Best Memory Cards Blackmagic Cinema 6k

Not to be confused with the S35 Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6k G2, this Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6k uses a single CFexpress Type B Memory Card slot.

The camera has different recording options for data rate, with the highest being 555MB/s for constant quality and 370MB/s for constant data rate. The lowest is 81MB/s for 12:1 compression. So when looking for the Best Memory Cards for the Blackmagic Cinema 6k, you’ll need memory cards with a sustained speed to handle these video data rates.

Luckily, most of the top brands’ new CFexpress type-B Memory cards can handle this. Here is what I recommend.

Blackmagic Cinema 6k – B&H

Blackmagic Cinema 6k Memory Card Recommendations

Lexar cards are always a great option, and the Lexar Gold cards come in sizes up to 2TB with a 1582MB/s tested sustain speed, making them a great choice for BRAW shooters. Lexar Gold cards also have a tough build and a lifetime warranty.

Delkin makes some of the best memory cards, with great performance and tough builds. Their Delkin Power G4 cards come in sizes up to 2TB and have a sustain speed of 1507MB/s, which I tested.

For budget shooters, the Hoodman Steel 1TB cards have worked great for me when shooting RAW video recordings. The Hoodman Steel cards feature a tough build and a competitive price. But check the price of the Hoodman cards compared to the Lexar Gold cards; sometimes they are priced very similarly depending on current sales.

The Best Budget memory card for the Blackmagic Cinema 6k is the Lexar Silver 1TB card.

The 1TB card has a sustain speed I tested at 1382MB/s, making it the best value for the Black Magic Cinema 6k. The only thing you’re missing is that they don’t have a Lifetime warranty and aren’t marketed with the Tougher Build like the above cards. The 1TB card is great and has allowed me to shoot RAW videos without issues.

These recommended cards will allow you to record (Open Gate) Blackmagic RAW 3:1 at up to 36 fps or up to 6K DCI Blackmagic RAW 3:1 at up to 48 fps.

You can see Blackmagic’s official Recommended Memory Cards Blackmagic Cinema 6k to find other cards I might not have listed here.

Blackmagic Cinema 6k Recording Specs & Details

With the available USB-C port, you can use USB-C drives. Recording to a USB-C drive can potentially save you some money. However, based on the Blackmagic recommendation list, you won’t be able to record at a bit rate as high as possible with CFexpress cards.

With CFexpress cards, Blackmagic lists compatibility with 6K (Open Gate) Blackmagic RAW 3:1 at up to 36 fps,

With USB-C drives, Blackmagic list compatibility maxes out at 6K (Open Gate), and Blackmagic RAW 5:1 at up to 36 fps. 

With CFexpress cards, you can record 3:1, whereas with a USB-C drive, you can record 5:1.

This chart shows what the Constant Bitrate vs the Constant Quality looks like at 24fps.

Note that 6k at 3:1 will record up to 370MB/s at 30fps. This chart only displays the bitrate for 24fps.

This chart shows the data rates at 30fps taken from the BlackMagics tech specs page.

6048 x 4032 (6K Open Gate 3:2) Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 370 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 223 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 140 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 12:1 – 94 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 278 to 555 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 186 to 444 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 124 to 318 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q5 – 75 to 186 MB/s 4832 x 4032 (Anamorphic 6:5) Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 297 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 179 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 112 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 12:1 – 75 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 223 to 445 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 149 to 356 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 100 to 255 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q5 – 60 to 149 MB/s

6048 x 3200 (6K DCI 17:9) Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 295 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 177 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 111 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 12:1 – 75 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 221 to 441 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 148 to 353 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 99 to 253 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q5 – 60 to 148 MB/s 6048 x 2520 (6K 2.4:1) Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 233 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 140 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 88 MB/s Blackmagic RAW 12:1 – 59 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 175 to 348 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 117 to 279 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 78 to 199 MB/s Blackmagic RAW Q5 – 47 to 117 MB/s

Blackmagic Cinema 6k Record Times – Memory Card Capacity

This table shows the different recording modes and how much time they use for different card sizes. To get your numbers, I have to build a bitrate-to-time converter.

Blackmagic Cinema 6k Record Times	Mbps	256GB	512GB	1TB
Constant Quality
Blackmagic RAW Q0 – 278 to 555 MB/s	4440Mbps	8min	15min	31min
Blackmagic RAW Q1 – 186 to 444 MB/s	3552Mbps	10min	19min	38min
Blackmagic RAW Q3 – 124 to 318 MB/s	2544Mbps	13min	27min	54min
Constant Bitrate
Blackmagic RAW 3:1 – 370 MB/s	2960Mbps	12min	23min	46min
Blackmagic RAW 5:1 – 223 MB/s	1784Mbps	19min	38min	77min
Blackmagic RAW 8:1 – 140 MB/s	1120Mbps	30min	61min	122min

While these max bitrates seem massive, most new and high-end CFexpress cards can do this without any problem. When buying cards, you’ll want to check the sustained speeds and avoid any cards that cut them close. You want to ensure you have plenty of bandwidth overhead to avoid lost frames when recording video. This is why I recommend the midrange cards like Delkin G4 or the Lexar Gold cards.

On the CFexpress type B memory card page, where I test most of the cards, you can click the + symbol next to each card to compare its different rated sustain speeds. This allows you to easily compare the different cards’ minimum speeds.

Best Memory Cards Blackmagic Cinema 6k | Conclusions

Buying memory cards for the Cinema 6k is a little tricky since there are so many different record modes, but the good news is you won’t need the absolute best memory card for the Blackmagic Cinema 6k, although they will work fine. If you stick with the midrange cards from big brands like Lexar or Delkin, they will give you everything you need to do, including everything this camera offers.

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The Blackmagic Cinema 6k is available in the L mount. I keep a live, up-to-date guide listing all the L mount lenses available.