blackmagic
Latest
The best free tools and services for college students
We've rounded up some of the best free stuff for college students. Find out which freebies you have access to as a college student here.
Blackmagic's second-gen Pocket Cinema Camera 6K has a larger battery and a lower price
Blackmagic has unveiled the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 with a few useful upgrades and a lower starting price.
ICYMI: We take a drive with Spotify’s Car Thing
Engadget's latest tech reviews include Spotify's Car Thing, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 and the Razer Anzu smart glasses.
After Math: Twitter's very bad breach
Let’s take a look at Twitter’s worst Wednesday in living memory, as well as some stellar game sale numbers amid the COVID-19 shutdown and a high-end video camera with more resolution than even James Cameron can handle. Sisyphus would have had an easier time getting over hump day than Twitter did last Wednesday.
Blackmagic's new $9,995 camera shoots 12K video at 60fps
Blackmagic's latest camera features an 80-megapixel sensor with 14 stops of dynamic range.
Blackmagic's pro livestreaming switcher can broadcast without software
If you're devoted enough to livestreaming that you want the kind of features you'd expect from a TV studio, Blackmagic might have your back. It's releasing the ATEM Mini Pro, an enhanced version of the ATEM Mini switcher that's focused on the most elaborate streaming setups. There's now a hardware streaming engine that lets the Pro stream directly to Twitch, Facebook and YouTube through an Ethernet connection, with no special software required. You can also save recordings for posterity to USB flash drives, and multiview on the HDMI output lets you monitor all inputs on one screen.
Tilta mods Blackmagic's Pocket Cinema Camera with a tilt screen and SSD
With their sharp picture, super efficient and flexible RAW format and SSD compatibility, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras are fantastic choices for videographers on a budget or anyone in need of a solid B-camera that doesn't break the bank. But one nagging problem is the camera's fixed 5-inch LCD, which can make it difficult to keep an eye on the action when positioning the camera at certain angles. Accessory maker Tilta is correcting that with an aftermarket modification kit that adds the ability to pull and tilt the screen to suit your viewing angle.
Blackmagic BMPCC 6K review: Peerless video power
Blackmagic has again beat all mirrorless camera challengers for video by launching the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K (BMPCC 6K). With a larger sensor, 12-bit RAW and 6K resolution, it goes well beyond the last BMPCC 4K model, which had already changed the game for affordable, high-quality video. The new model's video specs blow away every mirrorless camera, including Panasonic's upcoming full-frame S1H, and it costs just $2,495. But as before, the Pocket 6K has no continuous autofocus, in-body stabilization or other features that have become de rigueur on high-end mirrorless cameras. It also packs a smaller sensor than the full-frame cameras we've been lauding lately. It's incredible that an aspiring filmmaker can now buy such a powerful cinema camera, on paper, for a relatively paltry sum. To see if the video quality and performance measure up to the specs, I took it out shooting in some charming neighborhoods of Paris.
After Math: Things that shouldn't cost this much
Samsung unveiled the latest iterations its Galaxy Note line during which time the company showed off a plus-sized phone that costs more than a laptop -- specifically, the brand new Book S laptop debuting at the same dang press conference. That ain't right. And that ain't all. Take a look.
Blackmagic's new $2,495 pocket camera can shoot 6K videos
Blackmagic Design has launched a new Pocket Cinema Camera as a follow-up to the 4K video powerhouse it released last year. The company's new handheld digital camera is a 6K model with a nearly Super 35 size HDR image sensor that is larger than its predecessor's. It can record in industry standard 10-bit Apple ProRes up to 4K or in 12-bit Blackmagic RAW video -- a format that can preserve the quality of sensor data -- up to 6K. Also, it can record full-resolution videos at up to 60fps.
The best software for camera lovers
Mention video-editing software and two products will immediately spring to mind: Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro. There's a third option, though, that every professional and aspiring filmmaker should consider. DaVinci Resolve 15 is a single application for editing, color correction, audio postproduction and visual effects. It's made by BlackMagic -- the Australian company that builds those fancy video cameras -- and works on Mac, Windows and Linux. The best part is that it costs $299 and doesn't require an ongoing subscription. If you want to try before you buy, or don't feel like you need all those features, consider DaVinci Resolve 15 -- it includes a lot of the paid app's features free of charge. READ ON: The best software for camera lovers
Blackmagic's Mac-friendly eGPU Pro adds Vega 56 power for $1,199
Blackmagic's first Apple-oriented external GPU was helpful for pros who needed more graphics power for their MacBooks, but it was a tough sell when you were paying $700 for strictly middling Radeon Pro 580 graphics. However, the company is back a few months later with a somewhat better value. Its newly launched Blackmagic eGPU Pro melds the familiar Thunderbolt 3 enclosure with much faster Radeon RX Vega 56 graphics. It's nearly twice as fast as the original, the company said, and promises up to a 22X performance boost over the 13-inch MacBook Pro's Intel-based video. That's a huge deal for GPU-aware creative apps, and might even make it a viable choice for more intensive games (what intensive games exist on the platform, anyway).
