Blackmagic Design FINALLY shows off three workable autofocus features during their epically long NAB 2025 product announcement. The autofocus features looked nothing like the original and somewhat crude versions they employed in previous cameras. In a soon-to-be-released Blackmagic Camera Firmware 9.5 update, select cameras will gain autofocus features like object tracking, continuous, and face tracking autofocus. Check out the moment below.

Out with the clunky old and in with the new and smooth. The autofocus Blackmagic Design CEO Grant Petty looked more akin to the dual-pixel autofocus found in mirrorless cameras or the professional cinema cameras from manufacturers with a serious professional photography side to their business who see the competitive benefit to adding smart autofocus to their higher-end cameras.

More importantly, I could not see any of the clunky stepping of focus motors in older Blackmagic Design cameras. Actually, the autofocus on the older pocket cameras was one of those features that was rarely used, in my opinion.

If one looks at the video, you can see the speed of the new autofocus they are developing. As soon as Petty pans to test the face recognition feature in the autofocus the camera immediately recognizes the two humans in the frame with options to focus on either.

To me, autofocus was the one feature missing from Blackmagic Design cameras that gave other manufacturers a crystal-clear edge in the competition. I hope that Blackmagic Design continues to develop and refine its new autofocus to work not only on the older Pocket Cinema Camera Pro but also on all of its new cameras, including the Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65. That medium-format camera comes with either a PL-mount or a Hasselblad mount, and I hope one day I’ll be using the Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 with that autofocus and Hasselblad lenses. One can dream.