Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 4, 2014. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The update delivers a completely new code base. This is accompanied by a new user interface and improved performance. The update is available to all Blackmagic customers free of charge on the Blackmagic website. The UI now resembles the design of the Ursa camera presented at this year’s NAB.
Blackmagic Camera 1.8 software gives the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K additional support for compressed Raw DNG, allowing real-time recording in raw format and thus capturing the complete sensor data. This enables a broader tonal range and higher image quality in post-production and color correction. DaVinci Resolve 11, which was also released, offers full support for raw grading and rendering the final output directly from original camera files in raw format.
Other new features include expanded support for lens control on EF-mount camera models such as the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera EF and the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K. For users, this means that autofocus is now available when they tap the focus button with an actively controlled EF lens. The camera then performs a mathematical analysis of the center of the image and optimizes the focus for maximum sharpness.
The release also comes with an improved focus-peaking display, which according to the manufacturer is intended to enable precise manual focusing. Focus peaking now lights up green, which according to Blackmagic should make it easier to notice. The filters that generate edge peaking at the edges have also been optimized, allowing further improved detection and display for maximum sharpness. Another small but useful innovation: aperture control now retains the respective setting between recording and playback.
The update also includes improvements to audio performance and to the debayering processor. With the completely rewritten debayering, recordings in ProRes or DNxHD are now sharper and "cleaner" in the image. The new debayering processing uses algorithms borrowed from DaVinci Resolve. Dynamic range has also been improved, which users are expected to notice when shooting at ISO 1,600.
Improvements for the Pocket Cinema Camera are also included in this update. These include, for example, a modern, redesigned user interface, new focus peaking, improved debayering quality, and additional support for active MFT lenses, including lenses from Sigma and Lumix.
Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty once again summarizes everything that is new in this video on the Blackmagic website.
