Pixboom Spark Ships in May: 12-Bit RAW and ProRes RAW Coming Next

by Alexandra ThompsonApril 22^nd, 2026

Subscribe to News - Cameras

Pixboom has confirmed that its long-awaited Spark high-speed camera will begin shipping on May 1st, with the first few hundred units heading out to early Kickstarter backers. The company also announced two major firmware upgrades on the way: a 12-bit RAW sensor readout that the team says pushes dynamic range close to 14 stops, and internal ProRes RAW recording that has now been finalized with Apple. We caught up with Pixboom creative director Ariel Levesque at the company’s NAB 2026 booth for the full update.

Readers who have been following our coverage will already know the Spark. It is the compact Super 35 backside-illuminated global-shutter high-speed camera that Pixboom first teased at NAB 2025 and formally launched via Kickstarter at IBC last September. We went hands-on with a beta unit for our first Spark review in October, and Gunther Machu shot a full wildlife documentary in Goa with an early unit, so we have been tracking the journey from prototype to production alongside the team.

Shipping timeline and rollout

Ariel told us the certifications have all cleared and the first production cameras are being boxed right now, with that initial batch of a few hundred units beginning to ship on May 1st. From there, the plan is to work through the Kickstarter queue over the summer, with rental houses and resellers in North America starting to carry the camera around mid-June to early July. European distribution is targeted for early fall, and Pixboom expects general availability to land by the end of 2026.

Ariel also noted that the team has used the past two months to keep refining the camera, with tweaks to color, highlight retention, and the companion app’s file transfer workflow. More sample footage is in the pipeline, including material shot specifically for Cine Gear and IBC later this year, which should give prospective buyers a broader look at what the Spark can do in real production environments.

A 12-bit readout is coming via firmware

The bigger technical news is a 12-bit sensor readout that will arrive as a free firmware update later in 2026 for every Spark owner. Until now, the camera has read the sensor in 10 bits, which Ariel confirmed will remain a fully supported mode. The 12-bit path pushes dynamic range past 13 stops and, in his words, “kissing 14,” with a lower noise floor and deeper color depth.

Because the data rate is considerably higher in 12-bit, available frame rates at any given resolution are roughly half of those in 10-bit. In practical terms, that still means around 500 fps at 4K in 12-bit, which Ariel describes as well-suited for fashion, high-end commercials, and VFX plates where bit depth carries more weight than outright frame rate. For most other scenarios, 10-bit remains the everyday mode and keeps the full published frame-rate ladder (up to 670 fps at 4.6K open gate and 2,182 fps at 2K 2.37:1).

ProRes RAW lands internally

The second headline is internal ProRes RAW, now official after finalizing the agreement with Apple. Ariel told us it will not be restricted by resolution, frame rate, or bit depth, meaning it works across 10-bit, 12-bit, and any of the Spark’s custom resolutions all the way up to the sensor’s full 4.6K open gate.

The practical payoff is a dramatically simpler post workflow: files come straight off the Pixboom Pro Card ready for Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and other NLEs that support ProRes RAW, with no transcoding step required. Pixboom’s own PXBC compressed RAW (which unpacks to CinemaDNG through the Pixboom Cine application) is staying on the camera as the pristine master option for those who want it. According to Ariel, the 12-bit readout is on track to arrive slightly ahead of ProRes RAW, so the two features will roll out as sequential firmware drops rather than a single update.

Bringing high-speed out of the rental house

What Ariel kept coming back to was the broader point. High-speed work has traditionally meant specialist crews, cumbersome rigs, and rental-only logistics, whether the production was hiring a Phantom Flex 4K or flying in a Freefly Ember. The Spark’s form factor, weight (under 1.1kg / 2.4lbs), and single-operator workflow mean a regular DP can pick it up, learn the basics within minutes, and fold it into documentary, narrative, or wildlife projects that would never have justified a dedicated high-speed package.

Nino drew a parallel to how drones and camera sliders reshaped the visual grammar of mainstream video work over the past decade. Ariel agreed: once affordable slow motion becomes something a production brings to set rather than something it rents for a specific day, the creative applications tend to expand well beyond the hammer-meets-watermelon demo reels.

On the community side, Ariel acknowledged it has been a long road, with production updates (including honest setbacks) shared regularly via the Pixboom newsletter. With certifications cleared and first units ready to ship, that waiting phase is finally winding down. You can find the full current specification and pre-order details on the Pixboom Spark product page.

Price and availability

The Spark currently pre-orders at $13,999, which bundles the camera body with one electronic lens mount of choice (PL, E, or EF) and one 2.5TB Pixboom Pro Card. The first few hundred units ship May 1st, 2026, with the full Kickstarter queue expected to clear by summer, rental houses and North American resellers stocking units by mid-June to early July, European distribution arriving in early fall, and general availability landing by year-end.

Are you planning to bring high-speed slow motion into your next production? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!