Blackmagic Upgrades The Production Camera 4K to Support Raw, But…
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- June 23, 2014
By James DeRuvo (doddleNEWS)
Blackmagic has been planning to bring Raw video support to the 4K Production Camera for awhile now, and today, a firmware update (known as v. 1.8) was unofficially released which let the cat out of the bag. So much so that the company pulled it offline immediately because it’s still in the testing phase. But still, there’s a lot to talk about!
This is not a software release we have approved, and it should not have been sent out. We don’t support it and it should not be installed on cameras. - Blackmagic Design statement on the new firmware
The new release popped up on the BMD User forms as well as BMCUser.com. But Blackmagic is pretty clear in saying here that the firmware update that broke out on the interwebs today was not an official release, and that users should avoid installing it, as it could cause problems with the camera. They also reminded users getting an update from anywhere but an official source runs the risk of voiding a warranty. So I would wait on playing with it until BMD believes it’s ready for prime time.
But still, taking a look at the feature set for vs. 1.8, and it’s hard not to get excited. Specs show that the Production Camera 4K will offer losslessly compressed Raw DNG support. And that’s not all… The user interface looks to be cleaned up and updated, and Blackmagic has added autofocus support for Canon EF lenses. And there’s a few housecleaning items as well including fixing a bug, which caused artifacting on the edges of strong ambient light sources in the image while shooting in 1080p.
The firmware update will also boost performance of both the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, the Pocket Cinema Camera, and even the new Studio Camera. The updates for those two platforms look to include:
Blackmagic Cinema Camera
- Updated user interface
- Adds autofocus support for compatible EF lenses
- Improved debayering when shooting to ProRes or DNxHD
- Improved focus peaking display
- Improved ISO handling when shooting at ISO 1600
- Improved general audio performance
- Iris setting is retained when switching between camera recording and clip playback
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
- Updated user interface
- Improved performance when recording using internal microphones
- Improved instances where a grid-like pattern may occur in some flare highlights
- General improvements in autofocus with active MFT lenses
- Adds supports for stabilization in MFT lenses without physical O.I.S switches
- Improved support for Sigma MFT lenses
- Improved support for Lumix 12-42mm PZ lens
- Improved support for Olympus 60mm f/2.8 MFT lens
- Iris setting is retained when switching between camera recording and clip playback
Blackmagic Studio Camera
- Improved phantom power compatibility
- Addresses an issue with interlace video being output as progressive video
And while the feature set it impressive, it’s important to remember that Blackmagic can neither confirm nor deny the official fix list. But the killer feature to take away from this is that BMD is going to be giving Production Camera 4K users what they’ve been hollering for… Raw. And that’s something to cheer.
There are still a few things that Blackmagic can toss in the mix before the official release, and we hope that they bring audio metering and histograms. But the audio tweaking now brings more performance on the low end, and that’s nice. So, hopefully, the firmware update will add even more to what is a pretty impressive camera wide update.
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