nice review Scott, love the Blackmagic Cameras, my main rigs, best UI in the business also ;) Missing Masters In Motion already, have a great Christmas and good luck next year!
I love your sense of Humor in your videos :) So far the cinema 6k has the nicest image from all the Blackmagic cameras I’ve used. The UI is great. For me the battery solution is not ideal, I rather use the Pyxis but even that one has no V mount which means you need to rig it out, Personally I would prefer the cinema 6k as a small option but the battery problem means I have to rig it out which the body form is not ideal for.
Nice video Scott. Just picked up the Pyxis 6k to pair with my Bmcc 6k ff. Now the focus pro feels right on the Pyxis. Cant wait to get some Anamorphic lenses!
Just shot a short film with the 6K FF. Image is absolutely great, but because of the build there is a little bit of flex when used with wireless follow focus to watch out for.
Watched this on my 4k LED tv and was 100% sure Cam B was the RED Komodo as it looked better and had more dept compare to Cam A, boy did it surprise me that Cam B is the BMCC 6K wow.
What is your theory on why they are blocking long-GOP codecs? Do they "really" not want this camera being used on 2 or 3 hour shoots? Like, I dunno,...a live music festival or stage play event or even a long interview session?
I believe they feel their codec is as strong or stronger than H.264/H.265/Prores. There is some logic behind it. The higher compressed forms of BRAW are similar in size to H.264/H.265 and it allows them to control the entire chain acquisition/edit/export all within their ecosystem without having to pay licensing fees. Reasonable enough although I’d still rather see some other options, BRAW did not fail to look good.
You can film long form anything in Braw at the lowest compression and it works out super well. I have many many times, and that is all I work with now. I get there are many that will need to hand off certain codecs to other outfits when done, but for me, as a solo shooter, and business owner controlling the flow of work, these cameras are fantastic, and Braw has been amazing to work with and tweak especially in doc filmmaking where I can't change something quick enough(although, the UI certainly helps make it fast). In the end, we use whatever works for us right?
Just one nit pick. Pretty sure the upper native ISO is 3200 like on the other dslr form factor BM cameras. It is true that in lower light, you get lowest noise from the upper native ISO at 1250. But that's because you are shooting at native 3200 and overexposing it a stop and a bit and it is then playing it back at 1250 pushing the noise floor down by that much. While at iso 1000, you are using native ISO 400 and underexposing it by a stop and a bit and playing it back as 1000 and therefore raising the noise floor of 400 by that much. So, that's why you are seeing quite a drop in noise levels going from ISO 1000 to 1250. :)
Yea, you’re right. That’s what’s advertised but it sure is noisy at 3200. I thought I read somewhere that people were saying the true 2nd ISO was 1250 but BM says 3200. hmmm
I know your a Red lover and they are great video capture tools but their cost is too high when compared with blackmagic. IMO this camera gets you 95% of the way for a fraction of the cost. I think with this camera and their new ursa cinema line they make the best product line in the industry. I think Red’s only advantage is global shutter and if you need it you need it for sure and the possibility of a monochrome sensor (I’d kill for one of those)
I can’t argue your main point. I agree. Cameras are so good today that the limits that are being pushed aren’t being used hardly at all. 18 stops of DR is amazing, unless you’re using only 13 then it doesn’t matter at all. The BM cam delivers most of what everyone needs. And they have fixed their little quirks along the way. Hard to argue with a process and a result like that. The proof is in the pudding. and I love pudding! BM could make a monochrome, I assume they don’t because there just isn’t a big enough market for it.
Everything I said was true and still is. Blackmagic has improved their game, as they should. BRAW is still not true raw. I explain that in the video as well.
If you have plenty of light and slow moving subject matter then it’s a lot of camera for the money. But I learned the hard way that Sony FX3/6 better suits the work I have to tackle most of the time. If BM ever comes out with a true dual native sensor (ISO3200 on the BMCC has to be the noisiest “native” setting I’ve ever seen, 1250 is really the highest you can go) I will look again because BRAW is great to work with in post. But I’m not holding my breath.
I do agree that it has a noisy native ISO but I will say that its noise at 400 and 1250 is organic feeling, like Dragon is, so I didn’t mind it much. It got crazy noisy though as you climb the ISO ranks..
If you shoot in low light, this is a sensor/image designed to be denoised in post, differently than the FX3/6 where there is noise reduction applied behind the scenes, in camera. It turns out that it's always better to denoise in post because the software algorithms and the computer hardware are more powerful than what can be done on camera in real time. This video by Keith Knittel, a Sony FX3 user, explains how you should approach shooting in low light with this camera (and Pyxis). Although this is not a low light camera, it's much better in that department than what many people have commented online, probably because they are used to compressed video codec cameras that denoise internally behind the scenes, and also because they don't have a good understanding of how ISO and RAW works in cinema cameras. One important thing to consider, and something that Keith Knittel’s video didn’t mention, is that when cameras record RAW, if you change ISO, you are really not changing the native ISO (the sensitivity of the sensor), you are only changing metadata, basically how you perceive the exposure on the monitor (and how the internal meter perceives 'correct' exposure). So, imagine you have your ISO at 400 (native), and you consider, looking at the monitor and waveform, that the image looks underexposed. Ideally you should add more external light but many times you don’t have that option, so you rely on increasing ISO. So, say that you increase the ISO to, 1000. Now you will see that the image on the monitor and waveform looks ok in terms of exposure and you will be happy with that. The thing that you should understand is that, by increasing ISO, you are not making the sensor more sensitive (you are not changing the native ISO of 400), you are only changing metadata, which basically represents increasing exposure to get a satisfying look on your camera monitor and waveform (and subsequently your monitor and waveform in post). But that increase on ISO comes at the price of making the noise more visible, because you are lifting the total exposure. So in low light scenes sometimes is better not to increase the ISO too much but keep it below 3200 especially since lower values (e.g. 1250 or 2000) guarantee that you get more stops of dynamic range in the shadows, which is something desirable in low key scenes. And in the case that you need to get some good exposure on some high key areas, well you can raise ISO (e.g 3200) and apply noise reduction in post which is what recording in raw is all about. This is a dual native ISO camera, so you also have the option to switch to the second native ISO (by choosing 1200 or above; it’s called ‘3200’ ISO) where, again, if you increase the ISO you are not increasing the sensitivity of the sensor but only how bright you perceive the image on the monitor and waveform. And, as I mentioned before, by increasing ISO you are increasing the noise floor, so the same arguments apply that you need to apply noise reduction in post to eliminate that noise. th-cam.com/video/GsJXvuGGtl8/w-d-xo.html
These low key scenes were shot on the Blackmagic 6K FF with Leica R (24, 50 and 90mm f/2.8) and at ISO 400, 800 and 1000 (no need for more). I assume that some noise reduction was applied in post. th-cam.com/video/tkGh0uHH7lg/w-d-xo.html
My point of view is that Braw is supposed to be denoised in post in Davinci and you can easily pull a lot from shadows when shooting in ISO 1250. I think Cinema Camera has similar usability just like Lumix S5IIX when shooting in the same lightning conditions. I compare those two camera because I own them. And yes, depending on the conditions it is the best to shoot either on ISO 400 or 1250. My easiest approach to choosing ISO is: bright sunny day where you need ND filter = ISO 400, anything else = ISO 1250. ISO 1250 gives really nice looking grainy image. And I think I know what you mean by saying "slow moving subject matter". Correct me if I'm wrong. Gyro stabilization is not usable when you have to move the camera a lot, it introduces weird blurriness. It forces you to crank up the shutter speed to 90 or even 45 angle and add motion blurr in post which is really heavy task for computer. And using BMCC6K on a gimbal is really heavy and you need to put some additional plastic base just to fit it on a gimbal. Thats why I find using Lumix S5IIX easier for solo shooting and I wanted to shoot pictures too. If taking pictures wasnt my intent I would also go for used sony fx3. Hope someone find it helpful.
I tried 6-7 different shots with the gyro stabilization and never once got a stabilized image that was even close to usable. Resolve was able to stabilize just fine with its algorithm.
Getting this camera for 1500 bucks during the official discount, was such a steal
I bought three of those and I still can't believe the price. It was a game changer for me.
Another great video Scott.
Thank you.
Loved this review. I bought this camera on the $1500 sale, and am blown away with its image quality.
Great job! ❤
LOVE the dig against the abomination of vertical!
nice review Scott, love the Blackmagic Cameras, my main rigs, best UI in the business also ;) Missing Masters In Motion already, have a great Christmas and good luck next year!
SANTA Reviews BMCC 6k During Christmas and New Year is Blessing.
I am happy to see you liking a blackmagic camera, it makes me like them more!
😀
I love your sense of Humor in your videos :)
So far the cinema 6k has the nicest image from all the Blackmagic cameras I’ve used.
