Blackmagic Design CINECAM26KPL User manual

Installation and Operation Manual
Blackmagic Cameras
English, 日本語, Français, Deutsch, Español, 中文, 한국어 and Русский
Mac OS X
Windows
December 2014
Blackmagic Cameras
English 3
日本語
Français 92
Deutsch 133
Español 176
中文
한국어
Русский
47
219
262
305
3
Welcome
Thank you for purchasing your Blackmagic Camera!
We have worked hard to produce three cameras that have been designed from the ground up to fit any kind of workflow. Our new Pocket Cinema Camera is a Super 16 digital film camera with 13 stops of dynamic range that is small enough to take anywhere. The Cinema Camera records uncompressed CinemaDNG RAW files for pristine images and our new Production Camera 4K is a Super 35 Ultra HD 4K camera with a global shutter and 6G-SDI output.
Our cameras are designed to produce files that are "flat", which means they preserve the wide dynamic range from the sensor, as well as standard file formats that work with all video software. This allows you to make creative decisions by using the included DaVinci color correction software!
We think this means you get a cinema style shooting experience where you capture and preserve more of the image so you have as many creative options as possible. We have also included large screens on our cameras for easy focus and metadata entry. We hope you connect to our cameras in creative ways and produce some amazing looking images! We are extremely excited to see what creative work you produce!
Grant Petty
CEO Blackmagic Design
Contents
4
Blackmagic Cameras
5 Getting Started
Introducing Blackmagic Cameras 5 Attaching a Lens 7 Turning Your Camera On 8 Inserting an SD Card 9 Inserting an SSD 9 Recording 10 Playing Back Clips 11
12 About SSDs and SD Cards
Choosing a Fast SSD 12 Choosing a Fast SD Card 13 Preparing Media for Recording 13 Checking Disk Speed 15
16 Connections
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 16 Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K 17
18 Settings
Dashboard 18 Camera Settings 18 Audio Settings 20 Recording Settings 21 File Naming Convention 23 Display settings 24 On Screen Metering 25 Adjusting Settings 26 Status Strip 27
28 Entering Metadata
What is the Slate? 28
29 Camera Video Output
Waveform Monitoring using Thunderbolt 29 Using Blackmagic UltraScope 30 Monitoring using SDI 33
34 Post Production Workflow
Working with Files from SSDs 34 Working with Files from SD Cards 34 Editing your Clips 35 Using Final Cut Pro X 36 Using Avid Media Composer 37 Using Adobe Premiere Pro CC 37 Using Autodesk Smoke 2013 38
39 Blackmagic Camera Utility 40 Attaching Accessories 42 Shimming the PL Mount 44 Replacing the Fan 45 Help 46 Warranty
5
OK
MENU
IRIS FOCUS
OK
MENU
IRIS FOCUS

Getting Started

5
Getting Started
1 2
4

Introducing Blackmagic Cameras

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Features
1. RECORD BUTTON
Press this button to record clips to your SD card. See page 10.
2. TRANSPORT CONTROL
3
5
6
7
8
9
Use these buttons to play, skip or shuttle clips. See page 11.
3. LENS MOUNT
Micro Four Thirds lens mount for a wide selection of lenses. See page 7.
4. BATTERY TERMINAL
Open the battery door via the release button to:
 Insert and remove the rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. See page 8.  Insert a SDHC or SDXC card for recording. See page 9.  Access the USB Mini-B port for software configuration and updates. See page 39.
5. LANC REMOTE
The 2.5mm stereo jack for L ANC remote control supports record star t and stop, iris control, and manual focus. See page 16.
6. HEADPHONES
3.5 mm stereo headphone jack connection. See page 16.
7. AUDIO IN
3.5mm stereo jack for mic or line level audio. See pages 16 and 20.
IRIS FOCUS
MENU
10 11
OK
8. HDMI OUT
Micro HDMI port for monitoring or outputting video to a switcher. See page 16.
9. POWER
0.7mm 12 – 20V power input for power and battery charging. See page 16.
10. LCD
Watch the LCD while recording or playing back a clip. See page 27.
11. CONTROL BUTTONS
Use these buttons for power, menu navigation, iris control, focus peaking, auto focus, LCD zoom and additional on screen displays. Use the up and down buttons for opening and closing the on screen displays and the left and right buttons to manually nudge the iris open and closed on the lens by a small amount.
6
Getting Started
6
1
2 4
1 5 6 7
3
8
9
10
11
12
13
Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K Features
1. RECORD BUTTON
Record clips to your SSD. See page page 10.
2. IRIS BUTTON
The Iris button activates electronic iris control on the Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K EF models. Adjust the aperture of your lens by pressing the forward and reverse skip/shuttle playback buttons. See page 26.
3. TOUCHSCREEN LCD
Watch the LCD monitor while recording or playing back a clip, or when using the menu. Use the touchscreen to activate additional on screen displays while shooting. See pages 11, 24, 25 and 28.
4. FOCUS BUTTON
Press the Focus button for focus peaking on the LCD. See page 26.
5. TRANSPORT CONTROLS
Press these buttons to stop, skip/shuttle, or play your clips. See page 11.
6. MENU BUTTON
Access the dashboard menu on the LCD for settings and features. See pages 13 and 18.
7. POWER BUTTON
Press the power button to turn on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Press and hold the button to turn the camera off. See page 8.
8. LANC REMOTE
The 2.5mm stereo jack for LANC remote control supports record start and stop, and iris and focus control on EF mount models. See page 17.
9. HEADPHONES
3.5 mm stereo headphone jack connection. See page 17.
10. AUDIO IN
2 x 1/4 inch balanced TRS phono jacks for mic or line level audio. See pages 17 and 20.
11. SDI OUT
SDI output for connecting to a switcher or to DaVinci Resolve via capture device for live grading. See pages 17 and 33.
12. THUNDERBOLT CONNECTION
Blackmagic Cinema Camera outputs 10-bit uncompressed 1080p HD. Production Camera 4K also outputs compressed Ultra HD 4K. Use the Thunderbolt connection for HD UltraScope waveform monitoring and streaming video to a Thunderbolt compatible computer. See pages 17 and 29.
13. POWER
12 – 30V power input for power supply and battery charging. See pages 8 and 17.
7
SSD
Getting Started
7
HDMI
12V
Attaching and removing a lens on Pocket Cinema Camera.
Attaching and removing an EF lens on Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K.

