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Black Magic URSA - first modular camera, now from $4995
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  • When using unCanon cameras like Black Magic, Lumix GH2, etc., hassles with client/producer might be minimized by wearing a Canon jacket, baseball cap and gear stuffed in a Canon camera bag. Or ordering one of these... Hail Hydra! er...uh..Canon!"

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  • @kholi what's ironic is, in my case, the producer would have been okay if I were suggesting a Canon 7D instead of GH2. They'd worked on multiple projects shot on the 7D. Though it's also a DSLR, and by extension carries an "unprofessional" stigma, it's "Canon" and visually looks more robust. He looked at me incredulously when I told him that there was a gulf of difference between image quality on the little GH2 and that 7D, not just slight, but a ridiculous difference. I still had to come up with an alternative.

    He suggested the AF100 which only made me chuckle. The compromise we could agree to was the BMCC. I told him it was either that or Scarlet. I didn't see any other options between the two. This was last summer and now there's a few between them but all sporting the same sensor and two from BMD. I'm still inclined to choose the BMCC but these are slick options and they fully address any lingering perceptual issues with this producer and his apprehension over the on-set image for his money men, whomever they are.

  • Those morons should be forced to use an all vacuum-tube iphone for a week. Perhaps trying to fit a smartphone the size of an aircraft carrier in a jacket pocket would drive the point home.

  • Hahaha yeah we were kicking that idea around for a long time at the top of the DSLR days. I mean TECHNICALLY that's what the HDMI module for Ursa would be no?

    I don't think a client would have any idea that the nose of the camera's a GH4 or A7S or something like that.

    KineFINITY should have done it instead of messing with the 4K/25K cameras haha.

  • @kholi

    Btw it is good potential market. I am thinking about manufacturing "Red cage" consisting of two parts, so you can put your small camera inside and for any outsider it'll look at big camera with lots of connectors and such :-)

  • Perception may not even be important to producers, it's when they have to explain "it makes great pictures, though" to the people paying. Nobody wants to spend time constantly reminding or reassuring said money folk that it'll be okay.

    They look at a big camera and just assume it costs a lot of money, thus it should make nice pictures. And, now, everyone's shooting with REDs, it's almost like there's no excuse in the mind of the dollar dealer: we paid for this, why aren't you using a big camera like my competitor?

  • @Vitaliy_Kiselev unfortunately, this is sometimes an issue. I've had a producer tell me they wouldn't allow me to shoot a project with my GH2 no matter how good the picture was because of how it would look to investors and in behind-the-scenes pictures and, in their mind, influence the potential value for sale.

    Once covered up in rigging my point to him was it could be anything in there but he wasn't even going to discuss it.

  • @BurnetRhoades

    Main thing is that it looks pro for any client :-)

  • this camera has one big LSI an the rest is mostly FPGA chips from its recorders.

    Where do you get this?

  • I recently read it weighs less than an Alexa Plus and dimensions are apparently slightly smaller too. DSLRs require weight to be added for no other reason than because they're too light and this translates to cheap looking handheld and shoulder mounted footage unless movement is modulated in this way.

  • this camera has one big LSI an the rest is mostly FPGA chips from its recorders. bastards too,heavy

  • Everything so big that the internal space could be used to implement a quad core i7 computer inside with 32gb ram and ssd drives to turn this beast into a editing station, with wifi, nfc, SIM mobile card to allow internet connections and do direct uploads, emails social networking and so on

    Most probably it is not so. But we will have such cameras quite soon.

  • This camera is so big and the LCD also so big and fullhd (i liked this idea of big flip lcd), everything so big that the internal space could be used to implement a quad core i7 computer inside with 32gb ram and ssd drives to turn this beast into a editing station, with wifi, nfc, SIM mobile card to allow internet connections and do direct uploads, emails social networking and so on... LOL... a complete Tele News station on the road. you just put yourself with a green or blue screen behind to do the News presentation and intercut with the street interviews and images... or edit the narratives and deliver to the theaters wherever you are. a small mouse and small keyboard could be spit out in a touch of a button. I remember the old panasonic PK959 VHS camera with a caractheres generator with a flip out keyboard at the side.

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  • The sensor modules are a big question mark. I'm more excited by the platform as a design whole than I am this implementation specifically because of the current BMPC sensor module. They could very well release a killer new sensor module. Given that they're marketing the HDMI version for use with other cameras, what's preventing someone else from doing their own sensor module designed to interface directly with the URSA?

  • Nobody in their right mind, if they're truly Alexa or F65 level customers, would have this on their radar, except as an option to own rather than rent.

    May be, or may be not. People are different and most professionals just look at this as tool and ability to save money.

    Plus we have absolutely no idea about sensor modules that can be released.

  • Nobody in their right mind, if they're truly Alexa or F65 level customers, would have this on their radar, except as an option to own rather than rent. But there's an ocean of folks who couldn't possibly even rent an Alexa much less buy one who might take notice. Arri has nothing to worry about on any level. Sony's lower end pro line, however, it's likely to feel it. Same with Canon and everything lower than the C500. And the Scarlet customer.

  • I doubt the Alexa or the F65 will be passed over in favor of this in hollywood..

    Instead, this will be an upgrade for everybody that currently has a blackmagic camera, so I guess you can tack on whatever difference from buying/selling your current BlackMagic camera to the price tag

  • @jleo haha, good one.

  • So the pocket version of this cam will be Ursa Minor.

  • The way I see it is BMD makes wonderful products currently owns a BMPCC and I love it. I will always support & buy their new products because they are very revolutionary, and I don't think anyone currently can come up with such great products for such low cost. The Canon C100 is currently $5k a Thousand more you get all that goodness & I'm really thinking about it for Raw 1080p 60fps I know that's going to be lovely.

  • @bhwitz - plenty of people are making indie films and local cinem thanks to new tools and widespread interest in new and different content. Hollywood movies are unionized because this is our way of life, our careers for many of us. It's not a luxury hobby like it is for many non-Hollywood film makers. I think independence is wonderful, and it's great to have new tools, but honestly, the reason Hollywood movies look good, and sometimes ;) tell a good story is that a lot of people put in a lot of hard work, and they need to be paid properly for it. It's a crafts person lifestyle - we can't just go get a job at Starbucks after making a film for someone for no money. Just saying - I've done plenty of work in union and non union films. Like vitaliy often points out - the real schism we face is a collapse of planet earth due to our pillaging it, and the potential societal breakdown or police-state in a mad-Max future. In the meantime, I don't want to work 18 hour days on someone's puff-piece indie for $8/hour - and that's where unions come in to protect us.