URSA Mini Pro unveiled
Blackmagic Design’s new URSA Mini Pro is a big upgrade from the current URSA Mini 4.6K, although it still uses that camera’s Super35 size sensor. The Pro model now features built-in ND filters, user-changeable lens mounts and a new control layout to make it faster and easier to use – especially for faster run-and-gun type work. It’s designed to mix a cinema-style camera with an ENG-type camera and is aimed at stealing sales from the popular Sony FS7 and Canon C300 Mark II.
The changeable lens mounts are unique in a camera of this type. The camera comes with a Canon EF mount, but you will be able to buy PL, B4 and Nikon mounts. You just unscrew the EF mount and bolt on the mount of your choice.
The camera has four card slots, two for C-Fast 2.0 and two SD. There will also be optional SSD recorder that fits between the camera and battery.
The LCD panel is now easier to read and there is a now a dedicated high frame rate button. Frame rates are the same as the URSA mini and go up to 60fps in 4.6L although you can overcrank to 120fps in a cropped 2K size.
The camera will record resolutions of 4608 x 2592, 4608 x 1920 (4.6K 2.40:1), 4096 x 2304 (4K 16:9), 4096 x 2160 (4K DCI), 3840 x 2160 (Ultra HD), 3072 x 2560 (3K Anamorphic), 2048 x 1152 (2K 16:9), 2048×1080 (2K DCI), and 1920 x 1080.
The camera is available now for £5902/ $5995 and comes with a full version of DaVinci Resolve. The full press release says:
Introducing URSA Mini Pro, a professional digital film camera that combines the incredible image quality of URSA Mini 4.6K with the features and controls of a traditional broadcast camera! You get a massive number of ergonomically designed controls on the side of the camera so you can adjust most settings by feel, and without ever having to take your eyes off the action. URSA Mini Pro also features built in ND filters, a status display and a revolutionary new interchangeable lens mount that lets you change between EF photographic lenses or PL and B4 lenses. URSA Mini Pro records up to 60fps and features dual C-Fast 2.0 recorders as well as dual UHS-II SD Card recorders. URSA Mini Pro is lightweight and comfortable enough to use all day, has controls that are extremely fast to use, and image quality that’s far superior to broadcast cameras costing ten times more!
URSA Mini Pro is “three cameras in one” because it combines high end digital film quality with the ergonomics and features broadcasters need. It’s ideal for any kind of work from high end feature films, television shows and commercials, to independent films, broadcast news, and even studio and live production! URSA Mini Pro features beyond Ultra HD 4.6K resolution plus 15 stops of dynamic range, all with a super wide color gamut and DaVinci color science so you always capture cinematic quality images. The super compact body features broadcast camera ergonomics and advanced operating software that make it faster to set up and use than any other camera! Whether you’re on set, on location or shooting run and gun, URSA Mini Pro has the image quality and features you need to work on any type of project!
The URSA Mini family are powerful and robust cameras that are available in five different versions, so you can choose the camera that best suits your needs. Choose the affordable URSA Mini 4K and URSA Mini 4.6K models with cinema quality, fixed EF or PL lens mounts, and dual C-Fast card recorders. Or choose the all new, advanced URSA Mini Pro 4.6K that adds built in ND filters, an interchangeable lens mount, dual C-Fast UHS-II SD card recorders and powerful broadcast features and controls!
URSA Mini Pro is designed to include everything you need in a handheld camera so you can take it anywhere! Unlike cheap plastic cameras, the evenly weighted camera body is made out of a super tough magnesium alloy. It’s a true professional camera with full redundancy on every control, even the power switch! Plus, the tactile controls allow full setting changes without having to take the camera off your shoulder! There’s an external high visibility LCD status display so you can see critical shooting information, and a 4” foldout touch screen for reviewing shots so you don’t have to carry an extra on-set monitor! You get professional connections such as 12G-SDI, XLR audio, a built in high quality microphone and more. The optional electronic viewfinder and shoulder mount kit lets you go from tripod to handheld shooting in seconds, or you can turn URSA Mini Pro into the ultimate live production camera by adding an URSA Studio Viewfinder!
URSA Mini Pro features high quality neutral density (ND) filters that let you quickly reduce the amount of light entering the camera. The 2, 4 and 6 stop filters have been specifically designed to match the colorimetry and color science of URSA Mini Pro, providing you with additional latitude, even under harsh lighting conditions. This lets you use different combinations of aperture and shutter angle to achieve shallower depth of field, or specific levels of motion blur, in a wider range of situations. The IR filters have been designed to filter both optical wave lengths and IR wave lengths evenly to eliminate IR contamination of the images that most ND filters can suffer from. The ND filters are true optical filters with a precision mechanism that quickly moves them into place when the ND filter dial is turned. The filter settings can even be displayed as either an ND number, stop reduction or fraction on the LCD!