Attaching a Lens

Getting started with your Blackmagic Camera is as simple as attaching a lens and turning the camera on. To remove the protective dust cap from the EF lens mount, hold down the locking button and rotate the cap counterclockwise until it is released. For the PL mount, rotate the PL locking ring counterclockwise.
HDMI
12V
We recommend always turning off your Blackmagic camera prior to attaching or removing a lens.
To attach an EF mount lens:
Step 1. Align the dot on your lens with the dot on the camera mount. Many lenses have a visual
indicator, for example a blue, red or white dot.
Step 2. Twist the lens clockwise until it locks into place.
Step 3. To remove the lens, hold down the locking button, rotate the lens counterclockwise until its
dot or indicator reaches the 12 o’clock position, and gently remove.
To attach a PL mount lens:
Step 1. Open your camera's PL locking ring by rotating it counterclockwise until it stops.
Step 2. Align one of the lens' four flange notches with the locating pin on the camera mount. Be sure
to align the lens for easy viewing of the lens marks.
Step 3. Tighten the camera's PL locking ring by rotating it clockwise.
Step 4. To remove the lens, rotate the locking ring counterclockwise until it stops, then gently
remove the lens.
When no lens is attached to the camera, the glass filter covering the sensor is exposed to dust and other
SSD
Attaching and removing a PL lens on Cinema Camera PL and Production Camera 4K PL.
SSD
debris so you'll want to keep the dust cap on whenever possible.
8
Getting Started
8
Inserting the battery into Pocket Cinema Camera.

Turning Your Camera On

Pocket Cinema Camera
Before you can operate Pocket Cinema Camera, you need to insert the battery.
Step 1. On the under side of the camera, push the door release towards the lens to access the
battery terminal.
Step 2. With the gold contacts facing into the terminal and the white arrow facing the lens, hook the
lip of the battery under the orange tab and insert the battery until you feel it press into place. Push the orange tab to release the battery.
Step 3. Close the door to the battery terminal and slide the door release to the right to lock it.
Step 4. Press the power button on the bottom right of the back panel. The status strip will appear
along the top of the LCD.
Step 5. Press and hold the power button to switch off the camera.
Congratulations! You are now ready to insert an SD card and start recording!
Cinema Camera & Production Camera 4K
Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K models have internal batteries that can be charged using the supplied power adapter. The camera can be charged and operated while connected via external power and will switch between power sources without any interruption.
Use the supplied power adapter to charge the internal battery and power the camera.
Press and hold the power button to turn the camera on or off.
You can also charge the camera via a powered USB connection, however it takes longer to charge so we recommend using the power adapter when possible.
Step 1. Press the power button below the touchscreen. The status strip will appear along the top
of the LCD.
Step 2. Press and hold the power button to switch off the camera.
Congratulations! You are now ready to insert an SSD and start recording!
9
Getting Started
9
Inserting an SD card into the Pocket Cinema Camera.

Inserting an SD Card

You can insert an SDXC or SDHC card into Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera:
Step 1. On the under side of the camera, push the door release towards the lens to access the
battery terminal.
Step 2. With the gold contacts on the SD card facing towards the lens, insert the SD card until you
feel it lock into place. Push on the SD card to release it.
Step 3. Close the door to the battery terminal and slide the door release to the right to lock it.
Step 4. Power on the camera. The status strip will display a moving dot while the camera checks the
SD card and then it will say READY.
The supplied SD card is for software installation only and not suitable for video recording. You'll find a list of recommended SD cards on page 13.

Inserting an SSD

You can insert a 2.5" 9.5 mm SSD formatted in either the HFS+ or exFAT file systems into Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K:
Step 1. Open the SSD door on the right hand side of the camera.
Inserting an SSD into the Cinema Camera and the Production Camera 4K.
Step 2. With the gold SATA contacts facing towards the camera door, insert the SSD until you feel it
press into place. Close the SSD door.
Step 3. Power on the camera. The status strip will display a moving dot while the camera checks the
SSD and then it will say READY.
You'll find a list of recommended SSDs on page 12.
10
10
Getting Started

