After many murmurings, rumours and high expectation, Blackmagic Design has finally announced their new Pocket Cinema Camera 4K camera

Featuring a new handheld design, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K hosts a 4/3 sensor giving 4096 x 2160 resolution and delivering 13 stops of dynamic range and gives dual native ISO up to 25,600. The combination of these elements means that you should be able to get striking HDR images and the low light performance promises to be excellent.

The new camera’s external controls give speedy access to primary functions, while its big [5 inch] touchscreen makes it simple to frame shots, focus accurately and change the camera’s settings.

Images can be saved to either standard SD/UHS-II or CFast 2.0 cards in RAW and ProRes at up to 120 frames per second; in addition, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has an MFT [micro four thirds] lens mount, built-in microphones, mini XLR input, full sized HDMI, 3D LUT support, Bluetooth, and USB-C Expansion Port.

Small body – big value

The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K promises to deliver all of the pro features you could need, all encompassed in a portable design that can be used [practically] anywhere. Potentially perfect for shooting indie films, documentaries, travel blogs, weddings, corporate videos, sport etc, the sharp image quality, advanced Blackmagic Design colour science and RAW recording features should allow users to shoot images that rival pro digital film cameras that cost tens of thousands more.

Portable & expandable design

The portable/handheld design of the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K promises incredible mobility without the need to sacrifice quality shooting features. The camera’s compact form factor features a carbon fibre reinforced [composite] body that makes it both tough and lightweight.

Accommodating a super bright 5” screen, 4 built-in microphones, built-in recorders mean that the user can quickly check framing and focus, capture audio and record files without having to carry around extra monitors, microphones, recorders and cables. There are also plenty of mounting points, a mini XLR input including phantom power, Bluetooth control and more.

Micro four-thirds lens mount

The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K uses the same MFT [Micro Four Thirds] lens mount as the original Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera so users can carry on using the lenses already in their kit bag. The MFT lens mount was designed specifically for smaller camera bodies with shorter flange focal distance. This means you can buy/rent high-quality professional lenses that are much smaller than regular movie lenses. The MFT mount is extremely flexible and allows for different lens adapters, such as those from MTF Services. You can use adapters for PL, C, EF and more, so you can use lenses from manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Veydra, Leica and even Panavision.

Expansion Port

The new camera features a high-speed USB-C Expansion Port. USB-C is fast, flexible and even provides power, so it’s quickly becoming standard on all modern computers and devices. The massive bandwidth of USB-C makes it possible to connect external accessories such as flash drives and SSDs, giving significantly longer recording times. This can be important when shooting high quality lossless 12-bit RAW or even high frame rate 60 frame per second 4K.

Pricing and availability

Available now, the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has been announced during the NAB event in Las Vegas at a price of $1,295, which Google’s currency converter tells us is £916.60 although UK pricing is TBC.