Upgrading P4K to 6K Pro? - Need Advice

Hello folks,

I have the Pocket 4K and I’ve been considering an upgrade to the 6K Pro, wanted to get some opinions.

I like some of the upgrades on the 6k Pro such as internal nd’s, NpF batteries, articulating screen, brighter screen and having the ability to punch in could come in handy.

I like to keep a minimal setup without too much rigging. In fact, if I stayed with the 4K I’ll end up getting the Tilta flip screen version so as to forego external monitor in many cases. I feel the 6k Pro while quite a bit larger especially with battery grip, still offers ability to keep a minimal setup.

The main point of hesitation for me are the file sizes on the 6k Pro. I’ve read through some similar posts here and some people have mentioned that if I shoot with Q5 or even try out 8:1 or 12:1 on the 6K Pro, file sizes can still be manageable even comparable to those of the Pocket 4K, is there truth to that? I’d love to avoid having a huge accumulation of drives to archive heavy 6k files, and wondering if that can be achieved by being strategic with codecs and compression on the 6k Pro?

Ultimately, I want to make shooting as convenient/practical as I can as well as having great image quality. I’m not obsessed with sharpness, in fact my preference tends to be that of film emulation and softer artful and stylized looks with character.

How do low light and noise compare on the two cameras, given that the Pocket 4K would have the Metabones Ultra speed booster attached? Are they pretty comparable given the addition of speed booster, or will the 6k Pro have substantially less noise and better low light than a boosted BMPCC 4K?

I’m wondering if 6k is overkill for my needs too. I will be shooting music videos as well as apparel brand ads, shooting footage for music documentaries, recording rehearsals, studio footage and such. I’m not an advanced user, still very much learning the ropes. But again i’m considering the 6k Pro for its practicalities and conveniences and wondering if they outweigh its inconveniences.

Any help greatly appreciated. Would be great to hear from anyone who has tried both and can speak to the pros and cons of each. Thank you!

– File size can be managed with Q5 or 12:1.
– You can adapt photographic full-frame lenses to S-35 with a speed booster too (if you are that concerned about low-light).
– 6K will give you the option of re-framing without quality loss. Also very helpful with the new gyroscopic stabilisation if you are doing a lot of hand-held footage.

kc, what resolution are your deliverables? If you deliver 4K, the BMPCC6K Pro has some advantages, but if you deliver 2K/HD, then the BMPCC4K should give you good images too.

One thing uniquely to the advantage of the BMPCC6K Pro is the 1500nits screen which is an ease of use issue. The BMPCC4K really needs the BMVA12G7 attached for easy operation outdoors. If you’re shooting indoors the BMPCC4K is sufficient. I was thinking the BMPCC6K G2 was a good idea, but it only has 500nits so not so good.

Kasey, I shoot with both. Got some 4K's first then added a 6Kpro. I like the images out of both but I'm a better shooter with the 6K. I love having built-in ND's. While the file sizes are a little larger I find the images out of the 6K are a little more pleasing to me, a totally non technical POV. I always try to keep the camera package as small as I can but find I often need a larger battery which means rails and a rig. With the 6K I only mount an additional monitor for those specific situations where it's required. Also really important is your glass. I've pretty setup with glass for each format and that has bearing on which camera is pulled out at the time of the shoot. Good luck and happy shooting.

In terms of batteries, I've never really needed more than the single internal NPF when shooting with the 6K Pro. I haven't had any real need for the battery grip since, like the OP, I prefer a minimal rig. As long as you stick to the NPF made by BMD, you'll get at least 45 minutes out of each one, which is generally plenty and a huge improvement over the internal battery in the 4K. The only exception would be using it to shoot a live event outdoors with no access to plugin power. Otherwise, changing battery every so often frankly works just fine. Even for long interviews, it's not been a problem. Just make sure as you rig your camera such that the battery port remains accessible. I got two of these super affordable 4 port NPF chargers so I can I just charge up 8 NPFs in one go and that usually gets me through a whole days work. Easy peasy.
https://www.zitay.net/ZITAY-4-Bay-Smart-PD-Fast-Charger-for-Sony-NP-F550-F570-F750-F980-6KPRO-p2081148.html

As for codecs, IMHO skip 12:1 unless a client requires it for some reason. Q5 is the better bet since it adapts the compression ratio to the amount of detail in the frame. When you're shooting shallow or the camera is in motion, you'll be able to save space over 12:1 for no visible loss of quality. And for rare cases, like green screen or VFX plates where the compositors want every little bit of possible edge detail, you'd want to use Q0 or 3:1, not 12:1.

