Why you possibly can belief Digital Digital camera World
Our knowledgeable reviewers spend hours testing and evaluating services and products so you possibly can select the perfect for you. Learn how we take a look at.
Blackmagic Design appears to be one of many few digital camera firms forging new floor within the cinema digital camera house, pushing not simply decision however making an attempt new applied sciences, and the Ursa Cine 12K LF is the most recent instance of this. Aimed squarely on the filmmaking group, the Ursa goals to supply all of the options you could possibly want for capturing the perfect picture, with all of the trimmings for supporting it in that function.
I’ve rigged and shot with many cameras through the years, from DSLRs again within the day, quite a few mirrorless techniques, an entire vary of cinema cameras, and have spent numerous hours rigging and taking pictures in all method of conditions. I don’t consider there’s a ‘finest’ digital camera on the market, solely the perfect for you, or for a given job. The Ursa seems to be set to supply versatility, high quality, and a type issue that permits it to excel in as many conditions as doable, although, with a characteristic set that ought to ship the products.
However does it ship? I’ve spent a while with it now, weighing up the professionals and cons, specializing in all the pieces from the shape issue, picture high quality, rig integration, to the general consumer expertise.
URSA Cine 12K LF: Specs
|
Sensor measurement |
35.64mm x 23.32mm |
|
Dynamic vary |
16 stops |
|
Dimensions |
6” x 6” x 11” Physique solely |
|
Weight |
8.72lbs |
|
Body charges |
23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60 fps, plus numerous excessive charges |
URSA Cine 12K LF: Value
The Ursa Cine 12k LF is available in quite a few bundles/kits beginning at $7,695 / £7014, which is an enormous funding, but it surely compares very favorably with different high-end cinema cameras. You get a variety of functionality in your cash, so even when 12K isn’t one thing you’ll be delivering, you continue to get a implausible 4k and 8K digital camera, with a degree of future proofing in-built, alongside all the opposite advantages Blackmagic supplies. I’m additionally an enormous fan of the peli instances these include, with custom-cut inserts to maintain all the pieces secure and organised. Simply keep in mind to consider the price of issues like media, plus you’ll want to make sure your helps can deal with the dimensions and weight. The value is nice, although, and you’ll truly purchase it, in contrast to sure members of the competitors.
URSA Cine 12K LF: Design & Dealing with
The Ursa is a considerable piece of apparatus which feels very properly put collectively, from the end to each screw, bolt, hinge and button. Though it takes its toll on the shoulder after some time, that weight will be helpful, because it removes some micro jitters. A very good factor, as cine cameras typically aren’t stabilised internally. That stated, the dimensions and weight imply you’ll wish to use one thing like tripod or a straightforward rig, because it’s only a bit an excessive amount of for handheld work. With a battery, lens, and different add-ons, the load might be someplace across the 15 lbs plus mark.
In case you’ve seen the photographs, you’ll discover how the physique seems to be similar to the Ursa Mini Professional, and sure, style-wise, there’s a shared design language. The Cine is bigger and heavier, but in addition feels constructed to a good increased high quality. Apparent variations are that the primary LCD is a 5” choice and brilliant sufficient for use in daylight, plus the information display on the surface is color, which may support in rapidly checking issues. Equally, the buttons illuminate, usually in numerous colors. For instance, the ND filter buttons change color so you already know the place you might be always. I choose this setup a lot greater than the older rotary knob they used to make use of.
Then, in fact, there may be that pretty massive assistant’s monitor on the AC aspect of the digital camera, which is huge, brilliant, and crisp, with its personal set of buttons devoted to capabilities an AC would profit from, like enhancing slate information.
IO is plentiful and covers all of the bases. There is a 12G SDI, full-size XLR on the highest rear (though I’m not a fan of the flappy cowl, I’d a lot relatively have a hinged lid) and quite a few USB-C ports. One up entrance for sending energy and information to the EVF or Pyxis monitor, and others for information. There’s a DC energy enter, and beneath the fold-out monitor is the media bay. This may take both of Blackmagic’s media cartridges (extra on this later). There’s a 7-pin LEMO port, timecode and reference ports, and a 10GB Ethernet port, plus twin wifi aerial ports on high.
Rigging factors will be discovered up high and beneath. These are fundamental however serve the aim of including tripod plates, high handles, and the like. Due to that further display, there’s no house for a aspect plate or deal with, however I don’t assume that might be an issue for anyone this digital camera. Remember the fact that cooling is dealt with by venting on the highest and backside, so it would be best to maintain these clear and likewise think about a rain hood to guard the internals, that are considerably weak out of the field.
I’ve been testing utilizing Blackmagic’s high deal with, which provides some rigging factors on high, excellent for a straightforward rig launch or one other monitor. This deal with is similar because the Pyxis, that means it has slots for including the EVF/monitor equipment. I don’t normally like being tied into what a producer needs me to make use of, however the rod setup right here is actually good, so I’m completely happy. The rods are good for including my Nucleus motors. The setup permits for tremendous quick adjustment of the EVF too, so when altering place, retaining taking pictures isn’t held up by tweaking the rig.