Recording

Press the REC button on your camera to begin recording immediately. Press REC again to stop recording.
Choosing the Recording Format
Blackmagic cameras record to several different formats, depending on which model you are using. You may decide to experiment to see which format best suits your workflow.
Press the REC button on the top of Pocket Cinema Camera.
Press the REC button on the front face
or
on the transport control on the back of Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)
Apple ProRes 422 Apple ProRes 422 Apple ProRes 422
Apple ProRes 422 LT Apple ProRes 422 LT Apple ProRes 422 LT
Apple ProRes 422 Proxy Apple ProRes 422 Proxy Apple ProRes 422 Proxy
Lossless compressed CinemaDNG RAW
You can choose from 4 different Apple ProRes formats. This lets you fit more video on your SSD or SD card. ProRes 422 (HQ) provides the highest quality video with the lowest compression. Alternatively, ProRes 422 Proxy gives you far more recording time with greater compression.
To select your desired video format:
Step 1. Press the MENU button to open the dashboard and select Settings.
Step 2. Select the RECORDING menu and use the selection arrows to set the desired recording format.
Step 3. Press the MENU button twice to exit.
Your camera is now ready to record in the video format you have selected. The current recording format is shown on the LCD status strip.
Blackmagic Cinema Camera Blackmagic Production
Camera 4K
CinemaDNG RAW 2.5K Lossless compressed
CinemaDNG RAW
Avid DNxHD
11
11
Getting Started
Blackmagic Cameras Supported Video Formats
To immediately view your recorded clip on a Blackmagic Camera simply press the Play button on the transport controls.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
1920 x 1080p23.98 2400 x 1350 12-bit 2.5K RAW 4000 x 2160 12-bit RAW
1920 x 1080p24 1920 x 1080p23.98 3840 x 2160p23.98
1920 x 1080p25 1920 x 1080p24 3840 x 2160p24
1920 x 1080p29.97 1920 x 1080p25 3840 x 2160p25
1920 x 1080p30 1920 x 1080p29.97 3840 x 2160p29.97
Blackmagic Cinema Camera Blackmagic Production
Camera 4K
1920 x 1080p30 3840 x 2160p30
1920 x 1080i50 (output) 1920 x 1080p23.98
1920 x 1080i59.94 (output) 1920 x 1080p24
1920 x 1080p25
1920 x 1080p29.97
1920 x 1080p30
1920 x 1080i50 (output)
1920 x 1080i59.94 (output)

Playing Back Clips

Once you have recorded your video, you can use the transport control buttons to play back your video on the LCD.
Press the play button once for instant playback and you'll see your video on the LCD and on any display connected to the HDMI or SDI output. Hold down the forward or reverse buttons to fast forward or reverse through the clip. Playback will finish when the end of the current clip is reached.
The controls of your camera work just like a CD player, so pressing the forward button will skip to the start of the next clip. Press the reverse button once to go to the start of the current clip or press twice to skip back to the start of the previous clip.
12 About SSDs and SD Cards
Intel 335 Series 240GB SSD

About SSDs and SD Cards

Choosing a Fast SSD

When working with high data rate video it's important to carefully check the SSD you would like to use. This is because some SSDs can have up to 50% lower write speed than the manufacturer’s claimed speed, so even though the disk specifications claim an SSD is fast enough to handle video, in reality the disk is not fast enough for real time video recording.
The following SSDs are recommended for 4K RAW and ProRes captures:
 Sandisk Extreme Pro 240GB
(SDSSDXPS-240G-G25)
 Sandisk Extreme Pro 480GB
(SDSSDXPS-480G-G25)
The following SSDs are recommended for 2.5K RAW CinemaDNG capture or compressed video capture:
 Sandisk Extreme Pro 960GB
(SDSSDXPS-960G-G25)
Sandisk Extreme 480GB SSD
Kingston HyperX 240GB SSD
 Intel 335 Series 240GB SSD  Intel 520 Series 240GB SSD  Intel 520 Series 480GB SSD  Intel 530 Series 180GB SSD  Intel 530 Series 240GB SSD  Kingston 240 GB HyperX 3K  Kingston 480 GB HyperX 3K  Kingston 240 GB SSDNow KC300  Kingston 480 GB SSDNow KC300  Sandisk Extreme 240GB  Sandisk Extreme 480GB  PNY 240GB Prevail SSD (firmware 5.0.2)  OWC 120GB Mercury Extreme Pro 6G
(Firmware Rev 5.0.7)
In addition to the above, these SSDs work ONLY for compressed video capture:
 Crucial 256GB M4 (firmware 000F)  OCZ Agility 3 240GB
If your SSD is dropping frames, try a different SSD or use a compressed HD recording format such as ProRes or DNxHD for lower data rates. Check the Blackmagic Design website for the latest information.
 OWC 240GB Mercury Extreme Pro 6G
(Firmware Rev 5.0.6)
 OWC 480GB Mercury Extreme Pro 6G
(Firmware Rev 5.0.6)
 Digistor 128GB SSD Professional Video
Extreme (pre-formatted ExFat)
 Digistor 240GB SSD Professional Video
Series (pre-formatted ExFat)
 Digistor 480GB SSD Professional Video
Series (pre-formatted ExFat)  Angelbird 240GB AV Pro (Firmware 2.54)  ADATA XPG SX900 256GB
 Sandisk Extreme 120GB
13 About SSDs and SD Cards
Select the Format Disk icon on the camera dashboard to format your SSD or SD card.

Choosing a Fast SD Card

It's important to use SDHC and SDXC cards with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. These cards are rated for fast data speeds and support larger storage sizes.
Recommended SDHC and SDXC cards include:
 Delkin Devices 16GB Elite SDHC UHS-I  Sandisk 64GB Extreme SDXC UHS-I  Sandisk 16GB Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I  Delkin Devices 32GB Elite SDHC UHS-I  Sandisk 128GB Extreme SDXC UHS-I  Sandisk 64GB Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I
Please check the tech notes on the Blackmagic Design website for the latest information.

