Blackmagic RAW Recording From the Sony FX6 and Sony FX9 – Coming Soon

by Jose PradaSeptember 30^th, 2024

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During IBC 2024, Nino was at the Blackmagic Design booth and interviewed Craig Heffernan about a special announcement from the brand: the possibility of recording Blackmagic RAW from Sony FX6 and FX9 cameras. This news continues the company’s effort to provide Blackmagic RAW to other camera platforms through the Blackmagic Video Assist recorder. Soon, Sony FX6 and FX9 users will be able to use this feature. Let’s take a look! 

Blackmagic Design is currently working on a technical development that will allow users to record Blackmagic RAW from Sony FX6 and Sony FX9 cameras, taking advantage of the flexibility this codec provides. As different manufacturers release new cameras, Blackmagic Design continues to move forward, giving users the option of recording Blackmagic RAW via the Blackmagic Video Assist.

Blackmagic RAW for the Sony FX6 and FX9

To make this process possible, Blackmagic Video Assist receives 4K RAW output from the camera via HDMI or SDI, depending on the model, and encapsulates it in Blackmagic RAW. In this case, while Sony FX6 users can output directly to the recorder, Sony FX9 users will need the Sony XDCA extension unit between the camera and Blackmagic Video Assist for external Blackmagic RAW recording.

In Heffernan’s words, the Blackmagic RAW codec is sensor profiled, meaning it takes into account the characteristics of the camera’s sensor, encapsulating them in the final RAW package via the 4K output. Using Blackmagic RAW allows users to choose typical options from the codec, like constant bitrate, constant quality, recording ratio, etc. That is good news for those using Sony footage in a postproduction workflow with DaVinci Resolve since they will benefit from all the features the program offers when using Blackmagic RAW. 

Sony added to the list of supported brands

Blackmagic Design continues expanding the number of manufacturers using Blackmagic RAW as a recording option. Blackmagic Video Assist now supports Blackmagic RAW recording from Leica, Panasonic, Fujifilm, Nikon, Canon, Sigma, Sony, and Z CAM cameras. What follows is the list of models (Sony will be available soon):

• Canon: Canon EOS C300 Mark II.
• FUJIFILM: FUJIFILM GFX100, FUJIFILM GFX100 II, FUJIFILM GFX100S, FUJIFILM GFX100S II, FUJIFILM X-H2s, FUJIFILM X-H2, FUJIFILM X-T5, FUJIFILM X-T50, FUJIFILM X-S20.
• Leica: Leica SL2-S.
• Nikon: Nikon Z 6, Nikon Z 7, Nikon Z 6II, Nikon Z 7II.
• Panasonic: Panasonic AU-EVA1, Panasonic LUMIX BGH1, Panasonic LUMIX BS1H, Panasonic LUMIX GH5S, Panasonic LUMIX GH6, Panasonic LUMIX GH7, Panasonic LUMIX G9II, Panasonic LUMIX S1, Panasonic LUMIX S1H, Panasonic LUMIX S5, Panasonic LUMIX S5II, Panasonic LUMIX S5IIX.
• SIGMA: SIGMA fp, SIGMA fp L.
• Sony: Sony FX6, Sony FX9.
• Z CAM: Z CAM E2, Z CAM E2-M4, Z CAM E2-F6, Z CAM E2-S6.

Price and availability

The company hopes to release this new feature before the end of the year with a free update for Blackmagic Video Assist owners. For more information, please visit the Blackmagic Video Assist product page. 

What do you think about this new feature of recording Blackmagic RAW from the Sony FX6 and FX9 cameras? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!