45 minutes?

I get 1:05 recording time (turn on camera and press record) on my pocket 4k with offical Canon LP-E6NH batteries (though they ain’t cheap). Recording to CFast is a must, I think people run into internal battery trouble with the 4k when using SSD’s.

45 minutes?

I get 1:05 recording time (turn on camera and press record) on my pocket 4k with offical Canon LP-E6NH batteries (though they ain’t cheap). Recording to CFast is a must, I think people run into internal battery trouble with the 4k when using SSD’s.

That's very good to point out. On the 6K Pocket Pro the screen brightness setting affects the power draw, which isn't really a factor on the 4K. And, as you noted, external recording to SSD adds to the power draw. Air temperature can also affect it if it is really cold out. That's why I qualified my statement with "at least". I've never gotten less than 45 minutes out of a battery. But I usually get over an hour per NPF battery if I let them go that long before swapping.

kc, what resolution are your deliverables? If you deliver 4K, the BMPCC6K Pro has some advantages, but if you deliver 2K/HD, then the BMPCC4K should give you good images too.

One thing uniquely to the advantage of the BMPCC6K Pro is the 1500nits screen which is an ease of use issue. The BMPCC4K really needs the BMVA12G7 attached for easy operation outdoors. If you’re shooting indoors the BMPCC4K is sufficient. I was thinking the BMPCC6K G2 was a good idea, but it only has 500nits so not so good.

Thanks Rick. I like to deliver in 4K and good point about screen brightness, I suppose I could always use a sun hood on the 4K, but the 1500 nits on the 6k would be way better.

If I went 6k pro, I’d try just using the internal battery to keep it low profile. The battery grip is cool but it does add size and bulk.

In terms of batteries, I've never really needed more than the single internal NPF when shooting with the 6K Pro. I haven't had any real need for the battery grip since, like the OP, I prefer a minimal rig. As long as you stick to the NPF made by BMD, you'll get at least 45 minutes out of each one, which is generally plenty and a huge improvement over the internal battery in the 4K. The only exception would be using it to shoot a live event outdoors with no access to plugin power. Otherwise, changing battery every so often frankly works just fine. Even for long interviews, it's not been a problem. Just make sure as you rig your camera such that the battery port remains accessible. I got two of these super affordable 4 port NPF chargers so I can I just charge up 8 NPFs in one go and that usually gets me through a whole days work. Easy peasy.
https://www.zitay.net/ZITAY-4-Bay-Smart-PD-Fast-Charger-for-Sony-NP-F550-F570-F750-F980-6KPRO-p2081148.html

As for codecs, IMHO skip 12:1 unless a client requires it for some reason. Q5 is the better bet since it adapts the compression ratio to the amount of detail in the frame. When you're shooting shallow or the camera is in motion, you'll be able to save space over 12:1 for no visible loss of quality. And for rare cases, like green screen or VFX plates where the compositors want every little bit of possible edge detail, you'd want to use Q0 or 3:1, not 12:1.

Thanks Jamie. I do like the idea of just using the internal battery without adding the bulk of a grip.

So Q5 on the 6k pro is pretty manageable then as far as file size? If I were to compare it to a codec on the Pocket 4K, would it be close to the file size of say a 5:1 4K dci file on the P4K?

Q5 depends on image content. If you'd film screen filling small details in full sharpness, it can even challenge your recording media. If you film a person, not full frame, with an OOF background, it can be really small.

Q5 depends on image content. If you'd film screen filling small details in full sharpness, it can even challenge your recording media. If you film a person, not full frame, with an OOF background, it can be really small.

Spot on. The only thing I'd add is that motion blur also reduces detail. So it's not just deep depth of field detail in a scene — it's static detail that would up the captured data rate. The moment the camera or the scene elements are in motion, there's much less detail for the codec to have to capture due to motion blur.

… I like to deliver in 4K and good point about screen brightness, I suppose I could always use a sun hood on the 4K, but the 1500 nits on the 6k would be way better...

Then the BMPCC6K Pro seems a good choice. I’d suggest trying Q3 as well as Q5. You’ll find which best meets your needs. All the best.

