Just when the competition started to catch up – BlackMagic went and released a 6K camera for about $3000.
The announcement of the BlackMagic Pocket 4K was huge news for the industry. Never before has the ability to record 4K RAW been so cheap to come by. In fact, the BlackMagic Pocket 4K at just under $2000 was about $1000 cheaper than Sony’s a7s mkii.
Not only was it cheaper, but instead of being forced to be shoot your videos in MP4 and no faster than 30fps in 4K, the BlackMagic Pocket 4K was just another level entirely, shooting 4K in DCI and RAW up to 60fps.
So given the fact that the 4K was an industry shock, the release of the 6K Pocket only months later nearly gave us all a heart attack.
6K DCI RAW in up to 60fps. It can record internally to SD/C-Fast cards or externally to a fast enough SSD. What… the?
Not only can it record with such quality in such ridiculous resolutions and frame rates, but it’s no bigger than 3 iPhones stacked on top of each other. Fitting that kind of technology into such a small package can’t come without downfalls though, unfortunately. The lack of internal NDs is noticeable if you’re used to working with Sony cinema cameras or even the BlackMagic URSA. Unfortunately the fact that it runs off Canon LP Batteries is also a massive downfall as they don’t last long shooting in 6K Raw. Yes, you can externally power it if you want to invest in V-Lock batteries or other expensive battery systems, but when you invest in a camera you want the ability to just grab it and “Run-And-Gun”. And when you’ve got wires coming out everywhere to external power and external SSDs, you could be restricted from doing that without setting it up on an expensive set of rails.
So whilst the BlackMagic 6K Pocket is a fantastic camera with insane capabilities, I really feel as though to get the most out of this camera – you still need to spend heavily once you’ve purchased it. Whether it be V-Lock batteries, external SSDs, rails or Variable NDs or Matteboxes – pretty soon, you’re going to be forced to invest.
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