Blackmagic Design URSA Mini 4.6K Digital Cinema Camera (EF-Mount)
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Product Specifications
- Super-35mm CMOS Sensor
- 4608 x 2592 Video up to 60p
- Compressed Raw Recording
- Ready-to-Edit ProRes 444 + 422 Recording
Dual CFast 2.0 Memory Card Slots
Product Description
Sensor Size : 25.34mm x 14.25mm (Super35) Shooting Resolutions : 4608 x 2592 Lens Mount : EF Mount Screen Type : LCD capacitive touchscreen Screen Dimensions : 1 x 5?? - 1920 x 1080
Product Reviews
The images it produces are fantastic. There are a couple minor menu/functionality issues I …
So far, this camera exceeds expectations. The images it produces are fantastic. There are a couple minor menu/functionality issues I hope they address in upcoming firmware updates, but nothing major. For instance - it would be nice to be able to dial in the color temperature and shutter speed while looking at the shot. Currently, you can’t do that, you have to toggle in and out of the full page menu - it doesn’t overlay.
This camera is absolutely amazing!!
This camera is absolutely amazing!!! They may have had some production issues in the first few runs but they seem to have thier act together now. The video quality is absolutely superb and the included Davinci software is incredible for color grading.
Excellent Camera! I have no magenta cast nor vignetting
Excellent Camera! I have no magenta cast nor vignetting. The Dynamic Range is Amazing! If your a DSLR user, don’t expect to shoot with this camera straight out of the box. This is not a low light camera also, this is a cinema camera so you need lights on many occasions. If you have a magenta cast, adjust your tint in post. Arri and Red cameras have a green cast that has to be fixed in post. If you don’t have magenta corners or FPN, you have a good camera. Enjoy it for the price!
So far, so Good!
So far, so Good! Actually it’s amazing so far!
Great image, a lot of quirks but normal to …
Great image, a lot of quirks but normal to a Blackmagic User. Great under <8k camera for what you get.
MAGENTA NO MORE!
This “Magenta Cast” isn’t a cast. It literally is turning the image purple, and creating a very muddy image even when “corrected”. I used to be a fan boy, now I am looking elsewhere. Quite a shame.*** after the new firmware I’m blown away. Color is amazing, magenta gone, and now I’m able to enjoy the camera to no end. Great job with the fixes BMD.
After long consideration, I tried it and then returned it.
I endlessly research professional cameras, even still, since buying one. I shoot and edit vids for a large non-profit company 5 days a week. I got this, thinking it would suit me best over the many other choices because of the black magic color science, the prores/raw options and rez. Well, I’m sorry to say, I didn’t have this too long because it had fixed pattern noise beyond anything I have ever seen. It was like looking through graph-tracing paper. While this is an obvious defect that many have run into, I was not into a whole giant Black Magic return back and forth in hopes of getting a “good” copy. That kind of failure gives me zero confidence in the product, which I need during shoots. I find it unacceptable to have such abysmal QC for a $5k camera. Who knows what other ghost lurks in the machine. I would forever be worrying about it. Also, for me, it was far too heavy. It’s no Alexa, but it’s not really a handheld camera, and calling it a mini is kind of misleading, the side grip is almost pointless because of its lopsided weight. The other issues that contributed to this camera’s return - It’s power/battery config, sucks. Plain and simple. I don’t care that essentially it takes industry standard anton-bauer/gold-mount/v-mount batteries. Those batteries suck, I’ve always hated them, it’s time to move on. We live in 2016 and attaching a 2lb battery to a already heavy rig is stupid. These batteries do not last all day, not even close, so what’s the point of such weight. Sony NPF and BP batteries last all day long. I have been on 10hr shoots with one NPF-950 almost makes it. If you cannot build a camera that sucks up less juice than an ancient Arriflex film camera, mechanically pulling film through a gate at 24+ frames a second, then you need to stay out of the digital camera biz. The only reason Arri stuck with those batteries was to try and make the transition to digital more agreeable.Not only is it power hungry, but Black Magic doesn’t even give you a battery plate. Come on. While I applaud a non-proprietary battery solution, the options of only giant batteries because it uses so much juice is not a consolation.Menu system - Yes, it’s easy to navigate. But, for me, dedicated or assignable buttons beat easy-menus any day. This camera has what five exterior buttons?Low light performance - It’s has none. It goes to 1600 and in anything but daylight, it sucks or at least mine did. Not sure if the sensor’s fixed pattern noise also means it’s lowlight performance was hamstringed, but inside at 1600, mine was unusable. Alexa’s noise pattern is filmlike. Ursa Mini is not. It’s noise, ugly blotchy noise, I guess that is why they give you the full version of Resolve, because the only real missing feature between freebie and studio is noise reduction.Slow mo - A joke. Yes 60p at full rez is good, big whoop, anything higher is cropped sensor, which is pathetic; more noise and awkward FOV.Storage - CF2? Why choose the most expensive format. Because Red is the worst with media, you had to be second worst. Why they chose ssds for their first two cameras, ssds for Pocket and then CF2 for their flagship cameras makes no sense. Because the Alexa has it? Alexa has the codex, ssd’s are fine and cheap. Could they not fit a SSD in a Porsche chassis.I followed the great Tom Antos advice and used his solution with a breakout card to an ssd and it just added to the clunkiness.There are some other features I liked, but it doesn’t even matter, I returned it and bought a Sony Fs5 and couldn’t be happier. Sony knows how to build a camera. Sony knows batteries. Sony knows high frame rates. Sony knows lowlight. Why bother with the upstarts when they produce stuff like this. DOn’t get me wrong I love BMD’s whole aesthetic and ambition, but this camera was a firepower overspec’d antiquated tank the moment it was released.So what made me return it.Heavier than you’ve heard or think.Pathetic lowlight performance.Expensive media.Bad power solutions/power hungry.QC is a coin toss.Expensive essential accessories.Maybe getting a good copy changes everything, but these things alone soured me.Check out the FS5, flexible, hand-held miracle.
Pretty good camera
Pretty good camera…but man, it’s typical Blackmagic crud design choices. The picture is great, hard to complain about that…although shooting in certain situations I get lines across the screen. Turn the camera off and on and they go away. The screen is excellent. There’s red blotches on my footage…yeah, the fabled magenta problems you may hear about if looking for the camera. They have no idea what causes that. Can you imagine building a camera (so much so that it comes out a year late) and having no idea about a major flaw? But hey, ship it anyway! That’s Blackmagic’s motto! Supposedly they’re working on firmware to fix that. Git new batteries and spent a few hours taking off the back plate because the idiots use these tiny little screws and then put it in TIGHT. For a cover that most people will take off anyway. GENIUS.I mean, the picture is great. But this camera was supposed to have global shutter. They couldn’t figure it out but decided not to drop the price anyway. That’s awesome. It doesn’t skew too badly though, so it’s not a HUGE deal. Still, it’s typical of BM…shipping out shoddy products from day one, that have a great look but you have to go through a TON of garbage to get that picture. Customer service is fairly useless too. Maybe one day they’ll figure out how to act like professionals, that would be nice.
Great Camera! be prepared to buy add ons especially …
Great Camera! be prepared to buy add ons especially for run and gun. image is superb and much better overall experience than the original ursa and the production camera.
This product has major sensor issues. BM refusing to …
comments powered by DisqusThis product has major sensor issues. BM refusing to issue RMA’s. Checkout the black magic and BMCUSER forums for more details. Probably won’t be fixed until V2 of the sensor.
