This morning Blackmagic announced important firmware updates for its cameras and slashed the prices of two models. The firmware update adds new features. Ahead you’ll see the new features and learn which two models were lowered in price, and by how much.

New features added via firmware

New firmware for the Pocket Cinema Camera allows the operator to focus by pushing the focus button when using an active MFT lens. Blackmagic says that this makes it very easy to focus accurately. The focus peaking feature is still there and you enable it by double pressing the focus button. The focus zoom feature is enabled by double pressing the OK button.

Blackmagic says that there will be a similar upcoming update for their original 2.5K Cinema Camera that will also add these features, plus new de-bayer processing that will improve the cameras sharpness when shooting non-RAW files.

The Blackmagic Production Camera 4K is not yet shipping, but is expected to ship in a few weeks.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera Price Reduction

As of today, the original 2.5K Blackmagic Cinema Camera EF and MFT models have been reduced in price to US$1995. This represents a reduction of US$1000. Although quite different cameras, the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera is now in the same price range as the Sony NX30 and the Canon XA20, although those two already include a built-in lens, while the lens is optional with any of Blackmagic’s current cameras.

Related Blackmagic articles

• Which Blackmagic camera models output live native progressive, and when? (August 2, 2013)
• Blackmagic ships first 6G-SDI products to simplify 4K cabling (July 30, 2013 by Allan Tépper)
• The Blackmagic Cinema Camera in a News Environment (July 10, 2013 by Brian Hallett)
• Blackmagic adds 1080p to new ATEM 4K US$1995 a/v mixer (July 5th, 2013 by Allan Tépper))
• DeckLink Quad: the little PCIe card that could? (June 20, 2013 by Allan Tépper))
• Connect PCIe cards to slotless Macs via Thunderbolt? Yes! (June 17, 2013 by Allan Tépper))
• The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera (May 7, 2013 by Clint Milby)
• Rubén Abruña tests his Blackmagic Cinema Camera with waterwheel short (April 22, 2013 by Allan Tépper))
• The new Blackmagic Cinema Cameras (April 9, 2013 by Scott Simmons)
• Blackmagic shows pocket RAW camera for US$1K plus 4K camera for US$4k (April 8, 2013 by Allan Tépper))
• Why you must deactivate EDID on your HDLink (aka “Band-Aid”) (February 26, 2013 by Allan Tépper))
• Why does FCP X still deal with pro i/o interfaces haphazardly?](Why does FCP X still deal with pro i/o interfaces haphazardly? (February 20, 2013)
• Hands-on with the UltraStudio Mini Monitor (February 17, 2013 by Allan Tépper))

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