Fremont, CA – January 9, 2020 – Blackmagic Design today announced that production company Echo Bay Media used Pocket Cinema Camera 6Ks, Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 to shoot the Japanese-Canadian mini series “Into the Rising Sun,” which premiered on Canada’s CHCH in December 2019. Echo Bay Media shot the series in Blackmagic RAW and relied on DaVinci Resolve Studio for color grading.

“Into the Rising Sun” was produced in partnership with Japanese network TSS and follows Echo Bay Media Cofounder and Producer Scott Wilson as he travels throughout the lesser seen parts of Japan, exploring a variety of scenic areas while riding a motorcycle. The series was shot and directed by Echo Bay Media Cofounder Andre Dupuis and allows viewers to experience the wonders of Japan’s countryside.

When choosing gear for the project, Wilson and Dupuis knew they needed cameras that were light and portable, but that still provided the best cinematic look for the series. By pairing two Pocket Cinema Camera 6Ks with a Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, Wilson and the team were able to capture specific moments of Japanese culture without being obtrusive.

“We love being a fly on the wall in the way we do things, and it was way easier because of how compact the Pocket Cinema Cameras are. For example, when we were walking into a temple, a festival, or enjoying a culinary experience, we relied on the Pocket Cinema Cameras as they wouldn’t disrupt the moment and captured things with a proper reality. That was amazing and really important to us,” said Wilson.

The Pocket Cinema Camera 6K also provided Echo Bay Media with the extra resolution they needed. This was a huge benefit while shooting the motorcycle scenes specifically.

“There were times when Andre was hanging out the side of a minivan on a highway with the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K rigged up to a stabilizer, getting shots of me on the motorcycle. In these instances, bumps and wobbles were inevitable,” said Wilson. “However, because of the extra resolution we had when shooting in 6K, we could easily dial in, stabilize and perfect the shots in post. It made run and gun situations feasible.”

“The camera’s small footprint, ability to shoot in Blackmagic RAW, and 13 stops of dynamic range worked perfectly with our stabilizer,” said Dupuis. “It allowed us to capture shots that would normally require very expensive, purpose built camera cars with heavy cameras and gimbals.”

The ability to shoot in Blackmagic RAW proved to be a significant benefit for Dupuis while capturing the documentary style footage.

“When we are shooting documentary style, we need to travel with three copies of the footage for redundancy. This means the hard drive fills up quickly,” Dupuis explained. “Travelling the world with as little weight and bulk as possible is crucial. Blackmagic RAW gives us that flexibility with its efficiency, providing the best image quality for the smallest file size.”

Rounding out the workflow, the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K was used as the night vision camera in near zero light, such as a dark temples or night rides, or when the team wanted to create shots with very little depth of field.

In addition, Dupuis used the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 as the workhorse for spoken content, such as interviews, because of its professional XLR inputs, accessible audio controls, built in ND filters, and extra two stops of latitude. A Pocket Cinema Camera 6K was used in conjunction with the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 to cross shoot the interviews, matching flawlessly.

“Having two more stops of dynamic range had me reaching for the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 more often than not,” said Dupuis. “Additionally, having built in ND filters is so important to me, as I often want to stick to a specific F Stop for consistent depth of field throughout a scene. I have that control here with the twist of a knob.”

Throughout production, Dupuis and the crew shot in Blackmagic RAW, and Echo Bay Media’s colorist Ryan Edwardson graded the series in DaVinci Resolve Studio.

“When working with multiple cameras in a mixed lighting scene, Blackmagic RAW helps ensure accurate color matching and blending to create a sense of uniformity when cutting,” Edwardson noted. “From the flexibility of color temperature fine tuning in Blackmagic RAW, to the color matching of Image Wipe combined with Qualifier RGB picker, DaVinci Resolve Studio makes it possible to add studio precision to run and gun documentary multi camera work.”

As legacy Blackmagic Design users, Echo Bay Media plans to continue using its existing gear in upcoming productions. “We’ve been using Blackmagic Design for more than ten years, ever since the original HD Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. We are really happy with how ‘Into the Rising Sun’ has turned out with the newest gear and can’t wait to embark on our next journey with Blackmagic Design,” concluded Wilson.

