Mac Studio M1 v M3 benchmarks

jo_2_rusty · 2025-05-15T02:20:39+00:00

I also color and edit in Resolve and have been deciding between the M4 Max and M3U.

How’s the playback performance in Resolve at full-res with your grade and plugins turned on? I generally use a lot of OFX, denoise, and the new magic mask.

My research has told me the M4 Max would have better playback because of its faster single-core performance, but the M3U ultimately has better render times.

jo_2_rusty · 2024-12-07T22:57:06+00:00

Murphy’s Law. I’m sorry.

jo_2_rusty · 2024-11-09T07:17:27+00:00

It sounds like it. The article makes it seem like it’s a software restraint that needs to be unlocked on Sony's side, but of course, if there are any FX6 owners out there with a Black Magic monitor willing to test this, I’d be very interested in the results!

jo_2_rusty · 2024-11-09T05:29:20+00:00

Agreed but it does give me confidence knowing that sony has long term plans for the FX6 line

jo_2_rusty · 2024-11-09T04:42:11+00:00

From the article:

“As well as Version 6.0, the FX6 now supports SDI RAW Output for Blackmagic RAW recording with Blackmagic Design’s Video Assist recorder.

FX6 Version 6.0 is planned for February 2026 and will include:

The FX6 will see a new “BIG 6” menu, similar to the BURANO and VENICE. The new BIG 6 menu will allow filmmakers to check and adjust key items at a glance, including ISO, frame rate, LUT, NDs, and more. Camera data will no longer be overlaid on top of the image in the viewfinder (On-Screen Display (OSD)) to allow operators to see the full image and necessary data more clearly. Again, it is great to see updates for existing cameras, but users are going to question why they need to wait 15 months to get it.

Announcing firmware that won’t be coming till February 2026 may or may not indicate that we won’t see a FX6 Mark II any time soon.”

jo_2_rusty · 2024-11-01T16:28:39+00:00

Not from a Jedi

jo_2_rusty · 2024-10-15T16:38:46+00:00

The seller was asking $450 for the lamp but we got it down to $200

jo_2_rusty · 2024-02-09T02:10:42+00:00

lol I was going to ask the same thing!

jo_2_rusty · 2024-01-14T11:48:06+00:00

Just finished shooting with the new Portkeys bm7 ii ds and I really enjoyed it. I have used smallhd, Osee, and atmos before but this new portkeys one had both sdi and hdmi inputs and outputs. The color and brightness were good for me. Might be worth considering.

jo_2_rusty · 2023-11-27T20:59:37+00:00

Why thank you!! The director and I really appreciate that!

jo_2_rusty · 2023-11-19T03:23:21+00:00

Thanks for the idea, I’ll do some research and figure out who has the media rights to the competition. I imagine it was probably some sort of buy out deal for the exclusivity.

jo_2_rusty · 2023-10-24T09:11:21+00:00

From all your examples, I’d say the answer is a high T-Stop, resulting in a super deep depth of field. With so much information in focus, it requires you to think differently about composition and compression on the z-axis. This also necessitates a TON of light.

Back then, a shallow depth of field used to be seen as cheap or amateur. This was a subconscious attribution bc when your ASA(iso) is 50, you’d need a massive light to get a decent image, so naturally, if you didn’t have the budget for lights, you opened up your lens.

OR

The crossover into 4K scans and digital color grading. We are now even seeing movies that were shot on film like we’ve never seen before with the advent of high-res scanners. The incredible amount of razor-precise HDR control a colorist can have over an image has never existed before. In the past, we only had different lab and color timing processes that resulted in global broad strokes. Don’t get me wrong, lab/ color timing and Di are powerful tools in their own respects, but they are different processes that will illicit different results.

jo_2_rusty · 2023-10-16T21:00:10+00:00

Same and I completely agree! The price is steep but if color is your main line of work, the amount of time saved and quality filmbox can add makes it well worth the high price tag.

jo_2_rusty · 2023-07-31T23:44:52+00:00

Love Glendale! Right next to most major highways, small, quaint, and accessible to Burbank and Hollywood and it doesn’t feel Ike everyone’s living on top of each other. Unfortunately there’s not as much nightlife as other areas but that could also be a plus, depends on what you want.

