Pocket 4K vs 6K Full Frame?

Hey guys, considering going from the Pocket 4K to the 6k Full Frame like many others, but wanting opinions first…

The 6k file sizes have me hesitating, I don’t like burning through storage / external drives and feel like 6k might even be overkill for my needs. But I hear you can shoot windowed 4K with a crop and get similar file sizes to the P4K that way.

Currently I have the P4K with the Tilta flip screen mod and 1TB NVMe storage, Metabones .71 speedbooster, Tilta cage, Resolve license etc. I use the flip screen to film myself in front of camera, vlog style.

I’m liking some of the things the 6k FF has over the 4K, such as it being full frame, brighter screen, a bit better internal battery, less rigging and such.

But I love the flip screen mod on the 4K, the file sizes, lens adaptability, and you get close to FF FIV with the booster etc.

I shoot music videos and music/band related content primarily, and I like minimal rigs, so if this camera is more practical and suiting my needs then I’d consider going for it.

Do you guys think I should go for an upgrade to the 6k full frame in this case?

Here is a list of my pros and cons for each cam:

BMCC 6K FF:

Pros:
- Full frame & better bokeh
- 6k and ability to punch in if needed
- L-mount
- Brighter screen
- Better battery
- Less rigging, minimal
- Would pair well with the Lumix S5 IIX as B cam since same lens mount.

Cons:
- File sizes & storage / external drives
- No flip screen mod
- No ProRes (unless using BMVA)

BMPCC 4K:

Pros:
- File sizes
- Flip screen mod
- ProRes internal

Cons:
- More rigging
- Sensor size
- Battery life

I think there should be greater consideration of the implications of the sensor size on your lenses, especially so for parfocal zooms. If your music videoe rely upon prime lenses, there are lots of options and may not be a significant consideration other than purchasing new lenses.

If you rely upon zooms, there are many economical choices available for the mirrorless sensor, but full-frame parfocal zooms with sufficient range may be a painful transition. The reason you should be shooting parfocal zooms has been touched upon by you: nice bokeh comes with shallow depth of field so your critical focus requirements are very important.

Budget purchase option:
VenusOptics Laowa Ranger Lite PL-mount
28-75mm and 75-180mm T2.9
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1797195-REG

Rental option:
Leitz Cine Zoom PL-mount
25-75mm VV T2.8
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1473221-REG
Leitz Cine Zoom PL-mount
55-125mm VV T2.8
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1473225-REG

Do you guys think I should go for an upgrade to the 6k full frame in this case?

Not really, no. You've already got a good thing going! Why spend a bunch of money for what seems like kind of a marginal upgrade?

Thanks for the info Rick. I don’t have many lenses overall, maybe 4 total, 3 of which work with the Pocket cam, but since I’ve been using the Metabones booster, most of my lenses (except for 1) are EF mount and already full frame, so with the Sigma MC21 adapter they’d work on the 6k FF.

However I’ve been considering getting the S5IIX camera from Lumix as a b-cam and if I go that route, the 6k ff would have an advantage bc they are both L-mount.

Something to think about, thanks for the links will check these lenses out.

I think there should be greater consideration of the implications of the sensor size on your lenses, especially so for parfocal zooms. If your music videoe rely upon prime lenses, there are lots of options and may not be a significant consideration other than purchasing new lenses.

If you rely upon zooms, there are many economical choices available for the mirrorless sensor, but full-frame parfocal zooms with sufficient range may be a painful transition. The reason you should be shooting parfocal zooms has been touched upon by you: nice bokeh comes with shallow depth of field so your critical focus requirements are very important.

Budget purchase option:
VenusOptics Laowa Ranger Lite PL-mount
28-75mm and 75-180mm T2.9
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1797195-REG

Rental option:
Leitz Cine Zoom PL-mount
25-75mm VV T2.8
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1473221-REG
Leitz Cine Zoom PL-mount
55-125mm VV T2.8
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1473225-REG

That’s a prudent approach. My 4 primes are all full-frame PL mount which is usually adaptable to other mounts. If I want to a full-frame sensor, those Laowa Ranger zooms would be good candidates and I could continue to shoot Super 35 with the Tokina 11-20mm if needed. I don’t know if there’s an appropriate B4 mount adapter available to Pyxis for my Super 16 Fujinon 20x7.8, but I’d likely keep the URSA Mini 4.6K just for that purpose.

I would add:

Pro 4K: 1 more stop of light thanks to Speed Booster. Imo not to underestimate.
Con 6K FF: conversely, some people report issues with the BMCC 6K in low(er) light.

I would add:

Pro 4K: 1 more stop of light thanks to Speed Booster. Imo not to underestimate.
Con 6K FF: conversely, some people report issues with the BMCC 6K in low(er) light.

Thanks Michael. It’s really a tough choice, pros and cons for everything. I do like that the booster already gets me close to a FF FOV. And yes I’ve heard the same for low light on the 6k ff.

Some have said the upgrade between the 2 cams would be marginal. It makes sense if I end up getting an S5iix as b cam since the lens mount is the same, but I’ll keep thinking on it. Cheers.