Blackmagic Design has released update 10.2.2 for its cameras. The new firmware is only for the company’s full-frame Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera 6K. However, it adds PDAF autofocus, cloud streaming, 4-channel audio recording, and pre-recording.
PDAF autofocus
Blackmagic Camera 10.2.2 brings phase detect autofocus to the Cinema Camera 6K. The camera runs an active L-mount, though Blackmagic Design says autofocus EF-mount glass may work through an electronic adapter. Parts of this were already floating around for the BMCC6K and the PYXIS 6K, but only as a test build buried in the company’s forum pages. Version 10.2.2 makes it official.
Face and object detection
Blackmagic cameras have taken heat for lacking autofocus, which was never quite fair. Push-to-focus has always been there as a single-shot option. What’s new is continuous autofocus, and you can pause it by holding the focus button. Face and object detection come with it. The update also lets you dial in autofocus transition speed and map the AF mode toggle to a shortcut key.
4-channel audio
Recording jumps from two channels to four. That opens up separate tracks for an interviewee, a room mic and a scratch reference on the same take. Interviews, live events and documentary work all benefit. Since it all lands in camera, the audio arrives in post already synced to picture.
Pre-recording
The BMCC6K can now hold up to 10 minutes of pre-roll. Set the buffer anywhere from 5 seconds to 10 minutes and the camera continuously caches video and audio to the card. Hit record and the resulting file opens with everything that happened before you pressed the button.
Blackmagic Cloud
Stream routing arrives too. The camera can push a live stream straight into your studio, and Blackmagic Cloud handles pushing that feed to multiple platforms at once.
What we think
The Cinema Camera 6K shipped in 2023. Three years later it’s picking up the single most requested feature on the list, for free. That’s worth noting in a market where the usual answer to “will you add autofocus” is a new body at a new price.
Temper the expectations a little. Users who ran the earlier test builds reported that performance depends heavily on the lens. Native L-mount glass reportedly does well. Adapted EF is more of a question mark until people put it through real work.
Pre-recording is the sleeper feature here. Documentary shooters who have watched a moment happen while the camera sat idle know exactly what 10 minutes of buffer is worth.
Availability
The Blackmagic Camera 10.2.2 update is available now as a free download from the Blackmagic Design website support pages. Please note that no other cameras are supported by this update.
