A camera that rivals the GoPro on size but offers a host of professional features including interchangeable lenses and RAW capturing has been announced by broadcast equipment makers Blackmagic Design.

While the camera is more expensive than the ubiquitous GoPro, with a price point of $995 it remains in reach of consumers and independent filmmakers, making it the first drone-mountable camera to be so.

The camera, a miniaturised Super 16mm digital camera named the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera, shoots 1080 HD with 13 stops of dynamic range.

It is also designed to suit other professional shooting situations where a tiny camera is a must, such as hidden camera shows.

“The Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera is the smallest and most expandable digital film camera in the world,” explained Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design.

“For the first time, customers will be able to get incredible action and point of view shots that look better than anything they’ve ever seen before.”

The camera is being presented to the television and film industry as first and foremost a professional piece of equipment that also offers drone connectivity.

The Micro Cinema features ports for PWM and S.Bus connections, which allow specific adjustments including audio levels, iris and focus, as well as the more standard start and stop, to be mapped to a remote control. Those connecting with S.Bus can even design their own custom embedded controllers.

“The new expansion port allowing radio remote control is exciting because it opens up entirely new shooting possibilities that will let customers shoot things they’ve never been able to shoot before,” said Petty.

The Micro Cinema also offers a host of other features targeted at filmmaking professionals.

It can shoot with either a 60fps rolling shutter or a 30fps global shutter, and saves footage either as 12-bit log CinemaDNG RAW or Apple ProRes files.

These ensure that capturing is lossless, allowing for a host of post-production options to improve the look of the final footage.

It also has a Micro Four Thirds lens mount, which allows filmmakers to switch out lenses to suit the filming environment and can also be adapted to mount other mainstream lenses.

Other professional connectors such as an external stereo microphone input further cement the camera as a professional-standard piece of equipment.

While the camera will undoubtedly be embraced by many professionals, it is likely to see huge popularity among indie filmmakers, bringing a host of high-quality aerial shots to independent films.

With indie filmmakers typically opting for cameras in the $500-$1000 range, the majority of which offer dramatically lower quality, the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera is surely set to be a hit.

Images courtesy of Blackmagic Design.