Preparing Media for Recording

SSDs used by Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K, and SD cards used by Pocket Cinema Camera must be formatted as either HFS+ or exFAT. These disk formats allow long clips to be recorded as single files and can be formatted using the Format Disk feature on the dashboard. You can also format SD cards and SSDs via a Mac or PC computer.
HFS+ is also known as Mac OS Extended. It is the recommended format as it supports "journaling". Data on journaled media is more recoverable and less likely to be corrupted. HFS+ is natively supported by Mac OS X.
Choose from HFS+ or exFAT formats. Confirm your selection by tapping the 'Yes, format my disk' icon to continue, or 'Cancel' to cancel the format.
ExFAT is supported natively by Mac OS X and Windows without needing to purchase any additional software. However, exFAT does not support journaling which means data is less protected against the rare event your media card or SSD is corrupted.
To format your SSD or SD card using the dashboard Format Disk feature:
Step 1. Press the Menu button to open the dashboard.
Step 2. Select the Format Disk icon by tapping on the touchscreen or by using the navigation
and OK buttons on the Pocket Cinema Camera.
Step 3. Choose your format by selecting the HFS+ or exFAT icon.
Step 4. A warning will appear asking you to confirm the format. Select "Yes, format my disk"
to continue, or 'Cancel' to cancel the format.
Step 5. A progress bar shows you the progress of the format. 'Complete' will appear when the
format is done.
Step 6. Select the Done icon to return to the dashboard.
14 About SSDs and SD Cards
Preparing SSDs and SD Cards on a Mac OS X computer
Use the Disk Utility application included with Mac OS X to format your SSD or SD card in the HFS+ or exFAT formats. Remember to back up anything important from your media as all data will be lost when it is formatted.
Step 1. Connect the SSD to your computer with an external dock or cable adapter and dismiss any
message offering to use your SSD for Time Machine backups. Plug an SD card into your computer's SD card slot or via an SD card reader.
Step 2. Go to Applications/Utilities and launch Disk Utility.
Step 3. Click on the disk icon of your SSD or SD card and then click the Erase tab.
Step 4. Set the Format to "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" or "exFAT".
Use Disk Utility on Mac OS X to erase your SSD or SD card in the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or exFAT format.
Step 5. Type a Name for the new volume and then click Erase. Your SSD or SD card will quickly be
formatted and made ready for use.
Preparing SSDs on a Windows computer
The Format dialog box can format an SSD or SD card in the exFAT format on a Windows PC. Remember to back up anything important from your media as all data will be lost when it is formatted.
Step 1. Connect the SSD or SD card to your computer.
Step 2. Open the Start Menu or Start Screen and choose Computer. Right-click on your SSD
or SD card.
Step 3. From the contextual menu, choose Format.
Step 4. Set the file system to "exFAT" and the allocation unit size to 128 kilobytes.
Step 5. Type a volume label, select "Quick Format" and click "Start".
Step 6. Your SSD or SD card will quickly be formatted and made ready for use.
Use the Format dialog box feature in Windows to format your SSD or SD card in the exFAT format.
15 About SSDs and SD Cards
Use Disk Speed Test to find out the performance of your media drives.

Checking Disk Speed

Blackmagic Disk Speed Test is a fun application that measures the read and write performance of storage media, then displays the results using video formats.
If you have ever wondered whether your hard drive is suitable for recording ("write") or playback (“read”) of a particular video format, you can use Disk Speed Test to find out. Test the performance of your media drives with a single click of the Start button! Disk Speed Test will even show you how many streams of video your storage is capable of handling.
Disk Speed Test is included free in the Blackmagic Camera Software Utility supplied with your Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K. The Blackmagic Camera Software Utility can also be downloaded from our website free of charge.
Disk Speed Test interface.
16 Connections
HDMI
12V

Connections

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera

LANC Remote Control
The remote por t on your camera is used to remotely control record starting and stopping, iris adjustments and manual focus adjustments when using a compatible lens.
The port is a 2.5 mm stereo jack using the standard LANC protocol.
Headphones
Monitor audio while recording or playing back clips by plugging your headphones into the 3.5mm stereo headphones jack.
Audio In
The 3.5mm stereo audio connector accepts microphone or line level audio. It's important to select the appropriate setting or your audio may sound too quiet or too loud. The camera automatically switches to line level if the audio is too loud for a sustained period.
HDMI Out
The micro HDMI port outputs 10-bit uncompressed HD1080p video, even while recording. It can be used to output video to routers, monitors, capture devices, broadcast switchers and other HDMI devices.
Power
Use the 0.7mm 12 – 20V power input for connecting your power supply and to charge the battery.
USB
Use the USB port to connect your Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera to your computer and update the internal software. The USB port can be found inside the battery compartment.
17 Connections

Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K

LANC Remote Control
The remote port on your camera is used to remotely control record starting and stopping, plus iris and focus adjustments when using a compatible lens on Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K EF models.
The port is a 2.5 mm stereo jack using the standard LANC protocol.
Headphones
Monitor audio while recording or playing back clips by plugging your headphones into the 3.5mm stereo headphones jack.
Audio In
The 1/4 inch TRS Phone audio connectors accept microphone or line level audio. It's important to select the appropriate setting or your audio may sound too quiet or too loud. The camera automatically switches to line level if the audio is too loud for a sustained period.
SDI Out
Blackmagic Cinema Camera supports 3G-SDI so it can be used to output uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2 video to routers, monitors, SDI capture devices, broadcast switchers and any other SDI devices.
Production Camera 4K supports 6G-SDI, so it can be used to connect to any SDI monitor as well as 4K switchers such as ATEM Production Studio 4K.
Thunderbolt
When connected to a Mac OS X or Windows computer with Thunderbolt technology, your Cinema Camera or Production Camera 4K can be used as a powerful solution for waveform monitoring and color correction. Blackmagic Cinema Camera's Thunderbolt port always outputs 10-bit uncompressed HD1080p video. Production Camera 4K's Thunderbolt port matches the SDI output, which can be 10-bit uncompressed HD1080p or Ultra HD 4K.
Power
Use the 12 – 30V power input for connecting your power supply and to charge the internal battery.
USB
Use the USB port to connect your Blackmagic Cinema Camera or Production Camera 4K to your computer and update the internal software. Open the SSD door to access the USB port.
18 Settings
Press the Menu button to open the dashboard.