The UI is great.
For me the battery solution is not ideal, I rather use the Pyxis but even that one has no V mount which means you need to rig it out,
Personally I would prefer the cinema 6k as a small option but the battery problem means I have to rig it out which the body form is not ideal for.
Thank you. I believe the Cinema Camera 6K and Pyxis have the exact same sensor.
Nice video Scott. Just picked up the Pyxis 6k to pair with my Bmcc 6k ff. Now the focus pro feels right on the Pyxis. Cant wait to get some Anamorphic lenses!
Pyxis is a great camera although just a tad large in my book. But the sensor is solid and the same as this one.
GREAT REVIEW
Just shot a short film with the 6K FF. Image is absolutely great, but because of the build there is a little bit of flex when used with wireless follow focus to watch out for.
Good to know!
Watched this on my 4k LED tv and was 100% sure Cam B was the RED Komodo as it looked better and had more dept compare to Cam A, boy did it surprise me that Cam B is the BMCC 6K wow.
I wasn’t expecting that 😮
Same!!
I missed the discount sale😢😢😢
I got it on sale! It was a steal.
What is your theory on why they are blocking long-GOP codecs? Do they "really" not want this camera being used on 2 or 3 hour shoots? Like, I dunno,...a live music festival or stage play event or even a long interview session?
I believe they feel their codec is as strong or stronger than H.264/H.265/Prores. There is some logic behind it. The higher compressed forms of BRAW are similar in size to H.264/H.265 and it allows them to control the entire chain acquisition/edit/export all within their ecosystem without having to pay licensing fees. Reasonable enough although I’d still rather see some other options, BRAW did not fail to look good.
You can film long form anything in Braw at the lowest compression and it works out super well. I have many many times, and that is all I work with now. I get there are many that will need to hand off certain codecs to other outfits when done, but for me, as a solo shooter, and business owner controlling the flow of work, these cameras are fantastic, and Braw has been amazing to work with and tweak especially in doc filmmaking where I can't change something quick enough(although, the UI certainly helps make it fast). In the end, we use whatever works for us right?
Just one nit pick. Pretty sure the upper native ISO is 3200 like on the other dslr form factor BM cameras.
It is true that in lower light, you get lowest noise from the upper native ISO at 1250. But that's because you are shooting at native 3200 and overexposing it a stop and a bit and it is then playing it back at 1250 pushing the noise floor down by that much. While at iso 1000, you are using native ISO 400 and underexposing it by a stop and a bit and playing it back as 1000 and therefore raising the noise floor of 400 by that much. So, that's why you are seeing quite a drop in noise levels going from ISO 1000 to 1250. :)
Yea, you’re right. That’s what’s advertised but it sure is noisy at 3200. I thought I read somewhere that people were saying the true 2nd ISO was 1250 but BM says 3200. hmmm
@@ScottBalkum The native ISO is 400 & 3200, but is cleanest at 100 & 1250.
ciao Rexxxxxxxxxxxx 🤩
I know your a Red lover and they are great video capture tools but their cost is too high when compared with blackmagic.
IMO this camera gets you 95% of the way for a fraction of the cost. I think with this camera and their new ursa cinema line they make the best product line in the industry.
I think Red’s only advantage is global shutter and if you need it you need it for sure and the possibility of a monochrome sensor (I’d kill for one of those)
I can’t argue your main point. I agree. Cameras are so good today that the limits that are being pushed aren’t being used hardly at all. 18 stops of DR is amazing, unless you’re using only 13 then it doesn’t matter at all. The BM cam delivers most of what everyone needs. And they have fixed their little quirks along the way. Hard to argue with a process and a result like that. The proof is in the pudding. and I love pudding!
BM could make a monochrome, I assume they don’t because there just isn’t a big enough market for it.
RED was in distress, and Sony bought it. Blackmagic Design makes a massive amount of hardware, and cameras too.
I thought was Nikon who bought them
It was Nikon.
as a new viewer, is it nirmal that I didn’t understand shit in the intro?
Yes, its a running joke at this point.
Wait till you use the cine. You’ll blackout by the sounds of it
😮
All these years of you bashing BMD (making slight handed jokes) image quality & the Braw codec... I dont even know how to take this video. I'm out.
Everything I said was true and still is. Blackmagic has improved their game, as they should. BRAW is still not true raw. I explain that in the video as well.
