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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Blackmagic Mini Ursa 4.6K New Footage looks darn good.

C

C. Burkhart

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I've always felt BM has a nice color science, it's just that everything else about their cameras suck really bad. The non 4.6K Ursa Mini on B&H has 2 1/2 stars from 34 reviews, many of which are nightmares. Aside from image issues, many complaints against actual camera functionality - corrupt cards, bad engineering decisions and body design, terrible audio, horrible customer service and cameras that just stop working shortly after purchase - mechanical / physical factors that could easily carry over to the 4.6K Ursa with the better image.

Also, will it actually deliver before NAB when they announce the URSA Mark III?

So yeah, they've made a good color science and image, but they need to now make a working, reliable camera.
 
Gene Sung said:
I've always felt BM has a nice color science, it's just that everything else about their cameras suck really bad. The non 4.6K Ursa Mini on B&H has 2 1/2 stars from 34 reviews, many of which are nightmares. Aside from image issues, many complaints against actual camera functionality - corrupt cards, bad engineering decisions and body design, terrible audio, horrible customer service and cameras that just stop working shortly after purchase - mechanical / physical factors that could easily carry over to the 4.6K Ursa with the better image.

Also, will it actually deliver before NAB when they announce the URSA Mark III?

So yeah, they've made a good color science and image, but they need to now make a working, reliable camera.
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I agree with you on almost all that you have said, but I still think the image and highlight roll-off is a major improvement from their previous generations.
 
I am totally new to video and was waiting for BM to come out with the 4.6k. With no release date in site I decided to look else ware. This let me to Red. After reading B H reviews on the ursa mini 4k I am so glad I have a deposit on Scarlet W. I have to say I joined the BM user forum and it was nothing compared to reduser. With red I feel like I am joining a family.
 
Carl Epstein said:
I am totally new to video and was waiting for BM to come out with the 4.6k. With no release date in site I decided to look else ware. This let me to Red. After reading B H reviews on the ursa mini 4k I am so glad I have a deposit on Scarlet W. I have to say I joined the BM user forum and it was nothing compared to reduser. With red I feel like I am joining a family.
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Welcome :) you'll be glad you jumped in.
 
I was skeptical on the exposure range and noise level of the first couple of generations of BMD cameras, but the new one looks very good so far.
 
I'm with Gene, Have you ever tried to shoot an Ursa.

The thing is a monster weight wise, and it was designed by committee. There wasn't even timecode support when it first came out, and even now it took me just screwing around with the camera to find a way to see if it actually Jammed. But my very favorite thing is the forward and back play buttons to adjust the iris on the lens...

The Ursa mini looks like a heck of a value, and I'll try to keep an open mind, but thus far my experience with BM cameras is not good. A shame because they do a lot of really good gear.
 
Recent images undoubtedly look good. A shooter who knows what he/she is doing will get stunning images from the Ursa Mini 4.6, I think.
 
Stephen Lovett said:
The thing is a monster weight wise, and it was designed by committee. There wasn't even timecode support when it first came out, and even now it took me just screwing around with the camera to find a way to see if it actually Jammed. But my very favorite thing is the forward and back play buttons to adjust the iris on the lens...
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Well, it is named after a telecine that was a rather large and heavy device....
Maybe the next one should be named Ursa Gold. And the one after that Ursa Diamond. They could even rename the included copy of Resolve Studio to Amigo.... (a little telecine humor for those of us who have been around for a while.....)
 
I suspect that the images being released are by employees of BMC... captain hook is fo sure
 
I recently saw a couple of Ursa Minis fitted with 30-300 Canon lenses while shooting NYC fashion week.
The cameramen were showing some playback of footage shot during a runway rehearsal and I have to say it looked impressive.
There were pretty bright flourescent bulbs that were part of the runway set that the Ursa mini held in the highlights quite well.
I was shooting with an FS7 though I couldn't compare the 2 as the FS7 was setup with Standard gamma while the Ursa mini looked like
it was LOG.
I have to commend BMD for the maturation in their camera line. The camera looked a little bigger than I expected though.

Having said that, I don't think it fully matches a Raven or Scarlet W in terms of the overall features in Image Quality.
The fact alone that RED still upgrades the Gamma and Color Science in a manner that can be applied to all REDCODE RAW
footage is unprecedented. And of course the Sensor design.
RED went a bit further in price and performance than I ever thought they would go.

BMD gives an interesting option though.

Brian Timmons
BRITIM/MEDIA
 
I know a couple people who went from MX who are now playing with the 4.6k and they say it's leaps better. None of them have used dragon extensively... Very curious to see how it compares from an image standpoint.
 
i for one am extremely curious why the product is taking so long to get to market. Is BM having trouble simply trying to get it right or they cooking up something with superior value that they are sitting on until the time is right? Were the announced specs too far ahead of the development of the camera? Tomorrow will be the 2 month window to NAB 2016. If BM chooses to finally release this product anywhere close or after the start of the trade show with features not completely locked down, I think their reputation may be scorched as a professional camera manufacturer.

BM capture products feel too 'glitchy' for me to build a ecosystem around. The RAW is too dense and unwieldily from a production standpoint. I certainly wish them well, but they make my palms sweaty, and not in a good way.
 
I've edited and graded a lot of BM footage and the pocket aside (no, that camera is NOT good), I usually like the colors I get from a basic balance in Resolve. As for technical issues, the people I've worked with said that they usually don't have any problems, then again, they don't shoot raw most of the time.
 
Well, public confidence will soon get put to a vote. ProRes is now available in other camera flavors with manageable RAW acquisition. The 4.6K is BM top of the line offering. So, it really needs to make a splash.
 
M Most said:
Well, it is named after a telecine that was a rather large and heavy device....
Maybe the next one should be named Ursa Gold. And the one after that Ursa Diamond. They could even rename the included copy of Resolve Studio to Amigo.... (a little telecine humor for those of us who have been around for a while.....)
Click to expand...

It's not named after a telecine, but it's interesting to note that Grant started off as a telecine engineer working on an URSA Gold when I first met him. He ended up buying the company recently (Cintel) and making the first new film scanner in some years.

JB
 
Bob Gundu said:
Bottom line is that they're cheaply made with zero support. Fine for hobbiests. And they'll probably showcase a new product at NAB too that they'll struggle to ship.
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I agree. The only way to get that image at that price point is to cut all possible corners when it comes to design and reliability.
 
John Brawley said:
It's not named after a telecine
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Are you sure about that? And that it's merely a coincidence that the Ursa camera line was unveiled shortly after the acquisition of Cintel (thus giving BM rights to the name)?
 
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