Out of the Box

The box contents are, refreshingly, complete. The Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) arrives with everything you’d expect — and a few nice surprises: the display itself, a foldable ST300 stand, the PW600L pen, ten replacement nibs, a 3-in-1 cable. No accessory hunting required, except for a Thunderbolt capable US-C-toUSB-C. Build quality leaves a good impression. The casing feels sturdy, doesn’t creak, and at 865 grams it’s light enough to throw into a backpack. It feels more “tool” than “toy,” which is a good start.

The Kamwas 13 Display

Huion advertises the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) as factory-calibrated to ΔE < 1.5 … our unit, however, came in at ΔE 2.5 (Adobe RGB, Measured with our Datacolor Spyder Pro). Not bad, but not “color-critical.” You’ll want to calibrate it yourself if you work on anything that depends on color accuracy, and big grading jobs or Onset-Livegrading are not recommended. Why we are saying that? For that price, you’d think you could just put it onto your DIT-Cart. You can, but you wil lhave to check the colors more often.

That said, the anti-glare surface deserves genuine praise. It’s the nicest we’ve seen so far: it kills reflections without dulling the image or killing contrast, and it feels wonderfully smooth, like a high-quality matte paper, not sandpaper. The screen itself is Full HD (1920 × 1080), which is perfectly fine for a 13-inch panel. It’s not a retina display, but at typical viewing distances it looks crisp enough for painting, layout work, or even quick note-taking.

Pen & Performance

The PW600L pen uses Huion’s PenTech 4.0 system, and it’s battery-free, a small victory in an age of rechargeable everything. During testing across Rebelle 8, Photoshop and Microsoft Ink, the pen behaved as expected: accurate tracking, no real lag, and pressure sensitivity that feels natural once you fine-tune it.

That “once” matters. Out of the box, the settings we made were too hard, and we initially thought the pressure curve was off. Turns out the issue was “idiot user”, not “hardware”. The Huion driver lets you adjust the curve quite precisely, well worth the five minutes of tinkering before judging it. After six weeks of daily sketching and note-taking, the original nib still showed no wear. The replacement nibs included should last a good long while unless you’re carving marble in Krita.

From the Left

As some of you know, one of our key ergonomics features is that we can actually use the device. And yes, I’m a Southpaw. A leftie. If you’ve ever wondered why some hardware never makes it into Digital Production, that’s the reason (Well, one of the reasons). If it’s not usable for us and the other 10% of humanity, it doesn’t get tested. Simple rule.

The Huion Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) passes this test with flying colors. In the driver software, flipping the orientation is literally one click, rotate, mirror, turn it upside down if you feel like it. There’s no directionality to the chassis and the ports, no fixed edge, angle or cable trap that dictates how you have to work. So if you’re one of us, this tablet won’t force you to contort your wrist or flip your brain to right-handed mode. And for the others: Did you recognize that the featured image above this article is a leftie drawing? No? I thought so.

Ergonomics & Workflow

The left edge holds two mechanical dials and five customizable buttons. They’re easy to reach and satisfyingly quiet. Macro assignment is limited, you can’t yet chain multiple actions (like “new layer + color switch”) but the basics are there.

Switching between monitors took a few days to get used to. In our dual-screen setup, toggling the pen focus from the Kamvas to the main monitor isn’t instant muscle memory. After a while, though, it becomes second nature. Mirroring the main display didn’t quite work in our configuration, but that’s likely a Windows quirk or a driver limitation. For most use cases, drawing, annotation, or light compositing, extending the desktop is the better option anyway.

As for Thunderbolt, a word of warning: not all cards are equal. We discovered that Thunderbolt expansion cards vary wildly between workstation manufacturers. Mixing an (Random example) Asus add-in card with a Lenovo board, for instance, another random example, is an exercise in frustration (see XKCD’s “Standards” comic). Not Huion’s fault, but worth noting if you’re planning a clean single-cable setup. Make sure your USB-C ports are Thunderbolt-capable!

Everyday Use

Once configured, the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) simply behaves. It works as a secondary screen, a sketchpad, or a small presentation monitor. For productivity use, it’s perfectly fine: crisp enough for text, light enough for travel. The anti-glare glass remains a highlight: even after hours of drawing, the surface stays clean and non-sticky, with minimal fingerprint buildup. And because the tablet has no fan, it’s completely silent and stays cool.

One disclaimer, though: as with every tablet, it will not make you a good artist. You’ll still have to bring the talent yourself. If you’re wondering why we didn’t warn you earlier: we thought it was obvious, until we tried proving otherwise. For evidence, please refer to our attempt at a one-line house drawing. Don’t laugh — we’re mouse users by habit, idiots on top of that and it took eight failed tries to get that one semi-straight roof. There’s a reason this magazine focuses on tech, not concept art.

