DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

The CDA-Tek PBC is a tiny Bluetooth controller for the Blackmagic Pocket 4K and URSA Mini Pro

Jun 25, 2019 by John Aldred Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Whether stills or video, one of the items many photographers and filmmakers often need is remote control over their cameras. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K already has one option in the form of a smartphone app, but now we have another option, the tiny Pocket Bluetooth Controller (PBC) from CDA-Tek.

CDA-Tek also has a mobile app, offering remote control over the Pocket 4K from Android devices, although the feature set is a little different to the app we’ve previously featured here and it’s a little more expensive than that one, too. But you don’t always want to drain your phone’s battery when shooting out on location.

That’s where the Pocket Bluetooth Controller fits in. 4Kshooters reports that the new device allows you to start and stop recording, and provides realtime status of the camera’s current ISO, aperture, shutter angle, white balance and tint settings. The unit is currently in the prototype stage, but the final version should also sport an LED tally light, to let you know if you’re currently recording or not. It will also see a 1/4-20″ socket added to it to allow you to more easily mount it to gimbals and other devices.

The PBC also features an expansion port for hooking up future addon devices offering more features. Features such as programmable switches and a follow focus wheel for use with electronic autofocus lenses.

While we all carry phones with us in our pockets, and they can be handy for remotely controlling cameras, sometimes you don’t want to tie up your phone. Perhaps you need it for communicating with others at the location, or you simply need a basic start/stop recording switch without all the bells and whistles, or you maybe just don’t want to use your phone for some reason. The BPC looks like it could be a good simple alternative.

Personally, I have a bunch of phones here, so I’ve always got a couple of spares available for controlling cameras. But if you don’t, this could be a very useful alternative.

The Bluetooth Pocket Controller is coming to Kickstarter in August, and will have a cost of €60/$70 and 4Kshooters says it should ship within a few weeks after the campaign ends. Hopefully, they’ll have added those extra features and gotten out of the prototype stage in time.

[CDA-Tek via 4KShooters]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

There is now a pocket-sized controller for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K CDA Tek’s LiDAR module lets you get fast autofocus on any camera – even in the dark Move over 8K – Blackmagic’s new URSA Mini Pro shoots 12K60p RAW video for less than $10,000 Blackmagic drops the price of the URSA Mini Pro 12K from almost $10,000 to $5,995

Filed Under: news Tagged With: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, Bluetooth, BMPCC4K, BPC, Pocket 4K, remote control

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« This is how you remake a Hollywood blockbuster with zero budget
Gigi Hadid thinks she can use paparazzi photos because she contributes to them “with her smile and outfit” »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • This is how to get photography clients on Instagram – even with few followers
  • “I prefer using smaller cameras” – an unorthodox take on size
  • A pigeon scares a meteorologist as it photobombs a live camera
  • Photographer files lawsuit against NFL receiver and teams after shoving incident
  • Comparing iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14 for astrophotography

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy