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Review: Blackmagic Camera App
This is a review of the Blackmagic Camera App, version 3.4. This is a free mobile videography app from Blackmagic Design (who are the company behind DaVinci Resolve), and this review was not sponsored. The Blackmagic Camera App can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app was tested on a Google Pixel 10 Pro, but most of the information in this review also applies to Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones.
A link to my YouTube video review is at the end of this article.
The native camera app on the Google Pixel 10 Pro is somewhat limited for normal videography, so I was interested to see what the Blackmagic Camera App could add to mobile videography workflows.
Settings Menu
Camera settings allow for the selection of resolution, codec, timecode display, and timelapse recording settings. Resolution allows for options including HD, or UHD 4K setting, with different aspect ratios, and a selection of video Codecs. Colour space options will vary on the phone used. On the Pixel 10 Pro I was limited to Rec.709 or BT2020 HLG. The Pixel 10 Pro does have a hidden DGC 12-bit RAW option, but this doesn't appear to be available in this app. More recent Samsung and Apple phones should allow you choose Log or RAW output for more bit depth if required. I choose Rec.709 for a simple and consistent workflow through DaVinci Resolve.
Shutter can be changed between speed and angle (such as the commonly used 180 degrees), however selecting angle appears to require full manual settings on the Pixel 10 Pro, which isn't optimal. More on that later. Lens correction, reduce noise, and increase sharpening can be turned on and off here.
Audio settings allow for audio source selection, audio formats, sample rates, and metering. Monitoring has settings including focus assist colours, guides, HDMI output, and display or audio meters, histogram, and storage status. Live stream allows for live streaming via the Blackmagic cloud. Media controls where the clips are stored to, which in most cases would be the phones gallery, and also features such as saving location data. Function buttons can be selected for useful shortcuts.
There are 10 included Look Up Tables (LUTs), some of which are quite useful, like the "Cinema Teal" and "Day Night". These can be turned on and off. LUTs in .cube format can be easily imported into the app. There is also the option of "burning in" the LUTs. Useful for Rec.709 workflows, but not advisable for log workflows. The below video shows a comparison of the 10 included LUTs.
It is also possible to save and import setting presets, connect to some accessory controls, use remote camera control for control of multiple cameras simultaneously, plus network access and Blackmagic cloud access settings. You don't need to have Blackmagic cloud access to use this app, and the app is free.
Display and Recording
The display area used when recording shows most exposure parameters. Most parameters are displayed here, which is a big improvement from the Pixel 10 pros default camera app. Stabilisation settings can be adjusted. This will be based on what the camera can offer. The LUT settings allow for selection of the LUTs.
Camera, and zoom can be selected via multiple methods including selecting the camera/lens module or using the zoom slider. There is also a dolly zoom section where you can select the zoom over a time period.
Exposure can be set to auto, or exposure compensation applied. However, a limitation with the Pixel 10 Pro, likely related to the camera API and/or dual gain sensor, is that if you want to control either shutter speed or ISO, then you have to use full manual. This in turn means that when using the device in auto, the shutter speed can vary, and in some cases in low light is slow enough to introduce choppy footage. On the other hand, if I want a fixed shutter speed, for example following the 180-degree shutter rule, I have to use full manual, which isn't always a practical option. This isn't really the fault of the app, this is a limitation of the Pixel 10 Pro, and at least the Blackmagic camera app shows what is going on. From looking at other reviews, the same issue occurs on most iPhones, but Samsungs may allow for more control.
White balance and tint can be used automatically, or manually adjusted and locked. There are also controls for focus which can be adjusted. The monitor settings include functions such as zebras (to display over-exposure), focus assist monitor, grid lines, aspect ratio (for example to see how a different crop to recording aspect ratio may appear), safety area (for product photography exposure), false colour, and continuous light on/off.
Frames per second can be adjusted, with far more options than in the Pixel 10 Pro's default camera settings. Recording is pretty straight forward. It is also possible to open the videos from the gallery section.
Conclusion
Overall, the Blackmagic Camera app is a big improvement over the Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera app as it actually displays the settings during recording, has considerably more functionality, and some useful LUTs. It is also a useful option for people who use the Blackmagic cloud. However, limitations such as not being able to fix shutter speed in auto workflows, probably not the fault of the app, can be an annoyance.
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