Verdict of the Kamwas 13

After a solid six weeks with the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3), we can confidently say this: it’s a sensible tablet. The display might not be colorist-grade, but it’s bright, balanced, and consistent. The pen feels natural, the build is solid, and the included accessories make it a ready-to-go package straight from the box. If you’re looking for a mobile, lightweight pen display that doesn’t break the bank, the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) is easy to recommend.

Software quirks aside, it’s an ideal entry point for new artists, or a travel companion for experienced ones who don’t want to risk their main display in a backpack. We were genuinely surprised by how much performance you can get for €239 on Huion’s official store. And since our test went so well: should we ask Huion for one of their Android tablets next? Let us know, we’re curious ourselves.

The post Huion Kamvas 13 (Gen 3): Welcome to Sensible Pen Tablets first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In nuce: The VFX service provider DNEG is making its playback and reviewing software xStudio available as open source. This is according to my report, which was published by Dan Sarto on awn.com on 20 January this year. This is a beta version of xStudio. According to awn.com, xStudio is suitable for a wide range of production steps – from the film set to the production office, or even for remote reviewing sessions.

In toto: xStudio can be obtained via the GitHub account of the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF) and is provided as part of the Open Review Initiative. The announcement on awn com also states that xStudio is highly customisable and can be used both as a standalone player and integrated into pipelines via a C plug-in framework or the Python interface. The fact that users also have access to an extensive, open-source library is also emphasised.

Who is behind it? The open-source reviewing software xStudio is managed by a technical steering committee under the direction of DNEG. The committee is made up of engineers and contributors from the community. Chas Jarrett, Senior VFX Supervisor and Creative Director at DNEG, is quoted in the press release: “We encourage our customers, industry colleagues and partners to use and develop xStudio”; Jarrett emphasises that the community can benefit from xStudio.

Academy Softwaer Foundation (ASWF): The idea behind the initiative is standardisation – as Digital Production also reported on 9 August 2022 . The Open Review Initiative is a sandbox project of the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF), which is committed to building a standardised, open-source toolset for playback, reviewing and project approval. DNEG is a founding member of the ASWF, which was founded in 2018 under the umbrella of the Linux Foundation. Further information at aswf.io.

Outlook: In the coming months, the reviewing software itview from VFX house Sony Pictures Imagesworks will be made available as open source.

Click back: Just last week Thursday, 19 January 2023, Digital Production reported on how software developer Autodesk has made its reviewing & playback software Open RV accessible as part of the Open Review Initiative.

Click further: To the GitHub of xStudio. Further information on xStudio can be found at dneg.com .

Sources: awn.com ( announcement by Dan Sarto), dneg.com/xstudio/ ( official announcement)

The post Open source reviewing tool from DNEG? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: DNEG is working on new open-source software for playback, reviewing, editing and grading. The software has been christened XStudio and is intended to replace all other existing reviewing tools within DNEG. According to the announcement, XStudio will be released in the course of the year. Furthermore: According to DNEG, XStudio will be tailored to the industry-specific needs of VFX professionals. On the one hand, the software will function as a standalone tool, while on the other hand, XStudio can also be integrated into existing pipelines via integrated interfaces to Python and C .

Functions of XStudio: Some of the flagship features presented in the accompanying press release are as follows. You can find out more about the full range of functions at dneg.com/xstudio.

• Playback of all common media formats and codecs – with almost any bit depth and resolution (up to 8K)
• Precise colour management thanks to integration with OCIO v2.0
• Accurate playback, where picture dropouts should be a thing of the past
• Link between audio playback and video playback: this should prevent drift or distortion
• Pop-out viewer: Used to display across multiple screens simultaneously

Clicked further: Press release about xStudio. See the corresponding Twitter posting right here below.

The post XStudio: New reviewing software from DNEG is coming! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

This article originally appeared in Digital Production 02 : 2014.

In my article “4K & HFR” in DP O7/13, I covered the technical basics on the subject of “True 4K”. Now it’s time to put it into practice.

