New Blackmagic Camera 6.1 Update for Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

Announced and released today, Blackmagic Design updates the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K with new firmware. The Blackmagic Camera 6.1  update adds quieter audio recording, a new pixel remapping feature, new 2:1 monitoring frame guides, improved battery performance and more. The full list of improvements can be found below.

The new Blackmagic Cameras 6.1 significantly improves audio recording when using the built-in microphones on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. The new processing now analyzes incoming audio from the dual microphones on each side of the camera to dramatically lower the noise floor, resulting in quieter recordings than possible before. In addition, latency has been reduced for audio monitoring, audio and video synchronization has been fine-tuned, and the 3.5mm audio input selection interface is now more intuitive, making it faster to use.

Blackmagic Cameras 6.1 also improves autofocus performance. Autofocus now responds quicker and more accurately so that lens hunting is greatly reduced when the camera is locking on to the focal point. There’s also a new media formatting interface that helps prevent customers from accidentally formatting media cards. Once the camera is updated, customers will need to tap and hold the media format confirmation button for 3 seconds before a card will be erased and reformatted

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This update also includes a new in-camera calibration feature which allows customers to recalibrate pixels in the camera. Over time some pixels can change in brightness and create small variations across the sensor. The new pixel calibration feature allows the camera to realign the light output of each pixel resulting in a smooth clean image under changing environmental conditions. Blackmagic Camera 6.1 update also features 2:1 monitoring frame guides, which is another creative composition tool for filmmakers to frame shots. In addition, new power savings and efficiency enhancements improve battery runtime by 10-15% and give customers a more accurate indication of remaining battery power.

Blackmagic Camera 6.1 update is available now as a free download from the Blackmagic Design website.

What’s new for Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

• Added support for pixel remapping in camera.
• Added 2:1 monitoring frame guide.
• Improved media formatting user interface.
• Improved audio monitoring latency performance.
• Improved autofocus performance.
• Improved signal to noise ratio performance of camera internal microphone.
• Improved power efficiency for improved battery life.
• Improved 3.5mm audio input selection interface.
• Improved AV sync performance.
• Fixed an issue where time and date is not updated on camera when connected to the Blackmagic Camera Setup utility.
• Fixed an issue where the 3.5mm audio input level is 6dB lower than expected.
• Fixed an autofocusing issue with Lumix 20mm f/1.7 lens.
• Fixed an issue where some USB-C external SSDs were not detected when connected before the camera is powered up.
• Fixed an issue where some batteries might shut off earlier than expected.
• Fixed an issue where low battery indicator is not displayed appropriately.
• Fixed an issue with camera not being detected by the host computer when connected to certain USB ports.
• Updated dynamic range and ISO chart in the user manual.

Please ensure that your device is plugged into mains power before running the software update. To update Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter you will need to ensure that the unit is powered from the camera using the URSA 12V power supply rather than SMPTE fiber during the update.

For updating URSA Mini or URSA Broadcast from Camera 4.0 or above it is advisable to export your presets and LUT’s onto a card as they will be removed during this update.

No new features in 6.1 for other camera models.

Minimum system requirements for macOS

• macOS Mojave 10.14 or better
• macOS High Sierra 10.13 or better
• A suitable USB 2.0 port
• Thunderbolt port for UltraScope and Media Express when using Blackmagic Cinema Camera or Blackmagic Production Camera 4K

Minimum system requirements for Windows

• Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
• Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit
• A suitable USB 2.0 port
• A suitable Thunderbolt port when using Blackmagic Cinema Camera or Blackmagic Production Camera 4K