Cinematography : Ursa Mini, Is it worth the money!?!? by Dawson Boyle

Specs mean nothing until I see footage and work with a camera, but that's just me.

But what's the catch? ;)

Your right Matthew specs really mean nothing to me either, but i have watched Ursa footage throughout Youtube and Vimeo and i think it looks great! I like the skin tones and just overall image better than a Red. Im not discriminating against Red, i would work with a red no problem but as my personal camera i prefer black magic and as someone who likes handheld shots i think this camera is the perfect weight! And what I'm saying is is it worth paying a few extra thousand for a viewfinder top handle, other accessories etc. And also higher frame rates and codec options than pervious Black Magic models like the production cam.

My experience with Blackmagic cameras in the past hasn't been as kind. Never worked with their 4K sensor, but I've heard nothing, but negative things, so hopefully their 4.5K sensor will be a much needed improvement. I'm holding out judgement, though I'm hoping for good things. I personally don't like investing in cameras since technology moves so fast, but if the Ursa Mini impresses me, I may throw down the cash.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziQqeU7lTAI I think you should invest in an FS7. You will be quite surprised by this video, as I was. I was interested in the Ursa, but chose the Sony. This video pretty much puts it into perspective.

Granted the Sony needs the $2000 back to get 4k raw, and prores, but since I'm not FCP, i didn't buy the back. The E-mount is little off-putting as well, but I still think this camera is a great investment. This sensor is stunning in low light, and the warning most people give me after using the camera is, "you'll want to make a motion picture the first time you see the results." That's very true..

In my experience BlackMagic has learned from their past mistakes. I have the BMPCC and when I first got it the camera had great image quality, I mean coming from a DSLR , it was amazing image quality! But it had quirky things , like not being able to format cards in camera, the sun spot and a few other things, but after a few firmware updates those major problems were taken care of. Now my Pocket camera is awesome, especially now that I have the Apeture DEC M4/3 to EF wireless lens control, it has become a dream camera, for me. But anyway, the people I personally know that use BlackMagic cameras are impressed with the image quality and now I think with the URSA Mini they have listened to the requests of many DP's and have made a nice well rounded camera and no camera in its price range can touch it. The fact that so many big productions (Avengers Age of Ultron) use BlackMagic cameras in certain situations because their footage can easily be inserted and matched to Arri or Red footage without much work says a lot. One thing that shocked me coming from a DSLR background was the difference in file size and quality going to a camera like the BMPCC, 64GB =15min of record time in Raw. That took some getting used to and cost a little more money. I love BlackMagic, are their cameras perfect, no but every cameras have their problems, but they are disruptive to the industry in a good way, many companies have lowered their prices and improved features in response tho their success.

the camera is affordable. Lenses ... well, very expensive. Even a good tripod will cost $7000 to $10000. So, even this camera could easily cost $30,000 for a usable package. Just something to think about. I bought a camera about 10 years ago, batteries, lens, matte box, filters, monitor, follow focus knob, cases added $50,000 to the price of the camera.

It will probably be a fantastic camera for the money. Film students everywhere will act like it's an Alexa. To be fair though it's not that far away from one. And the top handle and view finer are not that expensive. The big issue with the 4k sensor was lowlight and fixed pattern noise. I don't think they'll make a mistake like that with the 4.6k version. Personally I'm going to stick with a gh4 for a while. Perhaps the price for the 4.6k version will come down a while after its release. And I know the proper cinematographer thing to say is that specs don't matter, but of course they do. They are tools and you have to understand them. Skill may be more important and you may not need huge specs for everything but sometimes you do. All in all, I want the ursa mini too ha.