Like the world’s best broadcast cameras, URSA Mini Pro features powerful tactile control buttons, switches, knobs and dials, giving you direct access to the most important camera settings. The controls are laid out in a logical order that makes them easy to remember, so you’ll be able to adjust settings, use ND filters, change frame rate and even snap a still photo without having to look at the buttons or take the camera off of your shoulder. The external controls are so fast to use, you don’t even have to stop shooting! That’s what makes URSA Mini Pro both a powerful broadcast and studio camera, as well as a digital film camera!
Different projects require different lenses, which is why URSA Mini Pro features a new interchangeable lens mount! Imagine shooting regular work using a photography lens but then being able to change to a PL mount cinema lens if you get a high end film job. URSA Mini Pro makes that easy because you can quickly switch between EF, PL and B4 lenses, making it compatible with the widest possible range of professional lenses. That means you can work with high quality EF photographic lenses, large PL cinema lenses, and even B4 broadcast lenses, all with the same camera! URSA Mini Pro comes with an EF mount and you can purchase optional PL and B4 lens mounts separately. With URSA Mini Pro, you get a single camera that works with virtually all professional lenses so you can choose precisely the lens you need!
The status display is a high visibility LCD screen that’s designed to be easily seen, even in bright light! The status display shows record timecode, locked timecode and reference timecode, along with the current shooting frame rate, shutter angle, aperture, white balance, ISO and IRIS. It also features a battery indicator, card recording status and audio meters for monitoring levels. The screen’s backlight can be turned on when you’re shooting in dimly lit locations, and off when you’re shooting outdoors and in bright light to increase contrast, making it easy to read under any condition!
When it comes to image quality, URSA Mini Pro operates at a higher resolution and dynamic range that goes well beyond traditional motion picture film. You get a 4.6K image sensor that captures up to 4608 x 2592 pixels, which is bigger than full DCI 4K! The sensor features a massive 15 stops of dynamic range, making it perfect for high dynamic range (HDR) projects. The built in active refrigeration ensures maximum dynamic range and low noise so you get incredibly clean pictures with amazing detail in both the dark shadows and bright highlight areas. You can also choose the lower cost URSA Mini 4K model with 12 stops of dynamic range when you don’t need the performance and are on a tighter budget.
URSA Mini Pro features an incredibly wide color gamut that captures more of the visible color spectrum than Rec. 2020, which is vastly larger than the P3 digital cinema color space! Third generation Blackmagic Design color science is used to process the raw sensor data, enabling amazingly rich skin tones, natural color response and enormous amounts of dynamic range. Whether you’re shooting a Hollywood blockbuster, an indie film, high end commercial, or a broadcast television show, URSA Mini Pro’s combination of resolution, dynamic range and color gamut delivers amazingly rich and lifelike images!
URSA Mini Pro can shoot at high frame rates and then play it back at the edit frame rate so you get smooth slow motion video that’s crystal clear. You can set the camera’s default shooting frame rate and also specify an “off speed” frame rate. Switching between them is simply done with the touch of a button on the outside of the camera, making it incredibly fast to switch between standard and high frame rate shooting! URSA Mini Pro can capture full resolution 4.6K recordings at up to 60 frames per second!
URSA Mini Pro features both dual C-Fast 2.0 recorders and dual UHS-II SD card recorders so you can choose the media that works best for you. C-Fast cards are ideal for full resolution RAW recording, while SD and UHS-II cards are inexpensive and commonly available, making them perfect for recording ProRes Ultra HD files or RAW HD files. Simply choose the media type, insert the cards and start shooting! With dual slots for each media type, you never have to stop recording because when the first card is full, it automatically continues onto the next card. You can even swap the full card for an empty one, all without having to stop recording! URSA Mini Pro can record lossless 12-bit CinemaDNG RAW files for the highest possible quality, or 10-bit ProRes files for easy post production workflows with minimum storage requirements!
The built in 4” fold out touchscreen URSA Mini Pro and the 5” fold out touchscreen on URSA Mini are super bright, high resolution color displays with a wide viewing angle that makes them perfect for monitoring and reviewing shots on set! The screen can also show you a “heads up display” overlay with critical information such as format, frame rate, timecode, ISO and more. You even get a histogram, card recording status indicators and audio meters! The fold out touchscreen lets you use the incredible new URSA Mini operating software so you get super fast access to every camera function, ATEM broadcast switcher integration features for live broadcast, digital slate for metadata management and more!
All URSA Mini cameras feature a new user interface that revolutionizes the way you work! The advanced camera operating software lets you use simple tap and swipe gestures to control all features, setup, the digital slate and more. You get powerful and super fast software with a unique heads up display that puts commonly used functions at your fingertips. Simply touch an on screen icon to make changes for things such as audio levels, white balance, shutter angle and more! You’ll instantly see sliders and controls for making adjustments without ever having to navigate through any menus! The new digital “slate” makes entering metadata faster than ever before with a built in dictionary, predictive entry and on screen keyboard. Using a professional digital film camera has never been faster!
