BMPCC 4K & 6K Mod Kit on Kickstarter – Finally Close to Box-Style Camera

Accessory News

by Jakub HanDecember 19^th, 2023

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BMPCC 4K and 6K Mod Kit by Pod Tech is now available on Kickstarter. It relocates the camera’s touchscreen to the top of the camera in a newly designed aluminum, tiltable enclosure with two cold shoe mounts. Furthermore, it adds a V-mount battery plate to where the display originally sat. For roughly $311, Pod Tech claims to provide all the necessary parts and tools for the mod along with a video tutorial – starting in February 2024.

From what I have seen and heard from filmmakers all over the world, is that what many love about Blackmagic Design cameras (particularly the “Pocket” line) is the image quality and simple, yet feature-rich UI, but hate them for ergonomics. I own the BMPCC 4K and know how frustrating it can sometimes be to deal with the battery situation, the fixed screen, and the relatively chunky plastic body.

That being said, I also understand that Blackmagic Design had to make some compromises to keep the price low, but these design decisions resulted in most BMPCC owners having to rig the cameras with cages, external power solutions, and monitors. It is fair to say that BMD fixed some of the ergonomic aspects (but not all of them) in the next-generation BMPCC cameras. As for the still popular first-generation BMPCC 4K and 6K cameras, we have to rely on rigging, modding, and DIY.

We have already seen third-party companies trying to solve some of the ergonomic shortcomings of the BMPCC line in the past. Back in 2020, Tilta released their mod kit for the tilting display and SSD and my colleague Gunther modded his BMPCC 6K with it, which you can watch here, in case you missed it. Now, there is a new BMPCC mod kit available for the OG Pocket 4K and 6K cameras and it looks quite cool. Let’s take a closer look.

BMPCC Mod Kit by Pod Tech

In my opinion, the new BMPCC Mod Kit takes the ergonomics of these cameras to the next level. Designed by New Zealand-based filmmaker Ollie from Pod Tech, the mod kit is going strong on Kickstarter.

In short, Ollie’s mod kit relocates the camera’s screen to the top, as you would expect with any box-style camera build, and adds a V-mount battery plate to where the screen sat before. A simple, yet useful and well-thought-out approach, I would say.

The final version of the design took Ollie about 6 months of development, prototypes, and testing in different environments. The display’s enclosure is constructed from 7075 aluminum, so a more durable material than what is used on the camera’s body. The display’s hinge is designed to be bolted directly to the camera’s internal steel structure, so it should withstand a lot.

There is a flat cable coming out of the camera body and going into the display. For this, the camera’s enclosure will need to be filled down a bit to make space for that cable. This, along with other steps, makes this mod irreversible, so keep that in mind. The good thing is that the camera still stays fairly compact for transport as the screen folds to 90°.

The mod will take away the top 1/4″ thread, so keep in mind, that some cages might not fit anymore, but you will still be able to use some “half-cage” designs or L-shaped ones. Ollie also included two cold shoe mounts on the back of the display that can hold light accessories such as SSDs or wireless audio receivers.

Hot-swappable V-mounts but no 12V Lemo

As for the V-mount plate at the back – it is designed to work best with micro V-mount batteries. If you use a chunkier V-mount battery pack, it will probably block some of the camera’s buttons on the backside.

Another good thing is that thanks to the internal LP-E6 battery in the cameras, the V-mount battery on the back of the camera is hot-swappable. One of the downsides of this solution is that you will lose the 12V Lemo AC port as this one is internally connected straight to the V-mount plate.

On the other hand, some V-mount batteries on the market support USB-C power delivery, so these along with a suitable cable could act as an AC power adapter for the camera to run indefinitely.

Additionally, the modded cameras still support LP-E6 dummy adapters, so these can also be used as an indefinite power source. It is important, however, to not mount the V-mount battery when using the LP-E6 dummy adapter as this could fry the camera.

Some level of DIY skills required

Same as the Tilta mod back in 2020, the new Pod Tech Mod Kit comes as a set of different parts and tools and should be built together by the camera owner (or a skilled colleague, friend, or family member for that matter…). Ollie, of course, will provide a detailed video tutorial on how to perform the mod.

As Ollie says, the installation is accessible to anyone regardless of their experience with electronics. There is no soldering required, but you will need to be delicate in handling the internal components of the camera. You will also need a hair dryer or a heat gun to remove the camera’s screen from its enclosure.

Finally, it is worth noting that installing this mod WILL void your camera’s warranty. Pod Tech claims they will provide 1-year warranty for the modification kit parts.

Mods for other Blackmagic Design cameras

This Pod Tech mod is only available for the BMPCC 4K and the original BMPCC 6K. As for the newer BMD cameras such as the BMPCC 6K Pro, 6K G2, or the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K (full-frame with L-mount), Ollie said the following:

If our Kickstarter campaign reaches its funding and there’s enough interest in the market for additional versions, we’ll also look at making a version which is compatible with the other Blackmagic camera models.

Pod Tech on Kickstarter (FAQ)

Seeing how much attention this campaign created, gives me hope that we might indeed see the mod being available for the other BMD cameras in the future.

Price and availability

As I said, the BMPCC Mod Kit is now available on Kickstarter. In just a few days since its launch, the project has been very popular and far exceeded the target. There is still time until January 15, 2024, to back the campaign and get a mod kit for your BMPCC camera. One kit costs NZ$500 (roughly around US$311) and the estimated shipping date is February 2024.

At the end of every crowdfunding-related article, we remind you to please be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Also, please read the platform’s use and remember there can be significant delays when delivering the product. Some projects don’t get delivered at all.

Do you still use the BMPCC 4K or the first BMPCC 6K for your productions? What do you think about the Pod Tech Mod Kit? Would you like to see a box-style camera straight from Blackmagic Design in the future? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.