I used to be despatched the PL model of the Ursa Cine; nevertheless, it’s accessible as a locking EF or LPL too.
Total, this makes a compelling bundle that’s simple to make use of, as a single operator or as a part of a crew. An AC can very simply work on the additional display, pulling focus, including taking pictures, and so forth. The colourfully illuminated buttons permit for an at-a-glance operation, though I discover the file button placement to be awkward in sure positions. Nonetheless, there’s one other on the EVF which I discover I take advantage of much more, together with the opposite perform buttons discovered there. All of the buttons will be locked with a small swap. A very good security web characteristic, however there’s no method to customise what will get locked or not that I might discover, which is a disgrace however may very well be sorted in a firmware replace.
With a B-mount battery and a lens, the rig finally ends up at 19” lengthy. Not precisely a stealthy run and gun rig, however then the audience for this kind of digital camera will probably not be fearful by that.
URSA Cine 12K LF: Efficiency
Let’s begin with that sensor. The Cine 12 can shoot 3:2 open gate, in addition to anamorphic in a spread of squeeze elements. Capturing open gate means no want for calculating crop elements, so focal lengths keep constant, and also you get the advantages of utilizing all the sensor. The sensor is massive at round 51mm x 23mm, which is 65mm. The excessive pixel rely means the pitch is relatively small, and I had thought this is perhaps detrimental to dynamic vary, in addition to introduce some noise, however the intelligent folks at Blackmagic have developed a brand new sensor structure which makes use of RGBW, with the ‘W’ dealing with gamma. The tip result’s a claimed dynamic vary of 16 stops. I’m usually cautious in terms of producers’ claims, however Blackmagic has at all times been fairly true to their phrase, and taking pictures on this, I’d say 16 stops is correct.
That stated, it is a digital camera that likes mild. When testing ISO efficiency, I did discover that decrease ISO launched noise pretty rapidly; nevertheless, increased settings had been rather more forgiving.
Capturing at increased high quality settings in digital camera, then downscaling in Resolve, will yield higher outcomes, but it surely’s good you can make the most of the total sensor and do it in digital camera, saving on a number of the large file sizes. That stated, the Ursa nonetheless produces pretty outcomes, and the shortage of cropping or pixel binning is an enormous plus. No must calculate how a lot of the body you’re going to lose.
Now, the elephant within the room with a sensor so massive is the dimensions of the information. These can get fairly massive, at round 1,194 Mbps information price on the highest high quality setting of three:1 compression. It will clearly eat up media very quickly, however you possibly can tackle this utilizing increased compression settings. On the max 18:1, you get 199mbps. The draw back to that is that some apparent artefacts are current. They aren’t so apparent at 8:1 however grow to be extra so at 12:1 as you’d count on. The picture remains to be very usable at these charges, however for those who’re taking pictures content material the place element is essential, then it would be best to spend money on extra storage. Zoom right into a 12:1 body, and you’ll see the shortage in readability round sure particulars, similar to textual content or small foliage. The Cine 12K does cope with moire properly, because of the inclusion of an optical low-pass filter that handles aliasing and sample noise you see on issues like materials or bricks. This works very properly, and even zoomed in to a body, there’s no proof of those points.
Storage itself is available in two flavours. You should utilize the CF Specific caddy, however do examine on which playing cards are supported, as with every different digital camera. Or go for the M.2 drives, that are implausible, though you possibly can max these out fairly quick too. On the highest fixed high quality settings, you possibly can shoot for over 2 hours, however that may fill 8TB. This may be drastically diminished, although. Use Q3, nonetheless open gate at 24fps, and also you’ll recover from 7 hours. Blackmagic has a helpful calculator, making it simple to see what totally different balances of high quality, pace, and storage might work in your wants.
Transferring these information is properly catered for too. You should utilize wifi, a Blackmagic dock for the media caddies, or hook up through 10gig Ethernet, my most popular selection.
The Ursa Cine 12K additionally permits for proxies, on the fly, that may be uploaded to the Blackmagic Cloud, utilizing wifi and even your telephone, all concurrently capturing your full high quality footage.
Dealing with the footage in Resolve is surprisingly quick. My M4 Professional MacBook Professional dealt with all the pieces properly, and an older M1 MacBook didn’t appear too bothered by the information both. I did take a look at some fusion comps, which had been maybe just a little slower however not in any significant method, though this may, in fact, depend upon what you throw at it.
Now, there’s no world shutter on supply right here, however don’t fear an excessive amount of about rolling shutter. I’ve no method to take a look at this to any diploma of accuracy, however others have, and studies are round 12ms, which is fairly spectacular and will be diminished additional by utilizing a decrease decision, with none cropping of the picture. In my real-world assessments, I discovered no vital jello results in any respect, aside from the quickest of pans, and even these will be countered in Resolve. Sure, it’s one other step within the workflow, however not an enormous one, and for all the opposite advantages of this digital camera, one thing I can reside with.
