BlackMagic - URSA Mini

Thomas Smet said:
I sat down to figure out the true cost of buying the mini and have come to the conclusion that I value still being married to buying a mini right now.

For me the single biggest issue to purchase a mini is the move to EF lenses. I currently have a nice collection of m43 lenses which I love. Investing in a new set of EF lenses will very likely cost me at least $2,000.00.

URSA mini = $5,000.00
New set of EF lenses (Rokinon for cost savings) = $2,000.00
C-Fast cards x2 128GB = $1,000.00
V mount battery kit x2 = $1,000.00
Viewfinder = $1,500.00
Shoulder mount = $400.00

I'm now up to $10,900.00 not including tax or shipping or any other minor accessories I would likely need. I'm sure at some point 2 batteries and 2 Cfast cards may not be enough so tack on another $1,000.00.

Even if they did have a m43 version I would still be looking at a $9,000.00 camera. Ouch.
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There are of course ways to lower the initial investment for those on tighter budgets. opt for a starter zoom lens with a few fast primes, the slower atomos CFast cards, and power wise, it's annoying that they don't publish the draw, but you can get aftermarket bpu60 batteries and an adapter plate for a fraction of v mount
 
Erik Naso said:
A lot to like with the URSA Mini. I sure want to know more about the 4.6K sensor. The original URSA used the same sensor as the BMPC 4K correct? Didn't that have fixed pattern issues and black dot when clipped problems? Did this get resolved yet?
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the 64,000 question for sure

i was a bit skeptical of grant petty's interview about that. it seemed like he wanted it to come across that they had the sensor purpose built for them, but his words are conflicting between something that a manufacturer already had, that they got at a bulk discount, or that they told a manufacture what they wanted and the manufacturer made them that sensor.

folks have already found off the shelf sensors that appear to match the specs of the 4.6k, but i doubt BM will actually disclose what it is. if it performs well, then who cares?
 
Can you adjust audio levels without having the 5" side monitor open? It looks from video I've seen that the function buttons and audio dials on the body are covered by the monitor which would make it hard to change on the fly when shoulder moutned. Can anyone confirm?
 
geffyb said:
3072 x 2560 (3K Anamorphic) Is listed in the specs on the camera, but not if this is a ProRes or RAW only mode, anyone have any more info on this?

EDIT: Looks like RAW only.
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RAW only mode, although there are various other ProRes modes.

FrameFarmMedia said:
Exposing by eye is a great way to blow proper exposure in log gammas and end up with compressed skin tones etc..
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Not lobbying for anymore or any less tools, just would like to point out when you actually know your tool, exposing by eye tends to come naturally and quickly, as quick as a light meter. This is even easier when your camera boasts more than say 10-11 stops.

Erik Naso said:
A lot to like with the URSA Mini. I sure want to know more about the 4.6K sensor. The original URSA used the same sensor as the BMPC 4K correct? Didn't that have fixed pattern issues and black dot when clipped problems? Did this get resolved yet?
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The 4K and 4.6K sensors are not similar in any way (aside from Ks?).

Fixed pattern issues existed, were mostly rectified. In URSA, the 4K sensor has almost zero fixed patterned issues (I shoot with it decently lowlight often) and performs better. It should, the camera's built around the philosophy of taking a sensor and maximizing it.

The black spot was still present, though. The 4.6K Sensor will not have this problem at all, you can check Hook's footage. He did zero black spot fixing in post. I'd like to point out that Alexa also still has this issue (Not to such extremes often), so it's not limited to BMD cameras.

BMDs sensor choice this time around might be "slightly" off the shelf, but it isn't exactly what people have pointed out. As in, well, I guess it's not really off the shelf for many reasons.

