Remember that flip-up LCD modification somebody made to their Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K last year? Well, Tilta showed off a similar modification for the Pocket 4K and Pocket 6K at IBC last September. At the time, there was no word on exactly when it would become available. Now, though, it’s listed on the Tilta website for customers in the USA. It’s called the Tiltaing and it’ll cost you $279-299 for a self-install kit or $528-548 to have Tilta install it for you. Although, at the moment, the latter is the only option.
Update: For the official word from Blackmagic about how this modification may affect your camera’s warranty, scroll to the bottom of this post.
The modification is going to be a welcome one for Pocket 4K and 6K owners frustrated by the angle of the LCD when not standing directly behind the camera. The LCD on the Pocket 4K isn’t super bright, and at an angle, it can be even more difficult to see. Many people choose to go the external monitor route, but that’s not always the best option, especially if you want to be small and lightweight. Two kits are listed, at $279 and $299 which come with either SATA SSD or an NVMe SSD respectively. Installation by Tilta themselves is a further $249. That price doesn’t include the cost of the SSD, which you’ll need to purchase separately, although it supports devices up to 2TB in capacity. At the moment, the self-install kits are not available. The modification can only be done by Tilta’s engineers at their facilities in Burbank, California. After purchasing, you ship them your Pocket 4K or 6K, and once it’s converted, it’s sent back to you a few days later. Self-install kits are expected to ship at some point during this month, though.
There’s no mention of it on the Tilta website, but I suspect this modification would likely void any warranty you may have with Blackmagic. It’s entirely possible that even if you’re willing to pay for it, Blackmagic might refuse to accept it in the event that you do ever needed to have the camera repaired. We’ve yet to hear any official word from Blackmagic on this, so for now, if you choose to go ahead with this, just assume that if it dies at some point, you’re on your own. We’ve reached out to Blackmagic for clarification on the above and will update this post as soon as we hear back – Update: Blackmagic has responded – keep scrolling down. Still, it’s a cool looking modification and one that will be quite useful for many people who are willing to take the chance. For those who’d hoped to use this modification to help them vlog with the Pocket 4K or 6K, however, even though the modification allows you to flip the LCD completely forward, it doesn’t automatically flip the display. So you are viewing everything upside down, and will likely just want to go the external on-camera monitor route anyway. You can find out more about the Tiltaing mod over on the Tilta website. Update: We have received an official response from Blackmagic with regard to this (and any other) modification and how it may affect your warranty. The limited manufacturers warranty covers inherent defects in a product. Any modification changes the product from how it was manufactured and designed to function, and as such, it would have to be proved that the modification did not cause the unexpected behaviour. Modifications may affect the reliability or life span of a product and that is not something Blackmagic Design will be responsible for. Any damage to a product while fitting or using a modification would also not be covered under warranty. Blackmagic Design may require a modification to be removed before servicing a product, or may refuse to service an item should the modification increase the time or difficulty of servicing the product. It may be possible for us to repair a modified item at a cost depending on the exact circumstances. We treat everything on a case by case basis and will evaluate each customers situation carefully to ensure we can offer them the best possible experience. For the full terms of each individual product warranty, please refer to the warranty pages at the rear of each product manual. http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support
