The beautiful thing about Blackmagic’s Pocket series is that the cameras have remained quite compact even as the company packs more and more features into each new release. The Pocket 6K Pro is now the top model in the series and boasts some impressive upgrades. However, these body designs aren’t always the best without some extra bits and pieces to make life easier for shooting.
From Of Two Lands comes another take on how to rig up a Pocket 6K Pro as a relatively simple travel rig. It retains the benefits of such a small cinema camera body but adds the essential accessories.
Travel kits have a goal of being compact and lightweight. That’s why the BMPCC6K is a good camera pick. It’s upgrades help a lot in keeping overall equipment lists lower as the new display can tilt and is brighter, there are built-in ND filters, and larger battery packs for less time spent swapping them out. No need for even the detachable EVF or battery grip.
Lenses are a much more personal choice. In this case, travel does prefer some nice zooms as it gives you a lot more flexibility with fewer lenses. Going with f/4 zooms will save on size and weight too. They use Canon’s f/4 trio of zooms, the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM, and EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM. Can’t go wrong there.
Image Credit: Canon
Sometimes there is a need for a little extra ND. In those moments he keeps a Tiffen 0.9 ND filter on hand.
For rigging, he does make use of a cage at practically all times. SmallRig makes reliable and affordable cages and their design for the Pocket 6K Pro is great. Add a top handle to complete the look.
Traveling around actually benefits from the use of a shoulder strap to carry around the camera. For this rig he opted for the Peak Design Slide. It’s heavy duty and comfortable, but most importantly it has a quick-release function. This lets you take it off when they become inconvenient or need to be stored.
Media is easiest to just do in camera, so you’ll need to pick up a couple CFast 2.0 cards for best quality. Wise has been produced good and cheaper cards.
Image Credit: Wise
Can’t forget about audio, even if most of the time it doesn’t get used. Having something like the Rode VideoMic NTG can help a ton when you need to upgrade your audio for a shot or two.
There are some other small pieces that are helpful to toss in a travel kit. For light, the tiny Aputure MC RGBWW LED is a good pick. Good for fill, adding a special effect, or as a flashlight. The Peak Design Capture Clip allows you to mount cameras on your backpack strap.
When you start really going for it, you’ll likely want to have a second camera on hand for stills or for extra footage. In this case the Canon EOS R is being used. Great for stills and very capable for video. If you want aerial shots you’ll need a drone and the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is perhaps the best out there for travel (until the Mavic 3 comes out).
To carry all this, he uses a WANDRD PRVKE 41L Backpack.
This is a nice complete kit. Anything missing?
[source: Of Two Lands]
Order Links:
- Blackmagic Design Pocket 6K Pro Cinema Camera (B&H, Amazon)
- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera Pro EVF (B&H, Amazon)
- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro Battery Grip (B&H, Amazon)
- Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Lens (B&H, Amazon)
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM Lens (B&H, Amazon)
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM Lens (B&H, Amazon)
- Tiffen 77mm ND 0.9 Filter (B&H, Amazon)
- SmallRig Full Cage for Blackmagic Pocket 6K Pro (B&H, Amazon)
- SmallRig Top NATO Handle (B&H, Amazon)
- Peak Design Slide Camera Strap (B&H, Amazon)
- Wise Advanced 256GB CFast 2.0 Memory Card (B&H, Amazon)
- Rode VideoMic NTG Shotgun Microphone (B&H, Amazon)
- Aputure MC RGBWW LED Light (B&H, Amazon)
- Peak Design Capture Clip (B&H, Amazon)
- Canon EOS R Mirrorless Camera (B&H, Amazon)
- DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone (B&H, Amazon)
- WANDRD PRVKE 41L Backpack (B&H)
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate partner and participant in B&H and Adorama Affiliate programmes, we earn a small comission from each purchase made through the affiliate links listed above at no additional cost to you.
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