You Guys Changed How I Use the Blackmagic Pyxis

[@keith-knittel]

For the "Low light" test scene, I had like one foot-candle of light - and my forehead was bright pink on the false color. 🫠 Thank you guys for the comments on how to get the best low light footage out of the Pyxis and 6k on my last video! Appreciate the help, if you guys have any other recommendations on Blackmagic cameras - I'm all ears!

[@keith-knittel]

P.S. the noise really did not translate well to KZbin on the higher ISOs. The higher ISOs were really noisey, and resolve's noise reduction really helped out. At the higher ISOs you lose a lot of find detail - even more so if you're moving around. I found the best results was to keep the camera locked off (like it was in the test shots)

[@nxtetg]

Thank you so much for the continued insights on the Pyxis. Just got mine a few weeks ago and I'm excited to shoot. This video was definitely so much helpful and convenient!

[@-austinsmith]

Insightful video! The blackmagic cameras get a bad rap about low light performance but people don’t realize the Sony does internal noise reduction. Once you get noise reduction on the black magic camera image, it’s clean. I shoot both Sony and Blackmagic. I’ve looked at other ISO’s like 100,800, and 1250, but find myself using 400 the most. Just in my personal experience, everyone’s situation is different.

[@motionpikczer]

7:02 - What iPad cage are you using? Is this a 13 nich iPad? :)

[@keith-knittel]

That is the accsoon cage! I have a whole video going over my iPad setup here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nH2qdoalecZ6e7s

[@motionpikczer]

@ thanks! It's a shame that it's mounted so "permanently". You know what I mean. I have such a cage for Mini and it's an inconvenient solution.

[@aerofliteimagesnproduction1804]

Hi Folks, let me remind you that there is the ability to use shutter angle in combo with your settings, this is overlooked may times, as well as FPS. Try this out you will find these cameras to be very good in low light, with little to no noise. Many times we use focus peaking to see the noise in the shot.

[@shueibdahir]

It’s quite crazy that people don’t seem to understand that RAW = you need to do all processing yourself

[@keith-knittel]

The Blackmagic method of choosing different raw compressions and choosing an ISO value that favors shadows, highlights or a balanced dynamic range has been really great to work with - it's just lead to a lot of testing on my end since I've never shot on a BM 6k or Pyxis

[@MrLboydReacts]

BRAW IS LIFE

[@davido9450]

Is there any videos anyone recommends to learn more about noise and iso as I too get noise at base iso and might need a different explanation to fully comprehend

[@keith-knittel]

What are you struggling with? Can try to help you out. Totally understand the feeling - just had to figure this out myself! The dynamic range charts on the pyxis product page really helped me wrap my head around it. Overall, the higher you increase the ISO, the more noise you'll introduce to the footage since there is no in camera noise reduction. Even at ISO 1250, you'll get some amount of noise - but depending on what you're shooting (low light, if you need more information in the shadows), that might be a good thing when applying noise reduction. At higher ISOs you'll have to apply some noise reduction. Blackmagic cameras really shine when you have the appropriate light on your scene - and you're not using the camera's ISO to raise exposure.

[@Guillaume9]

Well understanding your range on the sony's will increase your image quality too!!!! getting under 12800 on this base limits the use of noise reduction if you don't need that much dynamic range in the highlights... Also you have the ei value directly on your fx3. The pixis has not really as dual base, because normally the two range step on each other to give you the option of a common iso with more dynamic range in the highlight or the low light! The C80 for example has a normal like sony increase of iso on it's 3 base, the pixis as no iso which exist in the two iso base range, also the pixis doesn't rest its dB! For sony or canon each base are at a 12db for each base ( at least on the sony side for the fx6)

[@keith-knittel]

My first time picking up the Pyxis I assumed 3200 was the higher ISO I should have been using at all times. I tried to mention in the video that there is no internal noise reduction on the Pyxis (Raw), like shooting internally on the FX3 (not RAW) - so there is no "reset" for noise reduction, but for shooting in low light there is more dynamic range in the shadows at 1250 vs 1000 which is heavily favoring the highlights. The noise at 1250 on the pyxis isn't like 12,800 on the FX3 shooting internally. If you're shooting in darker environments, having more detail in the shadows is nice to have vs favoring highlights at 1000 Wildly underestimated the amount of tests I had to do while switching camera brands 😅

[@Guillaume9]

@@keith-knittel The difference of quality can be also seen on an fx6 which can shoot without noise reduction even if the h.264 h.265 does compress noise partially. Personnally I avoid shooting with noise reduction when possible and RAW on my C80 and when using an fx6 because noise reduction in post can give results that are sharper and with a smoother noise than an FX3/A7S3! What's is true is tha teh pyxis is not the best performing camera regarding dual base ISO sadly! The thing also with 12800 instead os 3200 you can expose in dark higher an underexpose after

[@shadowcultur]

Nice! Ever since shooting raw I started referencing my DR chart a lot more. Are you exposing with false color?

