Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Lab Test – Rolling Shutter, Dynamic Range and Exposure Latitude

The brand new Blackmagic PYXIS 12K digicam has arrived at our CineD headquarters. After the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF digicam, we now have the identical 12K sensor within the smaller, field sort sibling. Will it carry out in an analogous manner? Curious to listen to the outcomes? Then learn on …A few 12 months in the past we ran the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF digicam by our standardized CineD lab take a look at (outcomes right here). It set a brand new benchmark when it comes to efficiency to cost, and scored excellent values for dynamic vary. Now, the exact same sensor however a special sign processing pipeline is carried out within the a lot smaller footprint of the PYXIS physique, which already hosted the 6K sensor of the Blackmagic Cinema Digital camera 6K.The Blackmagic PYXIS 12K digicam in our CineD lab. Picture credit score: CineDThe PYXIS 12K was introduced at NAB 2025 in April – please head over right here for our detailed protection on this digicam.Once more, let me say a giant “thanks” to my pricey colleague Florian Milz who helped me to shoot and analyze this lab take a look at.Rolling Shutter of the PYXIS 12KAs common we use our strobe mild at 300Hz to disclose the pairs of black / white bars with the intention to measure rolling shutter. Blackmagic had already posted a desk of the rolling shutter values in all of the completely different sensor modes on their discussion board, so we simply crosschecked and located them to be very correct. For instance, in 12K 3:2 open gate mode we get 24.1ms (much less is best), which is on the excessive aspect, evaluating it to newer hybrid client cameras (please take a look at our database) and can also be double the worth we received for the URSA Cine 12K:The attention-grabbing half about this new sensor design (RGBW) from Blackmagic is the truth that whether it is switched to decrease resolutions like 8K and 4K, the readout pace vastly improves. Switching to 8K open gate we get 13.5ms, which is a really first rate worth! Please take a look at our database to see all of the values for all of the completely different sensor modes, together with the 9K sensor crop.Dynamic Vary of the PYXIS 12K digicam at ISO800If you don’t know the way we take a look at dynamic vary, please first head over right here.All dynamic vary outcomes have been shot on the highest accessible bitrate in Blackmagic RAW 3:1 at ISO800. Information have been developed within the digicam RAW tab of DaVinci Resolve 20.3 (utilizing Large Gamut Gen 4 / 5 and Movie Gen 5). So, let’s take a look on the waveform plot of 12K 3:2 open gate mode on a 12K timeline:Waveform plot capturing the Xyla21 chart at ISO800 in 12K. Picture credit score: CineDWe can simply establish 13, if not 14 stops above the noise ground – very promising! Nevertheless, the 14th cease appears considerably weaker than what we noticed for the URSA Cine 12K LF.IMATEST results of the PYXIS 12K at ISO800. Picture credit score: CineDIMATEST reveals 12.8 stops at a sign to noise ratio (SNR) of two, and 14.2 stops at SNR = 1. These are superb outcomes, however apparently a tad worse throughout completely different sensor modes (~0.3 stops) than the URSA Cine 12K LF.Switching the digicam to 8K, we get the next end result:PYXIS 12K IMATEST end result for 8K mode. Picture credit score: CineDWe now get 12.3 / 13.9 stops at SNR = 2 / 1. Once more, a tad worse than the URSA Cine 12K LF which scored 12.6 / 14.2 stops at SNR = 2 / 1. Fairly apparently, we get the best dynamic vary rating in 4K full body sensor mode, the place the PYXIS 12K displays 13.2 / 14.6 stops at SNR = 2 / 1. Please head over to the CineD database for all the opposite ends in the completely different sensor modes.Publicity latitude of the PYXIS 12K at ISO800Latitude is the aptitude of a digicam to retain particulars and colours when over- or underexposed and pushed again to base publicity. A while in the past, we selected an arbitrary worth of 60% luma worth (within the waveform) for our topics’ faces in our normal studio scene. This CineD base publicity ought to assist our readers get a reference level for all of the cameras examined, no matter how they distribute the code values and which LOG mode is used.Once more, we develop the recordsdata within the RAW tab of DaVinci Resolve 20.3 and use a Blackmagic