plenty of accessories. One of them even allows you to mount a V-lock battery to your rig!
Furthermore, the full cage has a nice couple of NATO rails to attach handles on the top and side along with an SSD holder meant for the Samsung T5, although it goes well with other SSDs too. The handle is a very nice touch. In fact, you can get either one that has inside a slot for the SSD or the other one that gives you a better grip on the camera.
It’s worth noting that one of the half cages has a quick release plate, so if you need to change rig and maybe mount your camera on a gimbal, this could be a nice solution. Otherwise, if you’re headed for a more classical rig, you can add a couple of rails with the mounting accessory under the camera itself. There’s a single rod clamp you can mount on the cages that allows you to attach a single rod on the front in case you want to accommodate a follow focus system for further convenience.
The screen on the camera is beautiful but has the unfortunate problem of being fixed. You can solve that easily, in fact, there are many small field monitors that can be mounted on top: here we are looking to the Atomos Shinobi and the FeelWorld FW279. The first one is 5″, touch panel with fantastic brightness.
The second one is a little bit bigger, it’s a 7-inch and is also extremely bright. Not straightforward as the Shinobi and (more important) very power hungry. Do keep always a battery to spare. In case you don’t like your monitors and prefer a viewfinder, you could always opt for the FeelWorld E350 EVF, small and sturdy and exactly what you need to pull focus in bright light.
There are a couple of accessories that come directly from Blackmagic Design, and those are mainly cables. You have the cable that goes straight to a D-Tap connector from the camera and some other cable options.
Interesting to note, since the camera is so small, many will have it often on a gimbal. If you do not already own one, consider the Moza Air 2. Lightweight and efficient, it even has a power output to charge the camera while shooting.
Ultimately, you can find the full list of the accessories showcased in the video below.
[source: Voosestore.com]
Order Links:
- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (B&H)
- Viltrox EF-M2 0.71x Lens Mount Adapter (B&H, Amazon)
- Atomos Shinobi 5.2″ 4K HDMI Monitor (B&H, Amazon)
- FeelWorld 7″ 4K Ultra-Bright Monitor (B&H, Amazon)
- FeelWorld E350 EVF ( Amazon)
- SmallRig 2203 Full Cage for BMPCC 4K (B&H, Amazon)
- SmallRig Half Cage for BMPCC 4K (B&H, Amazon)
- SmallRig Quick Release Half Cage for BMPCC 4K (B&H, Amazon)
- SmallRig 15mm Single Rod Clamp (B&H)
- Smallrig Nato Handle (B&H)
- SmallRig 1846 V-Lock Assembly Kit (B&H)
- SmallRig DSLR Monitor Holder with NATO Clamp (B&H, Amazon)
- Smallrig Nato Handle for BMPCC 4K (B&H)
- SmallRig Samsung T5 SSD Mount (B&H, Amazon)
- Samsung 1TB T5 Portable Solid-State Drive (B&H, Amazon)
- Moza Air 2 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer (B&H, Amazon)
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate partner and participant in B&H and Adorama Affiliate programmes, we earn a small comission from each purchase made through the affiliate links listed above at no additional cost to you.
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