Sony FX3 vs Blackmagic 6K Full Frame - A Detailed Technical Comparison

[@NINETY-97-SEVEN]

Biggest thing for me is the highlight rolloff. It's so so good on the BM6KFF! not to say the fx3 is bad or sonething I myself own a ZV-E1 (same sensor as the fx3 and that's insane!) But the highlight rolloff on the blackmagic cam is just very clean! 👌🏻

[@Suyorukun]

Thanks for an amazing comparison!

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@shukra333]

I don't know why many youtubers makes compare Bmcc 6k with hybrid cameras... I don't know why? Bmcc 6k is professional cinema camera it has cinema raw footage can shoot.... Compare with arri 65 mm camera...

[@castielvargastv7931]

The bm is the best cinema camera at this price point and beyond but i really dont understand the lack of autofocus. I know there are many scenarios where manual focus is better but in 2023 i want the option at least.

[@IsaiahMcAye]

I'd say make your own camera otherwise there is a reason why Arri require you to have autonomy with focus control when you buy their cameras. I believe this is a similar model that Blackmagic has adopted too. Just look at the entire range of their cameras inclusive of their micro... They are not equiped with auto focus and I believe this serves a significant purpose...

[@castielvargastv7931]

@@IsaiahMcAye not having autofocus is a flaw in 2023. sony has autofocus in much more expensive cinema cameras and even red has it. Both camera brands are much more established in the cinema business than blackmagic is. The new sony burano even has ibis. Times change, technology changes and workflows change. You can turn off autofocus if you dont want to use it but you cant turn on what is not there. In the blackmagic range i just buy panasonic instead and for real cinema cameras i chose sony. I dont want to be limited by my tools.

[@DREZZYFILMS]

Get the Dji autofocus system.

[@castielvargastv7931]

@@DREZZYFILMS its not the same as native. Panasonic s5x will do the job for me

[@mabitzzltdsteam4082]

The terms cinema camera and auto focus don’t belong in one sentence. That’s it.

[@MightyMigi]

If you are worried about image at this point you Might need some help just pick the one that you think you will need none of them are better then another they both do the job if you do a lot of night shots and want auto focus Sony if you want to controld focus manualy and click in every aspect of the shot Black Magic and the end of the day they both have their own look so you should not care if money is not a factor

[@Shuttterbugg]

Nothijg beats the bmpcc images period from the 4k to 6k to full frame

[@neonvoid]

11:59 everything what is not opengate is being cropped to death. absolutely ridiculous. only one HDMI output, but no 16:9 on the BMD. this means if you need 16:9, and you don't want a tunnel vision super cropped tiny HD view from the sensor, then you have to digitally zoom in to the HDMI output in the receiving system to drop the black bars from the side or the bottom. this is ridiculous :(

[@tptrsn]

Great video Josh, and I have to say that overall I really prefer the BM6K footage by a little bit, but man, the lack of autofocus is a tough one these days... What is up with the difference in the colors of the upper left color chip at 3:56? Or for that matter, to a lesser extent what is up with the difference in the chip below that one? I don't have that particular color checker, so I wasn't able to see exactly what those colors looks like in real life.

[@Josh_Sattin]

Thanks. The colors are the standard ones. From the bottom up: yellow red magenta blue cyan green

[@tptrsn]

@@Josh_Sattin The blue in question looks really purple or at least blurple on the FX3, doesn't it?

[@Josh_Sattin]

@@tptrsn The color of the test chart in my studio to my eyes is actually kind of inbetween the two. Also when I look at the these on the vectorscope it shows the same thing. The blue chip on the FX3 leans towards magenta and the blue chip on the BM leans towards cyan.

[@tptrsn]

@@Josh_Sattin Thank you for the detailed, useful, and interesting response Josh!!

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching and for the comments!

[@Improtaproductions]

Thanks for this video. I am curious to see a comparison between Nikon Z8/9 against the BMCC6K. I think it would be very interesting.