Kasey, I shoot with both. Got some 4K's first then added a 6Kpro. I like the images out of both but I'm a better shooter with the 6K. I love having built-in ND's. While the file sizes are a little larger I find the images out of the 6K are a little more pleasing to me, a totally non technical POV. I always try to keep the camera package as small as I can but find I often need a larger battery which means rails and a rig. With the 6K I only mount an additional monitor for those specific situations where it's required. Also really important is your glass. I've pretty setup with glass for each format and that has bearing on which camera is pulled out at the time of the shoot. Good luck and happy shooting.

Thank you Marshall. Good to know the 6K Pro is working out for you. I’m still on the fence, but it’s comforting to know that most people in the responses here don’t seem to have issues with bigger file sizes and storage media. What I might do is rent one and run some tests of file size, compactness, etc. Cheers.

What I might do is rent one and run some tests of file size, compactness, etc. Cheers.

That's always a good move. You'll know really fast.

I don't consider the P6K Pro an upgrade of the P4K. Two diffrent cameras. The P4K has better rolling shutter handling and if you add a Metabone XL I actually prefer that over the 6K. I wish BMD release a P4K Pro with flip HDR screen, internal ND and optional EVF instead of the P6K G2.

45 minutes?

I get 1:05 recording time (turn on camera and press record) on my pocket 4k with offical Canon LP-E6NH batteries (though they ain’t cheap). Recording to CFast is a must, I think people run into internal battery trouble with the 4k when using SSD’s.

I can confirm by many tests, using external ssd with internal battery cause slowdown of ssd and sometimes (you should be unlucky) stop of recording also at low data rate.
With external battery (12v) never stop recording also using q0 or 3:1 and higher frame rate.
Internal battery is mainly for internal recording sd and cfast (I did also extensively these tests).


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

I consider the P6K an definite upgrade from the P4K in several important areas;
Colour and tonal quality is better (my main reason to upgrade), usable DR is better (more recoverable colour in the shadows when using Resolve NR tools) less moire and aliasing (I needed a Rawlite OLPF on my P4K to be confident in using it in certain circumstances)

45 minutes?

I get 1:05 recording time (turn on camera and press record) on my pocket 4k with offical Canon LP-E6NH batteries (though they ain’t cheap). Recording to CFast is a must, I think people run into internal battery trouble with the 4k when using SSD’s.

I can confirm by many tests, using external ssd with internal battery cause slowdown of ssd and sometimes (you should be unlucky) stop of recording also at low data rate.
With external battery (12v) never stop recording also using q0 or 3:1 and higher frame rate.
Internal battery is mainly for internal recording sd and cfast (I did also extensively these tests).


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

Thank you Carlo!

I consider the P6K an definite upgrade from the P4K in several important areas;
Colour and tonal quality is better (my main reason to upgrade), usable DR is better (more recoverable colour in the shadows when using Resolve NR tools) less moire and aliasing (I needed a Rawlite OLPF on my P4K to be confident in using it in certain circumstances)

Thank you. Many here have said that file size is not an issue for them, which is good to hear. I don't mind shooting higher compression codecs for many projects, so I'm leaning toward giving the 6K Pro a try. I may probably rent it first.

I had both 4K and 6k for two years, unfortunately I bought 6k before pandemic and I should wait to restart work, then I had many time to test both.
I think are both excellent. I suggest both for different people.

A reason to upgrade to 6k pro?
Hdr screen, no more.

To be honest recently I had chance to buy used another 6k classic at a great price, I sell my 4K and now I had two 6k.

I had a friend that have 6k pro, I tested in line 6k and 6k pro, in the same situation the only advantage is that 6k pro had nd with ircut, but I just have a bunch of good ircut Nd.

If I had to choose, 6k vs 6k pro, to me (personal taste) the only reason is the hdr screen which is a great addition under the sun. But bigger camera for many people is not so comfortable.

Other reasons are the same for 6kg2:
Titable screen, viewfinder, bigger batteries, no big difference.

Anyway the best is to rent it and try for your needs


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk un

I enjoy using both cameras. I do favor the 6KP a little for "grab and go" like just wanting to get some quick "B" roll stuff outside in daylight. It is convenient per the screen, nd filters, and added evf. As light diminishes it's a toss up as I will bring an external monitor for both to be able to use a waveform which I am more comfortable with than false colors. In studio on a tripod it is definitely a toss up for me.