The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Just Got A Lot More Affordable
Blackmagic Design's popular Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K is getting a price cut, with $500 being trimmed off the EF mount shooter. Announced back in August last year, the most recent addition to Blackmagic's range built on the existing Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, with higher resolution and an EF mount for lenses.
That, the company said at the time, addressed the most frequent feature request from enthusiasts. The original 4K camera – which remains on sale – has a Micro Four Thirds mount, but would-be users wanted compatibility with lenses available for the Canon EOS and other third-party glass.
Now, the price gap between the two cameras is getting narrower. The original 4K camera remains at $1,295, but the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K is now $1,995 rather than the $2,495 it launched at. The company says that's in part a response to increased demand from people looking to set up home broadcast studios.
In fact, it dovetails nicely with some other recent Blackmagic announcements. Earlier this month the company revealed its newest ATEM Mini Pro switcher model, designed to work with the HDMI output of a camera – like the Pocket Cinema Camera – and give physical controls for adjusting that video feed. Plugged into a computer meanwhile, the camera appears as a USB webcam for easier configuration with streaming apps like Zoom and Skype.
A software update for the cameras, released at the same time meanwhile, allows the ATEM Mini to remotely control their settings. That includes using the recording light as a tally light, so that in multi-camera setups it's easier to see which is live. There's also remote adjustment of things like black level, color tint, focus, gain, and shutter speed, while the camera can also be set to record a full-resolution version of the video for post-production later on.
Otherwise, this is the same camera that has built up a vocal fanbase since its launch. The Super 35 sensor, larger than the original model, now captures at up to 6144 x 3456 resolution. It also supports up to 13 stops of dynamic range. The support for EF photographic lenses offers a broader variety of glass options, including those with much shallower depth-of-field. That could help mask the untidy background of your room while you're streaming.
The new pricing of the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K takes effect today, both from Blackmagic itself and through resellers. The ATEM Mini, meanwhile, is priced from $295, while the ATEM Mini Pro is from $595.