Blackmagic joins the L-Mount express with this full-frame 6K cinema camera

Blackmagic Design has just unveiled its most powerful, portable creation ever: the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K. This innovative digital film camera is the first in its compact range to boast a full-frame 6K sensor, and the first Blackmagic camera to feature the L-Mount. With an impressive set of features and an even more impressive price tag, this 6K camera is gearing up to redefine professional standard video cameras.

Some of the best cinema cameras offer incredibly high-end features in bodies you can hold in your hand. Gone are the days when you need bulky bits of camera to record professional-looking footage for the big screen, and Blackmagic’s latest release is all the proof you need. With 13 stops of dynamic range, dual native ISO of 400/3200 increasing to 25,600, CFexpress storage, a built-in optical low pass filter and a massive 24 x 36mm 6K sensor with a 3:2 ratio, the Cinema Camera 6K is a high-performing, versatile system. 

• Check out the best 8K and 6K cameras, perfect for shooting high-res professional video

Its sensor is three times larger than the Super 35 sensor found in the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, which accommodates a shallow depth of field and anamorphic lenses without cropping. It also enables shooting in a wide range of film formats such as  6K 3:2 open gate at 36fps, 4K DCI at 60fps, Super 35, Super 16, and true 6:5 anamorphic in 4.8K at 24fps, which is a much higher resolution than other cameras. Its USB-C expansion port enables direct recording to external flash media disks or an SSD, perfect for recording full-resolution 12-bit Blackmagic RAW files.

With its dynamic range and dual native ISO the camera excels in low-light conditions, and it is able to deliver precise skin tones and rich organic colors. The optical low-pass filter enables it to record around artificial lights without producing moire fringes, which is increasingly crucial for professional videographers. 

While the built-in NDs found on the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K are missing, it's for good reason: the depth of the L-mount lens was too shallow to physically fit them, and Blackmagic went with the assumption that those needing to use filters would use screw-on ones. 

The move to L-Mount means that the Cinema Camera 6K can accommodate full-frame lenses from Leica, Panasonic, Sigma and more. Its short 20mm flange distance means it works with a wide range of mount adapters, including the crucial Canon EF and PL mount. 

A large 5-inch HDR touchscreen display is ideal for framing and focusing under varying conditions, with on-screen overlays providing essential information, while 3D LUTs enable monitoring with the desired color and look. The display boasts 1500 nits of brightness, which means even in super-sunny conditions you can see what you’re filming. 

For outdoor and handheld shooting precision, the camera supports an optional viewfinder with a high-quality 1280 x 960 color OLED display, a built-in proximity sensor, and a focus adjustment range of -4 to +4.

You might be thinking that it looks a lot like the Pocket Cinema cameras. Well, that’s because it basically is – on the outside, anyway. It’s the same size and weight (almost), it uses the same NP-F570 battery, and you can even use all the same accessories – but it’s what's on the inside that makes this camera an entirely different species. 

"This is a true high-end cinema camera designed for high-end work and we think it gives our customers a whole new way to tell their stories," said Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design. 

With prices starting at $2,595 / £2,119 / AU£4,021, this is a seriously good value bit of kit that we imagine is going to be sought after by independent filmmakers looking to shoot professionally. Its compact form and range of impressive features make it one of Blackmagic's most exciting releases, maybe ever, and we can’t wait to get our hands on one for testing. 

Check out some sample footage from the Cinema Camera 6K here

See how it compares to the best Blackmagic cameras in Super 35 and Micro Four Thirds formats, and check out the best cameras for video for a range of mirrorless systems, phones and more.