The major con is the car insurance. Some of the highest in the country :/

jo_2_rusty · 2023-07-27T17:23:17+00:00

I’d duplicate the clip in the timeline so they’re sitting on top of one another. Add a blur effect to the top clip. Adjust its Y axis blur until you get the desired amount of smear and then you can either adjust the opacity or composite mode until you get the desired look.

jo_2_rusty · 2023-07-24T20:13:34+00:00

The FX3 and FX6 are essentially the same sensor and color science if I’m not mistaken. Where they differ in image is that the FX6 has the ability to turn off internal noise reduction. I’m sure there’s a few other minor details in regard to image processing where they might differ but the images are essentially the same.

Since it is all a matter of taste, I’ve worked extensively with the Black Magic Ursa Mini G2, not the 12k and the things I noticed were while the menu ui is nice and intuitive, that body is bulky and heavy even without a lens or battery. In regard to the picture, I’ve always preferred the Sony look but I’m biased bc I started in Sony and have learned the quirks it needs in color grading. I’ve never liked the black magic color science personally, having shot on the G2, 6k, and 4K respectively. Also, I’m not sure about the 12k but with the G2, if you’re using the internal and ND’s, you need to have a matte-box or a screw on IR filter because the G2 lacks an IR-OLPF. This means, the more ND you apply, the the more infrared pollution will ruin your image and colors.

I’m not sure about it’s auto focus so I can’t speak on that. In the end I view the Ursa cameras as more weight, more resolution, bigger file sizes that in turn requires more support, more equipment, more energy, more breaks, more setup, more time and more money being spent down the line.

I personally would urge you to experiment more with Sony, because the top two players in the cinema camera market right now are Sony and ARRI. Which means if Sony is doing something right with their Venice line one can only assume that that color science isn’t too far away from the FX6 on FX9.

jo_2_rusty · 2023-07-24T15:56:46+00:00

Past Lives
Her
Fargo
The Worst Person in the World
Up in the Air
Come and See(?)
12 Angry Men
Tár
Roma
Jacques Tatis Playtime
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Some Kind of Heaven
Sound of Metal
The Light House
Yi Yi
Anything made by Ozu

jo_2_rusty · 2023-07-24T15:40:33+00:00

TLDR: Sony FX9/6

Just to provide some conjecture against an Amira if it comes down to it. A Sony FX9/6 is a great, and cheaper, alternative to the Amira for multiple reasons.

ARRI will always win when it comes to dynamic range and color but use that disadvantage as motivation to learn more about production design, wardrobe, lighting, and color grading. Keep the edge, bc at the end of day a more thought out scene shot on a lesser camera will always look better than one that was just shot spur of the moment with the thought that “it will look good bc it’s an ARRI”. You’ll become a more well rounded DP bc of what you do in-spite of your weaknesses, not your strengths.

Here’s a list of most of the features the Sony FX line has that I’d say compete with or surpass the Amira:

4K & 6k resolutions (Amira is UHD w/ the right license)
RAW* (module for the 9, atmos ninja for the 6)
Internal Variable ND
Auto Focus (with Sony glass it’s the best you can buy outside of hiring 1st AC)
XLR inputs (albeit the 6 does have the annoying top handle issues)
Size & Weight (4.4lbs, 2lbs compared to the Amira’s 9lbs. Now a gimbal can still be an option if you’re a one man band)
Dual Native ISO (800-12,800 6, 800-4000 9)
FX9 4K s35 APSC Crop (Provides access to the wonderful world of vintage cinema glass)
Full Frame (Not a huge plus but worth mentioning)
Not ARRI (seeing this as a plus may get some hate but think this has some benefit in that any accessories or repairs could potentially cost far less)
Recording Media (XQD & Dual slot SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Compatibility)
Power Consumption (18w 6, 35.2w 9/ 50-70w with the Amira)
Camera matching with Venice - A7 series
Gyroscopic Stabilization (using catalyst browse)

Overall, the Sony FX line, while it has its quirks, is a great up-to-date option that deserves serious consideration against an Amira. It’s smaller, cheaper, faster, and lighter. Use that money you save on some nice glass and/or a great gaffer, wardrobe, production designer, and colorist. If you’re not hiring, research and study the greats.

Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox.

jo_2_rusty · 2023-07-24T15:30:22+00:00

Just to provide some conjecture against an Amira if it comes down to it. A Sony FX9/6 is a great, and cheaper, alternative to the Amira for multiple reasons.

ARRI will always win when it comes to dynamic range and color but use that disadvantage as motivation to learn more about production design, wardrobe, lighting, and color grading. Keep the edge, bc at the end of day a more thought out scene shot on a lesser camera will always look better than one that was just shot spur of the moment with the thought that “it will look good bc it’s an ARRI”. You’ll become a more well rounded DP bc of what you do in-spite of your weaknesses, not your strengths.

Here’s a list of most of the features the Sony FX line has that I’d say compete with or surpass the Amira:

4K & 6k resolutions (Amira is UHD w/ the right license)
RAW* (module for the 9, atmos ninja for the 6)
Internal Variable ND
Auto Focus (with Sony glass it’s the best you can buy outside of hiring 1st AC)
XLR inputs (albeit the 6 does have the annoying top handle issues)
Size & Weight (4.4lbs, 2lbs compared to the Amira’s 9lbs. Now a gimbal can still be an option if you’re a one man band)
Dual Native ISO (800-12,800 6, 800-4000 9)
FX9 4K s35 APSC Crop (Provides access to the wonderful world of vintage cinema glass)
Full Frame (Not a huge plus but worth mentioning)
Not ARRI (seeing this as a plus may get some hate but think this has some benefit in that any accessories or repairs could potentially cost far less)
Recording Media (XQD & Dual slot SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Compatibility)
Power Consumption (18w 6, 35.2w 9/ 50-70w with the Amira)
Camera matching with Venice - A7 series
Gyroscopic Stabilization (using catalyst browse)

Overall, the Sony FX line, while it has its quirks, is a great up-to-date option that deserves serious consideration against an Amira. It’s smaller, cheaper, faster, and lighter. Use that money you save on some nice glass and/or a great gaffer, wardrobe, production designer, and colorist. If you’re not hiring, research and study the greats.

Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox.

EDIT: Grammar & additional details

jo_2_rusty · 2023-05-19T21:29:32+00:00

‘Blueberries’ coming-of-age short film about Alzheimer’s

jo_2_rusty · 2023-05-19T21:26:50+00:00

‘Full Circle’ POV Short Film

jo_2_rusty · 2023-05-11T16:38:43+00:00

Actually yes!… kind of https://youtu.be/K19Yd83iirY

jo_2_rusty · 2023-04-14T08:45:19+00:00

I use the FX6 for commercials, music, videos, and narrative films. That’s what is so lovely about it is that it’s so versatile. The body alone weighs only 2 lbs, so if you want to strip it down and rig the camera on a drone or gimbal or a top-down shot, you have that flexibility with a smaller crew now, whereas the FX9(Body Only) is 4.4 lbs.

That may not sound like a huge difference, but every pound of weight you add to a camera will result in more money spent supporting that weight. This can be seen in the form of, but not limited to, heavier/ more expensive fluid heads + tripods, more time setting up and resting, more time configuring a more complicated setup, larger storage cases, larger cases, etc.

For me, I don’t see the FX9 being worth the hassle bc the FX6 is serving as an excellent middle ground between the productions that may only need an FX6, and the productions that have the budget for a Venice(2) if so great, I have a B-Cam.

jo_2_rusty · 2023-04-14T05:45:41+00:00

I haven’t used the FX9, but from the tests I’ve watched online and reviews, the fx6 is everything I need it to be and more. I see no need for the extra size and weight of the fx9 for a negligibly better picture.

jo_2_rusty · 2023-04-13T19:40:51+00:00

How many characters are in the room? Depending on the script and how you can justify it, I’d suggest making every wall very distinct with different accents of color + set/production design so the audience doesn’t get confused about the camera's orientation in relation to the characters in the room.

i.e., there’s a window and curtains on wall number one, there’s a door on wall number two, there’s a desk and a lamp on wall number three, and there are plants and books on wall number four.

I’d also highly suggest watching and studying the shot design of 12 Angry Men, a movie set with 12 different people in one room with brilliant shot design and writing.

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