The Blackmagic 6K is one of the most affordable 6K cinema cameras – and new firmware is about to make the popular camera even more enticing. During a presentation ahead of the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Blackmagic shared that new firmware will soon add continuous autofocus, object tracking, and facial recognition via a firmware update.
The update is first headed for the Blackmagic Cinema 6K, but will be added to other cameras in the future as well, the company noted.
In a demonstration of the update, Blackmagic showed how continuous autofocus will adjust the focus to whatever is inside the pre-selected area, refocusing as the camera or the scene changes to keep that selected area in focus. The camera previously did not offer continuous autofocus, which limited the camera’s use for quick on-the-go shooting.
With the firmware update, creators can now activate object tracking, which will keep the object in focus even as the camera pans or tilts around the scene. Unlike continuous autofocus that locks the focus on a certain area, object tracking can keep an object in focus even as it moves to a different part of the frame.
The Blackmagic 6K will also be getting facial recognition with the firmware update. Like with object tracking, selecting a detected face will keep that person in focus even as the person or the camera moves. The tool feature will also recognize multiple faces, allowing videographers to tap to switch the focus to a different person.
The Blackmagic Camera 9.5 firmware update is made possible in part by new AI processing. It’s also coming first to the Blackmagic 6K because of the camera’s L-Mount – with autofocus motors sitting in the lens and not the camera, the lens is always an important part of continuous autofocus performance. A beta download of the firmware is rolling out beginning on April 04.
In addition to the firmware for the 6K, Blackmagic’s PYXIS 6K and URSA Broadcast G2 cameras will also be gaining a pre-record feature via firmware update. This can either be turned on in the camera menu or activated by pressing the record icon for more than two seconds. The pre-record function saves a set length of video and adds it to the rest of the footage that begins when the record button is pressed, ideal for avoiding missing the moment. The update, BlackMagic Camera 9.6, is expected to be released in a few weeks.
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