The Ursa CIne 12K runs Blackmagic’s newest gen 5 color science, which is gorgeous. The steadiness between element, saturation, readability, and distinction is great, producing actually pretty photographs with the sort of spotlight rolloff I actually recognize. That stated, getting probably the most out of your footage will imply performing some work in Resolve, navigating the very full lists of color house transforms, however that’s one thing you solely really want to nail as soon as. The footage is endlessly tweakable with a variety of latitude. Correcting after which making use of any styling is easy and permits for a colourist to essentially go to city. Likewise, for VFX photographs, the bump in decision to 12K ought to imply comp work, monitoring, and so forth are correct too.
Now, again to the digital camera and its further display. It is a characteristic that I want extra cameras had. Even for solo shooters, it’s an actual pleasure. The big, brilliant show is straightforward on the attention, at 1600nits with a sunshade. It provides fast entry so as to add helpful slate information and has some helpful advantages for pulling focus. In case your lens is suitable, you get matched focal distance and aperture scales, with markers. For crew shoots, that is actually a helpful characteristic, and even for the lone operator, it has its makes use of, particularly when mounted on a tripod. It doesn’t articulate, nevertheless, in contrast to the primary display, which will be flipped, retaining issues compact.
Blackmagic’s app can management the digital camera too, through Bluetooth and an iPad. That is helpful not only for a hands-off strategy but in addition for when the digital camera is mounted in a clumsy place, say on a crane.
A be aware on working. Blackmagic has fingers down the cleanest, most intuitive consumer interface of any digital camera system. I can tolerate others, however truly benefit from the OS right here. It’s good to have a look at, logical, and by no means feels overwhelming. Making use of totally different settings to the varied outputs is a breeze, adjusting something takes no quite a lot of clicks, and most will be executed through buttons and switches for those who choose to work that method. The bodily controls are nice too. I actually like the mixture of encoders, buttons, and switches, which makes it simple to lock in muscle reminiscence. Excellent for dimly lit areas.
With all this in thoughts, you’ll want a stable energy supply too. Fortunately, you’ve gotten loads of selections right here. The Ursa ships with a B mount battery plate, however there are alternatives for V mount and gold mount plates, at very cheap costs, making it simple to adapt to your desire. It does include a hefty 250-watt energy provide too, excellent for these taking pictures indoors or with entry to a generator on location. How a lot mileage you get out of your setup will range, with not simply equipment being powered but in addition the sort, capability, and age of your batteries, in addition to ambient temperature. For sending energy elsewhere, there are customary Lemo and Fischer connectors, in addition to USB-C ports, ideally suited for retaining your telephone powered for streaming and offloading proxies.
One very last thing to remember is your lens selection. There’s no level having a 12K sensor in case your glass isn’t able to resolving that element in addition to offering protection for the sensor measurement. My testing was executed utilizing Tokina Vista primes, which turned out to be an ideal match. For a lot of, this might be a case of lens leases, however in case you have already invested in glass, be certain your selections play properly collectively.
I wished to check the real-world outcomes of the varied compression settings, so I arrange a quite simple scene, with simply two lights. Plenty of distinction, some pores and skin tones, numerous textures, and so forth, then recorded utilizing each 12K and 4K, utilizing all of the totally different compression settings. Dropping them on a HD timeline, as that’s nonetheless how a lot content material is delivered. I did a easy color correction and color house rework, which is similar throughout all of the clips. I am amazed at how little distinction there may be in the long run outcomes, and this exhibits not simply how good BRAW is but in addition demonstrates the in-camera downsampling. Sure, the variations could be much more apparent on a 12K timeline, however the precise use case for that’s negligible. For now.
URSA Cine 12K LF: Verdict
The Ursa Cine 12K is a powerhouse of a digital camera. Operation is a pleasure, though be certain the dimensions and weight are suited to your wants. The image is gorgeous, even at increased compression settings, because of BRAW, and there are many choices to handle high quality vs file measurement. Sure, media could also be costly, however that’s going to be the case for any digital camera with these sorts of information charges, and you’ll mitigate that relying on the mission you’re taking pictures. Dealing with the information is much less of a headache than you may think, even on older machines, plus the proxy system is ace. Blackmagic has hit an actual residence run with the Cine 12K. It produces photographs similar to cameras that price considerably extra and pairs seamlessly with Resolve (which you’d count on).
|
Options ★★★★★ |
The Ursa Cine 12K has nearly each characteristic you could possibly need, from a full vary of IO, to built-in NDs, numerous media choices and wifi connectivity. |
|
Design ★★★★☆ |
Though partly private I’d recommend the design of the Ursa is great. All the things falls at hand properly, the UI is implausible and operation is straightforward from either side. It’s a little on the beefy aspect although. |
|
Efficiency ★★★★★ |
The Ursa Cine 12K excels in most regards. Picture high quality is outstanding, the working system could be very responsive and it’s fairly good on energy utilization too. |
|
Worth ★★★★★ |
It’s a big chunk of money however for those who’re available in the market for a digital camera of this sort, it’s a worthy funding. It’s fairly futureproof and adaptable to a number of taking pictures situations. |
✅ Purchase it…
- Decision and high quality high your record of necessities
- You recognize a clear easy consumer expertise
🚫 Do not buy it…
- In case you want a small mild bundle