At 14.33 inches by 7.18 inches, the Micro Color Panel is about the size of a computer keyboard. It has a mounting slot for iPad Pro and connects via Bluetooth or USB-C. As well as being smaller than Blackmagic's other color panels, the Micro is also significantly cheaper (next up, the Minipanel — is listed for over $2,000 on Blackmagic's website.) It comes with three weighted trackballs, which the company says will still feel professional. And 12 control knobs can be used to adjust things like shadows, highlights, contrast, and midtones.
Blackmagic says that many of the other controls found on the right and left sides of the new panel, such as delete, cursor and select, would normally only be found on its larger Mini and Advanced panels. He says he kept many of the controls in the same position as on the larger panels, to keep things familiar to editors.
The device costs just over half the company's $895 price tag. Micropanelwhich features three weighted trackballs and 12 control knobs, like the new Micro Color Panel, but only connects via USB-C and lacks an iPad slot.
“The older DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel model was popular with customers who wanted a compact leveling panel,” said Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design, “but we wanted to design an even more portable and affordable solution.” He added that the company will sell localized versions “in multiple languages, so you don't need to learn another language to use them.”
If you're at NAB 2024, Blackmagic says it will demo the panel at its booth (#SL5005).