[@apurvswami4058]

@7:00 could you please clarify what exactly does the cleaning up of the image of the Blackmagic 6K mean when going up from ISO 1000 to ISO 1250. I understand that the 2nd native ISO kicks in at this point. What I noticed from the BM's dynamic range chart is that ISO 1250 should retain more of the shadow range than ISO 1000, making ISO 1250 (2nd native ISO of 3200) better for low-light/indoor conditions as compared to ISO 400, which would be better for highlight retention in outdoor situations? Just wanting to know if I am getting the point right.

[@Josh_Sattin]

What I mean by cleaning up is that there is less noise. Being lower in the ISO range of either base will not help with low light conditions. What setting the ISO lower than the base ISO is that it will shift dynamic range to the shadows. You do need to compensate for this by adding more light via aperture, lowering ND or increasing the lighting. I cover that in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4jdon97a5mHsKs

What part of noth Carolina did you shoot all those places???

[@Josh_Sattin]

I live in Raleigh.

[@romdunn3022]

The FX3 is still the goat… THE GOOOAAAWWWT

[@art_means_artificial]

blackmagic is the ugliest camera has EVER BEEN CREATED!

[@JeanSebastienLEGER]

I had the P6KPro for 3 years then switched to Sony (FX3 + FX6) because I'm working a lot with the television and they use Sony's. Those cameras are really convenients (fx3 & fx6), but I miss so much the image quality coming from my P6KPro. When I watch my old videos made with the Blackmagic, I direclty see why I loved the image so much. It feels more like an Arri: the highlight rolloff, texture, softness...Damn I regret my choice to sold my P6KPro..I almost used every cameras out there (red, arri, panasonic, sony, canon,...) but for the price, I really think the P6KPro is the best choice if for you; image quality is your priority ;-)

[@MtZionMediaPro]

Great breakdown video! I think because of the price in the form factor of The cinema camera 6K, a lot of people want to treat it as if it is a DSLR replacement-- at its best, it is a poor man's Arri, so things like continuous autofocus, having a flip out screen, & the size are non-issues for cinematographers because they generally don't want that for cinema cameras anyway

[@SPECTRA890]

Imagine they made this camera like the fx3 with its features. Would be a best seller.

[@kernzilla]

FX3 at 12,800 is just insane 👀 def superior detail in your beard shot with the BM vs FX3 tho. always appreciate these vids Josh, thx!

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Yeah the 6K resolution is much crispier for sure. Thanks for watching!

[@cammackey]

Pretty crazy the FX3 still holds up. Tho I will say BRaw is next level when you start stretching the footage. Feel free to send me those clips if ya want me to take a hack at destroying the footage haha

[@Josh_Sattin]

FX3 is a beast of a camera and I think it will hold up for years to come. Thanks for stopping by Cam!

[@CanditoTrainingHQ]

It's really no surprise. Literally every brand on basic tests like this hold up just fine. I swear 99% of people who think they see a difference in 12 bit vs 10 bit simply prefer blackmagic color science as a basepoint, and the rest is placebo.

[@WDCDMediaA.P.C.Photography]

Our team has Canon, Blackmagic and Sony cameras. We've found that the Sony's do the best overall as workhorses. Canon has warm color yet not all clients want that. The build quality isn't their previous solid build. The auto focus is touch and go especially in cinema C70 which is in the FX3 price range. The lack of 24 bit audio with all the video codex is an issue especially having XLR mini it should be 24 bit all codex Blackmagic Design have the best live streaming solution with full integration of software and hardware, yet can't focus to save your life, with the need of experienced users to make it perform properly Sony FX3, FX30, A7 IV, & A7S III they have some huge advantages over Canon and Blackmagic Design. First is Audio Audio and Audio with 24 bit 4 channels of audio, full featured 2 channel XLR with either FX Handle or K3M and the addition of 1/8" Jack. Give you professional audio without the need of an external recorder. Simplified live streaming as a webcam through USB C while recording any Sony codex you want from all-i to base HD. I have a laundry list still to go

[@Dano-Media]

@@WDCDMediaA.P.C.Photography I had no idea the other cameras had those audio limitations. Do they only record in 16bit audio?