Press Photography

Product photos of Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, Blackmagic RAW, DaVinci Resolve Studio, as well as all other Blackmagic Design products, are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.

Fremont, CA - February 25, 2019 - Blackmagic Design would like to congratulate the 2019 Oscar nominated films and the production professionals whose hard work and creativity helped bring them to life. Blackmagic Design is honored that its products, such as URSA Mini Pro, DaVinci Resolve Studio and Fusion Studio, were used on groundbreaking films including“A Star is Born,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Marvel Studios “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Oscar nominated films that used Blackmagic Design products include:

• Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” used DaVinci Resolve, UltraStudio, Smart Videohub 40x40, DeckLink Quad 2, DeckLink Mini Monitor and a variety of converters for on set work by DIT Kyle Spicer;
• “BlacKkKlansman” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Tom Poole at Company 3;
• “Bohemian Rhapsody” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Greg Fisher at Company 3;
• “The Favourite” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Rob Pizzey at Goldcrest Post;
• “Green Book” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio at FotoKem;
• “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Dave Francis of Technicolor PostWorks;
• “Minding the Gap” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Tyler Roth of Company 3;
• “A Quiet Place” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Stefan Sonnenfeld at Company 3;
• “RBG” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Ken Sirulnick of Glue Editing & Design, along with using Fusion Studio for stabilizing work;
• “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Natasha Leonnet at EFILM;
• "Solo: A Star Wars Story” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Joe Gawler of Harbor Picture Company;
• “A Star is Born” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Stefan Sonnenfeld at Company 3; and
• “Vice” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio at FotoKem.

Press Photography

Product photos of DaVinci Resolve Studio, Fusion Studio, URSA Mini Pro, UltraStudio, Smart Videohub 40x40, DeckLink Quad 2, DeckLink Mini Monitor all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.

Fremont, CA - October 2, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that USA Network’s “Queen of the South” used Blackmagic Design Micro Cinema Cameras extensively, and URSA Mini Pro, to capture a wide range of imagery for season three of the series. Director of Photography Abe Martinez, who started with the show as 2nd Unit Cinematographer, took over reigns as first unit DP this season, and immediately brought his passion for innovate camera work to the show’s main unit.

Queen of the South tells the story of Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga) and her beginnings in Jalisco, Mexico, where in an effort to escape her life of poverty, she begins to date a member of a successful drug cartel. But when her boyfriend is murdered, she must go on the run to save her own life. Escaping to America, she teams up with an unlikely partner to take down the leader who took her boyfriend’s life, and in the process creates her own rival cartel.

Shot entirely in practical locations for season three, production started in Malta, and moved to Dallas, Chicago, Bolivia and Arizona throughout the shoot. “Since we used practical locations,” said Martinez, “we had to be quick, on the move and squeeze into a lot of tight spaces.”

He chose to rely on the Blackmagic Design Micro Cinema Camera for its high quality and compact size. “We had many rigs that spanned from car work, boat work, plane work… actually, if it moved we had a mount on it with our Micro Cinema Cameras.”

As for the URSA Mini Pro, Martinez found it provided a high level of flexibility over other solutions. “Some of the other cameras out there require a lot of moving parts to be attached. What I love about the URSA Mini Pro is that it has a high level of tactile maneuverability for me. I can get it into tighter spaces as is, and grab it at the last minute if I need it. I can jump into a point of view that normally it would have been hard to get.”

Traditionally, the series has shot using a variety of cameras, but Martinez wasn’t worried about matching the Blackmagic cameras to them. “We had a great team at Light Iron ensuring all the cameras matched seamlessly,” said Martinez. “The thing we like about the Blackmagic cameras is that they could hold their own against any camera. It never worried us to mix up footage.”

Martinez loves working on the show not only because it offers challenges in its photography, but also that the show is shot much like the main character lives in the story. “We actually live on the run just like our main character, which means moving fast, serving a lot of international looks. Our sets and locations are diverse, and so are our shooting methods.”

