Pyxis 12K

Pyxis 6K had a major price drop by 30% here in the UK.

Do you think it has anything to do with the impending release of the Pyxis 12K?

That's probably a factor.

Or BMD has a plan for another variant and is clearing out its inventory to gear up for that?

Or it's just a reflection of the current state of the film world and things are slow for everyone, so BMD is trying to steal everyone's market share

… image circle
The Fujinon 20-120mm IC is 28.5mm.
The Tokina 11-20mm IC is 30mm.
The Tango 18-90mm IC is 31.5mm.
The Tokina 25-75mm IC is 36mm.

The 20-120mm would be restricted to shooting 9K 16:9 aspect ratio with possibly a very small vignette!
Tango 18-90mm does 9K 17:9.
Tokina 11-20mm does 9K 16.9 with a small vignette at 17:9.
Tokina 25-75mm easily manages 9K 3:2. Tokina is the least expensive and the most flexible shooting aspect ratio but the smallest zoom range...

After hours spent looking at various 9K options with these zooms, I go back to my original goals of a single lens that can cover the width of the stage where I record most of my videos where theatrical performers need at least 18mm to cover the stage. 16mm might be better but that’s like 1% of my shots so for those very wide shots I can pan. Also I have a desire to be able to isolate performers with a medium telephoto zoom range for a closeup.

The Fujinon 20-120mm has a very impressive telephoto and verges on being able to do extreme closeups but isn’t quite wide enough. And doesn’t shoot 9K 17:9.

The Tokina 25-75mm fails at both wide and telephoto needs but is otherwise very flexible for recording 9K 3:2.

Only the DZOfilm Tango 18-90mm covers both of these objectives in one lens. And shoots 9K 17:9 which is important for reframing in post. So I expect that is the best overall affordable zoom lens for the Pyxis 12K and meets my framing preferences.

Looking at my spreadsheet for recording resolutions and given the 31.5mm image circle of the Tango 18-90mm zoom, I see there’s a way to record 9K open gate 9408x6264 3:2 aspect ratio with that Tango lens. In post you centre crop to 9408x5292 for a 16:9 aspect ratio that has 17% more information than the standard 8688x4896 16:9 aspect ratio. The oversized crop has an image circle of 31.3mm which works with the Tango’s native 31.5mm image circle.

Why bother? Well it will give you a more than 8% wider view which might be significant. It does mean you’re throwing away over 18% of your media! I would consider it for the theatrical performances that use the entire stage, but it’s not needed for music videos. Unlike music videos, I don’t retain the raw media for theatrical performances so it’s only a temporary waste of space.

I went to BildExpo here in NYC today. Got to see the Pyxis 12K which was nice. The USB-c output supposedly works perfectly with the Pyxis monitor, no low contrast. Conflicting info regarding the rear USB-C port supporting a video monitor. Today I was told it didn't but someone else spoke with a BMD engineer at another expo and was told it did support a monitor.

As far as ship dates, BMD said they never told retailers June, and when I spoke to B&H they said they were told June, so who knows. But the B&H pro video guy said BMD has missed projected ship dates in the past, sometimes by many, many months.

The OLED viewfinder looks great, and now I'm wondering if I should have gotten that instead of the Pyxis monitor with the EVF Kit.

I did get to meet Mary who creates all the wonderful Fairlight training videos and made her aware of several issues with the editing by transcription feature (it needs to ignore the ellipses when searching) and some issues with the Advanced Panels V2 programming.

I went to BildExpo here in NYC today. Got to see the Pyxis 12K…
The OLED viewfinder looks great, and now I'm wondering if I should have gotten that instead of the Pyxis monitor with the EVF Kit.

I did get to meet Mary who creates all the wonderful Fairlight training videos...

Thanks so much for visiting the BMD booth. Always best when you can connect in person.

Very interesting observation regarding the OLED viewfinder. I think if you’re operating the camera handheld, the viewfinder is most important and can be used in many scenarios including on a tripod. If your style of shooting the Pyxis is usually mounted on a tripod, the monitor is a good option.

I went to BildExpo here in NYC today. Got to see the Pyxis 12K which was nice. The USB-c output supposedly works perfectly with the Pyxis monitor, no low contrast. Conflicting info regarding the rear USB-C port supporting a video monitor. Today I was told it didn't but someone else spoke with a BMD engineer at another expo and was told it did support a monitor.

As far as ship dates, BMD said they never told retailers June, and when I spoke to B&H they said they were told June, so who knows. But the B&H pro video guy said BMD has missed projected ship dates in the past, sometimes by many, many months.

The OLED viewfinder looks great, and now I'm wondering if I should have gotten that instead of the Pyxis monitor with the EVF Kit.

I did get to meet Mary who creates all the wonderful Fairlight training videos and made her aware of several issues with the editing by transcription feature (it needs to ignore the ellipses when searching) and some issues with the Advanced Panels V2 programming.

The biggest delay from shipping announcement to actual release remains the URSA Mini 4.6K, which was said to ship July 2015, and ended up shipping March 2016. Otherwise, Blackmagic has been very good with their shipping date announcements since then. At worst it's a month or two off these days.

As for the OLED Viewfinder, I'm guessing you're referring to the URSA Cine EVF. And, it's amazing! I love it. I've been using it with my URSA Cine 12K and it is a perfect pair. Probably my only real complaint is the carbon fiber rod when using the extension because it really does slip from the weight, no matter how tight you make it. And, I like to use the extension whenever I can. So you really need to get that support piece that only comes with O'Connor Tripods, which is a tad annoying. I'm going to look for a solution that may work with my Sachtler Aktiv tripod. Either way, I love it, and the image is phenomenal with it.

