Blackmagic Pyxis: Should you buy the C400 instead?

[@JonasStuart]

And yes, totally agree, what a great time to be in this industry!

[@scottievee330]

Spot on. Pyxis is cool. Nice image. But... the C400 is a Monster.

[@scottievee330]

@arunr4103 Enjoy your Pyxis.

[@JohnnieButtersonline]

@arunr4103 just say you got a slow computer bro lol

[@sasqwatch35mm]

Either Sony will come up with something really competitive or I go either BM route or will go back to Canon. Absence of RAW format on Sony cameras is ridiculous

[@andersistbesser]

Sony can do b raw now.

[@maicovimuto6341]

Sony is getting BRAW before the end of 2024 on the FX6 & FX9. FX3 & FX30 are not officially confirmed, but BMD is looking into getting it done in 2025 they've stated.

[@sasqwatch35mm]

@@andersistbesser not available now and that also adds to the camera price and also adds some significant inconvenience dealing with external recorder. still no 6k.

[@mark12345697]

No offense, but I watched the video you posted, and to be honest, RAW isn’t going to compensate for the lack of fundamentals. There were issues with getting the exposure right, inconsistent color grading, and the wrong export settings didn’t help either. I understand that RAW offers a lot of flexibility compared to other codecs, but honestly, if you’re just starting out, it’s better to focus on mastering the basics before blaming the camera for any shortcomings.

[@sasqwatch35mm]

@@mark12345697 btw can I see your work with any VFX?

[@Gloryvisuals]

Love your channel so much. Knowledgeable, unbiased, quality content. Sony fanboy here. The #1 reason I am adding the PYXIS to our kit is open gate, and we are adding it as another tool for specific uses instead of switching to it. The FX6 is similar in that it can be used for sooo much. But open gate is the reason that tipped us over the edge, and PYXIS still retains that advantage over most competitors.

[@LukeSchaeferFilms]

What is appealing to you about open gate? What is the value it brings to you! Pardon my ignorance I don’t understand why people are making a big deal about it! Do you shoot a lot of anamorphic?

[@Gloryvisuals]

@@LukeSchaeferFilms​​⁠mostly anamorphics, yes. I own a set of Blazar Remus lenses and use them often! But also, for commercial work it would just be nice to have some extra room to crop or reframe in post I think in general, it’s just nice to actually use the full sensor that a camera has. The FX6 essentially has 2 million pixels in its sensor that it doesn’t ever use which is a shame

[@GabrielScindian]

I knew bros would be the first to do this VS!!! Awesome. I ordered the c400 but since the Pyxis came out. I have been hearing nothing but good things

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@@GabrielScindian both are awesome cameras without a doubt!!!

[@MrMoviePhoneEx]

More people will buy the Pyxis on price point alone, I’ve been eyeing it for a while too. But I haven’t found anyone that actually has c400 regard it as anything other than amazing to work with - not only for its quality, but also its versatility.

[@VIPAH]

I already own the Canon R5C. It's fully rigged up as a run and gun camera. B Cam as an option, but if I was to chose a Canon Clog workflow, I'd rather buy the C400 to colour match my short films in conjunction with Canon RF lenses. But that's not to say I can't mix BRAW with Clog2/3 footage. I'm more keen on the C80 actually, price point is similar to Pyxsis 6K.

[@RoadFromNowhere_SE01]

Really the comparison should be between the red Komodo X and the C400

[@pasegers]

from 3000 to 6000 for the Pyxis ? i rigged mine full out for just over 1000 euros , and it comes with the best color grading software worth 330 euros ... about Raw, i prefer Braw over all the codecs of the canon 😊 but after all, they are different camera's and not for the same use to me 😉

[@billyoung9538]

Also many of the issues stated have solutions that could be had while remaining under that price point. For example one can get a DJI Focus pro, and then have auto-focus on cinema glass, and still rig out the entire camera while remaining under that $6k mark. Likewise there are also SDI Distribution Amps that can solve the SDI port issues. If one needs more audio ports there are Audio recorders that can automatically turn on and off when the record button is pressed as well. The bigger miss was he didn't even talk about Blackmagic cloud and how the Pyxis records proxies that can be sent to the Editor as one is recording, meaning it's far better for live situations. The video feels more like a sales pitch for why one should rent their more expensive camera than a true evaluation of the pros and cons. I mean yes the C400 is more of a no light camera, and if one were in a stealth situation at night then maybe that would be a practical feature, but most people shoot in low light, and both cameras are more than capable of shooting in low light.