To get you started, here is a summary of the most important facts:

• • A 4K monitor/projector has 8.85 megapixels at 4,096 × 2,160 according to the DCI standard. As we know, a pixel consists of three colour pixels: red, green and blue. This means that 8.85 megapixels times three equals 26.5 megapixels in RGB.
  • However, a camera sensor labelled as 4K only has a total of 8.85 megapixels for RGB for 4,096 × 2,160, and only 2,048 for green on the horizontal. However, it would actually have to have 26.5 megapixels to achieve the same resolution as the monitor. A camera sensor currently labelled as 4K therefore only achieves a luminance resolution of 2K! Tip: Just google Bayer pattern sensor.
  • To deliver true, full 4K, i.e. 26.5 megapixels for RGB, you would need an 8K×4K sensor as a minimum, which neither the Epic Dragon sensor nor the Sony F65 currently achieves.
  • In order to be able to see real 4K (which currently only exists in the photo and animation sector), you must not be further than 1.5 times the image height away from the image.
  • In order to be able to perceive real 4K while the image content is moving, you need an image motion resolution/frame rate above the perception threshold of around 90 to 100 frames per second (HFR = high frame rate)

With this in mind, it is fair to ask: does it make sense to even try to produce 4K at the moment?

Projection

The good news is that there are actually applications where 4K makes sense even with the current technical framework conditions: for large projections at events (example: car shows). Anywhere where viewers (e.g. visitors to trade fair stands) can get close to the screens. Or in the field of design and development, where only artificially digitally generated images are presented, sometimes also many still images or paused virtual live 3D animations.

With computer-generated images, there is usually no limit to the frame rates, as long as the computing power is sufficient. The automotive industry has been working with 4K projections under these “conditions” for around ten years.

There is another aspect to large projections: Even if you can no longer perceive 4K from a distance of 1.5 times the image height to the screen, the pixel structure can still be perceived from a distance of 10 times the image height with a 2K or HD projection, especially with high-contrast graphics or fonts. A 4K projection, even of HD content, would therefore look much better in the last cinema row, because the scalers built into 4K projectors convert this pixel structure into smooth lines. Or if you produce the graphics in 4K and the film content in HD, it looks better on the 4K projector than on an HD projector.

Alternative applications

Another application variant for 4K was presented by Canon in its latest roadshow: Photo shoots with the Canon 1D in 4K video mode. Here at least 24 images per second can be recorded in 4K (but only in Motion JPEG, quite heavily compressed with limited dynamic range compared to raw photos).

The photographer then no longer presents printed photos, but short snippets of movement on 4K monitors with a long pause in between – sometimes just a blink of the eye or a twitch of the corner of the mouth. A completely new art form? Well, not quite. Basically a video installation, albeit in unprecedented image quality, which certainly fulfils the increased image quality demands of viewers.

For consumers, there are also some areas of application for 4K that they can already utilise. Viewing photos: Even an iPhone takes photos with 8 megapixels, as many pixels as a Sony F5 or F55 4K sensor has. A photo from a Canon 5d has over 20 megapixels, a Nikon D800 has 36 megapixels – such photos look simply fantastic on 4K displays. You can see the full quantum leap of 4×HD.

If you want to achieve this quality in 4K moving images: timelapses, i.e. series of individual images from such cameras, are the only true 4K content to date, apart from computer animations. Current new games consoles or games computers can also reproduce 4K up to 60 FPS.

However, there are also other examples. Sony F65 users tell us: “We bought an F65 because we saw that a Red or an Alexa reach their limits on the huge screens that Audi operates at these trade fairs. The images just look soft.” (The quote comes from the application report of a 4K production with the Sony F65, in which the frame rate problem is also vividly described: Kropac-Media at http://bit.ly/1dqNb9f.)

Apart from timelapses, maximum resolution in images can only be achieved digitally and artificially, or you have to come up with multiple resolutions and scale very carefully. However, there is still a lack of cameras that can produce true 4K and, above all, those that significantly exceed true 4K resolution (26 megapixels plus!) and do so at a simultaneous frame rate of at least 60 FPS. The most common argument in favour of 4K productions that I have heard recently was: “Then we can still zoom into the image because we have so much resolution.” Or: “We only shoot the slow motion in 2K, that’s still enough for HD utilisation.” However, if you record 2K cropped with a Bayer pattern sensor, you are left with significantly less resolution than HD. 2KBayerpattern resolution is just about good enough for 16:9 SD.

HFR – more than 30 FPS required

Another quote from the aforementioned application report reads: “In our tests, we realised that 4K resolution is only half the battle. The essential thing is recording in 50p. This is what creates the real wow effect. Only then does the material look really sharp.”

HD at 59.94 frames per second has been the standard for BMW trade fair films for over ten years. Audi now also requires every large-scale projection in 4K to be delivered in at least 50p, both filmed content and 2D/3D animations. For cinema projection, the frame rate in the DCI standards has been increased to up to 60 frames per second, particularly for stereo 3D. Almost all high-end finishing systems (such as those from Quantel and DVS) can also process at least 2K to 60 FPS in stereo 3D or 4K 2D at 60 FPS.