[@schizolab]

It would be incredibly hard for a one man army to operate the BM6KFF

[@raksh9]

Tell that to Matteo Bertoli or Florent from Of Two Lands

[@emlp3199]

I dont understand why BM still have this awful form factor. Just for this I prefer my FX3

[@shingAMarie]

you should try the MKH 416 for audio. It’ll make your voice sound brighter.

[@skyislanddragons]

Shooting in "Video" or "Extended Video" modes on the 6K FF just means you're embedding the Video or Extended Video LUT onto your footage. It's not any different than recording in "Film" mode, as Braw allows you to embed the LUT non-destructively, and you can just turn it off and grade from log in Resolve. That's the power of Braw.

[@nicknick9798]

If you shoot with black magic in raw, then there is no difference between choosing FILM or VIDEO. This does not affect the dynamic range. You can shoot in VIDEO mode and select FILM during editing. This is just a display on the camera monitor and does not affect the recording. In video mode you can use a zebra pattern, which is very convenient and useful

[@realmodsnation]

as I know, sony has noise remover embedded into hardware, but bmc has it in their software @ davinci so that part of the test should be mentioned

[@NARRASSAFilmes]

Fx3 is a way better camera in almost everything.

[@davidkuria6463]

Great comparison. I would have loved to see a comparison between the Black magic 6K vs Sony A7IV. A7IV down samples 7k to 4k and has more dynamic range than the FX3 when recording internally at 10bit 4:2:2 slog 3

[@dpeals86]

I have both. The a7iv has more details In the shadows. But the 6k highlight rollout is unmatched. You have so much control with the braw with in davinci. And the 6k does film ultra full HD. That literally 4k. The camera shoots 6k. You can literally zoom 600% and still have a beautiful sharp image.

[@inSurfersParadise]

Really just cant do a small screen any more. The screen makes the whole operating system and film shooting style possible.

[@Andresvideo]

4:55 WOW what amount of detail from the Blackmagic's 6K footage to the 4K footage of the Sony!

[@Dano-Media]

The shot is most likely out of focus. You can tell by looking at his beard before we crop in at 4:50, the FX3 looks soft in that shot. In another shot like 9:08, you can see both beards & shirts are way closer in sharpness.

[@DiodeFilms]

Video is getting to the point of diminishing returns now. It's like where photography reached a few years ago where there's just not much more you can do to improve the image. I love some of the things blackmagic does, but Sony has really cemented themselves in the industry at all levels, and if the a9iii is any indicator, Sony is also going to be on top technologically for the foreseeable future as well. The Sony ecosystem just seems like a safer investment these days. I am confident they will always have a product for what I need, no matter how big or small the job is, and I really wish I could say the same about Blackmagic, but I can't.

[@mabitzzltdsteam4082]

Well depends on how you look at it. Cameras is one thing - post production is another thing. In terms of post Blackmagic won’t go anywhere. The workflow is just unbeatable no matter if the cameras are better or worse then Sony. If you get PL lenses you won’t be locked into a system.

[@NARRASSAFilmes]

Agreed.

[@leebrandt8597]

Hey man, enjoyed your video. Your dynamic range test isn't accurate somehow. I'm getting tons more dynamic range/latitude in the highlights from the pocket 6k pro, which has the same as the full frame, than the FX3. Nearly two stop difference. I'm wondering what the issue is, perhaps how you graded it? Not sure why. Personally, I wouldn't expose for the highlights if you want to test the latitude on the highlights. Perhaps separate the latitude tests, one for highlights and another for shadows. If you have the time, check my video to see how I achieve tons of dynamic range on my Pocket 6k Pro. Cheers

[@LukeAntunes]

Really love this deep dive. Very informational. Thank you!

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@brzrko]

You should really give ACES a try rather than color correcting it all by hand.