LUT (Blackmagic Gen5 Movie to Video) to transform into the Rec709 area. Surprisingly, our common methodology of utilizing a colour area rework (CST) to DaVinci broad gamut, then adjusting every part after which one other CST to Rec709 began to clip the blacks at 5 stops underexposure. Our latitude take a look at begins by adjusting the studio lights such that at T1.5 and 1/25s shutter, we’re on the cusp of clipping the pink channel on the brow of our topic’s head, on this case, my pricey colleague Johnnie. This occurs three stops above the bottom publicity degree, after which in publish, we push it down once more to base and acquire the next picture:For comparability, base publicity appears to be like like this (no adjustment in publish):Now, we shut down the iris of the lens in 1-stop increments till T8, and from there onwards we underexpose additional by halving the shutter worth to 1/fiftieth, 1/a hundredth and so forth.Let’s transfer forward to five stops underexposure, pushed again to base. That is the primary time when some colour shifts begin to seem, and noise kicks in considerably:We are actually at 8 stops of publicity latitude, and we now have to make use of noise discount in publish to wash this up:Fairly apparently, the colours are a bit shifted when in comparison with the massive brother, the URSA Cine 12K LF:The URSA Cine 12K LF has a extra pinkish look, whereas the PYXIS 12K picture is extra yellowish, utilizing precisely the identical improvement settings. That additionally results in a visually much less pleasing chroma noise look for the PYXIS. Usually, the URSA and PYXIS pictures present bigger blotches of chroma noise hovering across the picture.These bigger blotches of chroma noise are additionally the rationale why we attain the restrict at 6 stops of underexposure:Now we now have very tough blotches of chroma noise hovering across the picture, and noise discount can barely clear this up with out creating different artefacts (decreasing total decision and a plasticky pores and skin):As will be seen above, 3 frames for temporal noise discount are used, and a giant quantity for chroma noise discount (spatial NR) which is certainly borderline.We’re at 9 stops of publicity latitude. Nevertheless, on a constructive be aware, simply faint indicators of vertical or horizontal strains are showing – a superb signal, as previous Blackmagic cameras have suffered from these phenomena, in addition to mounted sample noise.The Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF behaved a tad higher right here in my view – however evaluate for your self, in our lab take a look at right here.Only for reference, right here is the 7 stops underexposed picture:Noise discount can not save this.Now, how does this evaluate to different cameras? Effectively, it has about 1 cease higher publicity latitude than the PYXIS 6K model. However then there’s the Panasonic LUMIX S1II, which scored 10 stops of publicity latitude (9 stops with DR Increase OFF) with some room in direction of 11 (lab take a look at right here) – just like the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF (lab take a look at right here). The just lately examined Canon EOS R1 (lab take a look at right here) additionally scored 9 stops of publicity latitude.The chief of the pack remains to be by far the ARRI ALEXA 35 (lab take a look at right here) with 12 stops of publicity latitude. However after all, this digicam is in a totally completely different value bracket.SummaryThe Blackmagic PYXIS 12K reveals stable however not distinctive ends in our lab take a look at. It presents excellent decision and Gen 5 colour science, however body charges are roughly half that of the massive brother, the URSA Cine 12K LF, because of double the rolling shutter readout speeds. Switching to 8K / 4K modes once more you get an excellent however not distinctive rolling shutter, and superb dynamic vary outcomes.The latitude results of reaching 9 stops of publicity latitude has been reached and even surpassed by different cameras in an analogous value bracket throughout the 12 months 2025. However the total package deal in my standpoint remains to be excellent – totally built-in within the Blackmagic ecosystem, together with a DaVinci Resolve Studio licence, small footprint, totally riggable with a number of nice equipment by Blackmagic.Have you ever shot with the PYXIS 12K digicam but? What are your impressions? Please tell us within the feedback beneath.