Settings

Dashboard

The dashboard feature is opened by pressing the Menu button. From the dashboard you can access the Settings menu and key features such as metadata, media formatting, activating meters, frame guides and focus peaking. Press Menu again to exit the dashboard.

Camera Settings

To configure camera settings on your Blackmagic camera, press the MENU button to open the dashboard, select the Settings icon, then select the camera icon to the left of the settings menu.
Pocket Cinema Camera
Press the up and down buttons to highlight each settings menu. Press OK to enter a settings menu. Use the left and right directional arrows to adjust values and the up and down arrows to move between settings. Press Menu again to return to selecting between main settings pages.
The Camera settings screen lets you adjust key features such as ISO, white balance, shutter angle, date, time and camera ID.
Change the camera ID using the onscreen keyboard.
Cinema Camera & Production Camera 4K
Tap or slide the relevant arrows and icons on the touchscreen to change values or switch between settings menus.
Camera ID
If using more than one Blackmagic Camera, it's helpful to set each camera's ID which will be included with any metadata recorded with your clips. Set the camera ID with the onscreen keyboard. When you have finished entering a new camera ID, select Enter to save, or select Cancel to discard any changes.
Setting Date and Time
To set date and time on your Pocket Cinema Camera, select the + or - buttons to change the year, month and day settings.
Time is set to 24 hour format on Blackmagic Cameras. To set the time, select the + and - keys to make adjustments to the time. If traveling with your Blackmagic Camera, remember to change the date and time to local time zones.
If you have your Blackmagic Camera stored for long periods, the time may need to be reset. It is always a good idea to check the time and date prior to recording. When connecting your camera to your computer via USB and launching Blackmagic Camera Utility, your computer's time is synced to your camera.
19 Settings
ISO
ISO settings are helpful when you are shooting in a variety of light conditions. The optimum ISO setting for the Pocket Cinema Camera and Cinema Camera is 800ASA with a maximum ISO of 1600ASA. For Production Camera 4K the optimum setting is 40 0ASA with a maximum ISO of 800ASA.
Depending on your situation, however, you may choose a lower or higher ISO setting. For example, in low light conditions 1600ASA would be suitable, or 800ASA for Production Camera 4K, but may introduce some visible noise. In bright conditions 400ASA, or 200ASA on Production Camera 4K, would be best to record richer colors.
Adjust the ISO settings using the arrow icons in the menu.
The Camera settings screen.
White Balance
Blackmagic Cameras include white balance presets for a variety of color temperature conditions. Each light source emits a warm or cool color. Warm appears red and cool appears blue, so the white balance setting adds opposing red or blue to compensate. This makes sure white stays white in your image. Color temperature also changes depending on the position of the sun and the cloud conditions. For example, light is warm at sunrise, cools down until midday, then warms up again as the sun sets. Shady areas in your picture, including overcast conditions, will generally appear blue. Use the following guide to set your white balance to compensate for the changing light conditions:
 2500, 2800, 3000, 3200, 3400, 3600, 4000, 4500 and 4800K for various conditions
under tungsten, incandescent or fluorescent light, or under dull natural light including
candle light, sunrise/sunset, morning, and after noon light.  5000, 5200, 5400 and 5600K for outdoors on a clear, sunny day.  6000, 6500, 7000, 7500 and 8000K for a variety of daylight conditions.
Adjust the White Balance settings using the arrow icons in the menu.
Shutter Angle
Shutter angle complements the ISO setting by regulating the amount of light on the sensor. 180 degrees is the optimum shutter angle, however as lighting conditions change you may need to adjust accordingly. For example, 360 degrees is considered 'wide open' and allows maximum light onto the sensor. This is useful for low light conditions. If you notice lights are flickering,
172.8 degrees will minimize this effect when shooting 24p in countries with 50 hertz power supplies.
Adjust the Shutter Angle settings using the arrow icons in the menu.
20 Settings
The Audio settings screen lets you adjust the microphone input level, input level type, audio channel levels, mirror Ch 1 audio to Ch 2, and adjust the headphones or speaker volume.

Audio Settings

To adjust audio input and audio monitoring settings on your Blackmagic Camera, press the MENU button to open the dashboard, select the Settings icon, then select the microphone icon to the left of the settings menu.
Microphone Input
Microphone input adjusts the recording levels of the built in microphone. Move the audio slider left or right to increase or decrease levels. Pocket Cinema Camera has a built in stereo microphone and Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K have built in mono microphones. The built in microphones record to audio channels 1 and 2 when no external audio source is connected.
Channel 1 and 2 Input Levels
External audio connectors accept audio at microphone level or line level. It's important to select Mic or Line level audio as appropriate to avoid your external audio sounding almost inaudible or too hot and distorted.
Set the external audio input levels by using the left and right arrows. To prevent damage, the camera will automatically switch to line level input if the input levels are over the limit for a sustained period of time.
Channel 1 Input Level
Move the audio slider icon left or right to increase or decrease levels for channel 1. The external audio input overrides the built in microphone and is recorded to audio channel 1.
Channel 2 uses Channel 1 Input
Select Yes if you only have channel 1 input and want to record the same external audio to channels 1 and 2. You can leave this set to No if you only want to record one channel of audio.
Channel 2 Input Level
Move the audio slider icon left or right to increase or decrease levels for channel 2. The external audio input overrides the built in microphone and is recorded to audio channel 2.
Headphone and Speaker Volume
When headphones are connected, a headphone icon will be displayed. When no headphones are detected, a speaker icon will be displayed. Headphones will always be active when recording or playing back, however speakers will only work when playing back. Move the volume slider left or right to increase or decrease audio monitoring levels.
21 Settings