Blackmagic BMPCC 4K review: A pint-sized video powerhouse
The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (BMPCC 4K) is Blackmagic's most desirable camera yet for budget filmmakers. Blackmagic has added features that video shooters have been demanding for years, and the price is right at a mere $1,300. But with powerful, video-friendly mirrorless cameras coming out seemingly every month, is there still a place for a dedicated cinema camera? As it happened, I was able to test it at the same time as the all-new and formidable Nikon Z7, Canon EOS R and Fujifilm X-T3 mirrorless cameras. After seeing those, and looking at what's missing in the BMPCC 4K, let's just say it's not for photographers who only dabble in video. For serious video creators, however, it's a different story. Demanding videographers will love the handling and usability, and it delivers where it counts in image quality. Best of all, it's cheaper than most video-capable mirrorless cameras.
DaVinci Resolve 15 is a free, Hollywood-grade video editor
With the latest release of DaVinci Resolve 15, Blackmagic Design has radically made over its editing suite to create one of the best video-editing systems at any price -- even against mainstream options like Premiere Pro CC and Apple's Final Cut Pro X. It now comes with Fusion, a powerful visual effects (VFX) app used in Hollywood films, along with an excellent color corrector and audio editor. Despite doing more than most editors will ever need, the full studio release costs just $300, and you can get a stripped-down version with most features for a grand total of zero dollars. I use Adobe's Premiere Pro CC as part of its Creative Cloud suite, which costs more than $50 a month, so Resolve 15 is certainly a cheaper option. After trying it out for a week, would I be willing to switch? That would be tough, because I also do photo editing, and Creative Cloud includes Photoshop and Lightroom. If you're looking strictly for video and audio editing, color correction and effects, however, Resolve is well worth a look. It is surprisingly easy to learn and use and has more speed and power than you'll probably ever need.
Engadget Daily: 'Minecraft's' raging success, Apple's secret university and more!
Today, we dive into the world of Minecraft, rave in the shower, learn about Apple's secret education program, don a futuristic motorcycle helmet and more! Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
The first footage from Blackmagic's new $6,000 4K camera is predictably sublime
Blackmagic's 4K URSA camera was announced at NAB in April, but delayed much to the dismay of would-be film makers every where. If the first footage shot with it is any indication though, it looks to be worth the wait. Cinematographer John Brawley -- who also demoed early footage of Blackmagic's Pocket Cinema Camera -- uploaded the first frames captured with the $6,000 camera. The URSA is a large departure from past models, as it features a 10-inch, 1080P pop-out display, traditional camcorder form factor and a user-replaceable 4K sensor with a global shutter. It also bests previous Blackmagic models by shooting 4K at 60fps, the speed Brawley used on all but one shot. He used a Cooke 25-250 MK3 T3.7 (PL mount) zoom lens, shooting onto several 128GB SanDisk CFast 2.0 cards at UltraHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution. As you'd imagine, the footage looks amazing and Brawley said Vimeo doesn't do the original ProRes HQ files justice. The only problem is that the camera is double the price of Blackmagic's Production Camera 4K -- but it's still a lot less than pro models like Red's Scarlet Dragon.
Blackmagic's 4K URSA camera features massive 10-inch 1080p display, ships in June for $6,000
Consumers may not be familiar with Blackmagic Design, but the firm's cameras are all the rage with filmmakers at NAB, drawing enormous crowds within seconds of the show floor opening up to attendees. This year's flagship is the URSA, a relatively massive 4K camera with an enormous 10-inch 1080p flip-out display. There are also two 5-inch monitors on each side, displaying everything from camera settings to a duplicate preview. Another highlight is the Super 35 image sensor (the same used in Blackmagic's existing 4K cam), which is upgradeable should you wish to swap in a refreshed version down the line. You also get plenty of SDI inputs and outputs, XLR mic jacks and either a Canon EF or PL lens mount.
Blackmagic now shipping its Production Camera 4K for $1,000 less than expected
So far, all of Blackmagic Design's cinema cameras have suffered through various shipping delays, and the new RAW-capable Production Camera 4K is no exception. But if you plunked four grand down to order one quite awhile ago, there's a double-shot of good news: It's finally shipping out and now costs $1,000 less. From now on, the 4K super-35 sensor, global-shutter equipped model is priced at $2,995 instead of $3,995, making it the cheapest 4K pro camera on the market right now. That may change when Panasonic's 4K Lumix GH4 starts shipping for (likely) less money and with footage that, while not RAW, also looks very promising. Either way, at least there's a choice -- there were exactly zero sub-$3,000 4K cinema cameras on the market a week ago.
A closer look at the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
Okay, that's it. You've had enough of highly compressed video codecs that crap out on detailed shots and make decent color grading a pipe dream. Now that Blackmagic's $995 Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC) is RAW-ready, isn't it time to make the jump to higher bitrate video? Perhaps. The company's latest pint-sized weapon does produce magnificent images using a downsized version of its first Cinema Camera sensor, yes. But it's not quite as simple as laying down the money and raking in the 12-bit video. There are limitations to the camera itself, plus a steep learning curve and the likely need for further investment that could more than double the price of the camera. As you'll see, whether it's worth that depends completely on your needs and, particularly, your expectations.
Blackmagic drops Cinema Camera price to $1,995
Do you like the prospect of shooting 2.5K video with Blackmagic's Cinema Camera, but turn pale at spending $2,995 for the privilege? We have good news: Blackmagic just dropped the pro video camera's price to $1,995. While that isn't exactly impulse purchase territory, it's low enough to put the greater-than-HD shooter in the same price bracket as semi-pro DSLRs. Think of the discount as consolation for delays in launching the Production Camera 4K.
