Is the Blackmagic URSA a game changer?

[Jim Andrada]

More relevant image of URSA being used outdoors in Arizona

[Christopher Young]

I don't think it will be much of a game changer if they don't quickly fix their rapidly declining credibility.

2.5K owners are screaming for promised fixes in firmware. The 'black sun' effect hasn't been fixed on the 2.5k and they have delivered the latest Ultra HD (I won't call it 4k as it isn't) camera with what? The SAME problem!!! That's appalling IMHO.

If they can't fix the problem on the 2.5 what are they going to do for the current "4K" as it's currently referred to. Or for that matter future products that will be using the same sensor. Who knows? BM seem to be more concerned about bringing out cameras faster than fixing the kit they have already released to their poor long suffering customer base. From my POV this seems like a very short sighted approach to developing and building a good relationship with ones client base.

Seriously, could you live with this problem? It's not just the sun, car and street lights. Look at the water reflections. You need more than black magic in post to fix it!

Time will tell I guess.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

[Brian Drysdale]

"Time for some of you guys to hit the gym. Build those arms up! "

If the camera is correctly balanced there should be little stain on your arms. I remember the first time I tried a Panaflex set up for hand held, perfect balance, no strain on your arms. Squats would be good though for those slow rising shots.

[Charles Papert]

Yes Brian, all the talk about the URSA being some sort of behemoth at 16 lbs is generating a few wry smiles from those who spent day in and out with at least twice that weight on their shoulder. Certainly a Platinum with Primos was formidable, and even in the digital era, you guys are glad you never had to shlep a Genesis or F35 with the SR recorder on the back (we used to call the former the Genocide for obvious reasons). By the way--you mentioned the Alura 18-80 in this thread...interesting choice as that is not considered a handheld lens (as oppposed to the Alura 15.5-45 and 30-80, at half the weight). I did straddle one of my poor operators with the 18-80 in a handheld configuration once and it wasn't pretty.

It has become increasingly rare to see cameras designed to actually balance properly on the shoulder these days. I was always a stickler about balancing the load fore and aft which often took some doing. The sliding shoulder pad and viewfinder assemblies on the Arri Amira are quite commendable in this regard. It does seem like there was some thought put into the Ursa to accommodate handheld, by putting the weight towards the rear, but not having a supplied articulating viewfinder solution is something that continues to baffle me with so many modern camera introductions (the Canon C series is a perfect example).

I had some interest in the Ursa until I played with it at NAB. It didn't speak to me, the specs didn't impress and there is that less-than-spectacular track record.

[Brian Drysdale]

Yes, I wouldn't really pick it for handheld work, the Lightweight zooms are much more sensible at approx 5 to 6lbs. Although, primes make life easier at just over 2 lbs each (unlikely you'd use Master primes at approx 5lb on this camera).

In the end, I suspect many will be using stills lenses on the URSA.

[Kevin McRoberts]

If people are completely tired of having access to super-sensitive full-4K-capable cameras in reasonable sizes using affordable media, then yes, this will surely change that game.

[Brian Drysdale]

I'm not sure of the data requirements, but being capable of compressed CinemaDNG 4k RAW at 60p will probably rule out the cheaper cards. A RED 16 GB Compact Flash is currently $300.

[Jacques Mersereau]

<I don't think it will be much of a game changer if they don't quickly fix their rapidly declining credibility. >

This is crucial imho. And that means vastly stepping up their customer support and delivering fixes for the products they already sold. If BMD is unable to do that, they will likely lose those customers.

Black Magic Designs has really shaken up the market with all their advanced offerings at affordable price points, but for me, I would rather pony up a few more grand for a rock solid product that I can trust, than save a couple of grand and have to deal with trouble.

Time will tell. I think a lot of folks will be waiting to see how URSA performs when delivered - me included.

[Shaun Roemich]

Why are we talking about the BMD URSA instead of the AJA CION?

Because BMD is a marketing company that produces cameras and gear that eventually make their way to market, historically in a BETA form whereas AJA delivers usable gear from the get-go but can't market their way out of a paper bag.

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by Jacques Mersereau

This is crucial imho. And that means vastly stepping up their customer support and delivering fixes for the products they already sold. If BMD is unable to do that, they will likely lose those customers.

I disagree, respectfully. There seems to be a constant influx of fanboys who only see the newest product offerings and aren't familiar with the back catalog of issues and lack of support.

Sort of like a ten year old boy who discovers "down there" and thinks he's the first person EVER.

[Jacques Mersereau]

My view is that the fanboys are pretty up on a lot of the boards.
They don't have much money, so when the plunk down $3K, they do quite a bit of research.
That includes looking at all the comments from their peers.
So, I think it will harm BMD - and a $7K purchase is a lot of dough for most people.

Regarding the other statement, we are talking about URSA because that is what the thread is about.
I could have brought up CION, and have on other posts, but this was about BMD and URSA.

BMD marketing is more about affordability, sure they spend more on marketing than AJA, but if you waste money on a product, the word will be to PASS on even an affordable purchase.

As always YMMV :-D

[Murray Christian]

I wouldn't call it a game changer by itself, but evidence of the changing game perhaps? As mentioned, there's a couple of other very nice looking cameras in roughly the same neighbourhood of price and 4k coming along.

(I really want someone to knock Sony off its cheap high-speed perch, just so the price comes down a bit)

[Steven Ansell]

I think it is one of the ugliest looking cameras I have seen in quite some time (excluding the Bolex of course - that one takes the cake). In a way it reminds me a lot of the sort of "gamer" mice and keyboards you find at the computer department of stores. All plastic and flash to suck the kids in, because it looks so awesome and badass.

IMO the giant monitor pretty much precludes its use for shoulder mounted applications. Not to mention the weight. The fact that shoulder mounted cameras in the "old days" weighed a ton is irrelevant - we do not live in the "old days" now. Cameras should be moving forwards, not backwards.

[Charles Papert]

Actually, if you've never had the opportunity to put a properly balanced but "heavy" camera on your shoulder, you might find that the lessons of the past are worth paying attention to. It has long been a given that it's better to have a more balanced camera on the shoulder if it means a few extra pounds vs a front heavy and lighter camera. There is a sweet spot of camera mass that adds to the stability of a handheld camera--it can actually be less fatiguing to operate in the long run. Many agree that a properly balanced 25 lb camera is far better than a 5 lb camera perched on the wrist or 10lbs of front-heavy mass cantilevered off the shoulder.

Moore's law doesn't apply to physics, optics or the interface with the human body. Just because camera imaging technology is jumping ahead in leaps and bounds doesn't mean everything around it is starting from scratch. A user who has come up on DSLR rigs would probably be blown away at how solid and stable a 20 yr old Aaton or Betacam feels.

[Glen Vandermolen]

Agreed, Charles. Not that I want a 16+ lb. camera on my shoulder, but if it's well balanced, I'd prefer that to an EX3. They're the worst cameras to hand hold. An F800 is heavy, but it balances well on the shoulder.

I come from the old 3/4" videotape days, where we would walk around with 45 lbs of gear on both our shoulders. I would have been giddy if you told me we'd one day have 16-20 lb cameras available, that didn't need a separate recorder deck. That's also why even today I don't like any kind of external recorders on my cameras.