Out of the Box

The box contents are, refreshingly, complete. The Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) arrives with everything you’d expect — and a few nice surprises: the display itself, a foldable ST300 stand, the PW600L pen, ten replacement nibs, a 3-in-1 cable. No accessory hunting required, except for a Thunderbolt capable US-C-toUSB-C. Build quality leaves a good impression. The casing feels sturdy, doesn’t creak, and at 865 grams it’s light enough to throw into a backpack. It feels more “tool” than “toy,” which is a good start.

The Kamwas 13 Display

Huion advertises the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) as factory-calibrated to ΔE < 1.5 … our unit, however, came in at ΔE 2.5 (Adobe RGB, Measured with our Datacolor Spyder Pro). Not bad, but not “color-critical.” You’ll want to calibrate it yourself if you work on anything that depends on color accuracy, and big grading jobs or Onset-Livegrading are not recommended. Why we are saying that? For that price, you’d think you could just put it onto your DIT-Cart. You can, but you wil lhave to check the colors more often.

That said, the anti-glare surface deserves genuine praise. It’s the nicest we’ve seen so far: it kills reflections without dulling the image or killing contrast, and it feels wonderfully smooth, like a high-quality matte paper, not sandpaper. The screen itself is Full HD (1920 × 1080), which is perfectly fine for a 13-inch panel. It’s not a retina display, but at typical viewing distances it looks crisp enough for painting, layout work, or even quick note-taking.

Pen & Performance

The PW600L pen uses Huion’s PenTech 4.0 system, and it’s battery-free, a small victory in an age of rechargeable everything. During testing across Rebelle 8, Photoshop and Microsoft Ink, the pen behaved as expected: accurate tracking, no real lag, and pressure sensitivity that feels natural once you fine-tune it.

That “once” matters. Out of the box, the settings we made were too hard, and we initially thought the pressure curve was off. Turns out the issue was “idiot user”, not “hardware”. The Huion driver lets you adjust the curve quite precisely, well worth the five minutes of tinkering before judging it. After six weeks of daily sketching and note-taking, the original nib still showed no wear. The replacement nibs included should last a good long while unless you’re carving marble in Krita.

From the Left

As some of you know, one of our key ergonomics features is that we can actually use the device. And yes, I’m a Southpaw. A leftie. If you’ve ever wondered why some hardware never makes it into Digital Production, that’s the reason (Well, one of the reasons). If it’s not usable for us and the other 10% of humanity, it doesn’t get tested. Simple rule.

The Huion Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) passes this test with flying colors. In the driver software, flipping the orientation is literally one click, rotate, mirror, turn it upside down if you feel like it. There’s no directionality to the chassis and the ports, no fixed edge, angle or cable trap that dictates how you have to work. So if you’re one of us, this tablet won’t force you to contort your wrist or flip your brain to right-handed mode. And for the others: Did you recognize that the featured image above this article is a leftie drawing? No? I thought so.

Ergonomics & Workflow

The left edge holds two mechanical dials and five customizable buttons. They’re easy to reach and satisfyingly quiet. Macro assignment is limited, you can’t yet chain multiple actions (like “new layer + color switch”) but the basics are there.

Switching between monitors took a few days to get used to. In our dual-screen setup, toggling the pen focus from the Kamvas to the main monitor isn’t instant muscle memory. After a while, though, it becomes second nature. Mirroring the main display didn’t quite work in our configuration, but that’s likely a Windows quirk or a driver limitation. For most use cases, drawing, annotation, or light compositing, extending the desktop is the better option anyway.

As for Thunderbolt, a word of warning: not all cards are equal. We discovered that Thunderbolt expansion cards vary wildly between workstation manufacturers. Mixing an (Random example) Asus add-in card with a Lenovo board, for instance, another random example, is an exercise in frustration (see XKCD’s “Standards” comic). Not Huion’s fault, but worth noting if you’re planning a clean single-cable setup. Make sure your USB-C ports are Thunderbolt-capable!

Everyday Use

Once configured, the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) simply behaves. It works as a secondary screen, a sketchpad, or a small presentation monitor. For productivity use, it’s perfectly fine: crisp enough for text, light enough for travel. The anti-glare glass remains a highlight: even after hours of drawing, the surface stays clean and non-sticky, with minimal fingerprint buildup. And because the tablet has no fan, it’s completely silent and stays cool.

One disclaimer, though: as with every tablet, it will not make you a good artist. You’ll still have to bring the talent yourself. If you’re wondering why we didn’t warn you earlier: we thought it was obvious, until we tried proving otherwise. For evidence, please refer to our attempt at a one-line house drawing. Don’t laugh — we’re mouse users by habit, idiots on top of that and it took eight failed tries to get that one semi-straight roof. There’s a reason this magazine focuses on tech, not concept art.

Verdict of the Kamwas 13

After a solid six weeks with the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3), we can confidently say this: it’s a sensible tablet. The display might not be colorist-grade, but it’s bright, balanced, and consistent. The pen feels natural, the build is solid, and the included accessories make it a ready-to-go package straight from the box. If you’re looking for a mobile, lightweight pen display that doesn’t break the bank, the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) is easy to recommend.

Software quirks aside, it’s an ideal entry point for new artists, or a travel companion for experienced ones who don’t want to risk their main display in a backpack. We were genuinely surprised by how much performance you can get for €239 on Huion’s official store. And since our test went so well: should we ask Huion for one of their Android tablets next? Let us know, we’re curious ourselves.

