Blackmagic Design today announced the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K, with new internal electronics, a full frame 6K sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range, L-Mount lens mount, and dual native ISO up to 25,600 for incredible low light performance and recording to CFexpress cards. This new model features a massive 24 x 36mm 6K sensor, allowing for large format cinema camera image quality in a portable, lightweight body. Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K also uses an L-Mount for lenses, which works with a wide range of new and vintage lenses for a wider range of creative choices. 

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K is available immediately from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide for US$2,595. Here is the announcement from Grant Petty.

The new Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K features a massive full-frame 24 x 36mm 6K sensor with a wide dynamic range, a very flexible L-Mount, and a built-in optical low pass filter custom-designed to match the sensor. Users also get fast CFexpress media, and following BMD tradition, this new camera can even use previous Pocket Cinema Camera accessories. The camera simultaneously records deep bit depth Blackmagic RAW and H.264 proxies.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K features a massive full-frame sensor with a native resolution of 6048 x 4032. That’s almost three times larger than a Super 35 sensor and allows users to shoot with a shallow field depth or use anamorphic lenses uncropped. Whether users are shooting in bright sunlight or almost no light, the 13 stops of dynamic range with dual native ISO up to 25,600 provide low noise images in most lighting conditions. The camera can record 36 fps at full sensor resolution or 120 fps windowed.

The large full-frame sensor in Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K lets users work in various film formats and aspect ratios without sacrificing quality. Using the full area of the sensor gives shooters a unique open gate 3:2 image, letting customers reframe their shots in post-production. The large sensor also allows shooters to work in true 6:5 anamorphic without cropping, making widescreen cinematic pictures more detailed and in higher resolution than previously possible.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K features an L-Mount, an advanced lens mount designed to accommodate full-frame sensors while ensuring compatibility with new and vintage lenses. With a large diameter of 51.6mm, L-Mount works with the latest full-frame lenses from manufacturers such as Leica, Panasonic, and Sigma. A very short flange distance of only 20mm means one can easily add adapters for various lens mounts without impacting image quality. The L-Mount is a smart choice as it is a lens mount that works with virtually any lens for unlimited creative options. It is kind of how E-mounts and RF mounts allow for many different adapters and lenses.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K can shoot in all standard resolutions and frame rates from HD up to DCI 4K and even 6K. One can even shoot stills at 24.6 megapixels. Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K will shoot up to 36 fps at 6048 x 4032 3:2 open gate or 60 fps at 6048 x 2520 2.4:1 and 60 fps at 4096 x 2160 4K DCI. Shooters can window the sensor for higher frame rates and shoot up to 100 fps at 2112 x 1184 Super 16. One can even work in true anamorphic 6:5 at much higher resolutions than other cameras using anamorphic lenses in 4.8K 24 fps at 4838 x 4032. 

The Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K features a built-in CFexpress card recorder and a USB-C expansion port for recording directly to external flash media disks or an SSD. CFexpress media are more durable and faster than older media, so they are perfect for recording full-resolution, 12-bit Blackmagic RAW files. Imagine capturing over an hour of full-resolution 6K images on a 256GB CFexpress card.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K features what appears to be the same large, bright 5-inch HDR touchscreen as previous models. On-screen overlays show status and record parameters, histogram, focus peaking indicators, levels, frame guides, etc. One can quickly apply 3D LUTs for monitoring shots with the desired color and look. The LCD monitor can even be tilted up to 180 degrees flat and down to 47 degrees so it’s easy to monitor their shot from different positions. Plus, its HDR display features 1500 nits of brightness, so one can always frame their shot, even in bright sunlight.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K supports an optional viewfinder to make outdoors and handheld shooting accurate and easy. Customers get an integrated high-quality 1280 x 960 color OLED display with built-in proximity sensor, 4 element glass diopter for incredible accuracy with a wide -4 to +4 focus adjustment. The EVF is extremely easy to connect to the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K as it simply mounts on top of the camera with a single screw.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K uses high-capacity NP-F570 batteries. A locking DC power connector is used so you won’t have to worry about losing power during a shoot. Plus, the included AC plug pack can power the camera or charge the battery when the camera is not in use. Even the USB-C expansion port can trickle charge the battery, so you can use portable battery packs, mobile phone chargers or laptops. The optional battery grip lets one add extra batteries to dramatically extend the power of the camera so customers can keep shooting all day.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Features

• 36 x 24mm full frame 6K 6048 x 4032 sensor.
• Open gate 3:2, full height 6:5 anamorphic and Super 35 for creating cinematic content.
• L-Mount compatible with a wide range of still photography and cinema lenses.
• Records full resolution up to 36 fps or 120 fps windowed.
• Extremely fast CFexpress card recording.
• Adjustable, HDR 1500 nit LCD screen.
• Optional Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Pro EVF.
• Larger NP-F570 battery, optional Blackmagic Pocket Camera Battery Pro Grip.

Availability and Price

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K is available now for US$2,595, excluding local duties and taxes, from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.