User Manual

Settings
25
On Screen Metering
Your Blackmagic Camera features additional displays such as Recording Time Remaining, Histogram and
Peak Audio Meters to assist when setting optimum exposure and to prevent your audio from clipping.
View the additional displays by swiping up from the bottom of the touchscreen with your finger. Hide the
additional displays by swiping down. On the Pocket Cinema Camera, press the Up directional button
to reveal the displays, and press the Down button to hide the displays. On screen meters can also be
opened or hidden by selecting or deselecting the Meters feature on the dashboard.
Histogram
The Histogram display shows the distribution of the luminance in your video. Pure black is on the far left
side of the display and pure white is on the far right of the display. Keeping your video signal within these
limits prevents your shadows and highlights from being clipped and preserves detail in the tonal ranges.
Recording Time Remaining
The Recording Time Remaining indicator shows the remaining recording time for your SSD. The time is
shown in hours and minutes and will vary according to your selected frame rate and codec, for example,
ProRes 422 HQ at 24 frames per second. The indicator will automatically recalculate if either of these
settings are changed. When there is approximately 5 minutes remaining on your SSD, the indicator will
turn RED, and will BLINK intermittently when there is only 2 minutes remaining.
Peak Audio Meters
The Peak Audio Meters display audio levels for channels 1 and 2 when using the internal microphone,
or via external audio when connected. The display is calibrated to dBFS units and features peak hold
indicators which stay visible for a short time so you can clearly see the maximum levels reached. To
achieve optimum audio quality, ensure your audio levels never rise above 0 dBFS. If your audio rises
above 0 dBFS, the peak hold indicators will turn red, indicating that audio is clipped.
On screen metering and status strip on the Blackmagic
Cinema Camera. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen
to reveal the metering displays.
To set optimum exposure, open or close your aperture until
the histogram curve sharpens to a point at the bottom edges.
If you see a flat edge on the right side of the histogram, your
whites are clipped, a flat edge on the left side means your
blacks are clipped.
Use the recording time remaining indicator to see how much
recording time is available on your SSD or SD card.
To set optimum audio levels, adjust the camera microphone
or channel input level until the audio peak averages at -12dB,
but does not peak beyond 0dB.