For a long time now BlackMagic has been known for very capable electronic design. Equally they have been know for problematic build quality. You have to be really careful handling their bits. i.e. all too many of the connectors, think the mini-HDMI on the Pocket Cinema Camera, which are only mounted to the boards not to the chassis of the camera. Use it for a while and it breaks. In general BlackMagic’s cameras seem to be evolving nicely and every time I see something it is seemingly getting better. I’ve not tested the URSA as yet so do not know if the camera can reproduce a clean and usable image with the advertised latitude now, nor what the resolution is. There was a time when you could actually believe what manufacturers stated. A certain manufacturer changed that, so now we have no idea which specs are true nor if the camera specs will change significantly with the next inevitable update because the camera was incomplete and unfinished when foisted upon the public. Yes there are many cameras out there. Fanboys will name things you should get to justify their own purchase, instead of what you are asking about. Lenses cost and good lenses cost a lot, test them and see if you can see the difference. Screen it in the venue it is intended to be displayed in. Get what works for you. Again, ignore what you read online only believe tests you have done. Saying A is better than B because you read an article that said so, will lead you to getting what you deserve instead of what you want. Photosites on a sensor that are a different number that the deliverables, unless a multiple like double or half, will create some image artifacts. Happens all the time. Don’t do it. Odd photo site numbers like 4.6K photosites (which is NOT resolution) are only useful if you want your careful artistic framing ruined in post. The first step towards purchase is to wait until the dust settles on the new camera and the imaging system has proven to be stable and worthwhile. Next step is to test it yourself. Determine the actual resolution of the recorded image of a test chart as well as latitude, colour and skin tone testing, then and only then should there be any discussion of buying the camera. If you buy it without taking those basic steps you are buying a total unknown.

Tj Mccormick, yes the fs7 is a beast of a camera and operates as so. But it looks to video-ish and i personally like black magic's image...the fs7 is also more expensive. The thing about black magic is you really need to spend more time in post to get a great image and i can tell a lot of people who don't like to take the time to color grade their shots aren't pleased. Also the compression workflow for blackmagic is a little more complicated and getting it wrong can definitely ruin your image. Ex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaGGKW0xmQU This was shot on the Bmpc 4k, graded in resolve and the compression workflow really showed the cameras true potential! I love this image and with a few more stops of dynamic range to play with i think this camera is worth it! im not a fan boy for blackmagic. I truly believe blackmagic is a great option for an incredible cinema worthy image! :)

It is definitely the best camera for the money. It far surpasses any of the REDs in my opinion, and it's as close as you can get to the look of Alexa without breaking the bank. The only real problem with it is the CF cards and the batteries. The CF cards are still stupid expensive. I'd much rather it used the SSD drives like their other offerings, which are now incredibly cheap in comparison. To get "enough" CF cards will cost you almost as much as the camera itself. Is there a reason you want the Mini as opposed to the Cinema Production Camera? I feel that they're so close to each other in terms of looks, and the Production camera is a better bargain overall. It's not as easy to shoulder mount, but to each their own. The Mini isn't as easy to shoulder mount as the Full Sized Ursa anyway. i recently decided to get the Production Camera over the Mini because of the costs of getting it up and running. Now granted, the 4.6 sensor is amazing, but do you really need that much resolution? That was the question for me. In fact, I would rather have the 2.5 sensor myself, but that's me.

Your right i love the value and yes the c fast cards are expensive and i wish they weren't, i mean they are still cheaper than red mags and i prefer the alexa look over the red. And i was in love with the production cam until the ursa mini came out i think its because it has 3 more stops of dynamic range and can have a viewfinder top handle and shoulder mount witch now that i think about it doesn't really matter if it has 3 more stops of dynamic range, and i actually think the production camera is easier to grade. Oh well I'm going to have to do some decision making i know the mini is going to end up costing me more but I'm trying to decide if its worth it. but this post was mainly just to see what others think and i think i most likely will go with the production camera! :)

The Black Magic Ursa and The Ursa Mini are great camera's for the money just remember they are not good in low light situations and plan accordingly and you will be fine

yes i am aware of that, most of the shooting ill be doing is with lighting gear and not just light available so I'm sure ill be fine

I say Sony FS7

at almost twice the price