Other than the 5" PYXIS Monitor I'm looking forward to a 7" version in the future. I hope Blackmagic makes one. I really love using a nice 7" Monitor on camera when using monitors over the EVF. And, with so many 5" monitoring options on the UCine a 7" would be very welcome.

… I'm guessing you're referring to the URSA Cine EVF. And, it's amazing! I love it. I've been using it with my URSA Cine 12K and it is a perfect pair. Probably my only real complaint is the carbon fiber rod when using the extension because it really does slip from the weight, no matter how tight you make it. And, I like to use the extension whenever I can. So you really need to get that support piece that only comes with O'Connor Tripods, which is a tad annoying. I'm going to look for a solution that may work with my Sachtler Aktiv tripod. Either way, I love it, and the image is phenomenal with it...

I wasn’t aware of that slipping issue. Having the viewfinder extension is highly desirable. Hopefully BMD will take a look at this problem perhaps by adding a support. If anyone can include a picture of the support that OConnor provides, I’d appreciate learning more about that.

… I'm guessing you're referring to the URSA Cine EVF. And, it's amazing! I love it. I've been using it with my URSA Cine 12K and it is a perfect pair. Probably my only real complaint is the carbon fiber rod when using the extension because it really does slip from the weight, no matter how tight you make it. And, I like to use the extension whenever I can. So you really need to get that support piece that only comes with O'Connor Tripods, which is a tad annoying. I'm going to look for a solution that may work with my Sachtler Aktiv tripod. Either way, I love it, and the image is phenomenal with it...

I wasn’t aware of that slipping issue. Having the viewfinder extension is highly desirable. Hopefully BMD will take a look at this problem perhaps by adding a support. If anyone can include a picture of the support that OConnor provides, I’d appreciate learning more about that.

Starting Page 65 of Manual:
It’s the Eyepiece Leveler.


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Thanks, Tim, I just found this as well:

https://woodencamera.com/products/eyepi ... tilt-heads

Thanks, Tim, I just found this as well:

https://woodencamera.com/products/eyepi ... tilt-heads

You’re welcome! Yeah, there’s third party solutions for O’Connor heads, but only O’Connor. So I want to find another solution that may exist for a Sachtler Aktiv 8T Flowtech 75. But I have a feeling it’s a needle in a haystack sort of search.

Either way, being aware of it means you just keep an eye on it while in use and then making it more compact if walking away. Maybe Blackmagic can come out with their own Eyepiece Leveler for other tripod brands. Or a third party solution can come to be.


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The leveler looks so awkward and possibly accident prone. BMD should rethink how they secure the extension position if tension on the clamp for the round carbon fibre rod approach isn’t strong enough. For all the high cost of OConnor gear, I’m surprised they don’t have a better solution. Something that grips like a rosette or a ratchet might work rather than a stick resting on a tripod accessory.

The leveler looks so awkward and possibly accident prone. BMD should rethink how they secure the extension position if tension on the clamp for the round carbon fibre rod approach isn’t strong enough. For all the high cost of OConnor gear, I’m surprised they don’t have a better solution. Something that grips like a rosette or a ratchet might work rather than a stick resting on a tripod accessory.

It’s definitely an antiquated approach. That’s for sure.

I think Blackmagic is best positioned to come up with a new and better approach. I think they went Carbon Fiber for the weight, but I have always had issues with slippage with carbon fiber rods and lens motors. So maybe Carbon Fiber wasn’t the best option.

We’ll see what happens. I’m sure they have been getting feedback. I’m positive they’re are aware and looking at solutions for it in the future.


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Perhaps something that will be ready in 2026?

I use this with my SmallHD Ultra 5 and it is rock solid ... cannot move it until you loosen it.

https://www.mid49.com/products/twist-mo ... 2977106083


https://www.canva.com/design/DAGeNIfJ8h ... 6ce6fdb5ea

Thanks, Bob.

I went to BildExpo here in NYC today. Got to see the Pyxis 12K which was nice. The USB-c output supposedly works perfectly with the Pyxis monitor, no low contrast. Conflicting info regarding the rear USB-C port supporting a video monitor. Today I was told it didn't but someone else spoke with a BMD engineer at another expo and was told it did support a monitor.

As far as ship dates, BMD said they never told retailers June, and when I spoke to B&H they said they were told June, so who knows. But the B&H pro video guy said BMD has missed projected ship dates in the past, sometimes by many, many months.

Richard thanks for posting this update here for all of those unable to attend. And great news about the monitor working out of the box with the 12k, no update required (:

The Fujinon 20-120mm has a very impressive telephoto and verges on being able to do extreme closeups but isn’t quite wide enough. And doesn’t shoot 9K 17:9.

The Tokina 25-75mm fails at both wide and telephoto needs but is otherwise very flexible for recording 9K 3:2.

Only the DZOfilm Tango 18-90mm covers both of these objectives in one lens. And shoots 9K 17:9 which is important for reframing in post. So I expect that is the best overall affordable zoom lens for the Pyxis 12K and meets my framing preferences.

Rick on the risk of repeating what I said over in the zoom thread, I highly recommend a used Fujinon 19-90 over the Tango. The look is so much nicer, the price likely lower (depending on how patient you are), the resale value much higher, Fujinon offers a free service and the built-in macro mode is a dream. It seems like you are not pressed for time, so I would highly recommend being on the lookout for a good deal of that lens in good condition. Also the glass is different from the 20-120 (which I never really liked the look of) on top of the smaller image circle and slower aperture. I never found the tele-end of the 19-90 lacking in day-to-day use and on the odd shot where it did I was always comfortable digitally zooming a few percent, which with the 9K of the Pyxis is going to be a total non-issue as well. Do yourself a favor rent the 19-90 for a day or just head over to a rental of your choice and test it out if you haven't (: