The Blackmagic folks expressed a preference to me of the Olympus zoom, but the only MFT lens I owned is the Panasonic/Leica. This compact zoom offers internal stabilization and is lightweight. I tested the camera with the Panasonic Lumix Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4. Whenever my camera arrives, I personally intend to keep the kit to a minimum with some kind of external battery, but mostly use it on a small gimbal such as a Zhiyun Crane or DJI Ronin-S. I don’t like variable ND filters and the vast difference in price and quality of these filters may cause artifacting or color shifts. And because the Pocket Camera4K has no built-in ND, many shooters may need to opt for fixed or variable ND filters over the lens. While there are numerous third-party cages, bases, mounts, power supplies, battery plates, monitors, etc on the market, it does mean that your small pocket camera requires a kit that could cost several times the cost of the camera and may even be more cumbersome to shoot than conventional-format dedicated video camera. That leads me to a more general comment about mirrorless or still-camera style videography. It could of course be operated via AC if available but most likely an operator would need an external power supply. It can deliver around an hour of 24p shooting but I find in real world applications I wouldn’t count on it beyond 50 minutes and even less for 60p. The camera is powered by Canon LP-E6 batteries and it is here that shooting the camera alone provides some weakness.

I personally find that latest color science particularly pleasing to the eye, especially on flesh tones. Resolve’s built-in Film or Extended Film LUTs make a good starting point for grading LOG footage shot in camera while Resolve 15 and greater takes advantage of BMD’s latest color science. Blackmagic also includes an “Extended Film” gamma, which achieves maximum dynamic range.ĭaVinci Resolve Studio (a $299 value) comes bundled with the camera not only to make it even a greater bargain but also to facilitate working with the files. The rear 1920x1080 resolution monitor can display either recorded signal or apply a LUT for Rec 709 viewing. It can record straight Rec 709 video (called “Video” by BMD) or Log (called “Film”).

Blackmagic pocket cinema