Blackmagic Design enters full-frame and L-mount arena with new Cinema Camera 6K
Blackmagic Design, known for its high quality cinema cameras and broadcast gear, has just introduced the Cinema Camera 6K, featuring the first full-frame – and largest – sensor in its lineup. Another first with this camera is the use of an L-mount, which opens it up to an excellent selection of lenses from Leica, Panasonic and Sigma, and makes Blackmagic the latest member of the L-Mount Alliance. The Cinema Camera 6K has a portable and self-contained design, but also enough connections to support custom rigs.
The new 36 x 24mm, 6K 6048 x 4032 sensor is almost three times larger than the Super 35 sensors found in most other Blackmagic cameras, which enables shallower depth of field and a range of cinematic aspect ratios, from the full 3:2 open gate to anamorphic 6:5 to the classic Super 35. It also has a very wide dynamic range of 13 stops for capturing more details even in very bright or dark parts of the scene, and low noise at up to ISO 25,600. Frame rates range from up to 36 fps in 6K, 60 fps in 4.8K and 120 fps in 1080p HD.
The Cinema Camera 6K can be used standalone and handheld, thanks to its lightweight carbon fiber composite body, a multifunction handgrip with dedicated quick-settings buttons, four built-in shockproof microphones, and a very bright, tilting 5-inch HDR touchscreen. An optional viewfinder accessory can be added for US$500, as can a battery grip that extends shooting time to 3 hours. Files can be saved either to an internal CFexpress card (another first for Blackmagic) or to an external SSD via USB-C. Other external connections include a 3.5 mm headphone jack, dual XLRs for professional microphones, ethernet control via USB-C, a full HDMI port and a 12V DC power inlet.
While plenty of mirrorless cameras from Sony, Nikon, Canon, etc. are capable of capturing 6K and even 8K video, those are very much geared towards still photography in terms of specs and user-controls. For those exclusively looking to shoot professional-quality video, only a dedicated cinema camera can suffice. Sure, the likes of Canon EOS R5C and Sony Alpha FX3 are comparable, but at close to US$4000, none of them can match the incredible value offered by the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K, which is available now for US$2595 at select online resellers.
Buy the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Bundle on Amazon
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