---
title: "Blackmagic PYXIS 12K"
description: "Blackmagic's PYXIS 12K in L-Mount (2025): a box-style full-frame cinema camera with a 12K RGBW sensor, 16 stops of dynamic range, native ISO 800 and dual CFexpress Type B slots. No built-in viewfinder, no stabilisation, and no battery in the box."
brand: "Blackmagic"
mount: "L-Mount"
sensor_format: "Full Frame"
megapixels: 98.0
body_type: "Cinema"
af_system: "Contrast Detect"
ibis: false
evf: false
mechanical_shutter: false
weather_sealed: false
weight: 1500
width: 106
height: 119
depth: 151
year: 2025
price: 4995
open_gate: "12K"
slow_mo: "8K 112p"
base_iso: 800
hot_shoe: false
internal_storage: 0
card_slot_1: "CFexpress Type B"
card_slot_2: "CFexpress Type B"
date: 2026-11-04
draft: false
author: "Jan Wedekind"
featured_image: /bodies/blackmagic/blackmagic-pyxis-12k.png
---

Key Take-Aways:

Blackmagic's PYXIS 12K is a customizable cinema camera body, covered here in its L-Mount variant, which Blackmagic describes for the PYXIS family as "a high end digital film camera" with "an extremely versatile design that lets you build the perfect camera rig for your production". One review (Digital Camera World) praises the 12K sensor for downsampling to 8K and 4K, the skin tones and highlight retention, and the value including a DaVinci Resolve Studio licence, and names heavy battery consumption, audible fan noise and the lack of internal ProRes recording as drawbacks.

From Blackmagic:

> Introducing the next generation customizable cinema camera! Blackmagic PYXIS is a high end digital film camera that produces precise skin tones and rich organic colors. It features an extremely versatile design that lets you build the perfect camera rig for your production! You get a full frame 36 x 24mm 6K or 12K sensor with wide dynamic range with a built in optical low pass filter that's been designed to perfectly match the sensor. Plus there are 3 models available in either EF, PL or L-Mount. You also get 2 x CFexpress media recorders and Ethernet for sharing media to Blackmagic Cloud! It even records both 12-bit Blackmagic RAW and extremely small H.264 proxies files at the same time!

[Official Website](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicpyxis)

Current: Blackmagic still sells the PYXIS 12K (its [tech specs page](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicpyxis/techspecs) lists the L-Mount model at USD 5,829), and no discontinuation notice was found as of 2026-11-04, so there is no discontinuation year.

This entry covers the L-Mount variant; the PYXIS 12K also exists with an EF or PL mount on the same body. The quote above is the opening paragraph of Blackmagic's PYXIS product page and describes the PYXIS family (6K and 12K models, EF, PL and L-Mount), not the 12K L-Mount alone. Blackmagic's tech specs page, which lists the L-Mount column of the PYXIS 12K separately, supplies most figures: effective sensor 35.64 mm x 23.32 mm, which Blackmagic calls Large Format (the schema has only Full Frame and APS-C, and Blackmagic's own description calls it a full frame RGBW sensor, so it is entered as Full Frame), 12,288 x 8040 pixels at a 2.9 micron pixel pitch, an Active L-Mount, 16 stops of dynamic range, a single native ISO of 800, and a 4 inch 1920 x 1080 1500-nit LCD touchscreen. Megapixels is 98.0, the "Effective Megapixel 98.0 MP" figure in [Lens Rentals' listing](https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/blackmagic-design-pyxis-12k-l-mount) (a retailer, not a maker page); Blackmagic's pages state no megapixel figure, and 12,288 x 8040 comes to 98.8 MP by arithmetic. Weight of 1500 g is body only and the sources split: [Newsshooter's launch report of 4 Apr 2025](https://www.newsshooter.com/2025/04/04/blackmagic-design-pyxis-12k-cinema-box-camera/) says the camera weighs 3.3 lb / 1.49 kg, and the text of [Digital Camera World's review](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/cinema-cameras/blackmagic-pyxis-12k-review) says its 1.5 kg weight, while Digital Camera World's own specifications table lists 3.5 lb / 1.6 kg, the same as Lens Rentals' 3.5 lb (about 1.6 kg), so Digital Camera World contradicts itself and the figures are two at 1.5 kg and two at 1.6 kg; no third independent source (CineD, No Film School, ProVideo Coalition, Fstoppers) states a weight, and 1500 g is kept because it matches the PYXIS 6K body weight and the two figures that agree, with a possible 100 g uncertainty; Blackmagic publishes no weight and ships no battery, so no weight with battery and card exists. Dimensions are 106 mm wide, 119 mm high and 151 mm deep, the same body as the PYXIS 6K: Digital Camera World lists 5.94 x 4.69 x 4.17 in or 15.1 x 11.9 x 10.6 cm without axis labels, and Lens Rentals lists 5.9 x 4.7 x 4.2 in labelled W x H x D, which has the long side as the width; the axes are assigned here as on the 6K, where the 151 mm side is the depth. The launch price of USD 4,995 is Blackmagic's launch price as given in its release of April 2025 ("available in July ... for US$4,995") and repeated by [Fstoppers](https://fstoppers.com/gear/blackmagic-design-announces-new-pyxis-12k-4995-697575), [ProVideo Coalition](https://www.provideocoalition.com/blackmagic-design-announces-new-blackmagic-pyxis-12k/) and [CineD](https://www.cined.com/blackmagic-design-pyxis-12k-camera-announced-for-4995/); Blackmagic's own release page was not reachable. The US price then rose to USD 6,595 because of tariffs (CineD, 7 Apr 2025, and No Film School, 7 Apr 2025) and settled at USD 5,500 (No Film School, 9 Apr 2025, "Price of Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Settles Down to $5,500 in the US"), and the tech specs page shows USD 5,829 today. It was announced at NAB in April 2025 and shipped from July 2025, hence 2025.