However, consumer TV sets and computer displays pose a problem when it comes to 60 FPS. I recently visited a production company that is currently producing films in 4K for a TV set manufacturer for product presentations of 4K TV sets. This visit led to a joint field research odyssey, which I would like to report on below because it clearly illustrates the “teething troubles” of 4K.

Great expectations and unvarnished reality

With its 65 inches, the TV set supplied by the manufacturer for testing already offered an impressive picture size, creating anticipation of brilliant images. In addition, the playback device from the same manufacturer – a kind of tablet with a docked keyboard – was supposed to make 4K easy and simple for anyone to operate with the swipe of a finger, so to speak. So much for the marketing. And that was the reality: after several attempts to connect and disconnect the 4KTV device to various HDMI ports on the computer (Windows 8.1), it recognised itself with 4K, i.e. 4,096 × 2,160. When the first images lit up, the colleague who had previously dragged the heavy device into the office by the sweat of his brow couldn’t contain his excitement: It looks great! Sitting on the sofa about three metres away, he didn’t notice the image deficiencies or the lack of sharpness. About one metre away from the screen, however, the unvarnished 4K reality was revealed in the form of massive image resolution losses.

Massive loss of image resolution

Now we began our search for the causes of the disappointing picture quality when viewed up close. To anticipate, at the end of this search, which can certainly be described as an odyssey, we were enriched by the following findings:

• • • Monitor sends incorrect resolution information to graphics card.
    • Graphics card scales up Quad HD to DCI standard (because the Quad HD film is displayed in full screen).
    • Then the monitor scales down from DCI standard back to its native Quad HD resolution and zooms into the picture using overscan.

Here is our field research odyssey in detail:

• • Check: Resolution / image content

As we didn’t have a 4K test chart, we produced one: First, we downloaded my HD test chart from digitalproduction.com (http://bit.ly/1b2tUXr) and created a Quad HD, i.e. 3,840 × 2,160, in After Effects and then also in 4,096 x 2,160 by filling it up. The aim: to determine whether the monitor has DCI standard or Quad HD.

• • Check: Resolution/picture reproduction devices/playback system

Loading the test chart revealed that a resolution below HD could already be seen in the result when this still image was played back. So we looked in the graphics card settings to see what was offered as an alternative. The next entry was 3,840 × 2,160 – but without the additional information “native”, which was also missing for 4,096 × 2,160. This is often the case with computer displays so that it is easier to set the appropriate native resolution or it is initially used automatically. However, the image only became a little sharper, it was still not pixel native.

• • Check: Resolution/picture display device/TV set

We searched for the scaling or overscan in the display menu, as there is no standard designation here and it can be called “full”, “1:1”, “native” and similar. When we found the setting, it still looked blurred, but pixel-perfect. My test chart has various elements that can be used to quickly differentiate such a problem.

• • Check: Image processing functions/ TV set

• TV set manufacturers apparently assume that the majority of picture content played back to consumers at home is of such poor picture quality that the TV sets process the picture quality with a considerable number of functions. However, these picture enhancement functions prove to be counterproductive for high-quality picture material. It is therefore advisable to switch off or correctly set all these functions, which affect saturation, colour space, colour temperature, frame rate algorithms and, in particular, sharpness. Normally, sharpening is always active and inactive at a value of 0, but on our device it turned out that image sharpening was inactive at 50 (the default value). I was only familiar with this type of setting from cameras that can also go into the negative, i.e. can even blur the image. After I had deactivated the image sharpening function, the test chart finally looked perfect and pixel-perfect.

• • Check: Frame rate/image display devices

• In the graphics card settings, the frame rates were hidden in the Advanced Settings. After we had changed the resolution from 409 2,160 to 3,840 × 2,160, we were now able to set 25 FPS, 29.97 and 30 FPS instead of just 23.97 or 24 FPS. As the 4K film had been produced at 25 FPS, we now set 25 FPS accordingly. This showed that the higher frame rates of up to 30 FPS could also be activated at 3,840 × 2,160 – a further indication that this was the native picture resolution of the TV set’s panel. To be able to display 4,096 × 2,160, the internal scaler has to utilise additional computing capacity, which is at the expense of the frame rates. In the end, we exported the 4K file at a significantly lower data rate, i.e. from the original 300 megabits to 25 megabits. Fortunately, the production company had produced the file in Quad HD, i.e. in 3,840 × 2,160, which now also corresponded to the resolution of the TV set. After all these tedious changes to the settings, the 4K film looked halfway decent if you were standing two metres or more away from the screen.