[@brzrko]

@@POW.CREEPER I am no expert in that, there are really good tutorials on yt.

[@brzrko]

@@POW.CREEPER Well, I mentioned it because when comparing colours of two cameras standardising is important otherwise any difference is considered a human error.

[@mindkyesworld444]

bmcc6k are 2 cameras in 1, 6k full frame camera and 4k apsc camera in the same body. internal raw , open gate and many more.

[@neonvoid]

Great comparison & all your videos are very solid, thank you

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@ericcoen8894]

Always say no to Sony

[@SiReasoning]

FYI, comparing braw footage without noise reduction and moire reduction with a codec that does all of this is a bit misleading. For those comparisons, ProRes on the bmcc6k should be used. Braw in camera , DaVinci Resolve Studio, image quality, gyro stabilization in post and the menu system is the best benefits of BM cameras. Sony’s best in class autofocus and true pocket size are the best benefits of the Sony, especially in run and gun situations. It really depends on how you shoot.

[@Tarfyen2]

Professional workability : BMPCC all the way. FX3 is more user friendly and easier to rig etc and a better low light camera. The BMPCC is a harsh but fair teacher to start filming and the price tag beats the FX3 eventually.

[@nickgrant5800]

The 6K is not full frame - It's super 35.

[@Josh_Sattin]

This new 6K is full frame.

[@olivierlamart4082]

wake up my friend ^^^^^^^^ you are late :))

[@theyellowwallshow748]

fx3 base iso is 640 in SLOG and 100 in cinetone. Just fyi.

[@Josh_Sattin]

Since V2.0 firmware, the FX3 has a base ISO of 800 in Cine EI (Slog3).

[@ReachFilms]

mmmmmmmm give me some of that crispiness

[@Josh_Sattin]

Ah yeah!

[@ExtremelySimplified]

Really nice comparison! Thank you.

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@dollhausenx]

Why 8:1 on braw? I'm surprised how close some of these shots look.

[@turnleftkr]

Great video as usual, Josh... Am I imagining it, or is the BMCC 6K showing less banding in the low light test this time around vs. in the G2 comparison?

[@Josh_Sattin]

Thanks. No it's about the same.

[@LukeBroadhurstfilm]

@@Josh_Sattin is the banding a sensor limitation or can it be fixed in firmware. I’m shocked it performs worse in low light then the G2 despite having photosites 3x bigger

[@Josh_Sattin]

@@LukeBroadhurstfilm I have no idea, but my guess is that is just how the sensor works and firmware won't fix it. Yeah it is weird that the bigger sensor is worse in low light, but all sensors are different. There are plenty of S35 sensors that have better noise performance than FF sensors.

[@LukeBroadhurstfilm]

@@Josh_Sattin there are definitely many s35 sensors that perform wonders, like red Komodo and arri mini. But the problem is that the more expensive full frame camera people fork out for the benefits of full frame, performs worse then the less expensive 6k g2. It’s not even on par with the g2 in low light… it’s worse!

[@Josh_Sattin]

@@LukeBroadhurstfilm Yeah I expected the 6K FF to outperform the 6K G2 in higher ISOs, but it doesn't. That's why I test cameras and report the results.

[@renaissancedigital5730]

At 5 over it looked like the BM was holding skin a lot better, the tip of your nose was completely gone on the FX3. The shadows were also a lot cleaner on the BM.

[@That_Desert_B1tch]

My film school has this by the cages! Super helpful, & if you need something that’s not in there then you are already right by the rest of the gear.

[@johnzuluetafilms5226]

no questions ask , I can clearly see the big difference on 12bit vs 10bit on a tv screen

[@bassembarouni9487]

FX3 ❤❤❤

[@LukeBroadhurstfilm]

i think you have mistaken 6kFF footage for fx3 at 8:28

[@Josh_Sattin]

Nope. They are labelled correctly.

[@LukeBroadhurstfilm]

@@Josh_Sattinreally? The fx3 is that noisy? The fx3 has internal de-noising

[@Josh_Sattin]

In the shadows of this high dynamic range test, yes. That is why I confirmed it with the latitude test.