[@Lumin8Productions]

Not to mention. But if the buyer has let’s say 10k to spend, you get a Pixys and geared out for around 4500, your left with 5500 for lenses, batteries, or media. My opinion, when you spend equal money on both (9k-10k), the Pixys is a more “all day camera” you’ll have 12 hours of battery, 12 hours of 3:1 compression raw, and honestly a fully matte boxed body with better filtration options. I love canon, this is just an unfair comparison for the canon, because as a working filmmaker, money in pocket for more stuff can be the stronger advantage going into a new production.

[@najeefilms]

Kills me how people debate all this but I don't see any good work on KZbin. I got into film in 2015 with the Canon rebel t5i. This industry is a joke. Everyone talking about specs and shyt but no one creating good work.

[@MichaelPlochmann]

Yeah, storytelling seems dead in these groups.

[@hhankx]

This is a perfect comment. I hardly ever see good work. And when I see good work it’s often on older gear

[@disco.jellyfish]

This is EXACTLY the comparison I was looking for. I have some additions because I have already done a lot of research on both devices already. Here is what I have left to mention: Especially for the anamorphic use case. The PYXIS indeed can scan 3:2 in 6K @36p, while the C400 cannot do 3:2 but it does 6K at 60p in 17:9 in raw without cropping. There is however one major flaw to the 3:2 scan of the PYXIS which is a rather slow rolling shutter. Paired with anamorphic lenses and especially long focal lengths, this can be tough to work with when moving the camera (especially when panning it). Luckily DaVinci Resolve has a tool to fix/reduce rolling shutter artifacts, but it does require you to slightly crop in unfortunately. So this is definitely not perfect. The C400s rolling shutter is roughly twice as fast in comparison. So if you dont edit this footage yourself, this is a big deal, when you often do jobs that require long focal lengths and also working auto focus like when tracking animals from far away for your cheetah documentary or tracking a football player on a field - you will be panning a lot at long focal lengths there. But you might also already be cropping into Super 35 there too so that your 500mm lens actually gets you close enough. The C400 is also interesting for broadcast purposes because not only does it have a lot of decent Broadcast style native lenses (that do require you to use a crop mode), but it can also record for you in 1080i50 or 1080i59.94 (whichever one you need), which definitely makes your TV customers happy. Usually it doesnt really matter - you can just convert 50p to 50i easily but some TV people still edit on AVID and AVID definitely behaves very weird when your input footages settings dont exactly match your output fottages settings. And whenever telling your customer knows that your Camera wont only record 6K RAW in 60p but also 1080i50, they are going to be very happy, no matter how much this doesnt actually matter. TV studios tend to be very big an have a lot of differently well skilled people working there and telling a almost 70 year old editor that your footage is in 4K 50p and LOG, will cause him to loose his mind. Just give them 1080i50 and both sides can be very happy.

[@redumbrella4218]

Great job! It would helpful if you post the the cage’s link and the NDs filters/ Thanks

[@YOUAREMYKIN]

This comparison is very helpful! 🙏

[@kadenkelsch4487]

How do you make a video review of two cameras with no B-roll to show your results? As one of my favorite cinematographer quotes go "Always show, never tell"

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@@kadenkelsch4487 I mean they are basically equal image. Most cameras are these days. Choices now are based on toolsets and specs really. That’s my two cents.

[@mtscott44]

I like your channel dude, keep it up.

[@MtZionMediaPro]

Great overview of both cameras! I will say, $4K will get you a nice basic rig on the Pyxis. If you want a fancy rig it'll be $6K.

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

Mainly this factors in getting either VND system or ND filters and a Mattebox to match the capability of c400.

