There was quite a bit of confusion yesterday when a private download link for the newest firmware 1.8 was made live before an official release. That situation was corrected soon after it was made available, and users were told that this was not an official release. Now the company has announced the official firmware 1.8 update, and they are showing off a video with their CEO that goes through all of the new features and also hints at many more firmware updates coming very soon.

And here is what's new, if you didn't already catch it yesterday:

Blackmagic Production Camera 4K

  • Updated user interface
  • Losslessly compressed RAW DNG recording support
  • Addresses an issue where pixel artefacts are seen in edges with strong highlights while shooting in 1080 mode
  • Adds autofocus support for compatible EF lenses

Blackmagic Cinema Camera

  • Updated user interface
  • Adds autofocus support for compatible EF lenses
  • Improved debayering when shooting to ProRes or DNxHD
  • Improved focus peaking display
  • Improved ISO handling when shooting at ISO 1600
  • Improved general audio performance
  • Iris setting is retained when switching between camera recording and clip playback

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera

  • Updated user interface
  • Improved performance when recording using internal microphones
  • Improved instances where a grid-like pattern may occur in some flare highlights
  • General improvements in autofocus with active MFT lenses
  • Adds supports for stabilization in MFT lenses without physical O.I.S switches
  • Improved support for Sigma MFT lenses
  • Improved support for Lumix 12-42mm PZ lens
  • Improved support for Olympus 60mm f/2.8 MFT lens
  • Iris setting is retained when switching between camera and clip playback

Blackmagic Studio Camera

  • Improved phantom power compatibility
  • Addresses an issue with interlace video being output as progressive video

Nothing in this list is actually different from the list that was included in the unofficial update yesterday, and the sizes of the zip files look to be the same. Obviously without knowing more under the hood it's difficult to conclude if anything has changed, but you may be fine if you grabbed the download while it was live for a brief time yesterday.

Many people commented about wanting audio meters and file formatting, and Grant Petty and others at Blackmagic have said these things are coming sooner rather than later. Essentially they had to rework a lot of the code in the firmware in order to unify it across all of their cameras, and also make it easier for them to add new features. With that work finished, their update cycle should be much quicker than it has been in the past, with smaller updates for specific features coming at a faster pace.

The first DaVinci Resolve 11 beta was also released today, and we'll be talking more about what's new in that program in another post.

Check out the links below to download the update for Windows or Mac.

Links:

firmwareblackmagiccinemacamerabmccpocket cinema cameraproductioncamera4kbmpccbmpc4k
Cinematography & Cameras