Recording Settings

The recording settings are used to set the video format recorded to your SD card or SSD. Press the MENU button to open the dashboard, select the Settings icon, then select the circular record icon to the left of the settings menu.
Recording Format
Pocket Cinema Camera
Press the left and right arrow buttons to switch between ProRes HQ, ProRes 422, ProRes LT, ProRes Proxy or RAW recording formats.
The Recording settings screen lets you set your recording format, frame rate and time lapse interval, and select between film and video dynamic range.
Cinema Camera
Tap the arrow icons to switch between 2.5K RAW, ProRes HQ, ProRes 422, ProRes LT, ProRes Proxy or DNxHD recording formats.
Production Camera 4K
Tap the arrow icons to switch between HD formats such as ProRes HQ, ProRes 422, ProRes LT and ProRes Proxy, or switch between 4K ProRes HQ, 4K ProRes 422, 4K ProRes LT, 4K ProRes Proxy, or 4K RAW recording formats.
Dynamic Range
Blackmagic Cameras have two dynamic range settings:
Film
The film setting shoots video using a log curve and gives you 13 stops of dynamic range on both Pocket Cinema Camera and Cinema Camera, or 12 stops on Production Camera 4K. The Film dynamic range setting maximizes the information in your video signal to help you get the most out of color grading software, such as DaVinci Resolve. When recording in CinemaDNG RAW formats, only the Film dynamic range setting is available.
Video
The video setting uses the REC709 standard for high definition video. This lets you work faster by recording directly to the compressed video formats your camera supports, which are compatible with popular post production software.
Adjust the dynamic range settings using the arrow icons in the menu.
22 Sett ings
Frame Rate
Your Blackmagic Camera has five different frame rate settings for shooting common film and video frame rates: 23.98 fps, 24 fps, 25 fps, 29.97 fps, 30 fps.
Adjust the frame rate setting using the arrow icons in the menu.
Time Lapse Interval
This setting allows you to record a still frame at the following intervals:
Frames: 2 - 10
Seconds: 1 - 10, 20, 30, 40, 50
The Recording settings screen.
Minutes: 1 - 10
For example, you can set the camera to record a still frame every 10 frames, 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 5 minutes etc.
The Time Lapse feature offers many creative options. For example, if the Time Lapse interval is set to record a frame at 2 frame intervals, this will give your recorded video a high speed effect when played back.
The format of each still frame is based on your recording format, so if you set the camera to record in ProRes 422 HQ, the Time Lapse setting will maintain this format. The frame rate will be based on the video frame rate you have set the camera to, i.e., 24fps, so your time lapse footage can be incorporated into your workflow easily.
When the REC button is pressed in Time Lapse mode, the "TIME LAPSE RECORD" icon will replace the standard record icon. The timecode counter updates when a frame of video is recorded, meaning the rate of timecode increments depends on the Time Lapse interval setting.
Use the arrow icons to choose a Time Lapse interval or leave it set to Off if you do not want to use the Time Lapse feature.
23 Settings

File Naming Convention

Pocket Cinema Camera
Pocket Cinema Camera uses the following file naming convention when recording video.
[Camera ID]_[Reel Number]_[yyyy-mm--dd]_[hhmm]_C[Clip number].mov
The table below shows an example of how this would appear on the LCD:
BMC01_1_2012-08-08_1631_C0002.mov QuickTime Movie Filename
BMC01_1_2012-08- 08_1631_C0 002.mov Camera ID
BMC01_1_2012-08-08_1631_C0002.mov Reel Number
BMC01_1_2012-08-08_1631_C0002.mov Date (2012 Aug 08)
BMC01_1_2012-08-08_1631_C0002.mov Time (16:31pm - 24hrs)
BMC01_1_2012-08-08_1631_C0002.mov Clip Number
For CinemaDNG files, the folder of the image sequence will also be named the same way.
Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K
Clips are recorded to your SSDs in the CinemaDNG RAW format or to a ProRes or DNxHD QuickTime movie, depending upon which recording format you have chosen. Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K use the following file naming convention when recording video.
[Camera ID]_[Reel Number]_[yyyy-mm--dd]_[hhmm]_C[Clip number].mov
The table below shows an example of how this would appear on the camera's touchscreen:
BMC01_1_2012-08-08_1631_C0002.mov QuickTime Movie Filename
BMC01_1_2012-08- 08_1631_C0 002.mov Camera ID
BMC01_1_2012-08-08_1631_C0002.mov Reel Number
BMC01_1_2012-08-08_1631_C0002.mov Date (2012 Aug 08)
BMC01_1_2012-08-08_1631_C0002.mov Time (16:31pm - 24hrs)
BMC01_1_2012-08-08_1631_C0002.mov Clip Number
For CinemaDNG files, the folder of the image sequence will also be named the same way.
24 Setting s

Display settings

The Display settings screen on Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K. Display settings lets you set the LCD brightness and dynamic range, Zebra and SDI overlays.
To adjust the display settings for the LCD, press the MENU button to open the dashboard, select the Settings icon, then select the television icon to the left of the settings menu.
Dynamic Range
The LCD allows you to view your video as you are recording. You can set the dynamic range of the LCD by selecting Video or Film.
The dynamic range setting of the LCD is independent to the dynamic range set in the recorder settings. Some people prefer to monitor video with the LCD set to Video even when the recording format is set to Film.
Adjust the dynamic range setting of the LCD using the arrow icons in the menu.
Brightness
Move the slider icon left or right to adjust brightness settings for the LCD.
Zebra
Blackmagic Cameras have a zebra feature which gives an indication of exposure levels. Diagonal lines will appear across any part of the video that exceeds the zebra exposure level.
Turn zebra on and select the desired zebra warning level by using the left and right arrows.
SDI/HDMI Overlays
You can monitor your video on an external display using the HDMI port on Pocket Cinema Camera, or the SDI port on Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K.
SDI/HDMI Overlays set to display on an external monitor.
The SDI or HDMI Overlays setting lets you display useful information on your monitor. Use the arrow icons to select which overlays to display on your SDI or HDMI feed.
All: displays both frame guides and recording information.
Status: displays only the recording information, such as f-stop number, frame rate, battery life etc.
Guides: displays only the frame guides.
Off: gives you a clean feed.
You can also view guides on the camera LCD by opening the dashboard and selecting the Frame Guides icon.
25 Settings
On screen metering and status strip on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the metering displays.
To set optimum exposure, open or close your aperture until the histogram curve sharpens to a point at the bottom edges. If you see a flat edge on the right side of the histogram, your whites are clipped, a flat edge on the left side means your blacks are clipped.
Use the recording time remaining indicator to see how much recording time is available on your SSD or SD card.

On Screen Metering

Your Blackmagic Camera features additional displays such as Recording Time Remaining, Histogram and Peak Audio Meters to assist when setting optimum exposure and to prevent your audio from clipping.
View the additional displays by swiping up from the bottom of the touchscreen with your finger. Hide the additional displays by swiping down. On the Pocket Cinema Camera, press the Up directional button to reveal the displays, and press the Down button to hide the displays. On screen meters can also be opened or hidden by selecting or deselecting the Meters feature on the dashboard.
Histogram
The Histogram display shows the distribution of the luminance in your video. Pure black is on the far left side of the display and pure white is on the far right of the display. Keeping your video signal within these limits prevents your shadows and highlights from being clipped and preserves detail in the tonal ranges.
Recording Time Remaining
The Recording Time Remaining indicator shows the remaining recording time for your SSD. The time is shown in hours and minutes and will vary according to your selected frame rate and codec, for example, ProRes 422 HQ at 24 frames per second. The indicator will automatically recalculate if either of these settings are changed. When there is approximately 5 minutes remaining on your SSD, the indicator will turn RED, and will BLINK intermittently when there is only 2 minutes remaining.
Peak Audio Meters
The Peak Audio Meters display audio levels for channels 1 and 2 when using the internal microphone, or via external audio when connected. The display is calibrated to dBFS units and features peak hold indicators which stay visible for a short time so you can clearly see the maximum levels reached. To achieve optimum audio quality, ensure your audio levels never rise above 0 dBFS. If your audio rises above 0 dBFS, the peak hold indicators will turn red, indicating that audio is clipped.
To set optimum audio levels, adjust the camera microphone or channel input level until the audio peak averages at -12dB, but does not peak beyond 0dB.
26 Settings
IRIS FOCUS
IRIS FOCUS
OK
MENU

Adjusting Settings

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, Cinema Camera EF and Production Camera 4K EF support electronic lens control, which allows you to adjust lens controls from the camera such as aperture and auto focus. Cinema Camera MFT and PL mount camera models have a passive lens mount if you want to use manual lenses without electronic control. The focus peaking feature creates a green edge around the sharpest parts of the image so you can easily confirm your focus. Focus peaking is visible on the LCD and via SDI or HDMI out with Overlays set to On, but does not affect your recorded picture.
Iris Button
When using Video dynamic range settings, a single press of the Iris button will set an average exposure based on the highlights and shadows in your shot. When using Film dynamic range settings, pressing the IRIS button sets your exposure to the brightest highlight in your shot.
On Pocket Cinema Camera, press the IRIS button, then use the left and right directional buttons to adjust aperture control. Press the FOCUS button for focus peaking.
On Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K EF models, press the IRIS button, or use the transport controls to adjust aperture control. Press the FOCUS button for focus peaking. The FOCUS button also activates auto focus on EF mount models using a compatible lens.
To set your aperture manually on Pocket Cinema Camera press the left and right directional buttons on the back panel.
To set your aperture manually on Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K press the forward and reverse buttons on the transport controls.
Focus Button
When using a compatible auto focus lens with Pocket Cinema Camera, or Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K EF models, press the FOCUS button once to auto focus. A quick double press of the FOCUS button activates focus peaking.
When using a manual lens, press the FOCUS button once for focus peaking.
Focus Zoom
When using Pocket Cinema Camera, double press OK to zoom in for adjusting focus at the 1:1 pixel scale. Double press OK again to zoom out.
On Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K, double tap the touchscreen display to zoom into the image for adjusting focus at the 1:1 pixel scale. Double tap the display again to zoom out.
27 Settings
1 2 3 4
6
5 8 97
Image Stabilizer
Pocket Cinema Camera, Cinema Camera EF and Production Camera 4K EF support the image stabilizer (IS) feature found in many active lenses. Simply set the Stabilizer switch to ON to use it with your camera. If your lens also features a Stabilizer Mode switch, set it to the appropriate mode for still shots or for movement.
When using battery power, the camera will only activate the image stabilizer while recording, as the lens draws additional power from the camera to operate the image stabilizer. When external power is connected to the camera, the image stabilizer will be active any time you set the lens stabilizer switch to ON.