[@MtZionMediaPro]

@@NorthwestCameraCo That's fair enough, I'm more of a screw-on filter type guy 😅

[@MtZionMediaPro]

The main thing is that the Canon c400 cost thousands of dollars more than the Black magic, therefore I honestly don't expect it to compare as far as the hardware. What gets the 6K full frame so much notoriety is that it's $3,000 and it can hang with the big boys

[@adamboozer5215]

thanks for the metric crap ton of info on this one ! :)

[@renaissancedigital5730]

Come on guys, he never said this is a what is a better value video. Of course the C400 is going to win overall as it's a much more expensive camera. The comparison in the first place is a point to the Pyxis as it can be in the same conversation as the C400.

[@avdpost]

Really want Canon to add their GYRO data to their codec. Pyxis really wins in that one regard.

[@MrMoviePhoneEx]

I was really surprised how stable the c400 is with rf glass and digital stab on is now. Add in the vector based motion processing so that the digital stab works off the frame and not the subject, and it’s as good as any IBIS system I’ve tried yet plus it scales! That said, it does limit full function to working with canon glass so that’s a limitation, haven’t tried the digital stab with 3rd party cine glass yet.

[@andynonimuss6298]

Open Gate and the Pyxis has better colors and skin tones over the C400 and Komodo. This is only the first iteration of the Pyxis. BM already has more Pyxis models planned for the future. We know the Pyxis will only get better over time.

[@TJ-po9ol]

Komodo X looks way better

[@andynonimuss6298]

@@TJ-po9ol Nope.

[@obtucreations]

I Hope a version with vnd’s

[@luisdiaz7205]

i think a more fair comparison would be c80 vs pixys but that’s my opinion

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@@luisdiaz7205 honestly if you spec’d things out this camera really competes with Burano. But from a price standpoint c80 for sure. That video is coming when our c80 comes in.

[@luisdiaz7205]

@ love to see it, excited for that video

[@obtucreations]

Nice vidéo whats your pl adapter in red ?

[@JonasStuart]

Image for the money means is BMD all the way for me. I'd go the pyxis.

[@michalurbanczyk1577]

Awesome, thanks for the test! I'm curious what Rec709 luts did you use for base grade for each camera. Cheers!

[@ozzmanzz]

Image is king. It was said at the start… best picture is the Pyxis, enough said.

[@iamkuntryboi]

Nice comparison!

[@CaseyPreston]

Your comments about the way Canon handles ISO is something that I don't think most people realize. Canon's cameras were designed to let you ride the ISO without changing the image. So, you can change your aperture from a 2.8 to a 4.0 and just jack up the ISO from 800 to 1600 and the only change you will see is an increase the depth of field. I've found this very useful in multicamera interviews where I realize I need a bit more depth of field on one of the cameras after we start shooting. I guess most other cameras don't do this. You can protect your shadows in a sense by dropping the iso below the base iso which shifts the stop distribution lower, but that also means you will clip your highlights before you reach your maximum IRE so it can cause problems if people aren't paying attention.

[@mbismbismb]

that c400 ate!

[@raredreamfootage]

Have you tried recording 4K out of the 12G SDI from the PYXIS? I wonder if it is downsampled from 6K? The URSA 12K's 4K output from the 12G SDI when the internal recording is set to 12K looks superb as the 4K is downsampled from 12.

[@hawaiifreespeechnews]

Tough decisions choosing between the Pyxis, the C400, and The RED Komodo X

[@andynonimuss6298]

Open Gate and the Pyxis has better colors and skin tones over the C400 and Komodo. The RED ecosystem is crazy expensive... $2,750 for a RED DSMC3 RED Touch 7" LCD monitor with a three star rating on B&H vs. the BM $645 Pyxis Monitor EVF Kit. This and many other reasons is why I bought a Pyxis L-mount and am happily investing into the Pyxis ecosystem.

