Testing the BMCC6K DPAF | Black Skin and Underexposure Tests

#blackmagicdesign #BMCC6k #Autofocus

Blackmagic’s new phase detect autofocus is finally here—and I put it to the test in real-world conditions that many creators face but few talk about. In this video, I share my initial findings using the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Full Frame paired with the Sigma 28–70mm f/2.8 zoom lens, focusing specifically on dark skin tones and underexposed environments.

🎥 What You’ll See in This Test:
📌 How the autofocus performs on darker skin tones
📌 Testing across single, continuous, and face tracking modes
📌 The biggest challenges when using autofocus with zoom lenses
📌 How my findings compare to other, more enthusiastic reviews
📌 My honest take on where Blackmagic nailed it—and where it still needs work

If you’re a filmmaker or content creator who’s been waiting for Blackmagic to get serious about autofocus, this is the kind of deep-dive you don’t want to miss.

💬 Have you tested the new autofocus? Drop your experience in the comments!
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#BlackmagicAutofocus #CinemaCamera6KFF #DarkSkinAutofocus #PhaseDetectAF #BlackmagicDesign #Sigma2870 #FilmmakingGear #CameraReview2025 #RealWorldTest #VideoProductionTools #AutofocusIssues #BlackmagicUpdate

00:00 - Testing Blackmagic Autofocus
00:33 - BMCC6K with Sigma 28-70 f2.8
01:26 - The Honest Truth
02:06 - Single Point AF
02:28 - Face tracking in Manual mode
03:10 - Issues with Continuous AF
03:36 - Best way to use continuous/tracking/face tracking
04:21 - AF when adjusting aperture
04:50 - Adjusting the focal length in continuous AF
06:00 - Zoom Lenses vs Prime Lenses
06:41 - What I think so far

[JamesJacksonFilmz]

Let me know what type of tests you would like to see.

[waveland]

I don’t have a BMCC to test with any more, but based on the examples I’ve seen posted on YouTube, it seems that if you give the AF two eyes and a nose that take up a significant portion of the screen (interview and vlogging style shot) then it seems fairly stable. But go for a wide shot, or get outside in a complex and contrasty environment, or give it a profile, and the AI falls apart with object tracking seeming to be limited to very simple table-top shots. It’s a start. Kudos to BM for getting going on this because AF can’t be ignored. Crews are getting too small! In the long run I would love to move back to BM, but as a solo operator I have come to rely on Sony FX autofocus to carry some of the camera op load and I’m not moving away from Sony until BM can give me sticky face AF on the 12k sensor. Will be interesting to watch. Thank you for taking the time to test and get this posted. Much appreciated.

[TDCIYB]

Thanks for testing! IMO this will take at least until 2026. They will have to tune the algo for every possible semi-popular lens, and then even with adapted lenses. Which will take a looong time. But it is still great to see, and i am confident they will get there. Also amazing they release this as a free update.
I am just happy i will have an option to shoot talking heads of myself with autofocus, and i use manual for everything else anyway.

[adrinaik]

Great video, and in line with others I have seen. Never cared too much about autofocus until I got the Lumix S5IIX and experienced first hand how useful is to have a reliable AFC system. Kudos to BM for implementing it, and hope it gets better when the next version comes out. I have faith, since the sensor and PDAF shall be the same that's present on the Lumix S5IIX and that works remarkably well (don't really know if its Sony level, but in my experience is wonderful if you don't go over ISO 10.000 and above f10).

[jinwoolee]

Great video! I have the Sigma 24-70 F2.8 Ver1, and have the same issue. I hope they resolve this.

[chronocross]

I tested it on my lumix 24mm, 35mm, and 85mm and the continuous, object and face tracking was decent. Face tracking was the best overall.

[robertm]

I honestly was not expecting very much
Thanks, for testing.

[diegosintetico]

Hey man, just a quick question on the 28-70mm contemporary, i bought it for the bmcc6k 3 months ago, and ive noticed theres significant barrel distortion at 28mm and 70mm, its something i can correct with da vinci but its a bit annoying, ¿do you notice the same with your lens? Also great video, im about to install the new update on my bmcc6k too, im exited to test the autofocus!

[donwellsmedia]

I tested on a similar lens (sigma 28-105 f2.8). I had better results. 28-50mm was very good. no problems tracking. had no issues zooming and keeping track if I kept it under 50mm if objects/faces weren't too close or too far. I think lenses play a big role with the autofocus. newer sigma hla autofocus lenses might have better luck instead of the stepped motors. I'm very curious how the Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 performs.

[jessfilmdiaries]

Since it’s still in beta, do you think it’ll be better before the release?

[teamboaz]

After doing a lot of test and watching a ton videos i have noticed that the auto focus works really well with PRIMES, its' not as good with ZOOMS and suffers with adapters, if this is a true sony sensor, it reminds me of my A7R3, blackmagic will have to profile a lot of lenses to make it work well, Kind of what black magic does with the monitors.

[Breonnick]

No cap I was hoping this update would make focus assist usable at 3200 iso. Sadly they do not. Does 3200's iso horrendous noise effect auto focus?