The post Huion Kamvas 13 (Gen 3): Welcome to Sensible Pen Tablets first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

We had a close look at the public beta, which should be close to general release.

Instruments and Features

CineMon is offering all the features you’d expect from a full featured monitor, like Grids, Center Mark, Safe Areas, Framing/Blanking, Flip/Flop/Rotate, anamorphic De-squeeze, Focus Peaking, and Zebras. All of these are highly configurable, e. g. separate Zebras can be freely adjusted for a lower and upper limit in different colors. De-Squeeze has not only all the usual ratios, but is also freely adjustable with a slider.

False Color allows the choice of a few versions from high-end cameras, but you can also define your own with unlimited flexibility. These can be saved in the program or exported, to be used by others with the same software. The same applies to complete presets for your own needs in CineMon, both of such settings are saved and read as .json files. Individual presets are indispensable in the light of such impressive flexibility of the toolset.

Dual Spot Meter

A unique feature is the dual spot meter in photometric EV values. This tool allows you to check middle grey at 0 EV or measure the contrast ratio of specific zones by placing a second spot. It works with gamma 2.4 (for Rec. 709) or with log profiles, which are pretty much complete for all manufacturers, from Arri to Sony. They are integrated and can be chosen directly in the software, while LUTs have to be imported first.

Another photometric tool based on log video input is an exposure slider. If you expose to the right (ETTR) to reduce noise, you can use this to see how your footage will look like when corrected in post. This is particularly useful with some hybrid cameras, like older Sonys, which force you into overexposure when shooting log (SLog2 in particular).

These image adjustments will also simulate changes to contrast or saturation. Of course you can also use LUTs. They should come as .cube files with 33 point lattices, and they can be used as input LUTs or as display LUTs. On the iPad, you can compare looks by swiping between your presets.

The built-in organizer allows renaming or rearranging presets in the list, which also applies to LUTs or false color versions. If a setting has been changed from the saved status, it’ll show in orange. The context menu will give you the option to revert, to save the new status or duplicate under a new name.

If needed for a busy scene with much detail, focus peaking can show edges only. Framing is optionally shown with dimmed look-around blanking areas. Overlaying a freeze from a live source or a loaded still supports precise placement of the camera or objects.

Or you choose a reference frame to match exposure, contrast, color, etc. with the camera settings for the current scene. The CineMon video scopes will process the mixed frame in this case. The difference mode, with a user-defined contrasting color, will immediately show if something has changed in a scene. This will help to spot a missing or misplaced object immediately.

Color Key Preview

Color key preview is not a full quality chroma keyer, but a real-time preview over a checkerboard or background still you have read in. It helps in spotting uneven lighting of the background color or adapting the foreground lighting to the planned environment. It’s even good enough to show problem areas to wardrobe or make-up artists. You can find a video showing all the tools here: cinemon.app

As you may have expected, CineMon has professional scopes, which can be placed and arranged freely, even with adjustable transparency as an overly to the live feed. They adapt to vertical video, but can also be switched to be shown fullscreen. You’ll find a histogram, waveform, and vectorscope with all the usual features and options. If compared with the scopes in DaVinci Resolve with the help of a video read in, they also look very precise. But, obviously, this raises the big question:

How precise is the incoming signal?

If you are using a MacBook, precision interfaces are coming from Blackmagic or from AJA, and they work as expected. But those from Blackmagic need Thunderbolt and don’t work with an iPad, and those from AJA may cost as much as the iPad itself. So, next we’ll look at alternative solutions.

The post CineMon 1.0 (Beta) for iPad and Mac first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Uli Plank.

Blackmagic Design introduces the PYXIS Monitor, a 5″ HDR touchscreen monitor that integrates with the Blackmagic PYXIS 6K camera, allowing full camera control through a USB connection. Its 1500-nit display ensures visibility even in bright environments. The monitor features multiple mounting options, customizable controls, and a bright tally light for enhanced usability in various production setups.

The Blackmagic PYXIS Monitor is designed to offer more than just video monitoring. With its full touchscreen interface, you can access and control all camera settings directly from the monitor. A single USB-C cable handles everything from power to camera control and video transmission, streamlining setups for rigging where space or accessibility is an issue. The monitor offers three customizable buttons that you can configure for functions like zebra, focus assist, and false color, tailoring the display to your specific needs during shooting.

To accommodate various rigging configurations, the PYXIS Monitor includes a sunshade for outdoor shoots, along with different mounting kits. The PYXIS Mount allows flexible positioning with a clutch-based system, enabling you to adjust the monitor’s angle without unbolting hardware. The optional PYXIS EVF Adapter allows you to use the monitor as a large-screen viewfinder when mounted onto Blackmagic URSA Cine’s EVF system. This versatility makes the PYXIS Monitor ideal for documentary filmmakers and camera operators who require adaptability during long shoots.

In terms of pricing and configurations, the basic Blackmagic PYXIS Monitor starts at $295 and includes the sunshade. For $445, you can opt for the PYXIS Monitor Kit, which bundles the monitor with the PYXIS Mount and the URSA Cine EVF Adapter. The full EVF kit, priced at $645, adds a more comprehensive mounting solution, including a top handle and rotatable EVF mount. All versions will be available later this year.

Before using the PYXIS Monitor in your project, verify each feature to ensure compatibility with your current setup.

For more information, you can visit Blackmagic Design. You can also check the product documentation here.

The post Blackmagic PYXIS Monitor first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.