Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K recording time and file size
How much fits on each card, for all 46 recording modes Blackmagic Design publishes. Bitrates checked November 11, 2026.
Ask about the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Key facts
- Recording media
- CFast 2.0 / SD (UHS-I/UHS-II) / USB-C disk
- Published recording modes
- 46 normal
- Highest bitrate
- 1,480 Mbps: Apple ProRes RAW HQ at 30p (RAW)
- Lightest 4K mode
- 179 Mbps: Apple ProRes Proxy at 30p (4:2:2)
- Card for the top mode
- CFexpress
- 128 GB card at 4K 30p
- 1 hr 30 min in Apple ProRes Proxy at 30p (4:2:2, 179 Mbps)
- Top frame rate (normal video)
- 30p at DCI 4K, DCI 4K, 4K, 2K, 2K and 1080p
- Slow motion (in camera)
- Not published by Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
"4K 30p" means the highest-bitrate 4K UHD mode at 29.97p or 30p that a V30 card can record (240 Mbps or less). If there is no 30p, we use 25p, then 24p.
Quick answer
A 128 GB card holds about 1 hr 30 min of Apple ProRes Proxy at 30p (4:2:2, 179 Mbps) on the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. The heaviest mode, Apple ProRes RAW HQ at 30p (RAW, 1,480 Mbps), uses 666 GB per hour, so the same card lasts 10 min.
Open the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K in the calculatorSet your shoot length, number of cameras and upload speed to see total storage and cards needed.
Recording time by mode
Every normal recording mode Blackmagic Design lists, grouped by resolution and frame rate. Times are continuous recording on one card.
| Format | Color | BitrateMbps | Per hourGB | 64 GBcard | 128 GBcard | 256 GBcard | 512 GBcard | Card speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCI 4K 4096x2160 | ||||||||
| 30p | ||||||||
| Apple ProRes RAW HQ | RAW | 1,480 | 666 | 5m | 10m | 21m | 43m | CFexpress |
| Blackmagic RAW 3:1 | RAW | 1,088 | 490 | 7m | 14m | 29m | 59m | CFexpress |
| Apple ProRes RAW | RAW | 982 | 442 | 8m | 16m | 33m | 1h 6m | CFexpress |
| Apple ProRes 422 HQ | 4:2:2 | 943 | 424 | 8m | 17m | 34m | 1h 8m | CFexpress |
| Blackmagic RAW 5:1 | RAW | 656 | 295 | 12m | 24m | 49m | 1h 38m | V90 |
| Apple ProRes 422 | 4:2:2 | 629 | 283 | 12m | 25m | 51m | 1h 43m | V90 |
| Apple ProRes 422 LT | 4:2:2 | 437 | 197 | 18m | 37m | 1h 14m | 2h 28m | V60 |
| Blackmagic RAW 8:1 | RAW | 408 | 184 | 19m | 39m | 1h 19m | 2h 38m | V60 |
| Blackmagic RAW 12:1 | RAW | 280 | 126 | 28m | 57m | 1h 55m | 3h 51m | V60 |
| Apple ProRes Proxy | 4:2:2 | 194 | 87.3 | 41m | 1h 23m | 2h 47m | 5h 34m | V30 |
| DCI 4K 4096x1720 | ||||||||
| 30p | ||||||||
| Apple ProRes RAW HQ | RAW | 1,182 | 532 | 6m | 13m | 27m | 54m | CFexpress |
| Blackmagic RAW 3:1 | RAW | 864 | 389 | 9m | 18m | 37m | 1h 15m | CFexpress |
| Apple ProRes RAW | RAW | 784 | 353 | 10m | 20m | 41m | 1h 22m | CFexpress |
| Blackmagic RAW 5:1 | RAW | 520 | 234 | 15m | 31m | 1h 2m | 2h 4m | V90 |
| Blackmagic RAW 8:1 | RAW | 328 | 148 | 24m | 49m | 1h 38m | 3h 17m | V60 |
| Blackmagic RAW 12:1 | RAW | 224 | 101 | 36m | 1h 12m | 2h 24m | 4h 49m | V30 |
| 4K 3840x2160 | ||||||||
| 30p | ||||||||
| Apple ProRes RAW HQ | RAW | 1,389 | 625 | 5m | 11m | 23m | 46m | CFexpress |
| Blackmagic RAW 3:1 | RAW | 1,016 | 457 | 7m | 15m | 31m | 1h 3m | CFexpress |
| Apple ProRes RAW | RAW | 922 | 415 | 8m | 17m | 35m | 1h 10m | CFexpress |
| Apple ProRes 422 HQ | 4:2:2 | 880 | 396 | 9m | 18m | 36m | 1h 13m | CFexpress |
| Blackmagic RAW 5:1 | RAW | 616 | 277 | 13m | 26m | 52m | 1h 45m | V90 |
| Apple ProRes 422 | 4:2:2 | 589 | 265 | 13m | 27m | 55m | 1h 50m | V90 |
| Apple ProRes 422 LT | 4:2:2 | 408 | 184 | 19m | 39m | 1h 19m | 2h 38m | V60 |
| Blackmagic RAW 8:1 | RAW | 384 | 173 | 21m | 42m | 1h 24m | 2h 48m | V60 |
| Blackmagic RAW 12:1 | RAW | 256 | 115 | 31m | 1h 3m | 2h 6m | 4h 13m | V60 |
| Apple ProRes Proxy4K 30p pick | 4:2:2 | 179 | 80.6 | 45m | 1h 30m | 3h | 6h 1m | V30 |
| 2K 2880x2160 | ||||||||
| 30p | ||||||||
| Blackmagic RAW 3:1 | RAW | 768 | 346 | 10m | 21m | 42m | 1h 24m | CFexpress |
| Apple ProRes RAW HQ | RAW | 686 | 309 | 11m | 23m | 47m | 1h 34m | V90 |
| Blackmagic RAW 5:1 | RAW | 464 | 209 | 17m | 34m | 1h 9m | 2h 19m | V60 |
| Apple ProRes RAW | RAW | 456 | 205 | 17m | 35m | 1h 11m | 2h 22m | V60 |
| Blackmagic RAW 8:1 | RAW | 288 | 130 | 28m | 56m | 1h 52m | 3h 45m | V60 |
