Blackmagic Pocket 6K

I’m going to be talking about my Blackmagic pocket cinema camera 6k rig which is the best budget cinema camera in 2022 and why it’s been the favorite camera over the past years. I will just be going to talk about the pros and cons of the Blackmagic Pocket 6K and why I think this is a great camera to potentially look at if you’re looking at buying a new camera in 2022.

So, the main reason why many photographers switched to Blackmagic over other cinema cameras is that other cinema cameras will cost you much more than 6K cost. So, if you think that you will get a better image quality maybe they’re not gonna offer a better image.

Of course, 6K has some limitations like many other cameras out there this camera, unfortunately, does not have great battery life, as most cinema cameras do not have a focus puller. It does not have an articulating screen it also takes up a lot of storage because it’s 6k raw footage and you need to invest in an SSD 1 terabyte drive.

So the previous model 4K has been an incredible video camera the image out of it was gorgeous and that hasn’t changed. The Blackmagic 6K is built upon the Pocket 4K with the same body size, quality with some major changes.

the question is is it worth upgrading over the 4k or 6k pocket 6k is quite a bit better than the 4k version compared to the 4k so much of 6K is identical to the 4k. If you want to know all about things like button layouts displays menu audio quality USB type-c ports selecting the proper iso for the dynamic range you can definitely stay to the end.

There are so many cameras out in 2021 as the Canon eos R5, Canon EOS R6, Sony Alpha A7S III, Red komodo 6K, RED Dragon 6K camera, and with so many new cameras out there does the Blackmagic Pocket 6K even worth being in the market. Well after testing and making some shots and a couple of environments I want to share with you my honest opinion.

After the original Blackmagic Pocket 6K was released in August of 2019 the price difference was never quite enough for me to move from the 4K to the 6K just because of what you get for your money.

One thing that Blackmagic has always tried to do with the pocket series is one of the best cinema cameras that comes with an elegant design and amazing performance to enhance your filmmaking experience to the next level.

I was very excited about the Blackmagic Pocket 6K after I use it and made some shots I was waiting for Blackmagic to release their next pocket cinema camera Blackmagic 6K Pro.

Disclosure: Some of the links on this site are affiliate links, meaning that if you click on one of the links and purchase an item, I may receive a commission. All opinions however are my own.

1. Performance

• the Pocket 6K is able to record 6K up to 60 frames per second.

• this camera records at 6144 x 3456 which is in the 16:9 aspect ratio.

With a native 6k resolution it features dual native iso up to 200 to 6000 so that you experience better quality video even in extremely low light conditions.

But if you want to record in 60 frames per second you need to downscale the Pocket 6K resolution a bit to 6114 by 2560, which is the 2.4:1 aspect ratio. In this way, you are able to record in 60 frames per second.

this camera is specially designed for videographers so if you want to get the highest quality with this camera you have to record in the raw format because in this format you can record in 6k using the entire sensor at a maximum of 50 frames per second.

you can record in 4k DCI cinema standard digital at 60 frames per second in 4k ultra HD at sixteen ninths a maximum of 50 fps and in full HD a maximum of 120 frames per second.

In comparison with 4K, the pocket 4K in DCI 4k is 3 to 1 at 30 P is 135 megabytes per second.

this camera features a locking dc power connector with this, you never have to worry about losing power in the middle of your shoe made from lightweight carbon fiber polycarbonate composite.

it features a multi-function handgrip with all control for recordings white balance and further angles right at your fingertips which is very convenient for your shoe.

Blackmagic Pocket 6K Specs

• records to SD or CFast storage cards
• uses an active Canon EF lens mount
• shoots b-raw as well as prores
• shoots raw video format
• record 6K up to 60 frames per second

2. Image Quality

When I first used the camera I was completely blown away by the image quality which was one of my most important parts. I really like the colors coming out of the Blackmagic 6K even sometimes when I was doing certain shots I was getting amazing results but not every time. I couldn’t really get the great results that I was getting with other cameras.

the image quality was the noise for me it does feature dual native iso but I found that after I want to raise the ISO and we’re not the results really weren’t great. But anyway Blackmagic pocket cinema camera 6k footage still looks absolutely amazing, especially coming from Blackmagic 6K.

3. Pocket 6K Body

There’s no question that the Blackmagic 6K is obviously the smaller of the other in at just two pounds for the body only.

the overall body is the most talked about thing about the camera because there are three buttons on the top of the camera with the on/off switch directly, next to them, those buttons can be changed to any function that you want.

• Also, has an ISO a shutter, a white balance button, a record button on top, and a photo button.

In terms of the physical features of the 6K under the record, the button is one of the two microphones that are on the front of this camera. These microphones are great for the internal camera, there are a number of different audio connections that you can use on this camera.

There are tally lights in the top right corner to know when the camera is recording and when it is not.

• On the handle side, there are card slots, an SD card slot as well as AC fast card slot.

Around the connection side of the camera at the top, there is a 3.5 millimeter microphone jack, underneath of that there is a headphone jack and then directly to that, there is an HDMI port, USB C port for recording to an SSD. Directly next to the USB C port there is 12 volt connector and at the bottom is a miniature XLR connector.

On the back of the camera is located a giant touchscreen, and then on the right, there is an auto iris button and focus button. Underneath the focus button, there is HFR which is the high frame rate button if you want to record in two different frame rates, so under the zoom button, there is a menu button that will bring the menu up.

4. LCD screen

Pocket 6K has five-inch 1080P screen which is the most attractive part of the Blackmagic. If you want to get the most accurate display of colors, I recommend purchasing a color-accurate external monitor such as the Atomos Ninja V.

In comparison with the previous version Pocket, 4K both have a 5-inch screen with one with a brutal menu I think there is just a difference in price and they are the same bodies they have better functions one with the other we have the two cameras literally in the same body, both of them are exactly the same size, the only thing that changes is the mount.

5. Build Quality

I notice that it feels quite a bit different than any other professional camera, the plastic on the body camera feels cheap, but it’s actually made out of a carbon fiber material, so it’s mean a lot stronger.

6. Pocket 6K Menu

the menu is the best part that I have ever seen it has so many options it’s intuitive and everything is right there. the amount of options is absolute bliss pocket 6K is the best that I have ever seen in any kind of camera because of displaying it on the external screen.

Having so many different memory card options like c fast, it does feature an external timecode, sd cards, or external ssds over usbc. There are so many different compression options with Blackmagic 6K specs something that missing on other cameras. Also, the Bluetooth app that comes with the 6K is the best that I’ve ever seen on any camera.

I notice that even Canon C300 Mark III doesn’t even have an app.

7. Pocket 6K Battery Life

the Pocket 6K does not have great battery life actually this camera does suffer from really bad battery life on the 6K and the 4K models it uses Canon lp E6’s roughly 2 000 milliamp-hour which aren’t the best batteries for this specific camera, especially on the 6K because it draws so much power.

In comparison, the 6k Pro has the Sony NPF 570 batteries instead roughly 3 500 milliamp hours.

Blackmagic Design says the pocket 6K can last 45 minutes per one battery but I notice that I needed to switch them out every 20 to 30 minutes.

Blackmagic actually allows you to use Canon LP-E6 but there’s a port on the side that allows you to hook this up to a V-Mount battery so you can shoot for longer periods of times.

8. Blackmagic 6K Sensor

Pocket 6K features a super 35 full frame sensor almost 80% bigger than Blackmagic 4K that uses Four Thirds (4/3) HDR sensor the Super 35 sensor does offer a little bit more light on the sensor than the previous model 4K which offers things like shallow depth of field maybe a little bit better in low light.

This camera has a super 35 sensor, a Canon EF mount on the front side, shoots raw video format and it also uses the canon l PE 6n batteries with a touch screen on the back.

with the super 35 sensors and ef lens mount, you can use larger photographic lenses to create cinematic images with a shallower depth of field, allowing creative defocused backgrounds and gorgeous effects.

it has a 20 megapixel super 35 mm Sensor so each frame of the videos that this camera records would be equivalent to make a with a 20 megapixel psc camera.

But the resolution is not everything and obviously, with this camera, you are going to have incredible quality and is capable of recording video in black root format.

So it isn’t really feasible to use for many photographers but you can adapt any lens to it. While the 4k has a four-third sensor improved with a speed booster at 0.64.

• it’s an excel 0.64 speed booster that reduces the native crop factor from 1.9 to 1.2 1.3.

Pocket 6K can shoot 6K at up to 50 frames per second, and up to 60 frames at the wider aspect ratio. For its price 50 frames at 6K is crazy impressive for the pocket 6K as for the quality of the 6K resolution, it’s awesome.

• so the quality of the pixel 6K has a crop factor of 1.58, which is closer to like an APSC camera.

The difference between these two cameras is the field of view and the crop without any kind of modifications. The 6K has a crop of a little over 1.5 times which is normal because of its super 35-millimeter sensor but pocket 4K has a Micro Four Thirds sensor and it’s going to have a crop of just under two times.

These cameras use different sensors so they react slightly differently when it comes to color. I have found the pocket 6k to be better than the pocket 4k.

It plays nicer when it comes to skin tones and kind of that red region of the camera’s color. I also found that white balance seems to be more accurate on pocket 6K.

9. Pocket 6K low-light Performance

With Blackmagic design pocket cinema camera 6k low light its dual native ISO when filming at 3200 ISO, it produces less noise, in terms of low-light they both have dual native ISO capabilities and if you have to pick between them the 6k is better when it comes to low-light.

