Blackmagic now allows you to format storage devices from the Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera

This new feature allows the user to format SSD drives and SD cards directly from the camera without having to prepare them in advance on a computer.

Blackmagic Design has released Camera 1.9.7, a new version of the firmware for the Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera models that offers an innovative options panel and the possibility of giving an optimized format to the recording media.

The update can be downloaded for free from the Blackmagic Design website.

This new feature allows the user to format SSD drives and SD cards directly from the camera without having to prepare them in advance on a computer. The great advantage is that, unlike computer equipment that formats the units to be used as general storage devices, the Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera models allow them to be optimized for high-speed image recording. When formatting the drive, the camera verifies the brand and other parameters of the drive to later allow high-speed video recording and playback on that specific drive.

Thus, as new recording media become available, other applications will emerge to take advantage of their particular functions and achieve maximum performance when recording 4K RAW files.

Likewise, it is possible to select the ExFAT or HFS+ system. The ExFAT format is compatible with Windows and Mac OS X, making it ideal for using Windows only or switching between the two platforms, since both will be able to read the drive. On the other hand, the HFS+ format is originally used on Mac OS computers and provides not only greater performance but also the possibility of preventing errors, since it allows the copy of logged files.

On the other hand, the new version makes it easier to select the format to erase the contents of the drive and includes a new options panel to quickly select the different functions on the camera. Users can format drives, activate the focus indicator, access settings, and perform other operations using large icons.

Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design, said: "Following the successful announcement of drive formatting in the Production Camera 4K last month, we are excited to introduce this same feature to the Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera. This new feature gives users more features and makes it possible to take full advantage of SSDs and SD cards by easily recording RAW images at high quality and speed."