• Final check: Motion resolution

Now that the TV set was also displaying the native frame rate of the film and we were able to play the H.264 film with the now significantly lower data rate of 25 Mbit almost smoothly, the differences in quality from almost motionless image content to the faster ones were already drastically visible if you stood close enough to the 4K TV set. There are at least two reasons for this fluctuating picture resolution quality:

a. Sensor resolution for slow motion: In order to achieve higher frame rates, the resolutions of the camera sensor usually have to be cropped. This means that the available pixel quantity is not fully utilised – often in order to save storage capacity. For example, even the Sony F65 only achieves 4K × 1K at 120 FPS, i.e. only a quarter of the resolution. However, the sensor has 8K × 2K.

b. Motion blur due to excessively long exposure times: Motion blur. The higher the actual still image resolution and the closer the viewer looks at the image on higher-resolution image devices, the more noticeable the differences in image resolution. Arri has already shown in various presentations impressive tests how dramatic the image resolution losses are with 4K due to motion blur. It therefore often makes more sense to produce consistently in HD or 2K with at least 60 FPS than 4K with 24 FPS. Especially when 4K cannot be real 4K.

HDMI 2.0 must come soon

At least the TV set in our field research had an HDMI interface of standard 1.4, which is the minimum required for 4K. The computer/playback device also had HDMI 1.4, although HDMI 1.4 is only specified up to 30 FPS. But the frame rate was automatically selected by the graphics card/TV set: 24 FPS. An average consumer would already be overwhelmed by the task of setting the device correctly.

Only HDMI 2.0 will support 60 FPS. Until the end devices can handle this, 60 FPS films should not be released. However, they can be produced, as various consumer TV manufacturers are already pointing out that their devices will be easily upgradeable to HDMI 2.0. “Easy” because the HDMI interfaces are often built into docked boxes to enable such upgrades. You can already produce at 48 or 50 or 60 – and then simply output half the images.

For example, “The Hobbit” was shot at 48 and not 60 in order to be able to deliver a normal 24 FPS for 2D cinema exploitation, which doesn’t shutter so violently. With 60 FPS, the film would have been shot much faster and the exposure would have been shorter, which would have led to more shutter problems. So if you want to be downwards compatible, you always have to shoot in such a way that you only have to halve the FPS. So 60 FPS for a 30 FPS output or later 60 FPS.

With HDMI 2.0, 30 FPS can also be displayed with up to 12-bit colour depth, making a higher colour resolution than in post-production possible for the first time. However, only the previous 8-bit colour depth will be possible again at 60 FPS. Either way, the amount of data and therefore the technical requirements will increase dramatically.

Bear in mind that wireless HDMI transmission only works up to Full HD. Wireless 4K will not be possible for a long time yet. The requirements for cable lengths and their quality will also increase considerably with 4K. Especially if instead of 30 FPS, 60 FPS, i.e. twice or even almost three times the 24 FPS data rate, has to be delivered via the cable.

Tip: To solve such a problem in production, you can still fall back on classic SDI technology. There are various affordable products in the adapter sector from Blackmagic, AJA etc. The first 4K live productions provide corresponding reports of experience: we will still have to work with HD technology for a long time to come, especially when monitoring 4K productions, as the effort and costs would otherwise explode: Videos and additional material from a live music production: http://www.4k-concerts.com

Conclusion

Even if the sensor/camera and TV set have been optimally selected/adjusted, the decisive factor for achieving true 4K quality is the production. In the case of our 4K TV device field research, the content was produced with Red Epic in Quad HD and with Sony F700, whose sensors are read out cropped in Quad HD. So only with just under 8.3 megapixels in RGB. A Quad HD TV set has 24.9 megapixels, i.e. around three times the resolution in RGB and around twice the resolution in luminance on the horizontal plane. Accordingly, graphics/fonts/logos are crisp and sharp, but the “4K film content” behind them is still quite soft, although no longer pixelated. The majority of readers probably know from their VFX experience that they sometimes have to degrade the artificially generated, crisply sharp graphic content by means of grain, noise, chroma aberrations and blurring so that it harmonises with the “real shots”. Well, this additional workload will also remain with 4K. I dread the thought of having to accommodate SD archive material in 4K.

The post 4K production – what do you really need? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Michael Radeck.

This article originally appeared in Digital Production 02 : 2019.

Many loved the inconspicuous Blackmagic Pocket HD despite all its weaknesses – from short battery life to fragile sockets and a very flat screen. The film images were simply too beautiful for a camera of this price range and size. As soon as 4K became an issue, many people wanted a new successor to the classic 16 mm camera with better resolution. When the hapless Digital Bolex disappeared from the market, these voices became even more numerous. Finally, Blackmagic Design (BMD for short) announced the new Pocket at NAB 2O18, and obviously many fingers twitched at “buy” without thinking twice. Unlike in the past, BMD was almost able to keep to the announced delivery date this time. But that doesn’t mean you can get the camera right away: It’s selling like hotcakes. Does the new camera have that much magic?

The predecessor could actually be slipped into almost any pocket with a small pancake or 16 mm lens. That’s a thing of the past, because despite all the progress, processing four times as many pixels for RAW images and the corresponding heat dissipation cannot be accommodated in such a compact housing. The new camera looks very similar to a DSLR and is even a little chunkier. When you first touch it, however, the low weight (720 g) is surprising, which is also associated with a certain feeling of a plastic box. But it is a composite material reinforced with carbon fibres, which should be able to withstand quite a lot – others use such material in cars. In any case, there have been no reports of damage to the housing from those who have been working with it for some time. A few Ursa Minis, on the other hand, have not survived tipping sideways with the handle attached without breaking the metal housing.

At best, the torsional strength of the Pocket 4K could be somewhat lower than that of metal. With heavy lenses or even motorised focus pullers, you should probably attach the lens to the support rather than the camera alone. The housing is not rainproof. A common problem with the predecessor was the fragile sockets, especially the tiny HDMI connection, which usually failed when used frequently. There are now better things here: HDMI in full size, a much more solid, latching 12-volt socket and mini-XLR for sound (mono) in addition to the usual 3.5 mm stereo jack. The batteries have also grown slightly; they now correspond to Canon LP-E6. BMD has retained the lens mount for Micro 4/3 (MFT). The active cooling is audible, but only in the immediate vicinity. The outlet for the significantly heated air is not optimally positioned on the underside, as a larger tripod plate could jeopardise the cooling, especially if the camera is carelessly placed on textiles.

Despite the touchscreen, there are plenty of sensibly placed and clearly labelled controls, including three freely assignable function buttons, a photo button for stills and a quick switch to slow motion. However, the latter can lead to problems if it happens to be assigned the same frame rate as the one you are currently shooting with. If you then accidentally touch this button, the picture/sound synchronisation is no longer guaranteed – so it is better to set a clearly different frame rate so that it is noticeable. It is also to be hoped that the labelling will be more durable than on the old Pocket: anyone who has used it intensively must now be able to operate it blindly. There is no longer a socket for LANC (Control-L); remote control is only offered via Bluetooth app as with the Ursa Mini Pro. If desired, GPS data from the controlling device can be transferred to the metadata of the recording – e.g. on the tracks of rare animals.

Together with the well thought-out menu structure, from which manufacturers like Sony could still learn a lot, the Pocket 4K quickly grows into your (not too dainty) hand. The manual is available in several languages, including German. Apart from a few amusing translation errors such as “camera assistant” instead of “AC” for AC, it is well organised and easy to understand; there is even an introduction to DaVinci Resolve. The camera menus are currently limited to English, but translations are planned.

Monitor

The screen makes good use of the available space, has a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 and around 500 nits. Although it cannot compete with a Ninja V that is twice as bright, it is significantly brighter and sharper than its predecessor (which can hardly be operated without a viewfinder magnifier). Unfortunately, it cannot be tilted, making it difficult to work with it from very low or high positions. Nevertheless, this decision is understandable, as the camera was obviously designed to be robust. The fragile tilting mechanism of some other cameras and the continuous strain on the corresponding cabling is always a potential weak point.
The monitor offers clear displays of all important parameters, which lead directly to the corresponding setting when touched without a menu; of course, they can also be hidden. Loadable LUTs for the display allow image assessment – these can optionally be transferred to the recording if you need to deliver immediately presentable material. Contour sharpening, zebra and false colours can be switched on for control purposes, but there is no waveform, histogram or vectorscope here. When the menu is activated or in dark scenes, a slight light scattering can be seen in the bottom left-hand corner, but this is insignificant in practice.

Sensor and lenses

The sensor has also grown, even slightly beyond the usual size in MFT photo cameras such as the GH5 from Panasonic. While the latter has a sensor with a width of 17.3 mm and an aspect ratio of 1.33 to 1, the chip in the Pocket 4K is almost 19 mm wide, but only 10 mm high. It is clearly aimed at film and actually has real 4K pixels in the cinema standard of 4096 x 2160 – other camera manufacturers are happy if you don’t know the difference to UHD with 3840 x 2160. Now, neither means a true resolution of 2,000 lines with a Bayer pattern, but at least both formats are available natively without scaling. The sharpness of a Sony A7III with oversampling is not quite achieved, but subjectively the Pocket looks very sharp. With one small catch: BMD still does not use an OLPF (anti-aliasing filter), so part of the sharpness impression is likely to consist of false detail. however, 4K on a small chip is far less critical than HD because the resolution limit of many lenses already has an effect. We were only rarely able to detect moiré in natural subjects.

The larger sensor has consequences for the choice of lens: if you still have S-16 lenses from an old pocket, they are unfortunately no longer as suitable despite having the same mount. They vignette massively at 4K and can only be used for 2K or HDTV via windowing or with crop. MFT lenses, which are now available in an enormous selection with both autofocus and purely manual focus, do not cause any problems with the image field. With a crop factor of 1.9 instead of 2 (in relation to KB photos), they even have a slightly wider angle of view on the Pocket 4K. With appropriate lenses, autofocus is possible on an area tapped on the screen, but this is relatively slow and cannot be tracked continuously as with modern photo cameras.

The Panasonic 12-35mm/f2.8 or the Olympus 12-100mm/f4 can be used as universal lenses. Both are excellent lenses and have image stabilisation – with Olympus, the latter in the lens is rather the exception. For a film camera, the lack of internal image stabilisation is less important, as you usually use aids such as a gimbal or tripod and the stabilisation can then even interfere. With appropriate lenses, you can activate their stabilisation in the camera for hand-held shots, but this cannot replace a gimbal. All classic manual lenses can be adapted using an adapter if you love their look. However, you can hardly save any money with them now that the Sonys with E-mount are available and there is a corresponding run on good lenses. The lower speed of the zooms is generally unproblematic on the Pocket 4K, as the new sensor is significantly more light-sensitive than all previous BMD sensors.

For the first time at BMD, the sensor has two native ISO values, namely 400 and 3,200 ISO. Our tests showed that it is less noisy at 1,250 ISO than at 640 or 800, which are obviously only generated by amplification. Yes, the noise even seemed a touch lower than at 400, even if this is somewhat at the expense of the latitude in the highlights. Even at 1,600 ISO, the image is still quite usable, while 3,200 requires some noise filtering. The limit value of 25,600, on the other hand, is exactly that: borderline. The dynamic range is around 13 f-stops and therefore slightly below that of the Ursa Mini Pro, but this is still a very decent result, as our test subject shows. This dual ISO is explained excellently at FilmmakerIQ bit.ly/hess_dual_iso. The rolling shutter is acceptable, it is more on a par with other cinema cameras and is not as massive as with film cameras. The structure of the noise is different to that of BMD, it appears very homogeneous and the infamous fixed pattern noise is barely discernible. It is noticeable that in the waveform display of Resolve a clipping below the black level is recognisable in the noise, which we have not seen in this form with other cameras. After slight noise filtering, a normal noise carpet can be recognised again. Not only is the light sensitivity impressive for a still quite small sensor in 4K, the colours are also fully convincing. BMD once again shows that it understands colour science: it shouldn’t be too difficult to match correctly exposed skin tones with an Arri, even if the Pocket can’t really keep up in the colours of the limits of its dynamic range.

Recording media

Only the Ursa Mini is similarly flexible when it comes to storage media: in addition to CFast and fast SD cards, you can also connect an external SSD via the USB-C port (note: not identical to Thunderbolt 3) and record directly to it. However, there still seem to be minor firmware problems, because at least with the popular Samsung T5, you should first start the camera (approx. 5 seconds) and only then connect the SSD. Sometimes a card should also be inserted in the SD slot first so that the SSD is recognised (both use the same bus). However, BMD is aware of the problem and a solution should be in the works. Sandisk should urgently solve another problem: Some of the current batches of proven SD cards no longer work in BMD’s cameras, not alone in the Pocket 4K. Be careful with repeat purchases!

USB-C use is even more elegant and cheaper than the separately purchased SSD recorder for the larger camera or tinkering, as presented in DP 03:18. This means that everything is available, from fast but more expensive media to inexpensive and widely used media to media with long runtimes. A place for the lightweight SSD with some Velcro can usually still be found; unfortunately, USB-C is not secured against slipping out. On sufficiently fast media, the Pocket can manage 4K DCI or UHD with 60 frames, and with HDTV in the crop window it goes up to 120 fps. Unfortunately, no intermediate format of 3K (as with RED) is offered, so that a Bayer sensor would also deliver the full HDTV resolution. Currently, recording is only possible in DNG or ProRes 422, but BMD has also announced BRaw (see DP 01:19) for this camera. As the camera does not allow parallel recording on multiple media, not all formats can be recorded uncompressed at higher frame rates.

