Blackmagic Design has launched an updated version of its Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 adopts some of the benefits of the 6K Pro model. It also retains all the features that made the previous Pocket 6K camera so popular with filmmakers on a budget.
Here are six reasons that you may want to upgrade to the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2.
Tilting screen
Blackmagic has put the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 into the same larger body as the company’s 6K Pro model. One benefit of this is that the touchscreen on the 6K G2 can be tilted up and down, so it’s easy to monitor a shot from any position. It’s a feature common to many other manufacturers’ cameras but has been a long-standing gripe with Blackmagic users that the previous screens were fixed. It’s a big five-inch screen which makes accurate focusing much easier. However, this is the same screen as on the original Pocket 6K, not the brighter screen with the Pro model. The Pocket 6K G2 also drops the built-in ND filters of the Pro model.
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Longer battery life
Like the 6K Pro, the Pocket 6K G2 now uses larger NP-F570 batteries. This means you can shoot longer than the previous model’s LP-E6 batteries. There’s also a locking DC connector, and the AC plug pack can power the camera and charge the battery simultaneously. You can even use the USB-C expansion port to trickle charge the battery from portable battery packs, mobile phone chargers or laptops. As with the 6K Pro, there is an optional battery grip that lets you use an additional two NP-F570 batteries to keep you shooting all day.
Color science
The Pocket 6K G2 has the same Generation 5 color science as Blackmagic’s high-end URSA Mini Pro 12K. You also get a new dynamic 12-bit gamma curve designed to capture more color data in the highlights and shadows. In addition, the Pocket 6K G2 has a 6144 x 3456 Super 35 sensor with 13 stops and dual native ISO up to 25,600. This is the same sensor as the original 6K model. Also, as with the original Pocket 6K, the G2 model has an EF mount.
Optional viewfinder
You can now use Blackmagic Design’s optional viewfinder with the Pocket 6K G2. It attaches to the top of the camera with a single connector. The viewfinder has a 1280 x 960 color OLED display with a four-element glass diopter and a -4 to +4 focus adjustment to correct for your vision. There is also a built-in digital focus chart to help you get a perfect viewfinder focus setup. In addition, the viewfinder has a 70-degree swivel range and comes with four different types of eyecups for both left and right eyes.
Two mini XLR inputs
The larger body of Pocket 6K G2 means that there is room for two mini XLR sockets, up from one on the previous model. The sockets are analog switchable between mics with phantom power support and line level (up to +14dBu). There’s also a 3.5 mm stereo input and 3.5 mm headphone jack. In addition, all audio inputs can also be used for timecode input.
Stabilization
During the product launch video, Blackmagic Design also launched a new version 7.9 camera firmware update. During the presentation, company CEO Grant Petty revealed that the Pocket cameras all contain a motion-sensing gyro. Historically, this was only used for the horizon-leveling feature. However, with the new firmware, the gyro’s camera position data is now recorded as metadata in the BRAW footage files. As such, this data can now be used by the latest version of Davinci Resolve to stabilize your video in post-production. While it is not a substitute for a gimbal, early sample videos look promising. The new firmware also introduced an updated and improved user interface and menu system.
Availability
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 is available now and retails at $1,995. It also comes with a free full DaVinci Resolve Studio license which retails at $295 as a standalone product.