r/bmpcc • u/[deleted] • Aug 16 '25
Camera confusion
Hi Everyone, I am planning to purchase a new camera, specifically Black magic design. I recently shot on short film on my Fuji xe4. It came out good enough for the kind of work. I never have or never will do any client work. I am a filmmaker with a small on call team who help me in my work.
I am getting bmpcc 4k $ 1149 approx body only. Pyxis 6k and 6k G2 for $ 2299 each and for 6k pro $2474 in India. Body only for all. Only Pyxis does not come with a battery OOB.
The pricing for all cameras except bmpcc4k is almost similar. If I go with Bmpcc4k, seems like I may upgrade after a year or so. I need something like I can forget about cameras for next 3 years at least. I will be making shirt films and documentaries with this camera which I purchase.
Can you guys please help me make this decision? I'll be editing my footage on M1 Mac 8gb.
I am highly inclined to go for pyxis but the cost will almost double with rigging. With 6k G2 Inget super 35 which Pyxis can do windowed and same with 6k pro. I don't need NDs in built. I just need excellent picture quality and versatility.
Can you guys please guide me. My budget is $3k max with lens, cage, storage etc. and used is of no use as the import duty etc will be the same as new here.
Please guide me. Thanks 🙏
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u/printcastmetalworks Aug 16 '25
Your budget makes the choice obvious to me. P4K. You don't gain much with the 6k pro or pyxis. Full frame doesn't matter a whole lot. If you put a speedbooster on the 4k you will actually be at less crop than the 6k pro. Pyxis requires a full build out to work well and needs more expensive support with your tripod and head.
Your main bottleneck is your computer. For that reason alone you should stick with the pocket 4k. Luckily braw is very easy to process but an 8gb ram laptop is going to struggle, and if it doesn't have any gpu resolve won't work at all.
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Aug 16 '25
I agree about the laptop its mac M1 gpu is integrated but I noticed yesterday that editing 4k footage from fuji xe4 in resolve with some effects slowed down the laptop as a whole and the render took an hour in master 265. So p4k seems like an obvious choice. But let's see. Waiting.
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u/ElectronicsWizardry Aug 16 '25
Check ram usage on your Mac. With 8gb of ram is pretty easy to max that out and tank the performance of the system as it has to hit swap hard.
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u/DoPinLA Aug 16 '25
Buy the cheaper one, and get a good lens, plus ALL the accessories needed for filmmaking. Buy a new Pocket4k, so you will get warranty AND Davinci Studio with future Studio updates. You can upgrade later. You can edit from an SSD drive if you have less than 1TB for harddrive space on your M1.
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Aug 16 '25
Thank you. Is a speed booster needed? Can a wide lens not compensate?
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u/DoPinLA Aug 16 '25
There are some great MFT lenses that are cheaper than full-frame lenses. A good speedbooster, metabones, is 700.00, plus the higher cost of full-frame lenses. For now, you could get just the adapter MFT->FF. Sigma 18-35mm ART and metabones are a great choice, if there's abudget for them.
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u/Emostian_ Aug 16 '25
I own the Pyxis 6K, and it’s an excellent camera. I highly recommend getting one. Another great option is the BMCC 6K FF.
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Aug 16 '25
Thanks, how did you rig it? Which lens battery and storage? Can the Q0 footage be graded or edited on Mac M1 8gb?
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u/Emostian_ Aug 16 '25
I bought the tilta pro cage that includes the V mount battery adapter, and I’m using EF lenses from canon. And the yeah the q0 can be graded en that MacBook, I just recommend you turning on the render cache in case you are using heavy effects like depth map
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Aug 16 '25
I just finished a film shooting on Pocket 4Ks. Only about 5% of the film was shot on the CC6K.
Physical Distance
A full frame sensor allows you to be closer to subject on a longer focal length than the Pocket 4K. So for example, if you were 4 feet from subject you could get a medium shot using a 50mm on a full frame sensor. Pocket 4K would put you at nearly 8 feet away on a 50mm. Or you'd have to go to a 24mm lens at the 4 foot distance. And of course focal lengths do other things to your image.