[@LukeBroadhurstfilm]

@@Josh_Sattin I’m still suprised the fx3 was that noisy in the shadows! I own the 6k FF and that noise is something I’ve seen. Never heard or seen a fx3 produce so chromatic noise before. It’s usually quit luma and filmic noise. Also the in house noise reduction!?!? In your previous fx3 videos the images never looked like that

[@Josh_Sattin]

@@LukeBroadhurstfilm Please keep in mind what that test shot was designed to do. It is a stress test for dynamic range to see the noise performance in the shadows. Because the camera is trying to capture so much dynamic range (full sun outside to dark inside), when I pull up the shadows it shows that noise. I would never shoot a scene like that so you won't see that level of noise in the shadows on a normally lit or exposed scene. I had to expose the camera pretty low to maintain the detail in the highlights.

[@johnclay7644]

informative comparison video.

[@Josh_Sattin]

Thanks for watching!

[@daricode]

Deep explanation 👏👏 thank you . What camera are you recording this video with? You have very little noise and great sharpness

[@AlexKim-po5lx]

Hi. I bought a Comica VM30 microphone, but please tell me, isn't it a stereo microphone? how do you record stereo sound on a camera. There are two microphones on the camera, but not here? There is also a smiley face 20, it is stereo in the description, but I did not see the difference.

[@adrianvasian]

Do not compare cameras at their respective base iso's, do not put them at the same iso thinking "it will level the playing field". Shooting above or below base iso is going to get you less dynamic range. Dunno what you did at the 8:41 mark, but the fx3 is clearly not as noisy as you had it a few seconds before in the same scenario. You were probably shooting BELOW the base iso and actually getting a worse dynamic range. Also keep in mind that, shooting at iso 100 with no picture profile and shooting at the base iso in slog3 is the SAME exposure, same noise levels, not higher... so 800 iso in slog3 is basically iso 100 with no picture profile...

[@PingDynasty]

Ping wants you to make a video on this, Ping thinks you are very smart and should make a video since you know this so well!

[@jordanfilmsinc]

more range dinamic in black magic

[@socialistcinema]

the image quality of BM6K ff is insane

[@RomaNewsProduction]

Blackmagic is a no brainer for a independent movie maker who just want to do narrative. I JUST LOVE IT. FX3 is more expensive and i dont like sony colorscience. BM is the winner.

[@mabitzzltdsteam4082]

Yes… still can’t stand they call the FX3 a cinema camera…

[@art_means_artificial]

because you are talantless pr1ck! @@mabitzzltdsteam4082 FX3 is great for big budget movies, not for vloggers like you. check the movie creator that has been filmed on FX3s

[@CoMrss]

Yeah totally agree. Sony always has that weird red/purple look on it that is quite disappointing

[@Art-x5g]

thank you for review. 6k ff is winner for me

[@karliemorris7318]

good break down, thanks

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@karliemorris7318]

would you say the sensor in this 6k, is better than the sensor in the original 6k, dynamic range,low light and such, or same ?

[@Josh_Sattin]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZOwnJ2np9-gppY

[@jammusique]

Great info, thanks!

[@Josh_Sattin]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@KilPredator]

Fx3 can shoot external 16bit footage tho

[@Josh_Sattin]

You can only record it as 12 bit Pro Res Raw. Here is a video all about shooting raw with the FX3: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZovUe2dsgZxgbZY

[@Champ.offisiell]

8:25 Wait, how is there so much noise in the shadows in the fx3, when you just showed at 7:38 how little noise the fx3 has in 25.000 iso!?

[@Josh_Sattin]

In the dynamic range test of me next to the window, I expose for the highlights and the bring up the shadows in post. For the high ISO test, I am setting the exposure based on a gray card.

