Tips on how to Energy Your Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Digital camera
Study the very best strategies of powering your Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Digital camera to get probably the most recording time and effectivity.
Only a fast observe, this text primarily references the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Digital camera 4K. The 6K takes the identical batteries because the 4K, however the 6K Professional takes the bigger NP-F570 batteries.
Tips on how to Successfully Energy Your BMPCC
Detachable Batteries
The BMPCC vary comes with a detachable battery, a normal LP-E6 like Canon use. The issue with this alone is that it affords you little or no filming time, notably at larger resolutions. You’d get someplace within the area of 20-40 minutes of capturing in Full HD.
Customers of third-party LP-E6 batteries have reported that you just get even much less outing of them (some report an enormous 75% drop in effectivity), so if shopping for further batteries is your most well-liked possibility then go along with a trusted model like Canon or go by way of Blackmagic’s website for trusted suppliers. We as soon as made the error of shopping for cheaper third-party batteries and we found that, because the saying goes, ‘purchase low cost, pay twice.’
Branded LP-E6 batteries price round £90-£100 every at time of writing.
Battery Grip
Swapping out batteries is a ache, so a battery grip is usually a nice answer in case you want to make use of them however don’t wish to must hold changing them whereas filming. Battery grips for the 4K and 6K exchange the LP-E6 battery with two L-series batteries.
A battery grip for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Digital camera 6K Professional. Picture by way of Blackmagic Design
The grips for the 4K and 6K are L-shaped with one half becoming into the present battery slot and the opposite housing the 2 batteries. This considerably extends the filming time you will get utilizing batteries and reduces the variety of instances you’d want to change them out. You need to get round two hours of capturing from one cost from a grip.
The grip for the 6K Professional is barely totally different in that it fixes on to the underside of the digital camera, with out the necessity to plug into the battery slot, and it takes two NP-F570 batteries with round three hours of use per cost.
A battery grip for the 4K/6K will set you again £185—£250 plus round £150 every for (branded) batteries.
Replace Your Firmware
Protecting your digital camera’s firmware updated is smart anyway, however can even have sudden advantages, battery points being one of many ones of latest years.
Within the 6.1 model of the Blackmagic Digital camera Setup Software program the replace addressed energy points just like the digital camera shutting off with out warning whereas there’s nonetheless energy within the battery, generally as a lot as 40% which clearly is a major distinction in battery effectivity.
Gimbal
{Most professional} gimbals will energy nearly all of standard cameras available on the market. We use a Gudsen Moza Air 2 which boasts as much as 16 hours of battery life with 4 Li-ion 18650 batteries. Whereas I assume that that’s dependant on the way you’re utilizing your digital camera, we’ve not but run out of energy utilizing it however it could be straightforward to have a spare set of batteries available in case you had been planning on notably heavy utilization and had been uncertain.
V-Lock Battery
Blackmagic doesn’t actually tout a V-Lock (or V-Mount) battery as one of many powering choices on their website, however for us it’s been the very best and most cost-effective answer. Many individuals report getting over 5 hours of on-off capturing with the V-Lock and whereas we’ve by no means wanted to make use of it for that lengthy, we’ve definitely had over three hours with no points.
V-Lock Battery on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Digital camera 4K
Including a V-Lock battery is rather less easy than different strategies and there’s nobody agreed upon method, however as soon as it’s on it’s fairly strong. It makes use of an adapter that appears like a dummy battery that goes into your battery slot in the identical method as a battery grip would. You can too plug it into the 12v enter as an alternative of the dummy adapter.
A fast launch plate hooked up to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Digital camera 4K
We mount our V-Lock beneath the digital camera as nearly all of work we do is on a tripod or gimbal so it’s simpler to mount it immediately onto the tripod and in addition easy to take off if we have to put the digital camera on the gimbal. Those that use shoulder mounts are likely to favour having the battery behind the digital camera on the shoulder mount to assist with stability, however the pitfall of that’s it may block the display screen. It’s much less of an issue in case you then use an exterior monitor, however bear in mind you’ll doubtless nonetheless want the monitor’s contact controls.
A V-Lock battery hooked up to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Digital camera 4K with a fast launch plate beneath
We’ve got the fast launch plate for the tripod completely mounted on the underside of the battery and a fast launch plate shoe mounted on the highest of the battery, with a fast launch plate on the underside of the digital camera, so it may slide on and off.
The V-Mount itself is on the underside of the fast launch shoe – that is so the digital camera stays the identical for happening gimbal with out the underside needing to be unscrewed every time.
A V-Lock battery prices round £250 however they fluctuate fairly a bit in value and in model and design, so you may want to search out the fitting model to suit your digital camera.
AC Energy Plus USB-C Enter
The BMPCC contains an AC plug so you may cost the batteries when you shoot in case you’re staying in a single place with entry to energy, successfully working off the mains.
There’s additionally the USB-C port you can hook up with an influence supply like an influence financial institution or laptop computer, although the charging operate shall be slower than when linked to mains.
It’s actually vital that earlier than you plug any energy supply into your digital camera (or something, actually!) that you just verify the voltage is suitable, as a result of it’s solely potential to fry it, and other people have. When you’re uncertain whether or not an influence supply is okay to make use of together with your digital camera, you may contact Blackmagic and ask, they’re fairly good at getting again to you and letting if it’ll be okay.
Completely happy Filming
Let’s face it, the usual battery is no person’s favorite method of powering their Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Digital camera, however fortunately there are loads of good options you can analysis and select primarily based in your specific wants and setup. Hopefully you have discovered a number of the solutions right here helpful and may examine them additional, simply do not forget that no matter method you select to energy your BMPCC, you may have a backup too. It is price holding onto the battery that comes with the digital camera—and retaining it charged—simply in case of emergencies!
