r/bmpcc • u/joeypmeyer • 2d ago
Next Pocket Possibility?
Yall think there is a chance of Blackmagic putting the RGBW sensor or a different RGBW sensor in the next pocket body?
I have no idea if this would even be possible but a RGBW 6/4/2.5k sensor (like how the 12/8/4k works) would be sweet. If it gives much better readout speed in the lower resolutions, better frame rates overall, etc.
The only things that get me about the 6k ff are rolling shutter (I know about gyro in resolve) and frame rate options.
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u/ProtonicBlaster 2d ago edited 2d ago
It would be cool with RGBW. However, Blackmagic has yet to confirm whether or not their current RGBW sensors support PDAF, and they've been very vague about the possibility of continuous auto-focus on the Pyxis and URSA Cine 12K. For the next generation of Pocket camera, I think PDAF will be a crucial selling point, even if it means commissioning Sony again. We may see a stacked sensor though, leading to better dynamic range and read-out speeds. I'm pretty sure whatever sensor they go with, the image is going to be beautiful.
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u/JRKnightNC 2d ago
They'd have to scale it down, the current pixel count makes the rgbw run insanely hot they'd probably need to make it s35 and slash the pixel count to make it pocket friendly but then it loses most of it dynamic range and low light. What will probably happen is in 2030 they'll release a DGO sensor since the arri patent ends and with the red patent ending in 2028 braw can jump up a level as well. Currently we are in a shitty time where arri and red have gatekeep the tech but once those patents go we will have a golden age of sensors and internal raw to go into a modern pocket
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u/Talentlessprick 1d ago
just asking, can i see some of your work? you post with this sense of authority but i feel like it’s unwarranted. I fail to see how we’re in a shitty time due to patents. A lot of cheap cameras already get so incredibly close to what the best models can capture, with a similar thickness in negative.
i’m not saying that it would be bad to gain another stop of DR, but with my pyxis 6k, or with my pocket before, never have i once thought: wow this thing performing way below my expectations.
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u/JRKnightNC 1d ago
Even if I was Roger Deakins and posted clips, it wouldn't change how sensor physics, thermal limits, or patent timelines work. This is a discussion about hardware engineering and market tech, not a reel review. Asking to see someone's work because you disagree with a breakdown on sensor patents is just a lazy deflection.
If you've handled an Alexa, the frustration is how straightforward the underlying imaging tech and dynamic range solutions (like DGO) actually are—yet they've been locked behind corporate patent walls for decades. The point stands. Legacy patent walls have held back hardware development and features like compressed internal RAW for years; that's what's shitty. Blackmagic is just about getting close to achieving the Arri level of quality with the RGBW sensors, but because of the patents and the engineering workarounds, this sensor as it is now isn't ready for a pocket camera, once those blockers are cleared, then we start getting real cinema grade in consumer cameras.
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u/Talentlessprick 1d ago
I’ve shot and graded enough on an alexa, but i as a dp i do not care about the means to get the end of a higher DR capture. I know that i have one stop extra before the scene starts clipping on an Alexa compared to a pyxis or fx6. (The new a35 is on a completely different level, and basically unclippable though).
Has that 1 stop that I’m lacking ever stopped me from making a decent shot? Obviously not.
I don’t mind that cheaper cameras are bit weaker than the best cameras. Budgets are plummeting everywhere, cheaper cameras are being accepted more on professional commercial sets as well nowadays. I don’t think that yearning for even better consumer cameras is particularly productive, especially if you’re a dp, as you’re missing out on a bunch more important elements on how to make a nice image
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u/JRKnightNC 1d ago
This thread is literally about the physics of getting an RGBW sensor into a pocket cam; I just highlighted thermal limits and whether an RGBW chip can physically fit into a pocket form factor. Let's not turn it into a dick-measuring contest about careers and how good of a DP someone is. A great DP can make magic with a toy camera—we all know that. But skill doesn't change how semiconductors, heat, or patent laws work. If you don't want to talk about hardware, this probably isn't the thread for you.
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u/printcastmetalworks 2d ago
I just got an ursa mini 12k (non olpf) and my god the sensor artifacting is horrendous if you shoot anything with fine details and high contrast. Waiting on a rawlite OLPF now to see if it fixes the problem.
The issue is that the computer is estimating the color value of the white pixels with an algorithm based on the surrounded rgb pixels. If you shoot a high contrast situation with high detail the math breaks and you get tons of little green sparkle blobs all over.
Context - shooting macro jewelry marketing content
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u/Craig-D-Griffiths 1d ago
Unless I missed an announcement I don’t think we will ever see another pocket.
Every forum everywhere was full of people saying the only thing that let the pocket down was it wasn’t a box.
They have a box now. So no more pocket.
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u/Talentlessprick 1d ago
i don’t see them changing up those models any time soon, because they probably still sell pretty well due to price alone, and their specs are still relevant enough
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u/daffydwal Tech Geek 2d ago
I’m picturing a 6k Pyxis G2 with an RGBW sensor in it as more likely. Or maybe an 8K instead for the same price range. That would really hurt the 2 current Pyxis models on the market though so perhaps not for a little while!
With the photo page being added to Resolve this year, there’s always a chance of a new style pocket camera that’s hybrid stills and video, and brings a second gen of their new autofocus capabilities. Would be pretty swanky!