Blackmagic URSA Mini cameras are completely customizable so you can create a rig that’s built specifically for your production! You can add accessories like the Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder, URSA Studio Viewfinder and Blackmagic URSA Mini Shoulder Kit, or choose from hundreds of third party accessories. URSA Mini and URSA Mini Pro have 9 standard ¼” threaded mounting points on the top and bottom of the camera so you can mount it directly to a tripod as well as add accessories such as rails, sliders, matte boxes, microphones, ring lights, batteries and more. Whether you’re building a feature film rig or outfitting the camera for an ENG style shoot, URSA Mini has all of the mount points and connections you need!
The optional Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder is designed to be the perfect match for URSA Mini Pro and URSA Mini cameras. You get a high resolution 1920 x 1080 color OLED display matched with precision glass optics, adjustable diopter and built in digital focus chart so you get perfect focus every time. To preserve OLED screen life, there’s a built in sensor so the OLED only turns on when you’re looking through the viewfinder. The Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder is adjustable so it can be used on both the left or the right eye. There’s even a built in record light!
The URSA Studio Viewfinder is a true professional viewfinder for URSA Mini Pro and URSA Mini. You get a bright 7” screen with large handles and variable tension pivot points that let you smoothly adjust the viewfinder’s position and angle, even while you’re live on air. The tactile knobs and buttons give you direct control of settings so you can keep your eye on the action! Combined with the new software update for URSA Mini, the URSA Studio Viewfinder turns your URSA Mini into the ultimate live production camera! You get support for talkback, tally, and program return, along with remote control of focus, iris, color balance and more, all from your ATEM Switcher!
Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro features multiple connections such as 12G-SDI out, HD-SDI monitoring out, 2 LANC inputs, balanced XLR audio with phantom power, timecode in and reference input. On the front right side of the camera is a 12 pin Hirose control connector for broadcast lenses. There’s also a 4 pin XLR DC and an HD-SDI monitoring output that are located in the perfect position for connecting an optional viewfinder or on set monitor. The 12G-SDI output handles all formats up to 2160p60 using a single BNC cable, and also switches to 6G-SDI or HD-SDI depending on the shooting format.
12G-SDI is an incredible 8 times faster than regular HD-SDI which makes it fast enough for Ultra HD video at up to 60 frames per second, all over a single regular SDI cable! The high quality BNC connections are multi rate so it can automatically switch and work with 6G-SDI, 3G-SDI, and regular HD-SDI equipment. That means URSA Mini Pro and URSA Mini are compatible with all of your existing HD and Ultra HD equipment so you can plug it into things like ATEM live production switchers, on-set monitors, decks and more!
URSA Mini Pro has a high quality microphone and professional audio recorder built right in so you don’t have to carry around extra sound equipment! Use the built in stereo microphone to record natural location sound or connect professional microphones using the two XLR wide dynamic range mic inputs. The XLR connections have 48V of switchable phantom power so you can plug in everything from shot gun to wireless clip on mics for capturing every detail of the performance. You can quickly adjust levels using the external knobs and monitor audio using the onscreen audio meters.
The built in touchscreen makes it astonishingly simple to set up and enter metadata for tagging clips. Metadata is saved directly in the video files so you don’t have to worry about managing extra sidecar files. You can import the files directly into software like DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro and Avid Media Composer then use the metadata to sort, search and find the clips you need so you can spend more time on creative editing and less time managing mountains of media!
URSA Mini Pro and URSA Mini cameras include a 4-pin XLR industry standard power connector that works with 12V to 30V external power supplies. That means it’s easy to use the camera with all of your existing power supplies and batteries! All URSA cameras use the same battery power connector and mounting points on the rear of the camera so you can use a wide range of battery plates from manufacturers such as IDX, Frezzi, Anton Bauer and more. You can also add the optional Blackmagic URSA VLock Battery Plate for using popular V-Mount batteries.
All URSA cameras include a full version of DaVinci Resolve Studio. DaVinci Resolve Studio is editing and color correction software that features an advanced, multi layer timeline with powerful editing and trimming tools, along with Hollywood’s most advanced creative color correction and creative grading tools! With URSA Mini Pro and DaVinci Resolve, you get a complete post production solution so you’ll be able to shoot amazing images with incredible fidelity, color and dynamic range while retaining every bit of quality. Whether you’re working on a major feature film or a YouTube video, DaVinci Resolve Studio gives you a completely lossless workflow for native editing, color correction and delivery, so your video always looks as good as possible!
URSA Mini cameras include multiple ¼” mount points on the bottom so you can attach it directly to any tripod. When you need to quickly move from tripod to handheld and back, the best solution is to use the optional Blackmagic URSA Mini Shoulder Kit. This kit includes the shoulder pad with built in rosettes, rail mounts and integrated quick lock release attachment points for instantly latching onto the quick release plate without removing the shoulder pad. The kit also includes a top handle for carrying the camera and attaching accessories.
