Blackmagic Design has introduced a new family of Blackmagic Studio Cameras for live production aimed at customers who need cameras with professional features that are also fast to setup on location. They include design features such as carbon fibre reinforced polycarbonate and integrated 7in viewfinders making them more light weight and easier to transport and setup than traditional studio cameras.

Blackmagic Studio Cameras have the same features as large studio cameras, miniaturised into a compact and portable design. With digital film camera dynamic range and colour science, they are said to handle difficult lighting conditions while producing cinematic looking images.

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The compact and portable Blackmagic Studio Cameras

The sensor features an ISO up to 25,600 so customers can create amazing images even in dimly lit venues. Advanced features include talkback, tally, camera control, built in colour corrector, Blackmagic RAW recording to USB disks and much more.

While Blackmagic Studio Camera is designed for live production, it’s not limited to use with a live switcher as it records Blackmagic RAW to USB disks. The 7in viewfinder makes it suitable for work such as chat shows, television production, broadcast news, sports, education and conference presentations. The large bright display with side handles, touchscreen and physical controls also makes it easy to track shots while being comfortable to use for long periods of time.

Featuring gain from -12dB (100 ISO) up to +36dB (25,600 ISO), the Blackmagic Studio Camera is optimised to reduce grain and noise in images, while maintaining the full dynamic range of the sensor. The gain can be set from the camera, or remotely from a switcher using the SDI or Ethernet remote camera control.

The 4K sensor combined with Blackmagic generation 5 colour science gives users the same imaging technology used in digital film cameras. The colour corrector can even be controlled from the switcher. The sensor features a resolution of 4096 x 2160 making it suitable for HD and Ultra HD work. Plus, all models support from 23.98fps up to 60fps.

The Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro model has SDI connections that include talkback so the switcher operator can communicate with cameras during live events. This enables the director to talk to the camera operators to guide shot selection, eliminating the problem where all cameras could have the same shot, at the same time. The talkback connector is built into the side of the camera and supports standard five-pin XLR broadcast headsets.

All models feature HDMI with tally, camera control and record trigger, as well as headphone and mic connections, and two USB-C expansion ports. The 4K Pro model is designed for broadcast workflows so has 12G-SDI, 10GBASE-T Ethernet, talkback and balanced XLR audio inputs. The 10G Ethernet allows all video, tally, talkback and camera power via a single connection, so setup is faster.

Blackmagic Studio Cameras also include built-in shock and wind resistant microphones. There’s also a 3.5mm audio input for connecting video camera microphones as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack.

“These new studio cameras are built on all the knowledge and customer feedback from the original Blackmagic Studio Cameras,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “These new models are a big step forward and they have been designed to be high-end cameras, not entry-level cameras. They might be small and self contained, but the features such as the built in 10G Ethernet, low light capability and professional viewfinder design make them very high-end cameras for high-end work!”

The compact and portable Blackmagic Studio Cameras