[@Stondiexd]

@@andynonimuss6298 Komodo X out of body colors are better than the Pyxis.. no AF, frame rates are 🗑️ in comparison , no built in ND option outside PL adapter🤷🏾‍♀️

[@HighEndPew]

@@andynonimuss6298are u serious ? The Komodo X colors are way better than the black magic and canon

[@HighEndPew]

Komodo x …… thank me later

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@HighEndPew honestly as far as the codec goes I think you could make any of these cameras look identical at least to 90 percent of viewers. They all have great color these days.

[@submariner1348]

Canon make good still photography cameras.

[@earnieboy54]

I was curious if this is even really a comparison. I thought the Pyxis and C80 wouldn’t been more comparable? Then again what do I know.

[@mrdamiansingh]

More like c80 vs Pyxis but great comparison nevertheless

[@dollhausenx]

Today's lesson, how to misuse the word "slightly." Glad to see you supporting quality cages. Nice thing about Pyxis is that you can add as you go depending on what sort of work you do. Nice thing about Canon is better low light, etc.

[@avx111]

I love Canon but I haven't seen the image coming from C400 blow me away yet, idk what it is. It doesn't have that wow factor the C70 had or even the ultra sharp R5C.

[@LukeSchaeferFilms]

It’s because no one is creating good shit shit with it yet, it’s frustrating lol. And it’s not the c400s fault

[@Makta972]

Exactly! The C70 feels way more special.

[@keylanph]

The C400 is only in the hands of “reviewers”. B&H doesn’t even have the camera available for purchase yet, it’s only pre order. I’ve been really interested in picking one up as an A cam for my C70 but I haven’t seen anything from real producing dps or camera ops that aren’t “reviews”.

[@sanadakhumanthem3557]

Can you please share the demo raw footages?

[@eseeTECNEWS]

Even though you do have a few fair points about the C400 being more versatile, I still think your overall comparison between those two cameras sounds VERY biased towards the C400. First of all, the price difference is much bigger than you try to make it sound - you really don't need anywhere close to 3K for getting the Pyxis rigged up - and if you do spend 3K, it adds some of the features you then blaim it for not having (like ND's). The Pyxis is a completely different kind of camera than the C400 - and maybe it would have made much more sense to compare it to a Mini LF, in which cases the differences in features (like AF, stabiliser, sensitivity, audio and so on) would have been much less, but difference in price MUCH bigger. I do however fully understand, that coming from the rental business, the Pyxis must be a real pain in the butt.

[@IlyaPodnebesmiy]

Did I hear right, does black magic have a slightly better image quality? And if my habit is to exhibit in bright areas, and tidy up the dark areas already in the editor, then black magic is even better?

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

If dynamic range in optimal lighting conditions is the metric, then yes!

[@jgo1961]

Having suffered through the C-100 and C-300, no thanks.

[@marklholloway]

BMD will release four more models of Pyxis to catch up before Canon needs to release a C400 mkII 😅

[@akyhne]

It's a $3.000,- to $8.000,- camera comparison. Comparing the Canon to the Cine 12K, would in that regard have been a more fair deal. But that wouldn't make sense, just like this comparison.

[@IlyaPodnebesmiy]

By the way, I did not hear such subjective characteristics as a more "organic", "film" image in the review. It's even good) For some reason, some movie cameras are awarded such characteristics, and some are not. If you ever compare Pyxis with Kinefiniti, can you briefly add to the review your opinion about what people generally mean when they talk about the organicity of Kinefiniti?

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@@IlyaPodnebesmiy typically I think arri really established this look with Alev sensor. Really what I feel most people talk about is a gentle highlight rolloff, almost a subtle bloom as you approach clipping on white. I think Sony and canon and even red have a harsher approach. That can be added though with filtration to get to that type of look, but arri got it in camera.

[@ratadeldesierto760]

@@NorthwestCameraCo which filtration could you recommend for getting this result? thanks! love your channel

[@ugpfpv361]

When he went to the open gate vs not and called it a toss up you can kinda tell it's a biased overview

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@@ugpfpv361 it’s really not. I’ve yet to be asked to shoot 3:2 on a single shoot this entire year or last. While it’s great to have for extra anamorphic options, really is the standard formats are what get asked for the most in deliverables. For all the standards both cameras do both. That being said. Rather have it and not need it vs the other way.

