Finalist 2023

Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro

Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro is the world’s most advanced, ultra-portable broadcast camera designed specifically for concerts, sports and television.

The Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro is the world’s most advanced, ultra-portable broadcast camera designed specifically for live concerts, sports and television. Costing $2495, it pairs professional production tools with 6K image sensor, motorized ND filters and embedded live streaming that allows remote camera control from anywhere in the world.

Design Brief:

With distributed ‘remote’ workflows now commonplace, live production teams are commonly scattered across the globe. While this presents challenges, it also offers opportunities for flexible and agile broadcasters to react quickly to the growing demand from audiences for more personal, localized experiences tailored specifically to their interests or local communities.

In sporting fields, warehouses, basements and offices broadcasters are responding with innovative new ways of communicating to this rapidly growing, and evermore discerning audience. Blackmagic Design’s challenge was to empower these creators with the tools to facilitate the effective live streaming of broadcast-quality content beyond the traditional studio environment.


This project was developed by:

Design Process

Featuring built-in live streaming hardware Studio Camera 6K Pro can be placed remotely and controlled from anywhere in the world. Via the high-speed ethernet port or mobile phone connected to the USB-C it can generate a live stream that can be sent directly to the internet or received by remote switchers.

Rather than relying on expensive, cumbersome SMPTE fiber cables typical to traditional multi-camera workflows, Studio Camera 6K Pro utilizes inexpensive consumer ethernet cables for connection, communication and power over large distances. This means independent producers can now establish professional broadcast camera chains for a fraction of the usual cost.

Design Excellence

Aesthetics and form are a pivotal means of forging meaningful, lasting connections between Blackmagic Design products and the professional people that use them. The unique form factor of the Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro is a purposeful response to the ergonomic, functional and contextual requirements of live broadcasting.

Simple yet unapologetically professional, its ‘no-nonsense’ visual narrative speaks to the camera’s broadcast quality performance and durability; a deliberate tactic to elicit trust and confidence in both novice and professional users alike. Aesthetic elements include:

  • Subtly tapered lens mount enclosure reduces perceived size without compromising the internal architecture.
  • Exposed heatsink fins, angled to minimize ingress, reflect the sophisticated two-way thermal management system that ensures on-going reliability throughout long live broadcasts.
  • Prominent microphone pods are separated to optimise stereo sound and communicate professional audio capabilities.
  • Oversized physical control details ensure settings are easily adjusted in difficult conditions.
  • Prominent Tally light can be seen from any angle, ensuring on-screen talent is always aware of on-air cameras.
  • Modular architecture featuring connector side pods that can be easily upgraded for efficient and affordable implementation of future variants.
  • Advanced Carbon Fibre Polycarbonate composite body is 50% lighter than die-cast metal, with comparable strength, rigidity and finish for half the cost.
  • Low sheen, satin black finish remains discrete throughout live productions, passively eliminating undesirable reflections in light sensitive sets.

Design Innovation

For less than a mid-range DSLR, Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro integrates professional image quality and a cutting edge suite of professional broadcast tools into an ultra-compact, all-in-one enclosure combining 6K camera, high-end connections and HDR 7” viewfinder. Approachable and highly portable, it is designed to empower creative people to achieve professional outcomes regardless of financial constraints or technical expertise.

LOW COST SMPTE FIBER STYLE WORKFLOW
Traditional broadcast studio cameras use extremely expensive and cumbersome SMPTE fiber cables for power and communication between cameras set up over large distances. Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro leverages 10G Ethernet as a low cost, easily accessible alternative. This includes all camera video, program return feeds, tally, talkback, camera control and power.

LIVE STREAMING FOR REMOTE CAMERAS
With integrated live streaming, Studio Camera 6K Pro can be placed remotely and controlled from anywhere in the world. Through the built-in Ethernet connection or 4G/5G phone connected to the USB-C port, live footage can be streamed in real-time to a remote switcher or directly to the internet via platforms like YouTube, Facebook Live and Twitch.

BUILT IN ND FILTERS
Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro features high quality, remote controllable ND filters that incrementally reduce the amount of light entering the camera. Designed to match the camera’s colorimetry and color science the 2, 4 and 6 stop filters provide additional latitude even in harsh lighting conditions. Designed to filter both optical and Infra-red wavelengths evenly, the electronically controlled filters eliminate IR and far red contamination of images.

Design Impact

In years past, professional live broadcasting was the exclusive domain of well-resourced production companies who could afford the complex infrastructure, extensive crews and time required to develop such content. With Studio Camera 6K Pro Blackmagic Design continues to lead the democratization of live video production technology.

This has a number of meaningful impacts. With the predominance of multi-national streaming services like Netflix, Apple and Amazon, preserving cultural diversity is critically important. The Studio Camera 6K Pro allows localized stories to be told affordably and professionally to a global audience; stories celebrating local identity, issues and events.

It also offers broadcasters of niche subjects like gaming show “The Black Dice Society” the ability to produce broadcast quality content specifically tailored to their audiences. Hosted by B. Dave Walters, one of the world’s most recognized tabletop gamers, the stream has built a huge global following through professional multi-camera streaming and live green screen use during game play.

“Every time I film an episode, people ask how I get such a fantastic look; I point them right to Blackmagic Design.” Says Walters.

“With cameras pointing at different green screens I can quickly 'switch locations' during live streams. They work amazingly well in low light, which when playing in a dark and dreary universe lets me get creative with lighting,”

“I absolutely love my Blackmagic Studio Camera and ATEM Mini Extreme ISO. The ecosystem is easy to get into in terms of cost and setup, and the technology is reliable and easy to use.”

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