But when you use Pocket 4k in speed boosters it’s gaining light hitting the sensor which helps a lot with low-light.

10. Slow Motion

Pocket 6K record to slow motion at 120 frames per second at 2.8k resolution at 17 ninths but you can also record in format pro res with a somewhat depth less than 10 bits.

11. lens mount

I realize that Blackmagic uses Canon EF mount on the new Pocket 6K which is a huge plus.

12. Blackmagic Pocket 6K Shutter

I realized that Pocket 6K does have really bad rolling shutter because while working on it most of the stuff is more locked off that’s what I found. This feature is not a huge point but if you’re doing stuff like fast-paced filming it does have really bad rolling shutter issues.

13. Blackmagic 6K Image Quality

Pocket 6K produces such an amazing image and honestly an unparalleled image with anything at this price point. I know you will say that there are better cameras out there that produce a better image than Pocket 6K but not at this price point and that’s true.

If you are interested in a super quality camera with a super quality image we have Red Komodo but the price is even triple the cost of what the 6K would be. Red Komodo is one of the biggest qualities in the market but with Blackmagic, we are getting such an amazing image at such an affordable price.

the image that comes out of Pocket 6K is just superior I’ve taken this camera in cold, rainy, and hot weather because I wanted to test its image.

And I was blown away by the amount of quality coming out of a camera even some people will say it’s old it’s not worth it because we have 6K Pro.

I really like the color science because is fantastic especially the skin tones all of the colors are very rich and accurate, the overall color science with the gen 5 color space is just amazing. If you’re shooting in low light you’ll get a really nice clean image especially because of that dual native iso.

If you are interested in what else camera is capable of 6K I would say a mirrorless camera that records in 6K resolution like Panasonic S1H. Because Panasonic is a monster of a camera, or maybe Sony A7 R IV with a maximum resolution and frame rate of 4K at 30 frames per second or Sony A7S II with the same resolution and frame rate as Sony A7 R IV.

14. Blackmagic 6K Dynamic Range

Pocket 6K has the ability to capture highlights and shadow detail it features 13.5 stops of dynamic range, which is the same amount found on the 1DX Mark II in comparison with the previous version the dynamic range on Pocket 6K is 13 stops in comparison with the previous version they are same.

The dynamic range on the Pocket 6K sits right between a Canon R5 and a Sony A7 Siii.

15. Frame rates

when it comes to frame rates you can do up to 50 frames per second using the full 6k sensor or 60 frames per second in 6k 2.4 to 1 or 5.7 K. You also be able to shoot 60 frames per second in a 3.7 K 6 by 5 anamorphic mode.

This camera shoots up to 120 frames per second in 2.8 case 17 by 9 frame rates on the pocket 6K which mean it’s a big improvement over the 4k.

16. Blackmagic pocket 6K Price

So how the BlackMagic holds up super well to the other similar cameras and given the price difference, as it comes in at just $2,000 be aware though, that you should plan on spending an additional one on other accessories to get it up and running.

the 6k costs around $2 000 with a little bit of rigging, I think for its price is absolutely unbeatable the image quality is absolutely amazing you can make a Blackmagic pocket 6k rig with a little bit of rigging and improvements but it is way more expensive.

Advantages

• Supports frame capture up to 21 2 megapixel
• Records up to 6144 x 3456 6K video at 50 fps
• Supports remote camera control via Bluetooth
• Up to 256 up to 25600 ISO for incredible low-light
• Wide 13 stops of dynamic range for movie-like looks Record Blackmagic RAW recording quality

my favorite thing about the pocket 6K is the image quality because it’s a level ahead of the Sony and Canon cameras, in my opinion. It’s quite a subjective thing but the image quality that comes out of this beast is stunning very close to extremely high-end cameras.

Disadvantages

Something that I really don’t like is there is only have an HDMI port and no SDI port, the built-in preamps are a huge negative I think they’re bad.

Wrapping Up

If you own Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K don’t think about upgrading to this 6K or maybe 6K pro if you are willed enough.

Because there are three main differences you’re going to notice by upgrading from 4K to 6K first is the resolution, the 6K instead of the 4K. Also, the EF mount instead of the Micro Four-Thirds mount and the super 35-millimeter sensor are larger than the sensor on the 4K.

Blackmagic 6K does come with a license of DaVinci Resolve It is one of the most powerful color grading software.

Conclusion

So, at last, those are all my pros and cons for this camera but would I recommend this camera in 2022. So, first, the image that comes from this camera is amazing at this price point. It offers a beautiful image, especially with the gen5 color science.

If you’re looking for a camera that offers an amazing image at this price point this is absolutely a no-brainer because the image from this camera is on par with cameras that are a lot more expensive than 6K does.