| Blackmagic RAW 12:1 | RAW | 200 | 90 | 40m | 1h 21m | 2h 42m | 5h 24m | V30 |
| 2K 2688x1512 | ||||||||
| 30p | ||||||||
| Blackmagic RAW 3:1 | RAW | 504 | 227 | 16m | 32m | 1h 4m | 2h 8m | V90 |
| Blackmagic RAW 5:1 | RAW | 304 | 137 | 26m | 53m | 1h 46m | 3h 33m | V60 |
| Blackmagic RAW 8:1 | RAW | 192 | 86.4 | 42m | 1h 24m | 2h 48m | 5h 37m | V30 |
| Blackmagic RAW 12:1 | RAW | 128 | 57.6 | 1h 3m | 2h 6m | 4h 13m | 8h 26m | V30 |
| 1080p 1920x1080 | ||||||||
| 30p | ||||||||
| Apple ProRes RAW HQ | RAW | 354 | 159 | 22m | 45m | 1h 31m | 3h 2m | V60 |
| Blackmagic RAW 3:1 | RAW | 264 | 119 | 30m | 1h 1m | 2h 2m | 4h 5m | V60 |
| Apple ProRes RAW | RAW | 236 | 106 | 34m | 1h 8m | 2h 17m | 4h 34m | V30 |
| Apple ProRes 422 HQ | 4:2:2 | 220 | 99 | 36m | 1h 13m | 2h 27m | 4h 54m | V30 |
| Blackmagic RAW 5:1 | RAW | 160 | 72 | 50m | 1h 41m | 3h 22m | 6h 45m | V30 |
| Apple ProRes 422 | 4:2:2 | 147 | 66.2 | 55m | 1h 50m | 3h 40m | 7h 20m | V30 |
| Blackmagic RAW 8:1 | RAW | 104 | 46.8 | 1h 17m | 2h 35m | 5h 11m | 10h | V30 |
| Apple ProRes 422 LT | 4:2:2 | 102 | 45.9 | 1h 19m | 2h 38m | 5h 17m | 10h | V30 |
| Blackmagic RAW 12:1 | RAW | 67.2 | 30.2 | 2h | 4h 1m | 8h 2m | 16h | V30 |
| Apple ProRes Proxy | 4:2:2 | 44.8 | 20.2 | 3h | 6h 1m | 12h | 24h | V30 |
GB per hour = bitrate in Mbps x 0.45. Card times use 95% of the labelled size (formatting and file overhead). Card speed: V30 up to 240 Mbps, V60 up to 480, V90 up to 720, CFexpress above that. * Blackmagic Design's stated minimum for that format, which is stricter than the bitrate alone needs. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
Memory cards
- Card types
- CFast 2.0 / SD (UHS-I/UHS-II) / USB-C disk
- Blackmagic Design's card requirements
- Not published by Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design's card requirements
Recommended cards for the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Blackmagic Design's own or recommended cards first, then the most-reviewed cards on B&H for this camera's media. SD cards show how many of this camera's modes they can record; for other cards, compare the speed with the requirements above.
- CFast 2.0SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO CFast 2.0Speed: CFast 2.0, VPG130 (525 MB/s read / 450 MB/s write)
- CFast 2.0Angelbird 512GB AV PRO CFast (MK2)Speed: CFast 2.0 (560 MB/s read, 460 MB/s sustained write)
- SD, V90Sony 256GB SF-G TOUGH UHS-II SDXCHandles: 34 of 46 normal recording modes; the rest need a faster card
We earn a commission if you buy through these store links, at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change which cards we list.
Slow motion
Not published by Blackmagic Design
Questions
How long does a 128 GB card last in the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?
From 10 min in its heaviest mode to 6 hr 1 min in its lightest. In Apple ProRes Proxy at 30p (4:2:2, 179 Mbps) it holds about 1 hr 30 min. Times use Blackmagic Design's published bitrates and 95% of the card's labelled size.
What memory card does the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K need?
It records to CFast 2.0 / SD (UHS-I/UHS-II) / USB-C disk. For its top mode (1,480 Mbps) you need CFexpress. Lighter modes work with slower cards; the table on this page lists the card speed for every mode.
How much storage does an hour of 4K take on the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?
Between 80.6 GB and 666 GB per hour, depending on the format and bitrate. Apple ProRes Proxy at 30p (4:2:2, 179 Mbps) uses 80.6 GB per hour.
Can the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K record slow motion in camera?
Blackmagic Design does not publish an in-camera slow-motion mode for the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.
Sources
- Bitrates and card requirements
- blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicpocketcinemacamera/techspecs/W-CIN-12
documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/BlackmagicPocketCinemaCameraManual.pdf - Checked
- November 11, 2026
- How we calculate
- GB per hour = Mbps x 0.45. Card time = 95% of the card size / GB per hour. Real files can differ by a few percent (audio track, file overhead, card format).
Spotted a wrong number? Tell us and we'll check it against Blackmagic Design's documents.