Base ISO is 800 because the tech specs list a single native ISO of 800 (this is a native value; the 12K has no second native ISO). Open gate is 12K because the tech specs list 12,288 x 8040 (12K 3:2 open gate) up to 40 fps. The fastest frame rate above 60 fps is the 8K/4K 2.4:1 mode at up to 112 fps (8192 x 3408 for 8K, 4096 x 1704 for 4K; the 16:9 modes reach 84 fps and 12K tops out at 60 fps), entered as 8K 112p. Autofocus is entered as Contrast Detect: the tech specs for the 12K list only "Auto focus available using compatible lenses" and no continuous, object-tracking or face-tracking modes (the 6K column lists them), [CineD (31 Aug 2026)](https://www.cined.com/blackmagic-pyxis-12k-phase-detect-autofocus-first-beta-build-now-available-for-testing/) says that before this beta Blackmagic cameras used a single-shot contrast-based system and that Blackmagic had never confirmed the 12K RGBW sensor could do phase detection, and that Blackmagic Camera 10.2.96 is a beta that adds phase detect autofocus to the 12K for testing only. Lens Rentals' undated listing already says phase detection; the entry follows Blackmagic's stable specification and may change once the update ships generally. Blackmagic lists no in-body stabilisation (it records motion sensor data), and Digital Camera World says there is none, so ibis is false. There is no built-in viewfinder: the 4 inch LCD touchscreen is the only built-in display and a viewfinder or monitor connects by USB-C, so evf is false. Blackmagic lists no mechanical shutter (Lens Rentals lists the shutter type as electronic), so mechanical_shutter is false; Blackmagic publishes no stills burst rate, so burst rates are left out. The media entry lists two CFexpress Type B slots and a 10 Gbps USB-C port for external media, a third recording option beyond the two slots entered; there is no internal storage. Blackmagic lists no accessory shoe (the body has 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch mounting threads, per Lens Rentals), so hot_shoe is false. Blackmagic claims no weather sealing and Lens Rentals lists none, so weather_sealed is false. The battery field is left out because no battery ships in the box: Blackmagic's "What's Included" list names the camera, a lens turret dust cap, two plates, a 90 W power supply, a booklet and a DaVinci Resolve Studio key, and its tech specs name only a BP-U series battery type. Battery life is left out because Blackmagic publishes no still-shot figure. Blackmagic's pages do not describe webcam use, so webcam is left out, and Blackmagic's pages publish no SKU, so sku is left out (Lens Rentals lists model number CINECAMCPYXM12LFL for the L-Mount variant, which is not a maker page).

Reviews and videos are a full pass because the camera is current. DPReview has no product page or review for the PYXIS 12K, so there is no DPReview bullet. Only one qualifying written review was found: Digital Camera World (Jon Devo, 10 Jan 2026, no later update date) tested the L-Mount version with lenses including a 24-70mm f/2.8 provided with the camera by Blackmagic, states no pre-production unit or firmware, and was published after the July 2025 on-sale date. Points counted for the Key Take-Aways: its pros list names the 12K sensor for downsampling to 8K/4K, skin tone reproduction and highlight retention, vertical UI rotation, and value including a DaVinci Resolve Studio licence; its cons list names significant battery power consumption, audible fan noise and no internal ProRes recording; its verdict repeats heavy power draw, short battery life, the louder fan and the missing internal ProRes. The inkl and Pro Moviemaker copies of that review could not be opened. CineD's lab test (Gunther Machu, 18 Dec 2025) is measurements with no verdict, so it is out; Newsshooter, CineD, No Film School, ProVideo Coalition and Fstoppers published launch, price, recall and update news only, and no 12K review was found on the reachable TechRadar, RedShark or Pro Moviemaker pages. Videos are non-paid (no paid-promotion marker on the watch page), in English (English captions), and name the PYXIS 12K as subject; their descriptions state no loan or sponsorship and carry affiliate links only. Sightseeing Stan, Of Two Lands and Dunna Did It carry the paid-promotion marker and are out; Chris Konesky's video describes itself as sponsored and is out; Northwest Camera Co. and CVP sell camera gear and are out; further eligible videos exist and were not listed. Product image: Blackmagic (L-Mount variant render, upscaled slightly from a 610 px source).

Reviews:

* Digital Camera World: [Blackmagic Pyxis 12K review: a resolution giant in a medium-sized package](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/cinema-cameras/blackmagic-pyxis-12k-review), Jon Devo, Jan 2026

YouTube:

* Team 2 Films: [Can a $5,000 camera beat a $50,000 camera? Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Review - 4 REASONS to Consider One](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATn-IWeyiTs), Mar 2026
* Brady Bessette: [Is This Finally The Camera For All Jobs? | Blackmagic Pyxis 12k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgofzwvQpks), Jun 2026
* Steven Ceballos: [The Camera I Didn't Expect to Love for Docs | Pyxis 12k after 7 months](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOLtb1ngvYU), Sep 2026
* Paule Porter: [Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Review - The Future of Cinema Cameras?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDpM0_2R6D0), Mar 2026