The show also has a large appetite for stunts, but Martinez is always ready. “We had mounts and rigs for every setup, lots of stunts, explosions and chase work,” said Martinez. “I actually had a full time crew member, Scott Reese, assigned to handle the URSA Mini Pro’s, gimbal, jib and all of our Micro Cinema Camera needs.”

His rigs were extensive, including pole cams, rear view mirror cam, pogo cam and crane cam. “We were always looking for that extra tight angle or perspective to serve the story.”

The Micro Cinema Cameras also served as the main camera for certain car work. “The European car we had for our hero actors was too small for two operators. So we rigged two Micro Cameras on a bungee, with adjacent video assist monitors, and shot them simultaneously. Having one operator shooting with two cameras at once was quite unique.”

Martinez loves working on the show, not only for the challenges of the shoot, but also for the team around him. “I’m thrilled to be part of a show with an amazing cast and crew,” said Martinez. “but the real fun is in the style we shoot with; loose and on the go. We are always looking for ways to make the most of our locations, and having the flexibility of Blackmagic cameras gives us that extra push over the edge.”

Press Photography

Product photos of the URSA Mini Pro, Micro Cinema Camera and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com

Fremont, CA - July 25, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that CNN’s new “Anderson Cooper Full Circle” Facebook Watch daily global brief is produced using Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro cameras. The show is also being broadcast live using ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K live production switchers, ATEM Camera Control Panel, Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter and a number of Teranex AV converters.

“Anderson Cooper Full Circle” was launched on July 16, 2018 and airs every weekday on CNN’s Facebook page. Engaging directly with the audience, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, along with a roster of CNN talent reporting from around the world, deliver insight into the daily news stories that Facebook audiences care about most, leveraging the interactivity of the platform to inform each evening’s lineup and engage a new generation of consumers.

The show, which is separate but complementary to Anderson Cooper’s popular “AC360,” is exclusive to the Facebook Watch platform and is broadcast live from CNN’s AC360 New York City newsroom in mobile friendly vertical video.

Distinguishing itself and its content by producing a high-quality broadcast before being sent downstream to Facebook Watch, “Anderson Cooper Full Circle” offers broadcast quality live streaming. To do this, CNN chose a broadcast workflow based around four Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro cameras, five ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4Ks and eight Teranex AV converters and processors.

Including live interviews, four URSA Mini Pros are used to capture various shots of Anderson Cooper and his guests, as well as the newsroom studio itself. Media from the cameras are sent via optical fiber to four ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K switchers and four Teranex AVs for conversions and audio embedding.

An additional ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K for SDI signal control and distribution amplification is also in line. The merged feeds are then forwarded through two Teranex AVs and streaming hardware to Facebook Live. ATEM Camera Control Panel is used to control all four cameras, with the show’s workflow connected with optical fiber using the Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter and Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter to convert video, audio, power, talkback and tally with a single SMPTE fiber optic cable.

The show is designed to be viewed from mobile devices as well as laptops and computers. To handle this, CNN uses the ATEM switcher’s Power Macro feature to automate feeds from the cameras to be rotated from horizontal to vertical to be better viewed on a phone.

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Mini Pro, ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K, ATEM Camera Control Panel, Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter, Teranex AV and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com

Fremont, CA — June 12, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that URSA Mini 4.6K was used by Kei Takahashi on the shooting of a promotion movie for TROJAN men’s suits private brand by the Japanese major department store Daimaru Matsuzakaya. DaVinci Resolve Studio, DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel, UltraStudio 4K and MultiDock were used for editing and color grading, with HyperDeck Studio 12G used for backup recording.

Kei Takahashi, the founder of a Tokyo-based production company KID, specializes in shooting, directing and editing music videos and commercials. For the TROJAN spots, KID provided everything from shooting to editing and color grading.

TROJAN is a men’s suit brand known for a slim silhouette for physically fit Japanese men. This new promotion movie features Masakiyo Maezono, a former national football player and famous football commentator and TV personality, who is shown playing keepie-uppie in TROJAN suit.

“The main reasons I chose URSA Mini 4.6K for this Promotion movie is that I wanted soft looks and high speed recording. High speed recording made it possible to show the dynamic movements of keepie-uppie and details of the stretched suit. I kept in mind the flexibility and functionality of the suit when I was shooting. I planned to grade the footage after shooting so I used RAW 3:1 for recording,” Takahashi said.

He continued: “I used a zoom lens by Sigma. URSA Mini 4.6K’s great merit lies in the fact that you can easily change the lens mount, which widens the scope of lens you can use. I can cope with any project with this single camera, whether the project’s budget is low or high. Even if you are restricted to reasonably priced lenses, you will get high quality images because of the 4.6K image sensor and 15 stops of dynamic range. On top of that, I like the URSA Viewfinder very much because it is sharp and clear.”

He also edited and graded the material using DaVinci Resolve Studio. DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel was used for grading. In the post production workflow, UltraStudio 4K served as an I/O device for video outputs with the MultiDock as a data storage system.

“I regularly use DaVinci Resolve not only for grading but also for editing. By using DaVinci Resolve as an editor, I can spare myself the trouble of conforming — or making a mistake in conforming — timelines from another NLE by EDL or XML. Moreover, you don’t need to produce a huge amount of extra proxy material that would take up disk space. Even if you’re required to make editorial changes on a timeline in the middle of grading, you can just switch to the editing page and modify the timeline easily, without going to another NLE and starting the conform process all over again. I also like the feature to customize the keyboard shortcuts in any way you would feel comfortable, as well as the data burn feature to visually put timecode for reference. I find it amazing that you can even put audio plugins on the Fairlight page if needed,” he said.

“As for grading, I aimed for high contrast looks. I focused on sharpening the face with the midtone detail parameter, in order to create masculine looks with subtle details on the model’s face. After grading, the image looked more masculine and powerful. The wheels and rings on DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel are fantastic. I like its tactile feel and delicate sensitivity. DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel facilitates and shortens the whole grading process from primary to secondary, leaving out the necessity to use a mouse or keyboard. The less I touch a mouse or keyboard, the more I can keep myself focused on creativity,” he concluded.

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Mini 4.6K, DaVinci Resolve Studio, DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel, UltraStudio 4K, MultiDock, HyperDeck Studio 12G and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.

Press Contact

Nick Govoni
Zazil Media Group
(e) nick@zazilmediagroup.com
(p) +1 (978) 866 7354

FREMONT, CALIF.—A number of Blackmagic systems are now taking up residence in the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based facility of 45th & Dean, content creation hub for A+E Networks. 4K cameras and production switchers from Blackmagic will assist with the production of content across A+E’s websites, linear channels and other platforms.

Among the gear that 45th & Dean brought in from Blackmagic are six URSA Mini 4.6K and two Micro Studio Camera 4K cameras to capture content in the studio and out in the field. The URSA Mini 4.6Ks have a Super 35mm sensor and 15 stops of dynamic range. In addition, four URSA Studio Viewfinders have been paired with the URSA Mini 4.6Ks, providing a 7-inch screen with viewable tally light, control knobs and large grab handles; two URSA Viewfinders are on deck for outdoor and handheld shooting.

Four Video Assists and four Video Assist 4Ks have also been added to assist in monitoring, focusing and framing shots, and recording. The Video Assist and Video Assist 4Ks are also used to transfer data post-production.

For multi-camera studio shoots, 45th & Dean has installed Blackmagic’s ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K system. This production switcher allows the team to switch between cameras, resolutions and deliver interactive content. An ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Panel is coupled with the ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, providing full access to controls and the ability to handle multi-layer live productions.  

LONDON—Blackmagic Design prides itself on selling a good piece of kit at a decent price (or in the case of DaVinci Resolve – for free). So, if you’re looking for a camera with high specifications then it would make sense to add the Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K to your research list.

Let's do the price first, because you’ve probably only got so much money to spend. It costs around £4,900 ex VAT for the body only. Compare this to the recently announced Canon C200 at £6,400 ex VAT or Panasonic’s upcoming AU-EVA1, which should be under €8,000 this autumn, and the Ursa certainly seems price competitive.

Even if you are not shooting Ultra HD or 4K it will help to future proof your purchase if the camera delivers that too. In fact, the Ursa Mini Pro offers 4.6K (4608x2592), 4K, UHD, 3K Anamorphic, 2K (DCI and 16:9) and HD resolution. There is Lossless Raw, Raw 3:1 and 4:1 along with ProRes444XQ down to ProRes Proxy recording.

However, while Raw 4:1 and Raw 3:1 compression is compatible with DaVinci Resolve, they may be incompatible with other applications. So, do check what software your grader is using.

For high dynamic range 15 stops of latitude seems to be the standard all new cameras must reach. While I don't have a test bench to check the claim, the camera certainly seems to cope well with HDR. So, with all this on offer, it looks like pretty good value for money.

FEED ME

There are four card slots for recording media: two for SD cards and two for CFast 2.0 - and if you shoot at the highest rates you will need a fair bit of storage. You only get six minutes of video on a 256GB card when shooting at 4.6K, 50p in CinemaDNG Raw. If your more modest production is happy with HD in ProRes 444 at 50p then it will record 61 minutes.

If you need to record at the highest quality it is worth checking which cards have been verified and recommended for use by Blackmagic. You can find this in the support pages of the Blackmagic Design website.

But if your client doesn’t need Raw footage then you should be able to use SD cards. If you record UHD on the camera, it recommends using the fastest UHS-II type SD cards, but UHS-1 cards are suitable for HD.

RAISE A GLASS

The Pro features an interchangeable lens mount with EF as standard, and options for PL and B4 lenses (with a Nikon mount to come), so if you have already invested in lenses you should be covered.

The PL mount has four pins to communicate with Cooke lenses using Cooke’s /i Technology interface. This lets you record lens information in your clips’ metadata such as the lens model, focal length, aperture setting, focus distance and other lens specific information, all of which can be read in Resolve.

Buying kit is an expensive business and having to buy accessories to bring things up to spec can quickly drain the budget, so it was good to see that the Pro has the all-important Neutral Density (ND) filters (clear, 2, 4 and 6 stops). ND was missing on the Mini so this is a very welcome upgrade.

The review kit came with a Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 constant aperture lens. My only gripe with the lens was that the iris is stepped rather than smooth and continuous. So, if you change exposure by several stops while recording it would be quite noticeable.

USER ACCESS

There is usually more than one way to access any of camera feature. If you can’t get at the on/off switch because of the design of the rig you’re using, no problem, just press and hold the record and forward step buttons on the control panel behind the LCD to power your camera on or off. Need to change audio levels? There are three ways to do it. And iris, shutter speed and ISO? There are couple of ways to adjust each one.

The LCD screen is touch sensitive. Most of the operations can be accessed by tapping on the screen and swiping a controller. However, be careful if you have large fingers. On some of the menu screens it was easy to accidentally change menu options that were on the edge of the screen when what you meant to do was select the Next Page navigation arrow.

There is also a free iPad app that lets you remotely control the camera via Bluetooth, including powering on or off, changing settings, adding metadata using a digital slate and triggering recording. This could be really useful if you are using the camera on a crane or other remote head.

TOGGLE SWITCHES AND BUTTONS

I really liked the feel of the ISO, shutter and white balance toggle controls. The ISO range is limited to a 200 (minimum) to 1600 (maximum) range. In comparison, my Canon C300 goes from 320 to 20,000. Colour temperature goes from 2,500K up to 10,000K, or if you prefer there are preset white balance options for daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, shade and cloudy conditions (DSLR owners will feel at home). All of these are accessed via the touch screen, as is manual white balancing.

The camera has a good range of outputs with 12G-SDI (for HD and UHD output), 3G-SDI, Reference and Timecode in, and 3.5mm headphone socket. There is also a Hirose 12-pin connector for broadcast lenses, plus a LANC remote control, 12G-SDI input for attaching to a switcher, 12 volt power and two XLR audio inputs with phantom power. Importantly, start up time is now just five seconds compared to about ten seconds with the earlier model.

TELL ME MORE

The Ursa Mini Pro’s flip out screen has shrunk from five inches to four, but it still feels right for the camera. The resolution is good and made focusing easy. There is also peaking and image magnification.

It is pretty intuitive finding your way around the menu, which has six tabbed sections – Record, Monitor, Audio, Setup, Presets and LUTS. There is also a menu wheel to navigate the menu – which at first I thought didn’t work until I realised it was for the navigation in the eyepiece only, which makes sense.