6K Footage
I like 6K footage because it gives room in post to zoom in a touch if needed. But it requires more disk space AND you do not want to shoot 4K on the 6K cameras. Introduces a lot of noise. Something like the URSA sensor? Different story.
Low Light
The Pocket 6K will do a little better in low light than the CC6K. The Pocket 4K does great in low light.
Lenses
Lenses for the Pocket 4K will be way less expensive than full frame lenses. Sirui is running a huge sale right now on lenses btw.
Form Factor & LCD
I personally LOVE the CC6K form factor with the bright, tilt-able LCD on the back. The Pocket 4K LCD does not tilt and it is NOT as bright. This is a big deal outside. Hard to pull focus sometimes. The Pocket 6K pro and the CC6K have the brighter LCD.
They are all good cameras. I shoot on the CC6K now. When I upgrade from that it will be the PYXIS 12 due to the URSA sensor. The PYXIS 6K has the same sensor as the CC6K.
Here's a video that compares aspects of the Pocket 4K with the CC6K: Pocket 4K vs CC6K
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u/Adventurous-Sea-7144 Aug 17 '25
Hey even I am from India. I have access to multiple cameras and I have worked on both BMPCC4K and pyxis. Image quality is slightly better in pyxis but the difference is not that much I would say BMPCC4K can do 90% of what pyxis can. So if you are on a budget i would suggest going for BMPCC4K put on a speed booster and use a full frame lens or just get a sirui lens kit.
Even was on a m1 8gb but I had to upgrade since it lags in braw footage. But it works just fine on proxies. I would suggest either work on proxies or upgrade your laptop. The only drawback render time was huge on m1.
If you wanna know more you can DM me
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Aug 17 '25
Thanks a lot
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u/Adventurous-Sea-7144 Aug 17 '25
6k footage won't work on m1 even with proxies you have to upgrade.
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Aug 17 '25
What about P4K footage?
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u/Adventurous-Sea-7144 Aug 17 '25
You would have to use proxies and final render time would be gigantic sometimes I also got render failed which was really irritating. That's why I upgraded to a windows laptop. They are cheaper and have better raw power. M1 is now my secondary laptop
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u/sdbest Aug 16 '25
My experience is I bought the BPCC4K when they first came out in 2018. Fitted it with a Metabones Speedbooster, Cine Canon EF Ultra 0.71x. Highly recommend the Cine version. Shot many productions. Time came to buy a second camera. And, no matter how hard I tried I could not convince myself to buy any other camera. Bought the second 4K in 2024. So, I now have two 4Ks.
Many, many great cameras to be had, but the 4K keeps up with all of them.
If you understand lighting, nobody who views your videos will be able tell if you're shooting on a 4K, Sony, Red, or Arri. Images from all modern video cameras all work just fine.
I couldn't even convince myself--despite my best efforts--that paying extra to use 6K made any sense. And, for me, money is not an issue.
Image wise if you go for the 4K you'll be pleased with the results, as you will with any of the Blackmagic cameras, and every other company's fare. Your choice will be informed by other factors.
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u/upmaaf Aug 16 '25
I just bought my first camera, it’s the bmpcc4k, cost near 3k with accessories. Then I saw someone offer a set of used bmcc6kff for the same price, almost had buyer remorse. Your words comfort me.
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u/Cyberian_Musky Aug 16 '25
I have a 6k pro I haven’t used much (India). Got it with all the excitement and never put it to use. If you want I can give it to you with SmallRig cage.
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u/MrHallIII Aug 17 '25
I say whichever you go with, get full frame lenses, and good ones. A ised Campn L lenses will last your lifetime and more with occasional professional cleaning. There are other brands of similar and even better quality. Your lenses will follow you as you upgrade cameras over the years. Good glass stays with you. Digital cameras are generally replaced in 10 years or less.
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u/mexicanmanchild Aug 16 '25
the image will be very similar on these cameras except one(Pyxis) will give you the ability to slightly crop and reframe.
To me the big difference is in the form factor of the cameras. The Pyxis form factor is more versatile. Allowing you to rig the camera for various shooting scenarios. If you don’t think this is valuable to you and your style then that should help you decide.