Jump to content

Blackmagic Pocket 4K media & power thread -- the best alternatives


Emanuel
 Share

Recommended Posts

Little bigger than I thought, but not massively so. Stick it in a pack pack/sling bag and shoot away. Keeps the weight and size of the camera down too.

8771E7BC-EF65-4773-AF97-F1F869DA9F0A.thumb.jpeg.c40b01aadd8e5efa5ab29406e6b6a4b7.jpegIt came flat, so I charged it for an hour and then plugged my camera in. I had no battery in and the AC logo on the top right, so it definitely works. They say charge time is3 hours, so I'll do a rec time check this evening.

I also have a shoot tomorrow that I'll use it on, but don't anticipate it being anything but a good addition to my gear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
55 minutes ago, Anaconda_ said:

Little bigger than I thought, but not massively so. Stick it in a pack pack/sling bag and shoot away. Keeps the weight and size of the camera down too.

8771E7BC-EF65-4773-AF97-F1F869DA9F0A.thumb.jpeg.c40b01aadd8e5efa5ab29406e6b6a4b7.jpegIt came flat, so I charged it for an hour and then plugged my camera in. I had no battery in and the AC logo on the top right, so it definitely works. They say charge time is3 hours, so I'll do a rec time check this evening.

I also have a shoot tomorrow that I'll use it on, but don't anticipate it being anything but a good addition to my gear.

Are you powering the camera via the 12V DC input? I can't really see from the picture but what battery is that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/12/2018 at 10:05 AM, webrunner5 said:

I think they just should have made a bigger body sort of like a Canon C100 with a battery as big, proper buttons, and been done with it. Sure it might have cost 1500 dollars plus the Studio Resolve. But it would have been a killer camera. I guess part of the reason was the 5" screen size. Where to put it on a small Cine camera.

But I am not knocking it. It is a gift the way it is, warts and all for the money. I am sure down the road there will be some great aftermarket solutions. Maybe even BMD will come up with a proper Battery Grip. Hint, Hint.

Yea - Because the Pocket 4K already got so much bigger, they should have gone all the way and just made it even a bit bigger, added internal NDs, and a real battery slot somewhere. The 5-inch screen is great, but 4-inches would be just fine. Even at $2.5k - $3.5k, that would be right in line with my ideal A-Cam (though, I guess then there isn't much differentiation between it and the Ursa Mini Pro). Perhaps they'll make an Ursa Mini Pro Mini soon. 

I look forward to the day when a manufacturer makes a C100 II-sized (or a bit smaller) 4k 60fps camera. A workhorse that you don't have to worry about power, screw-on NDs, overheating, etc and can still get a beautiful BM Raw esque image quality. The only thing that comes ergonomically close is the FS5, but that camera may have the worst internal 4K image coming out of a $1k+ video camera.

With that said, I LOVE the image of my Pocket 4K and will definitely be using it for a lot of applications. But not sure I can trust it on a professional shoot until I get some real power solutions (looking forward to the tilta solutions). With this sensor, codecs, ISO-ability, menu system, etc they could have really crushed the indie crowd market with a $3k-$4k camera that had real batteries and internal NDs - even the audio is pretty great for 90% of scenarios (with one xlr and one 3.5mm). 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those interested, the external power thing I've been posting about has had a great first run. There's still 2 LEDs lit and I've been recording for 2hrs 30min continuously.

I got it in a deal for €99 and based off this test, I would recommend it, even at a slightly higher price. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Anaconda_ said:

For those interested, the external power thing I've been posting about has had a great first run. There's still 2 LEDs lit and I've been recording for 2hrs 30min continuously.

I got it in a deal for €99 and based off this test, I would recommend it, even at a slightly higher price. 

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately they do not ship to my country but it is a great product on a great price. 26000mAh and capable of powering anything under 100watt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Anaconda_ said:

I don’t know where you are, but I think you can get it globally. They have a model with US plugs and my version - EU - came with an adapter for UK 3 pin plugs. 

Here’s the manufacturer’s website ;

https://www.hypershop.com/products/hyperjuice-ac-battery-pack-100wh-26-000mah

Kamera Express ships to selected EU countries, not all.

I checked the manufacturers web page and in the end, it is double the price you paid. Not that great of a bargain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are lots of suggestions for camera mounted external batteries, but why not consider a battery charging solution and use standard LP-E6 batteries? As soon as you rig up any kind of external battery that will last longer than LP-E6 you're adding weight and clunk, which kinda takes away from the point of this kind of camera I think. Whenever I need a portable camera battery charging station I use one of my Hyperjuice batteries [1] with the built in inverter in a small camera bag with a couple of Hahnel proCube [2] dual chargers. It'll charge both batteries at the same time, and takes about an hour and a half to fully charge, with a percentage readout so you can see just how far away it is. Between that an 4-6 LP-E6 batteries and you should get through a full day's shooting. 

[1] https://www.hypershop.com/collections/battery-pack/products/hyperjuice-ac-battery-pack-100wh-26-000mah

[2] https://www.hahnel.com.au/li-ion-battery-chargers/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, Anaconda_ said:

And that's one of them - the higher capacity one. Save people watching a whole video just to find out what battery he's using :) 

watch the video and you'll see he is not only using an external battery but he his making his own cord to plug it into the power plug ;)

i was talking about a hack, not a use

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Super Members

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was pretty close to just hacking off the connector from the mains supply if BM didn't get a move on with their cable kit and it looks like he ran out of patience before I did !

Thankfully my real cable kit is coming in a few days so I don't have to do it.

If anyone is interested in making their own custom cables - which might be a bit neater for some solutions as the official ones are 65cm long - then these are the connectors (make sure you order the 2 pin version obviously ;) )

https://weipuconnector.en.alibaba.com/product/60735848587-806276836/IP67_Industrial_Push_pull_Metal_connector_male_SF1610_Weipu_connector_electrical_connector_metal_plugs.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • EOSHD Pro Color 5 for All Sony cameras
    EOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
    EOSHD Dynamic Range Enhancer for H.264/H.265
×
×
  • Create New...