The all-important sensor is 12.5 x 7mm, making it a touch smaller than the 'Super 16' standard, and considerably less than a 17.3 x 13mm Micro Four Thirds chip. It's also hefty, which adds to the feeling of quality and makes handling easier by damping small movements during filming. Like the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera, the Pocket version sports a unique, all-metal design that feels solid - hugely out of proportion to its low price. As you'll see, whether it's worth that depends completely on your needs and, particularly, your expectations. There are limitations to the camera itself, plus a steep learning curve and the likely need for further investment that could more than double the price of the camera.

But it's not quite as simple as laying down the money and raking in the 12-bit video. The company's latest pint-sized weapon does produce magnificent images using a downsized version of its first Cinema Camera sensor, yes. Now that Blackmagic's $995 Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC) is RAW-ready, isn't it time to make the jump to higher bitrate video? Perhaps.

You've had enough of highly compressed video codecs that crap out on detailed shots and make decent color grading a pipe dream.

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