[@keith-knittel]

Same, seeing much better results after checking out the charts. Find myself using false color a lot in darker scenes so I don't go too dark and have issues with needing to raise the exposure in post. Brighter scenes, I don't use it as much. Just quickly check false color make sure I'm not overexposing the subject

[@AlpsLifee]

I think the black magic cameras are nice for controlled or bright lighting situations, but for absolute convenience I dont see it replacing my fx3, its way too versatile, I still want to use one though and see what kind of results I can get from it when using it on a film or something...

[@keith-knittel]

Agree. It's great in controlled lighting, but the jobs I'm getting lately are about 50% controlled lighting and 50% pure chaos docu-style shoots at multiple locations

[@12yfilms]

Great explanation! Thank you for sharing!

[@keith-knittel]

Thanks, Jonathan!! Just checked out your m40 vs mc video - I'll have to check out the m40

[@freedomgovernment]

I could never get rid of my ZV-E1. I need the AI autofocus. Using 12,800 gain and an ND filter is just not as good. When you need it, there is no substitution. For green screen, 10-bit HDMI is good enough and A6700 may give you better results with ISO gain 2500 and f/4 Sony PZ G lens at f/5.6.

[@WarrenPeaceOG]

But RAW. 🤔 If you're shooting raw, you can set exposure in post. I have long recommended shooting raw for beginners because it's so easy: expose as bright as you can without clipping at native ISO and set exposure in post. I would also generally leave my colour temp at 4500k, splitting the difference between indoor and outdoor, as you can also set that in post, exactly as if you were changing settings on the camera. I could be freakishly wrong, but I've been exclusively shooting raw for a decade. I can't remember exactly, but I think there is also a danger shooting raw at non-native ISOs. For NON-raw, the light is hitting the sensor, then you add ISO gain to the signal and bake it into the recording. For raw, the light is hitting the sensor, then you add ISO gain to the signal but its not baked in - it just looks better on the monitor, tricking you into thinking you have enough light when you really don't. You want to stick to native ISO to see what the sensor sees. 👈This is the key. BONUS: No ISO charts!🍻

[@keith-knittel]

That is a totally valid way of shooting if that's how you like to shoot - I do not trust myself enough to shoot like this though haha. I'd screw something up for sure. Looking at the dynamic range chart, if you're shooting a darker scene (lots of info below middle gray), but you shoot at ISO 800, you're putting most of your range in the highlights (above middle gray). So you are not capturing as much data in the shadows as you could by shooting at 400, or even 320. Right? Only saying this, as I'm not a huge fan of adjusting the ISO in post. Maybe by a stop, but not by like... 3 stops or something I like to have my image look as close to the final look as I can on the monitor when I'm shooting it. That may be a wrong take in the world of shooting raw, but my clients tend to freak out when a color temp is "wrong" or super overexposed. Less of an issue in brighter/well-lit scenes but it's burned me more in darker/changing lighting For the danger of shooting raw at non-native ISOs, can you explain about tricking you into thinking you have enough light? I use false color to expose (I ETTR by a stop, but ignoring that for now) Thanks for the comment! Love hearing how different people shoot

[@sertocd]

No auto ND in Pyxis. Black Magic forces you to reinvent to wheel about exposures? and you already know Sony Cine EI is a no brainer exposure setting platform? I guess you are bored about the conveniences Sony brings to table and unnecessarily complicating your life with this blackmagic hype.

[@keith-knittel]

Different camera handle light differently 🤷‍♂️

[@sertocd]

@@keith-knittel ..at a level this video would have been unnecessary to make. I guess it's a huge distiction. Unless you are the quicksilver from X-Men will you make a video about fast switching of screw-in ND filters on pyxis lenses to compensate the exposure shifts? I don't think so.

[@keith-knittel]

@@sertocd sounds like a skill issue

[@sertocd]

@@keith-knittel Try going from indoors to sunny outdoors 30fps shutter angle set to 180 and explain your super human skills to install an ND filter in 500 milisecons.