PYXIS 12K: New Addition to Blackmagic Design’s Cinema Lineup Announced
Blackmagic Design has announced PYXIS 12K, latest addition to its cinema camera lineup, combining the compact, rig-friendly design of the previous PYXIS 6K with the powerful full-frame 12K RGBW sensor from the URSA Cine 12K LF.
“Since the introduction of the Blackmagic PYXIS 6K, we’ve been working hard to make our amazing RGBW sensor from the URSA Cine available to even more customers,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “We have redesigned the electronics and processing to be able to handle the massive sensor and we think customers are going to love shooting incredibly large format images in 4K, 8K and now 12K. We are really excited to offer this sensor in the flexible PYXIS design that has been so popular with our customers!” Indeed, at the heart of the camera is the 12,288 x 8,040 full-frame sensor, measuring 35.63 x 23.32 mm. The sensor delivers 16 stops of dynamic range and supports shooting in resolutions ranging from 4K to full 12K without cropping, preserving the lens’s full field of view. It supports various aspect ratios, including 3:2 open gate and true anamorphic formats with desqueeze factors up to 2x. Frame rates go up to 112 fps in 8K (2.4:1), and up to 60 fps in 12K (2.4:1), making it suitable for high-speed and high-resolution capture.
The PYXIS 12K supports shooting in multiple crop modes, such as 9K Super35 in 4-perf, 3-perf, and 2-perf configurations, making it compatible with both modern full-frame and vintage cinema lenses. The camera is compatible with EF, PL, and L-Mount, with the last one supporting different adapters.
The PYXIS 12K camera body is made “from precision CNC-machined aerospace aluminum, making it lightweight (1.49 kg) yet very strong”, as the company itself claimed. With multiple 1/4″ and 3/8″ threaded mounts on the top, bottom, and sides, plus support for accessory side plates, the camera can be configured to suit a wide range of use cases—from handheld rigs to drones and cranes.
The built-in 4-inch HDR touchscreen offers 1500 nits of brightness for easy monitoring, though it is fixed in place. For enhanced usability, Blackmagic offers the optional PYXIS Monitor—a 5-inch HDR touchscreen that mirrors the camera’s controls and overlays, powered and controlled via a single USB-C cable. It can also be adapted to function as a large viewfinder with the URSA Cine EVF hardware.
Internally, the camera supports dual CFexpress card recording and features a USB-C expansion port for recording directly to an external SSD. The upgraded USB-C connection allows direct recording of high-bitrate 12K files to supported drives. Media recording supports 12-bit Blackmagic RAW, and with hot-swappable CFexpress cards, continuous recording is possible even on long shoots. Blackmagic has published a list of recommended CFexpress cards to ensure compatibility at various frame rates.
For the audio and connectivity options, the camera includes one mini XLR input (phantom power and mic/line switchable) and a 3.5mm stereo input for a second channel. The inclusion of only one balanced XLR input may limit onboard audio flexibility, though users can integrate compact wireless systems like the RODE Wireless Pro. On the video side, a 12G-SDI output supports HDR and UHD monitoring, and the 10G Ethernet port enables fast media transfer and remote sync with Blackmagic Cloud. Streaming is also built in, with support for RTMP and SRT directly from the camera using either Ethernet or a connected 4G/5G phone via USB-C.
Power options include support for standard Sony BP-U type batteries and 12V external input via a 2-pin locking connector. The camera’s design includes both touchscreen and physical controls, with three customizable function buttons and lockable settings to avoid accidental changes.
As Blackmagic explains, the Generation 5 Color Science “gives you the same quality as the most expensive digital cinema cameras”, using a new film curve to improve skin tone rendering and handle saturated colors in high-contrast scenes. The sensor’s color filters were specifically chosen to match DaVinci Resolve’s processing, providing a seamless post-production experience. A full license for DaVinci Resolve Studio is included with the camera.
The Blackmagic PYXIS 12K will be available starting July 2025 for $4,995.