Power supply

Even though the Pocket 4K achieves slightly longer runtimes than its predecessor with the larger batteries, the power requirement for small batteries typically used in DSLRs is critical. The battery supplied by BMD achieves 49 minutes of continuous recording on an internal card, the remaining runtime indicator decreases continuously, it displays a warning shortly before switching off and switches off properly. In contrast, a new battery from Patona, which was also used for testing, lasted 33 minutes and switched off at 80% without warning. We have not had any bad experiences with these third-party batteries on other devices, but it is simply the case that the Pocket draws more power than a standard DSLR.

Unlimited reliability only seems to be possible with the rather expensive original batteries from Canon and those from BMD. However, BMD is currently experiencing supply bottlenecks not only with the cameras, but also with these batteries. Particularly when using SSDs, which also draw their power from the camera via USB-C, it is important to warn against using third-party batteries. One possible weak point appears to be the battery cover – its closure does not look very trustworthy, but the battery itself is secured against falling out by an additional lever. On the other hand, the cover is also easy to remove if you want to connect a more powerful battery (such as the Sony L series) externally using a dummy – the accessories industry has reacted quickly.

The Pocket also has a socket for an external 12-volt supply. Strictly speaking, it can be 12-20 volts, so that standard video batteries with D-Tap can be used without fear, although they can have up to 16.8 volts when freshly charged (nominal 14.4). The appropriate cable must be purchased separately. A power supply unit for this connection is included in the scope of delivery and also charges the internal battery; however, a separate charger is not included. When the camera is switched off, the battery can even be charged via USB. As long as a charged battery is in the camera, the power supply remains very reliable. If you have to change the external battery or someone unplugs the mains cable, recording continues without interruption.

Sound and timecode

The four internal microphones sound very good and have an amazing feature when a zoom lens with electronic connection is used: The sound is zoomed in! In the wide-angle position, the sound is more open and spacious; in the zoom position, it sounds closer and more intimate. Noise from the inputs is barely audible, but the fan becomes discreetly audible in a quiet environment. The mono XLR input offers switchable 48 volt phantom power – which places additional demands on the battery and costs around 10 minutes of battery life. The built-in loudspeaker is only used to determine the presence of sound. The output for headphones is usable this time, it has neither too much noise nor too much latency, as has been the case with some other BMD models.

Unfortunately, this is the end of the plus points: the 3.5 mm stereo input is far too insensitive and without an external preamplifier can only be used in front of the stage at a heavy metal concert, even with powerful microphones. However, a radio link with line output is sufficient. Whether this is a software error or a fundamental weakness could not yet be determined during our test. In addition, the inputs cannot be switched separately to line or micro level, they can only be switched together. This restriction is not obvious in the menu and can be irritating.
On the other hand, the use of external timecode generators is a good solution: you only have to briefly feed an LTC timecode into one of the inputs without assigning it to a track during recording. As soon as it has been recognised, a jam sync is performed, indicated by a small symbol next to the TC in the monitor. The synchronisation is then stable for several hours as long as the power supply is maintained. Consequently, it is wisest to work with separate sound recording if you do not want to tether the camera to an external mixer. The Zoom Recorder F4, among others, demonstrates very good TC stability. The internal microphones can at least provide a good ambience or a guide sound if you want to create the sound with Pluraleyes or similar programmes.

Which gimbal?

The choice should not be a problem with such a light camera, but the wide housing causes problems. On most gimbals, the handle hits the tilt motor if you can’t move the pocket far enough with an additional plate and still balance it. The Ronin S from DJI is currently available at a favourable price, which can be used with an additional plate. An alternative is the Moza Air 2, which can be used together with the Half Rig from Smallrig. Neither of these have been tested by us due to a lack of availability, but the reports from experienced forum colleagues are positive.

Comment

The Pocket 4K should be used for exactly what it is: a compact, very light and unbeatably cheap camera for the image quality. If you consider the value of the licence for DaVinci Resolve Studio, it costs just 1,000 euros. It can be used just as well in a YouTube home studio as a B-camera or crash cam alongside an Arri, and is also excellent as backpack equipment for landscape and wildlife photography. However, with its lack of ND filters, no viewfinder, weak sound section and critical power supply, it will not replace an Ursa Mini Pro, which also offers more resolution and dynamic range. Otherwise, you would have to put together a monster rig that is neither more user-friendly nor much cheaper.

The post More pixels in your pocket – the Blackmagic Pocket 4K first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Uli Plank.