BMPCC4K C-fast Storage card?

Just ordered the BMPCC4K

Right now, I have the original BMPCC and I am using 2 Sandisk Extreme Pro300 m/b SDXC II 64 gb cards.

Can I use these cards for the BMPCC4K to record the camera's highest quality?

Or should I get the Samsung T-5 with the usb connection to the camera?

Check the tech specs for the BMPCC4K for the write speed required for whichever codec you require. Here is a snippet:

Storage Rates
Storage rates based on 30 frames per second.
4096 x 2160
Blackmagic RAW 3:1 - 135 MB/s
Blackmagic RAW 5:1 - 81 MB/s
Blackmagic RAW 8:1 - 51 MB/s
Blackmagic RAW 12:1 - 34 MB/s
Blackmagic RAW Q0 - 81 to 203 MB/s *
Blackmagic RAW Q5 - 21 to 58 MB/s **
Apple ProRes 422 HQ - 117.88 MB/s
Apple ProRes 422 - 78.63 MB/s
Apple ProRes 422 LT - 54.63 MB/s
Apple ProRes Proxy - 24.25 MB/s

Remember that the 300MB/s spec quoted for your cards is the reading speed when transferring data off the card. The write speed is only guaranteed to be U3 (i.e. reliable at 30MB/s) but is likely to be much more. I have tested my Sandisk 170MB/s cards on a fast USB3 reader and they consistently get write speeds of around 80MB/s - yours may do better. If so, then you will probably be OK (subject to testing!) with 5:1 or Q5 or ProRes 422 but will almost certainly need an SSD or CFast card for the top spec write speeds on the BMPCC4K, especially if you also need UHD 60fps.

Also, you will find 64GB to be nowhere near big enough if you really need Q0 or 3:1, which will give you around 9 minutes minutes recording time for UHD at 24fps for a 64GB card, which improves to around 37 minutes for Q5 or 12:1. Of course a faster fps will proportionally reduce those estimates accordingly.

I concluded personally that I needed CFast cards, but I keep the old SD cards handy as emergency overflow storage only to be used for UHD with Q5/12:1 at 24fps.

Thanks, Guess ill go with the Samsung T5 1TB

That’s a popular solution but there are lots of posts indicating problems with that at times. I use the Wise Portable SSD 1TB drive. A 2TB drive is available. Please rely on the SSD drives certified by BMD for the BMPCC4K camera the latest version of which you can find on the BMD Support page by scrolling down the middle column of posts.

[Kristian Lam]

Support media list can be found here:

Pocket 4K - https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support/faq/59025

Pocket 6K - https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support/faq/59026

Thanks, Guess ill go with the Samsung T5 1TB

this card is not officially supported for 4K DCI Blackmagic RAW 3:1 up to 60 fps. The 1TB is officially supported for lower resolutions and frame rates. I use a 1TB for 4k 2.4:1, Q0, and 75fps, and I believe (not sure) that it used to be on the compatibility list for 4K DCI Blackmagic RAW 3:1 up to 60 fps as well. Now only the 2TB model from Samsung T5 is on that part of the list.

What I try to say: if you are shooting 4k and high frame rates, the 2TB is probably the better choice. Or a Wise or Angelbird SSD. Although it's the same with the other brands: not every SSD storage size from the same brand or model is supported for high data recording.

Thanks, Guess ill go with the Samsung T5 1TB

this card is not officially supported for 4K DCI Blackmagic RAW 3:1 up to 60 fps. The 1TB is officially supported for lower resolutions and frame rates. I use a 1TB for 4k 2.4:1, Q0, and 75fps, and I believe (not sure) that it used to be on the compatibility list for 4K DCI Blackmagic RAW 3:1 up to 60 fps as well. Now only the 2TB model from Samsung T5 is on that part of the list.

What I try to say: if you are shooting 4k and high frame rates, the 2TB is probably the better choice. Or a Wise or Angelbird SSD. Although it's the same with the other brands: not every SSD storage size from the same brand or model is supported for high data recording.

Im not sure what you mean... Samsung T5 1TB - 4k DCI Black Magic Raw 3:1 up to 60 fps is listed in the Black Magic 4k usb-c link above.

And it says "lossless" RAW for up to 30 fps

yes, sorry, that was not well written. The 1TB is recommended for 30fps, not 60fps. But it may record 60fps without dropping frames as well. The 2TB will surely record 60fps at best quality and resolution.

yes, sorry, that was not well written. The 1TB is recommended for 30fps, not 60fps. But it may record 60fps without dropping frames as well. The 2TB will surely record 60fps at best quality and resolution.

Im guessing the 120fps at 1080p falls under the 3:1 raw 30 fps and should't be a problem?

I'm mostly filming at 24 fps and 120fps for the occasional slow motion affect

I don't know exactly. My guess is that it goes rather into the 60fps territory. Recently I had several dropped frames with 2.6k 120fps in Q0 quality (with a Wise 512GB card that is officially supported for highest quality/fps/resolution). Constant quality settings are often the reason for surprises. I guess constant bitrate settings are more predictable, but I've never shot constant bitrate so far. I assume professional videographers and filmmakers prefer constant bitrate.

I apologise for my poor knowledge. I'm not competent yet to know more, I need more time, need to do more tests.

Phil, if you had dropped frames at 120 fps HD, was the Wise card formatted in camera to exFAT? If not it might help to use exFAT that’s a little bit less demanding than HFS+.

thank you Rick for that info, I didn't know about such differences between exFAT and HFS+. The SSD is formatted to exFAT. But I did use 2.6k/120fps. With HD/120fps I never had dropped frames if I remember correctly, with 2.6k they occurred all the time after few seconds of recording. Nature with cloudy sky. Because there is high dynamic range in daylight shots, with Q0 the bitrate is also very high. Higher than the write speed of the SSD or the SATA bandwidth.

In the studio test, in a macro setup and artificial light, there are no dropped frames with 2.6k/120fps and Q0. It's a low dynamic environment and therefore relatively low bitrate.

That’s great feedback. I’ll keep that in mind when I give 2.6K 120 fps a go.