ESSENTIAL GEAR is a regular feature produced in collaboration with StudioDaily’s exclusive retail partner, Adorama.
Does everyone love surprises? Not when it comes to production gear. Sure, the industry is driven by innovation, and a lot of the time that means taking genuine risks or challenging basic assumptions about how gear should work. But sometimes meaningful change is incremental, extending an already successful design with new elements and features that improve usability. In this installment of Essential Gear, we look at how Blackmagic Design kicked its Pocket Cinema Camera up to 6K, how Atomos made the Shogun 7 an even better box for HDR monitoring, and how Azden spruced up its latest digital wireless audio system. For further info on the products featured, click through to read more from our partners at Adorama.
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Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K
Blackmagic’s Pocket Cinema Camera 4K was already a hit, so why go back to the drawing board? The Pocket Cinema Camera 6K is a virtual clone of the 4K version, except it boasts a larger, higher-resolution Super 35 sensor and EF lens mount in place of the 4K’s micro-four-thirds form factor. Like the 4K version, the 6K version has 13 stops of dynamic range, dual-native ISO up to 25,600, and fourth-generation Blackmagic color science. Also like its predecessor, this one records Apple ProRes and Blackmagic Raw files with support for SD, UHS-II, and/or CFast 2.0 media depending on format. Yes, you’ll pay more for 6K, but if you already have a collection of EF glass, this one may be a no-brainer.
Learn more and pre-order the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K at Adorama | SHOP NOW
Atomos Shogun 7 HDR Monitor-Recorder-Switcher
The Atomos Shogun 7 does what you’d expect an Atomos devices to do — combining monitoring and recording in a handy portable package — and ups the ante with a 15-stop HDR display and real-time Dolby Vision output. This 1920 x 1200 seven-inch display features single-camera recording at up to 4K as well as live multicam recording and switching, including the ability to capture four independent 60p streams over HD-SDI simultaneously. HDR performance is driven by Dynamic AtomHDR, using 360 LED contrast zones to boost visible contrast, as well as the ability to output a live Dolby Vision image via HDMI to a UHD TV for a larger-scale preview of what viewers will actually see at home.
Learn more about the Atomos Shogun 7 HDR Monitor-Recorder-Switcher at Adorama | SHOP NOW
Azden PRO-XR 2.4 GHz Digital Wireless Microphone System
StudioDaily contributor Marc Franklin says this newly introduced digital wireless mic system fixes all of the issues he had with the company’s previous generation mics. The new system doesn’t require line of sight to operate, the range has been dramatically increased to around 350 feet, WiFi interference has been all but eliminated, and the system’s internals have been upgraded for improved sound quality. The result is a workhorse digital mic for a small cash outlay.
Learn more about the Azden PRO-XR 2.4 GHz Digital Wireless Microphone System at Adorama | SHOP NOW
