GEAR BLACKMAGIC DESIGN PYXIS 12K
SCALED UP
PYXIS MAKES PERFECT modular camera to offer a full-frame
The second model in Blackmagic’s affordable cinema camera series is the welcome leader of a resolution revolution WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH B lackmagic loves to disrupt the industry with its camera range that brings high-resolution, cinema-style equipment to the masses. While they do have their quirks, it’s impossible to get anything close to this for such a good price. Take the latest in the Pyxis family, the 12K version, for example. It has the high-value £2295/$3295 body of its predecessor, the Pyxis 6K, but essentially with the 12K sensor from the £6359/$7695 Ursa Cine camera body fitted. And it’s priced in the middle of both, at a stunning £4320/$5495. That’s not even the price of top-end mirrorless cameras, and is way less than any cine cam with a vaguely close spec. Canon’s 6K EOS C400 is £7799/$8799, Sony’s 4K PXW-FX9 is £10,499/$6400 and even Red’s 6K Super 35 Komodo-X is £7299/$6995. Plus the Pyxis comes with a full copy of DaVinci Resolve Studio, which is usually £289/$295. The Pyxis 6K was the Aussie brand’s first compact, cinema-style
sensor, followed by the 12K and 16K versions in the full-frame Ursa range, which are much bigger and heavier. Now the sensor from the 12K Ursa is in the Pyxis body, you might think it would achieve the handling of the lighter 6K Pyxis with the performance of the 12K Ursa. It’s not that simple. The Ursa has a more pro-orientated processing pipeline that uses more power to retain some key advantages and could make it worth the extra investment. Both of the 12K cams use Blackmagic’s full-frame 36x24mm RGBW sensor with a native resolution of 12,288x8040 pixels. But where the Ursa Cine can shoot 12K at up to 120fps with no sensor crop or up to 80fps in open gate, the Pyxis version tops out at half those speeds for the same resolution. This is true across the range of resolution versus frame rate options. 8K or 4K open gate is maximum 72fps on the Pyxis, while it hits 144fps on the Ursa. The processing speed also affects rolling shutter artefacts. The Pyxis gives noticeably more skewed verticals than the Ursa Cine at the same settings when doing fast pans. Armed with this knowledge, you can work out which resolutions avoid issues. Lower resolution gives a better rolling shutter performance, for
WORK YOUR MAGIC Added extras like the Ursa EVF, side plates and the Ursa Cine Handle allow you to make the 12K Pyxis a full cinema system
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