[@Champ.offisiell]

i see, so would you say in most scenarios, the fx3 has less noise?@@Josh_Sattin

[@SamuelJamesVideos]

Man as someone who hates when an expensive product feels outdated quickly... the FX3 has certainly given us all our moneys worth. This thing is still competitive almost 4 years later with the newest mirrorless cameras being released.

[@Houswal]

Exacly 3 years is "almost 4 years later"?

[@SamuelJamesVideos]

@@Houswal The internals, sensor, and screen (you know everything that matters) were released in October of 2020 with the A7S Mk3 so yes I said what I said.

[@Houswal]

@@SamuelJamesVideos technology hasn't improved much since 2020, nothing dramatic will be introduced in the upcoming years, FX3 already has Raw recording, only maybe increased resolution which is irrelevant since it's a gimmick. Don't expect ARRI level stuff in this tiny form factor even in 10 years.

[@TJIzzy]

The roll off looks more cinematic in the blackmagic, but the FX3 is way more portable and has AF. Could probably just manipulate the curve how you want in post. Too bad it doesn’t have internal RAW.

[@Bobsmithabc]

This was an interesting comparison. When you set up your talking head shots, do you typically expose to not clip your background lights and then raise your key light until your grey card is exposed properly or do you expose your key light with a grey card and then raise your background lights to your preference? Thanks!

[@Josh_Sattin]

Great question. I generally set my key light intensity for roughly the right exposure base on the gray card. Then start adding lights to what looks good in the scene. Then re-check the gray card and make adjustments.

[@Bobsmithabc]

@@Josh_Sattin Thank you! ⭐️

[@CINENIMUS]

Did you use the same lens on both?

[@Josh_Sattin]

Yes. I mentioned that in the video.

[@CINENIMUS]

@@Josh_Sattin second base on blackmagic is 1250

[@Josh_Sattin]

@@CINENIMUS The second base ISO is 3200, but the second gain stage kicks in at 1250. I explain this in the video starting at 6:48.

[@keef69]

So ..... Blackmagic 6k .. or 6K Pro ? Hard to chose ...

[@Josh_Sattin]

I compared the 6K Full Frame with the 6K G2 (same image as the 6K Pro): kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZOwnJ2np9-gppY

[@keef69]

@@Josh_Sattin thank you !

[@RealWorldReview]

Only downside of the Pro is CFast, limited mount options with EF, and super35 (if that even counts?)

[@AllTheBeef]

As far as the moire goes, the fx3 doesn't have the resolution to properly resolve the thread pattern in the shirt so you won't get moire.

[@empGaming_Music_Movies]

black magic want to kill all expensive camera. FX3 isn't for video. Black magic 6k full frame is the best black magic camera for low budget around 3k dollars. color science is similar to black magic around 15k dollars it's creepy to can take this camera in hands. full frame kill other s35 black magic.. Now the question is why FX3 so expensive when black magic with IA on software is just way better.

[@NARRASSAFilmes]

Are u serious?

[@empGaming_Music_Movies]

@@NARRASSAFilmes i just talk about color science. For the future. Actually, BM lose for long journey..

[@RickSanatorium]

Good job! Could it be said BM6k is the camera of choice for independent movie makers and FX3 for high-end vloggers?

[@art_means_artificial]

FX3 is great for big budget movies, not for vloggers. check the movie creator that has been filmed on FX3s

[@IJohnSmith]

Ironically the FX3 seems to be used more in bigger budget features and the Blackmagic for KZbinrs

[@SyabilNg]

Vloggers you definitely need AF. Hands down the FX3

[@vtk_jnr]

I pretty sure the BMPCCs has been used in big budget movies as well.​@@art_means_artificial

[@onnonugteren2935]

Really REALLY you have to articulated better and talk some slower, specially with numbers and other shorts. 20 or 28? mm I can't hear what you are saying. My sound system is very good so use my tip to do better in future. :-) Friendly greetings from the Netherlands, Onno Nugteren.

[@mikemcmilllin]

You said you prefer CF express typeB over SD... might want to clarify the FX3 camera does not take cf express type B @ 21:28