While not technically a “Pocket” camera, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K is one of the biggest new developments for the series with its nearly identical form factor and full-frame 6K sensor.
This has been rumored for a quite a bit and it is nice to see that this is the approach the Blackmagic took with the camera. Besides going with L-Mount, most of your existing accessories should work. And pretty much any lens can be easily adapted.
One of the lucky few to go hands on with the new camera is Matteo Bertoli who was particularly interested in seeing how it handles low-light environments since that new full-frame sensor should provide notable improvements in that area.
Color rendering and overall handling of the image is similar to Blackmagic’s existing cameras. This means that LUTs and the look should be similar to what you are already familiar with. This is a good thing considering the most recent color science looks great.
During the golden hour shooting you can see a beautiful rendering of the warm tones and colors as well as good dynamic range with the sunset in the background. The camera will shoot open gate 6K as well for extra versatility in post or working with anamorphic lenses.
Image Credit: Blackmagic Design
The new sensor design features a custom-designed low-pass filter that should minimize the risk of moire in your footage. Unfortunately, it does mean that the Cinema Camera 6K doesn’t have the ND filters of the Pocket 6K Pro and still lacks in-body image stabilization.
Gyro data is recorded for stabilization in Resolve and that looks good in the sample footage. He uses a 90mm handheld with ease.
Heading out into the actual night will be a test of sensor performance. He is actually shooting at a relatively modest ISO 1250 for the initial tests since he is able to get a fair bit of light from the environment.
With these conditions, he is able to get some clean footage, even in the darkest areas which are a deep black.
Image Credit: Blackmagic Design
Bumping up the ISO he does see some noise come in around ISO 3200. Beyond that you will still get noise though you can head up to ISO 6400 if you need it which is useful.
The noise is easy to remove, too. With a touch of noise reduction this footage cleans up well.
It is a good look at some footage from the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K in a less controlled environment. The camera looks good, which probably isn’t too surprising at this point.
It’s definitely a nice option at this price point if you are looking to build a new cinema camera kit.
Image Credit: Blackmagic Design
What do you think about how the new Blackmagic full-frame camera handles itself?
[source: Matteo Bertoli]
Order Links:
- Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K (B&H)
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