If you have plenty of light and slow moving subject matter then it’s a lot of camera for the money. But I learned the hard way that Sony FX3/6 better suits the work I have to tackle most of the time. If BM ever comes out with a true dual native sensor (ISO3200 on the BMCC has to be the noisiest “native” setting I’ve ever seen, 1250 is really the highest you can go) I will look again because BRAW is great to work with in post. But I’m not holding my breath.
I do agree that it has a noisy native ISO but I will say that its noise at 400 and 1250 is organic feeling, like Dragon is, so I didn’t mind it much. It got crazy noisy though as you climb the ISO ranks..
If you shoot in low light, this is a sensor/image designed to be denoised in post, differently than the FX3/6 where there is noise reduction applied behind the scenes, in camera. It turns out that it's always better to denoise in post because the software algorithms and the computer hardware are more powerful than what can be done on camera in real time.
This video by Keith Knittel, a Sony FX3 user, explains how you should approach shooting in low light with this camera (and Pyxis). Although this is not a low light camera, it's much better in that department than what many people have commented online, probably because they are used to compressed video codec cameras that denoise internally behind the scenes, and also because they don't have a good understanding of how ISO and RAW works in cinema cameras.
One important thing to consider, and something that Keith Knittel’s video didn’t mention, is that when cameras record RAW, if you change ISO, you are really not changing the native ISO (the sensitivity of the sensor), you are only changing metadata, basically how you perceive the exposure on the monitor (and how the internal meter perceives 'correct' exposure).
So, imagine you have your ISO at 400 (native), and you consider, looking at the monitor and waveform, that the image looks underexposed. Ideally you should add more external light but many times you don’t have that option, so you rely on increasing ISO. So, say that you increase the ISO to, 1000. Now you will see that the image on the monitor and waveform looks ok in terms of exposure and you will be happy with that. The thing that you should understand is that, by increasing ISO, you are not making the sensor more sensitive (you are not changing the native ISO of 400), you are only changing metadata, which basically represents increasing exposure to get a satisfying look on your camera monitor and waveform (and subsequently your monitor and waveform in post).
But that increase on ISO comes at the price of making the noise more visible, because you are lifting the total exposure. So in low light scenes sometimes is better not to increase the ISO too much but keep it below 3200 especially since lower values (e.g. 1250 or 2000) guarantee that you get more stops of dynamic range in the shadows, which is something desirable in low key scenes. And in the case that you need to get some good exposure on some high key areas, well you can raise ISO (e.g 3200) and apply noise reduction in post which is what recording in raw is all about.
This is a dual native ISO camera, so you also have the option to switch to the second native ISO (by choosing 1200 or above; it’s called ‘3200’ ISO) where, again, if you increase the ISO you are not increasing the sensitivity of the sensor but only how bright you perceive the image on the monitor and waveform. And, as I mentioned before, by increasing ISO you are increasing the noise floor, so the same arguments apply that you need to apply noise reduction in post to eliminate that noise.
th-cam.com/video/GsJXvuGGtl8/w-d-xo.html
These low key scenes were shot on the Blackmagic 6K FF with Leica R (24, 50 and 90mm f/2.8) and at ISO 400, 800 and 1000 (no need for more). I assume that some noise reduction was applied in post. th-cam.com/video/tkGh0uHH7lg/w-d-xo.html
My point of view is that Braw is supposed to be denoised in post in Davinci and you can easily pull a lot from shadows when shooting in ISO 1250. I think Cinema Camera has similar usability just like Lumix S5IIX when shooting in the same lightning conditions. I compare those two camera because I own them. And yes, depending on the conditions it is the best to shoot either on ISO 400 or 1250. My easiest approach to choosing ISO is: bright sunny day where you need ND filter = ISO 400, anything else = ISO 1250. ISO 1250 gives really nice looking grainy image. And I think I know what you mean by saying "slow moving subject matter". Correct me if I'm wrong. Gyro stabilization is not usable when you have to move the camera a lot, it introduces weird blurriness. It forces you to crank up the shutter speed to 90 or even 45 angle and add motion blurr in post which is really heavy task for computer. And using BMCC6K on a gimbal is really heavy and you need to put some additional plastic base just to fit it on a gimbal. Thats why I find using Lumix S5IIX easier for solo shooting and I wanted to shoot pictures too. If taking pictures wasnt my intent I would also go for used sony fx3. Hope someone find it helpful.
I tried 6-7 different shots with the gyro stabilization and never once got a stabilized image that was even close to usable. Resolve was able to stabilize just fine with its algorithm.