[@thomas.kovacik]

C400 any day Better yet, KX haha

[@SoundItOutFilms]

I’m confused… you said 14 stops for each but Canon claims 16 stops and black magic claims 13.

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@@SoundItOutFilms canons claims are a little bold and black magic seems spot on. They actually claim 13.5 which id say both actually perform around that number.

[@leebrandt8597]

People should be very skeptical about camera manufacturers "claiming" 16 stops or over, since they grossly exagerate their camera's performance for the purposes of manipulating potential customers. Arri and Blackmagic are the only ones who accurately rate the pefromance on their cameras

[@akyhne]

What am I missing here?! Comparing a $3.000,- camera to a $8.000,-? What's the point?!

[@andersistbesser]

I would love to own a cinema camera as i have a camera fetish but its just not convenient for me. Too big , too complicated to handle. A good hybrid camera is much better for what i do , even tough i make money with my camera. I think cinema cameras make no sense for at least 80% of creators.

[@blnksktch]

The next version of the BM camera will be a beast.BUT! As soon as you move the Pyxis your subject distorts. The sensor needs to be on sticks and no, you can’t fix the rolling shutter in post enough for it to be worth it. The biggest and only red flag.

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@@blnksktch I strongly disagree. If shooting open gate yea a slight problem. In 16:9 or 17:9 it’s got a super average readout speed that’s damn near every other full frame camera ie c400/500, fx9,burano etc. I’ve yet to be on a shoot where rolling shutter on any of those cams has been an issue. But that’s just my own opinion. If rolling shutter is absolutely crucial then KX is the best option in a similar price point.

[@blnksktch]

@@NorthwestCameraCo I just know what I see. Look at the subject in any handheld or movement based shot with the Pyxis. I could really care less about the readout numbers. Heck, even look at your video.

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@@blnksktch again most of our stuff is in an open gate format to show the worst of the sensor and without resolves fix. Luckily in the 15 years I’ve been shooting, even back in the dslr 5d days, I’ve yet to have a single client ever even ask about rolling shutter artifacts and almost all viewers wouldn’t pick this out. To me, unless the readout is more than say 40ms, or your a sports shooter with a long lens, I don’t think this is going to spoil many shots in the eyes of your end viewer. Of all the things that can spoil an experience for a viewer, IE bad sound, bad acting, bad writing etc, I think rolling shutter is near the bottom of a list.

[@blnksktch]

@@NorthwestCameraCo I know more than a few editors and producers who would consider that footage unusable. If it’s a real project and there’s a real budget there’s no excuse.

[@FilmAndStar]

Teleshopping is back ! Garbage or non-content 😂😂😂 Come on sheeple !

[@TheCaliGamerTCG]

Hold up, he gave canon a point for having electronic stabilization but didn’t give Blackmagic a point for having open gate?! I think someone it biased

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

We did give a point for open gate as it allows for a lot more anamorphic options.

[@Slipsch]

In other words, we need the Canon sensor in the pyxis with build in ND

[@bmefilms6879]

BM image is better.

[@brightoskar9469]

Way way better from what I am seeing here​@@bmefilms6879

[@dimitrimoonlight]

It's different camera, it's different markets. 😅

[@patricex3095]

How are you shooting verical on a stripped down Pyxis 6k if the built-in screen doesn't rotate/orientate when tilting the camera on its side?

[@CartyCantDance]

That latitude test was not even close, the Pyxis has superior image quality. I wish BM would invest in PDAF. Currently running the S5ii and it’s already paid itself back 5x. L mounts is the future

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

@@CartyCantDance well we didn’t test shadow retention. And if you factor that in the c400 has a much better low end recovery so just a different way in collecting images. You def want to save your highlights on c400.

[@CartyCantDance]

@@NorthwestCameraCo that’s fair, but I usually ETTR for little to zero noise. 6 stops over being clean for the Pyxis is very impressive

[@michal1337ichiban]

That C400 footage looks disgusting