I got the BMCC 6K as part of the sale but I’m probably returning it and going to pass on the Pyxis if it’s the same. Here’s my test footage
https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0b2DNOjoR63o64Li4zz9osTCQ#frames_for_BM_SupportI contacted Blackmagic support on the phone and they told me it’s not going to be comparable to the pocket sensors in terms of noise and low light performance. Not a run and gun, only for carefully lit scenes. After I sent the examples above they wrote this back
“I have looked over the samples and the images.
It would not be fair to the cinema camera to be compared to the pocket cameras (or those models to one another)
as they have different sensors.
From the samples provided, as discussed over the phone, there are no issues with the cinema camera - the noise level is as expected for 3200 and 400 - this is expected from this model.
You will want to light appropriately for this camera.”
This seems to go against the marketing on the Blackmagic site though “Dual Gain ISO for Exceptional Low Light Performance.
In digital film ISO is a measurement of the image sensor’s sensitivity to light. This means the higher the ISO number the more sensitivity to light so it’s possible to shoot using natural light even at night! The Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K features dual native ISO up to 25,600, which means it’s optimized to minimize grain or noise in images, while maintaining the full dynamic range of the sensor. The native ISO of 400 is ideal for scenes with on-set lighting. The secondary high base ISO of 3200 is perfect when shooting in dimly lit environments. The gain is set automatically as you adjust the ISO setting, so it's easy to capture great images when you don’t have time to set up lights.”
Was so excited for this, but the Pockets aren’t exactly low light champs so with this being worse and normal I think it’s going back to B&H. Was really hoping I just had a bad copy and this wasn’t the best it could do. It does pretty good outdoors or in a room with lots of windows or lights! Guess they’re saving me money and I’ll just keep using what I’ve got until whatever comes out after they stop using this sensor. Just wanted to pass it along in case anyone else is having similar results.