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BlackMagic URSA Mini, 4.6K sensor, 15 stops DR, 2160p60
  • 230 Replies sorted by
  • Do they all do 4K/60fps? And does the $2995 model do 160fps? It also looks like CFast cards are pretty expensive.

  • What is it about Canon mounts that camera manufacturers always go for? Why not Nikon mount? Is it because Canon has cinema lenses?

  • Why not Nikon mount? Is it because Canon has cinema lenses?

    Because all protocols are known. And lenses are electronically controlled.

    Actual best mount is FZ one :-)

    Nikon has issue as you need to implement lever :-)

  • It's easy to adapt Nikon to EOS with adapters

  • @Vitaliy_Kiselev On an URSA the sensor block including the mount is user upgradeable. Not really meant for switching in and out job to job. More like this situation where a better sensor comes along. Also, internchangeable mounts are very difficult to do if you want precision. Wasn't' the RED Titanium EF mount 2 or 3K ?

    JB

  • Also, internchangeable mounts are very difficult to do if you want precision. Wasn't' the RED Titanium EF mount 2 or 3K ?

    By idea, with present 5 axis sensor based stabilizers it is not so hard to compensate to mount imperfections :-)

  • Expect to budget an extra $3000 per hour of RAW recording time.

    256GB will hold around 20 minutes of 4.6K RAW, and a 256GB CFast card costs around $1000 at the moment.

    Too bad they couldn't have used SSDs.

  • @Sangye

    CFast is actually using same interface as SSDs or mSATA drives. But it is so much niche product.

  • My math works out to 32 mins of raw 4.6K/30P per 256GB card (with 4:1 compression). These 128GB cards seem fairly reasonable - http://www.amazon.com/Apacer-APCFA128GACAD-BTM-MLC-High-Speed/dp/B00RB5FPAM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1424266220&sr=8-4&keywords=apacer+cfast+2.0+128gb That would get the price down around $1120/hr if they work.

  • Well, well, well... Looks like I could very well be saying so-long to Panasonic.

  • @Tron you're right, I wasn't calculating using their 4:1 compression figure. $1120/hr is a little better. Still about twice as much as SSDs would cost though. I would definitely consider this camera for paid documentary gigs, but for the freelance work I'm doing now, it's a big expense. Either I use my GH4, or I rent a RED / Alexa. The upfront cost of owning this puts it just out of reach for me. Maybe once CFast cards and storage in general gets a little cheaper!

  • @Sangye I'm holding off on a purchase too, probably until the price on the 4.6K drops a little further and CFAST 2.0 becomes a bit more price & brand competitive. A big plus to this cam is that rental costs should be very reasonable - as low as $300 for 4-5 days, plus it requires almost no rigging to get the job done.

  • Any news on the ISO performance, that was a big letdown on previous models, unless you bring the light truck with you on location.

  • @Sangye You claim 1150 an hour for RAW 4:1 yet compare it to a GH4 ? Do you shoot RAW 4:1 your GH 4 ? with your RED or ArriRAW ?

    Horses for courses...I think the media cost isn't insignificant, but it's already more or less halved over the last 12 months...

    CFast is here to stay and, like SSD's will get cheaper. More can more cameras support it (like the new C series Canons)

    JB

  • @Vitaliy_Kiselev Red already do electronic back focus adjustment by moving the sensor, but again it's expensive to get right...

    JB

  • I have no use for 4.6k. It's ridiculous. The only advantage I see to the higher resolutions is better end color resolution. Almost everybody is delivering a 2K master for projection and broadcast/digital distribution.

    Even RED's 8K is only attractive in that it may yield a true 444 color option with equal numbers of RB and G lines for every line of 4K res.

  • @leonbeas I agree with you, the real limit of bmd sensors is the iso performance, I've seen that the original URSA's sensor in the real life has slightly improved this aspect...hope to test the mini soon...

  • @leonbeas native ISO is a bit over 800 - the new sensor behaves the same (actually a hair better) in lowlight like the Pocket and original 2.5k BMCC - and yeah no black sun dot and no FPN

  • @FrankGlencairn

    Well this is good news, because if 1600 ISO maybe 3200 ISO is usable than the mini ursa can be a real winner. Lets see the tests.

    @AlbertZ

    Share them with us please, I am really interested and also feedback on the temperature of the camera, and other issues you discover, I assume the temp issue is also gone because the battery in no longer present.

    Also anyone here has clear the crop factor, is it really super 35 in 4.6k 4k and 1080p, or the crop factor changes and how?

    I hope they work very hard to get a good firmware at launch, because this camera may be what many of us where waiting for a long time, it's cheaper than the sony FS7, better quality overall, great form factor, and hey it looks like a real camera, LOL

  • I've made a quick comparison flipping one image and resizing according to specs and URSA looks really close in size to FS7. I hoped it was a more suitable camera for my Ronin but it seems it will have the same big problems of Sony model. Sad to know that a 60k$ regular RED camera fits perfectly and a 5K$ "mini" URSA is a pain to be used :(

    fs7againstursamini.jpg
    736 x 800 - 90K
  • I wish they made this with an MFT mount!! It would open it up to all kinds of lensing options!

  • E Mount would be better.

  • MFT would mean smaller sensor, E mount was the right way to go.

  • MFT would indeed be best, and is one of the big factors holding me back from buying this camera. (With built in ND filters being the other big missing piece from this camera)

    It is a fallacy to say it would mean a smaller sensor, as JVC has proved MFT works well with Super 35mm