If the LCD screen is closed there is a monochrome status display screen that faces outwards showing all the important camera settings. All this info is available in the viewfinder too - or not, if you prefer a clean screen.

My only niggle about the screen is that there is only a histogram available. I’d prefer a waveform monitor, while a vectorscope would be the icing on the cake. But there are zebra stripes and a false colour screen to ensure exposure is correct. However, I loved the audio metres with their quick response and gentle decay. Tapping on them allows you to adjust the headphones and audio (CH1 and CH2) level inputs. There are rotary dials too, which I would be worried about adjusting by accident when on the shoulder. Those controls need to be protected.

Access to HFR (High Frame Rate) at the touch of a button is probably a good thing until you knock it by accident. Perhaps it also needs positioning in a more protected part of the camera.

As a trainer, the downside of my job is that I have to study a lot of camera operating manuals. Usually they are a poor afterthought and terrible bedtime reading. I know I’m speaking to a small audience (of manual readers) here - but the Ursa Mini Pro manual is a joy, well laid out and easy to follow.

URSA STUDIO MONITOR

The review kit also came with the Ursa Studio Viewfinder. The seven-inch LCD monitor has a standard four-pin XLR 12v power input. It mounts simply with a V-lock quick release plate. It has a deep sun hood to encourage you to use it on location as well as in the studio.

The monitor’s menu is comprehensive and simple to navigate. You’ll be able to customise it exactly as you want it - so much so, that the only improvement I can suggest is they make the user settings saveable to an internal memory or to an SD card so that when you take over a camera you can set up the monitor quickly to your own way of working.

CONCLUSION

Once again, Blackmagic has produced a high spec camera at a lower cost than its rivals. If you want to make the move into 4K the Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K delivers a good camera for the price, and many worthwhile improvements on its predecessor.

While I personally wouldn’t want to have the camera on my own shoulder all day due to the weight (2.3kg), those with broader shoulders will find the layout logical as it follows a similar form factor to what many experienced operators are used to.

For production companies that need to sweat their assets the Mini Pro can be a studio camera one day, an OB camera the next and then shooting a drama on day three.

Where the Mini was reliant on the touch screen, the Mini Pro makes good use of physical buttons and toggle switches. However, the touch screen has been well thought out and only enhances the experience of using the camera. With the Mini I felt like something was missing. Here with the Pro pretty much everything has been taken care of.

The Ursa does have a couple of interesting competitors hovering on the horizon, such as the Canon C200 and Panasonic’s EVA1, but, if you need a camera now I’d highly recommend you take it for test drive.

Read Christina Fox's previous review of the Ursa Mini 4.6K here.

Blackmagic Design’s Ursa Mini 4.6K is a 4K+ camera offering up to 15 stops dynamic range that looks ideal for drama, commercials or even studio work.

FEATURES

Despite the Mini label, the URSA Mini 4.6K is no lightweight at 3 kg. The Mini records to CFast 2.0 cards, as its higher bit rates require faster write speeds. It can record CinemaDNG Raw codecs with a choice of lossless 4.6K Raw or compressed 4.6K Raw. There are also ProRes 444 XQ, 444 HQ, 422 LT and Proxy for Ultra HD or HD. UHD at 25fps in ProRes 444 XQ offers 21 minutes recording time on a 256 GB card. A 10-second shot in UHD Prores444 is about 1.5 GB.

Frame rates include 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60 fps, depending on resolution, with the option of 40-120fps (in HD) for slow and fast motion. There is also a timelapse (interval recording) option.

The camera can come with a PL mount and takes B4 HD lenses using an adapter to the PL model, while the EF version can make use of Canon lenses. When the time comes, you should also be able to swap out the sensor. As new firmware upgrades and sensor technology arrive this might actually be a future-proof camera.

The Ursa Mini is no lightweight at more than 3 kg due to the strong metal chassis. Then you spot the size of the HD LCD touchscreen—at 5-inches, it is probably only bettered by the Ursa’s 10-inch screen.

There is peaking (green only—hopefully red will come in an upgrade) for focusing help. Plus, the camera comes with an adjustable side handle with auto focus, auto iris and record buttons. It can also be removed and attached to an arm if you plan to use the camera with the Blackmagic shoulder mount.

If you intend to use the camera outdoors and make use of the big sensor for shallow depth of field you’ll need some ND filters and a matte box, as it has no built-in ND filters. There is no manual or auto white balance; to white balance you choose from 2500K to 8000K using the touchscreen while keeping an eye on what effect it is having in the viewfinder.

Pressing the Menu button brings up six touchscreen icons from which to choose. The bottom three icons of histogram, audio meters and LCD overlays allow you to switch those items on or off the screen.

The Mini has two dynamic range options: film or video. The video setting uses the REC709 color standard for HD video, still useful to those with no time for a grade. The film setting shoots video using a log curve giving you a higher dynamic range. While the Mini 4K offered 12 stops, the 4.6K can deliver 15. You can set the dynamic range of the Mini’s touchscreen, SDI output and viewfinder independently. The 1080 HD OLED viewfinder is an extra option.

IN USE

One of the first things I did while waiting for the batteries to charge was to check for updates. Blackmagic announced firmware update 3.2 at the 2016 NAB Show, which seemed to mainly concentrate on added features to make this a better studio camera, including tally support, talkback, color correction, detail, color bars and lens control. (Blackmagic also launched a new 7-inch studio viewfinder at the show.) There was also improved color reproduction on the LCD screen and a LUT (look up table) on the SDI output. All these things lie dormant until you plug it into a switcher that supports the SDI protocol.

To start, you need to format your card as HFS+ or exFAT. Blackmagic recommends HFS+ as it supports journaling, which can make it easier to recover lost data. The LCD screen offers many settings and adjustments, though it can be difficult to view in the sunlight. There is a zoom button that gives a 1:1 pixel view, magnifying the image on the LCD screen and viewfinder—this can be helpful when focusing, especially when using a prime lens. But it will only work in 4.6K and Ultra HD mode.

With my 18-135mm Canon lens, changing exposure using auto iris was not practical when recording in low light. Pressing the button sent the camera to f32 and then to the suggested aperture, so there was a temporary dip to black before the shot reappeared. However, this didn’t happen in daylight shooting. Hopefully this was just a glitch that will be fixed in firmware.

This camera is not for really low-light use; ISO goes from 200 to 1600; 400 being the native ISO. So, you’ll need fast lenses if you don’t have lights. However, there seemed to be minimal noise in the shadows, and the camera’s 15-stop dynamic range doesn’t just preserve the highlights, it also gives deeper blacks.

The 1080 HD OLED viewfinder is definitely worth it. Crisp and with good color rendition, it was essential when working in sunlight.

SUMMARY

This is a great value for money camera. While the magnesium body makes it feel robust and substantial, it means it also really needs to go on a tripod. Compared to other cameras in its price range, it is heavy for on-the-shoulder shooting, especially when fully rigged with batteries and matte box. The pictures are really good straight out of the camera, but the HDR pictures actually looked great after one-button correction in Final Cut—and Blackmagic’s Resolve can do much more. So, there’s no excuse not to shoot in film mode and make the most of those 15 stops.

If you are shooting drama or commercials where you can plan shots and have grip equipment, the Mini will deliver excellent pictures and the additional pixels in its 4.6K sensor will be great in post if you need to reframe or stabilize the shots. With the addition of the larger viewfinder, this should really appeal to anyone needing to do studio or outside broadcast work. However, this is not a run-and-gun camera.

Christina Fox is a broadcast camera trainer with UrbanFox.tv. She has trained thousands of broadcasters, videographers and hobbyists to use cameras correctly, set up lighting and record good audio. Her list of clients includes the BBC, Channel 4, ITN, NBC, and the Press Association.

➤FAST FACTS

Application
Drama, commercials and studio or outside broadcast work.

KEY FEATURES
15 stops; 5-inch LCD screen; slow and fast motion recording; optional 1080 HD OLED viewfinder

PRICE
$4,995

CONTACT
Blackmagic Design
408-954-0500
www.blackmagicdesign.com