FrameFarmMedia said:
Can you adjust audio levels without having the 5" side monitor open? It looks from video I've seen that the function buttons and audio dials on the body are covered by the monitor which would make it hard to change on the fly when shoulder moutned. Can anyone confirm?
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You can't, they're set before hand. URSA's a different story, you can set audio levels at any point at the dummy side controls. I don't know the last time the sound guy was ever hovering over my shoulder for any reason at all--including to check the frame, after picking URSA up, even being tether to the camera (audio's solid, I don't run separate sound for anything more than redundancy these days.)
 
Darren Levine said:
There are of course ways to lower the initial investment for those on tighter budgets. opt for a starter zoom lens with a few fast primes, the slower atomos CFast cards, and power wise, it's annoying that they don't publish the draw, but you can get aftermarket bpu60 batteries and an adapter plate for a fraction of v mount
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Those Atomos cards likely will not work. You'll need to go for the Lexars or newer Sandisk cards.

I'm not sure about the draw, but I can tell you that I get 1.5hours out of a 95WH battery on URSA, driving three screens, phantom power going, etc. And these are old 95WH batteries.
 
Eh the audio knobs being behind the screen could be an issue if you are shooting shoulder mounted and you need to adjust the levels quickly.
 
I suspect Frame Farm Media's thoughts were regarding audio level control as a solo operator w/o sound person. You can probably intercept the audio externally with a small-ish interface for quick adjustment.
 
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Just an FYI, I spoke to the rep at NAB, He said Black Magic developed the Ursa mini sensor from the ground up. All in house.
 
maranfilms said:
Just an FYI, I spoke to the rep at NAB, He said Black Magic developed the Ursa mini sensor from the ground up. All in house.
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Which probably means that they developed their own internal spec and then looked to see what sensor on the market was the closest match.
 
Can you only adjust WB, Iris and ISO by taking it off your shoulder, opening the door and going into the menu (as I just read in another thread)? Or can you assign these functions to buttons (please say yes)?
 
Good question! I can't remember if they can be programmed. That would be a HUGE negative being that it's a feature we've had so long in other cams that it's more or less expected. If not, I wonder if it could be implemented through a firmware update. However, If in fact they are non programmable it wouldn't be all that surprising considering their track record of missing features one would expect in 2015.
 
Surf it Mike said:
Don't BM mention those viewfinder buttons are programmable ?
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Viewfinder buttons are all programmable, and so are the F1/F2 buttons on the panel.

The Viewfinder also (of course) controls the menus which are all pretty simple to navigate.

I wouldn't be surprised of the entire menu layout changed before arrival to make it easier/faster.
 
Just to be clear, you can assign manual iris control to the F1/F2 buttons or to the buttons on the viewfinder if you are using a Canon EF lens with no manual iris ring, is that correct? The iris control on the handle is just auto iris.
 
Sam Scoggins said:
Just to be clear, you can assign manual iris control to the F1/F2 buttons or to the buttons on the viewfinder if you are using a Canon EF lens with no manual iris ring, is that correct? The iris control on the handle is just auto iris.
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The forward and backward buttons on the exterior of the LCD panel act as iris buttons, but I'm sure you could probably assign iris to those as well.

It's up near your face, you reach between your jaw and the camera to tap them.

Maybe BMD might think about adding a wheel to the already nice grip, or some sort of dial. I'm actually really excited to snap those accessories onto my own Ursa.
 
Another camera from BMD?!? Do these guys even sleep?!?
I liked the image from the Ursa, but it was just too big and heavy for my purposes. (this is coming from a guy who doesn't much care for little cameras)
I thought; if only it were a bit smaller, I'd buy one...
Voila! Ursa Mini!
My prayers have been answered...almost.
As many others have pointed out, no ND filters is a sort of a big deal.
One observation with Black Magic; Function follows form. (rather than the other way around)
Aesthetics seem to override everything at Black Magic.
I can just imagine BM marketing asking for ND filters, but the designers saying: "But then the camera won't look sleek anymore..."
Their first cameras were nice to look at. (no doubt inspired by Apple) but they were a bit of a pain to use.
I would seriously consider this camera, but BM, if you're listening: ND filters should be a real consideration in this segment of the market.
 
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