With Sony having teased a new cinema camera launch next week, it seems Blackmagic Design is sneaking in a new product ahead of Sony’s announcement with its updated Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro.
Starting at $2,500, the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro costs $500 more than the previous model, and in exchange for that extra cash, the big upgrade on the BMPCC 6K Pro is a new HDR rear display that now tilts out (instead of being locked in place) and tops out at an impressive 1,500 nits of brightness.
Aside from the new display, the BMPCC 6K Pro also comes with a new built-in IR ND filter to help users better control their footage’s exposure, with the camera able to block 2, 4, or 6 stops of light. And to help to ensure the camera doesn’t run out of juice, the BMPCC 6K Pro now supports larger NP-570 batteries, with Blackmagic having also made an optional $145 Battery Pro Grip that can hold another two NP-F570 batteries, delivering up to 3 hours of recording time.
And while it’s not part of the BMPCC 6K Pro’s stock config, Blackmagic also made a $500 optional 3.68 million dot OLED EVF that can tilt up and down up to 70 degrees.
Elsewhere, the BMPCC 6K Pro is pretty much the same as the previous model, with the camera’s dual native ISO 6K sensor (6144 x 3456) still offering up to 13 stops of dynamic range, a 25,600 max ISO, and 6K/60 fps video recording (or 120 fps at 2K). Port selection also remains unchanged, with the BMPCC 6K Pro featuring USB-C, a full-size HDMI port, dual mini XLR ports, and separate headphone and mic jacks.
The only real problem for Blackmagic is that next week, Sony is expected to launch its take on a portable cinema camera in the FX3, which is rumored to support native 8K video capture. However, with the cost of the FX3 still TBA, ultimately choosing between the BMPCC 6K Pro and the Sony FX3 will probably come down to pricing and how invested people are in a specific ecosystem.