Status Strip

Your chosen settings are always displayed on a status strip, which runs the length of the LCD, showing a convenient summary of the camera's current settings.
Battery Life Indicator
When the remaining charge drops below 25% capacity, the status strip will show the battery status in red to warn you that battery life is running low.
1. Media and Recording Status
2. Timecode
3. Recording Format
4. Video Format/Frame Rate
5. F-Stop
6. ISO Setting
7. Shutter Angle
8. White Balance
9. Battery Life Indicator
SD/SSD Activity Icons
The status strip displays important information showing the state of the inserted media.
Moving Dots When you see the moving dots, the camera is checking and preparing
the media.
No Card/SSD This means no media is detected or present in the camera.
Ready Ready to Record.
Red Icon Recording.
Flashing Red Icon Dropped Frames were detected.
Card/Disk Full Appears when SD card or SSD is full.
Playback mode Displays play, fast forward and reverse icons.
Timecode Displays the duration of clips during recording and playback from your SD
card or SSD.

Entering Metadata

28
Entering Metadata
The Slate feature lets you include metadata information in your clip files for post production.
Select the auto-increment icon if you want the scene, shot or take number to auto-increment.

What is the Slate?

The LCD on your Blackmagic camera has many purposes, one of which is to allow you to easily log metadata directly into the camera using the Slate feature. Metadata is stored in the recorded files and is easily accessed by editing software.
Pocket Cinema Camera
Step 1. Press OK once to make the slate appear, or press the Menu button to open the dashboard
and select Metadata.
Step 2. Use the directional buttons to select the text you wish to change and press OK. An onscreen
keyboard will appear. Use the directional buttons to select characters on the keyboard and press OK to confirm each character selection.
Step 3. Once you have typed in your information, select Save and press OK to return to the
metadata screen.
Step 4. If you want the scene, shot or take number to auto-increment, select the corresponding auto-
increment icon so it is illuminated and press OK.
Entering words into the Keywords field allows them to be used as search terms in your library database. This may be particularly useful for large projects with lots of material. The use of keywords narrows down the number of clips to search through, saving valuable time when you are editing.
On Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K you can simply tap the display once with your finger and the slate will appear.
All metadata is compatible with popular software such as Final Cut Pro X and DaVinci Resolve.
Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K
Step 1. Tap the touchscreen once to make the slate appear. You can also access the Slate from the
dashboard by pressing Menu, then selecting the Metadata icon.
Step 2. To enter or change details, tap the text you wish to change and an onscreen keyboard will
appear. Type in the desired information and press the save button.
Step 3. If you want the scene, shot or take number to auto-increment, tap the corresponding auto-
increment icon so it is illuminated. Tap it again if you want to turn off the auto-increment feature.
Entering words into the Keywords field will allow you to use them as search terms in your library database. This may be particularly useful for large projects where you have lots of material. The use of keywords narrows down the number of clips to search through, saving valuable time when you are editing.
All metadata is compatible with popular software such as Final Cut Pro X and DaVinci Resolve.

Camera Video Output

29
Camera Video Output

Waveform Monitoring using Thunderbolt

When connected to a Mac OS X or Windows computer with Thunderbolt technology, your Cinema Camera or Production Camera 4K can be used as a powerful solution for waveform monitoring. Blackmagic Cinema Camera's Thunderbolt port always outputs uncompressed 10-bit 1080p HD video. Production Camera 4K matches the SDI output in either 10-bit 1080p HD or compressed Ultra HD 4K. For waveform monitoring using Production Camera 4K set the recording format to HD.
The Blackmagic Camera Utility installs Blackmagic UltraScope software for waveform monitoring of your camera during recording and playback. Blackmagic UltraScope allows you to monitor almost every aspect of the video you record with your Cinema Camera or Production Camera 4K.
Connect to your computer via the Thunderbolt port of your Cinema Camera or Production Camera 4K.
Blackmagic UltraScope software gives you accurate waveform monitoring via Thunderbolt.
30
Camera Video Output
Blackmagic UltraScope - Full Screen View. Blackmagic UltraScope lets you accurately monitor the video and audio levels from your Blackmagic Cinema Camera or Production Camera 4K.

Using Blackmagic UltraScope

What is Blackmagic UltraScope?
Blackmagic UltraScope software provides waveform monitoring of the video output from your Cinema Camera or Production Camera 4K.
Previously, broadcast quality television and post production scopes were incredibly expensive and bulky solutions that only let you see one scope at a time on a tiny screen! Some scopes look ugly and unappealing to your client. With Blackmagic UltraScope, you get 6 wonderful scopes to monitor all aspects of your video signal, perfect for checking levels on your camera while shooting. Any camera adjustments are immediately seen using Blackmagic UltraScope!
Simply connect a Thunderbolt cable from your camera to the Thunderbolt port on your computer, turn on your camera and launch UltraScope!
Installation Requirements
The Blackmagic UltraScope software interface requires a computer display with a minimum resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels to view two scopes simultaneously. Blackmagic Design recommends viewing all 6 scopes simultaneously by using a computer display resolution of 1920 x 1200 or 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Please see the support pages at www.blackmagicdesign.com/support for a comprehensive list of the latest minimum system requirements for Blackmagic UltraScope.
Understanding Blackmagic UltraScope Views
Blackmagic UltraScope has two different views available depending on your workflow needs and screen resolution. You have the choice of viewing six displays in “Full Screen” view, or for more compact viewing, choose any 2 displays in “2-up” view.
The display view can be selected from the View menu.
Choose Full Screen to enter Full Screen view. If this option is unchecked, 2-up view will be displayed. You can quickly switch between Full Screen view and 2-up view by using the hot key CMD-F on Mac OS X, or CTRL F on Windows.
In 2-up view, select the desired left and right scopes by opening the View menu or by right-clicking anywhere in the UltraScope window. Make your selections from the Left View and Right View menu options.
If you want the scopes to swap sides, select the left or right view and set it to be the same as the other view. The scopes will swap sides because the 2-up view never displays the same scope in both the left and right views.
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