BlackMagic - URSA Mini

[Larry Secrest]

Yes, this quest for the perfect machine by so many people who don't have anything to tell, other than filming pretty girls walking on beaches or their cats and dogs is....entertaining for the least.

[Paul Matwiy]

Larry,

I completely agree with you. Anyone who knows the limits of equipment and uses it accordingly, will obtain excellent results. It's the same on the display side. Everyone is obsessing over black levels or pixel count on flat panels. HDR will be next. Watch for the obsession to spill over into acquisition.

[Rakesh Malik]

Originally Posted by Paul Matwiy

Larry,

I completely agree with you. Anyone who knows the limits of equipment and uses it accordingly, will obtain excellent results. It's the same on the display side. Everyone is obsessing over black levels or pixel count on flat panels. HDR will be next. Watch for the obsession to spill over into acquisition.

Ya, we're going to see raftloads of imagery by people claiming that it's great cinematography because they used a camera with 15 stops of dynamic range in a few months...

[Larry Secrest]

I also believe that the vast majority of people simply don't need to shoot raw. Let's assume you're going to film a comedy or a drama happening in NYC, a story Woody Allen style or something Spike Lee would do. Do you really believe you need 15 stop of dynamic range captured by a 4.6K sensor? Can't you tell the story of that guy cheating on his wife or that Chinese girl falling in love with that black guy shooting ProRes 4:4:4 with a 4K sensor? ProRes 4 4 4 will allow more than what's necessary to color grade nicely.
Raw could be justified for a few difficult scene, and still, 4 K will be more than enough.
As far as I'm concerned that Hollywood whore, what's his name, uh, Spielberg, could shoot all the dinosaur stories he wants in 8K he won't make me go see it. I would have watched Death and the Maiden shot on an iphone4.

[Michael Kraus]

Originally Posted by Larry Secrest

As far as I'm concerned that Hollywood whore, what's his name, uh, Spielberg, could shoot all the dinosaur stories he wants in 8K he won't make me go see it. I would have watched Death and the Maiden shot on an iphone4.

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure Spielberg has never shot on anything other than film for major projects. Jurassic Park included.

[Michael Kraus]

"Today, its years are numbered, but I will remain loyal to this analogue artform until the last lab closes." -Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg & Martin Scorsese: the joy of celluloid | Art and design | The Guardian

[Craig Seeman]

Personally I think the 4.6k sensor may be better for ENG style Doc work. If you're going to have to go shoulder mount, it'll give you a bit more room to stabilize in post... assuming you want 4k delivery for your Doc. That and higher frame rates for slow motion. Wider dynamic range will help when you have to shoot on bright sunny days where you don't have the lighting controls and still need good shadows as well. That delivery might seem like a small market now but it might not be in three years. The question for some will be, how much longer can you extend the life of the camera for the additional $2k.

[Rakesh Malik]

Originally Posted by Larry Secrest

I also believe that the vast majority of people simply don't need to shoot raw. Let's assume you're going to film a comedy or a drama happening in NYC, a story Woody Allen style or something Spike Lee would do. Do you really believe you need 15 stop of dynamic range captured by a 4.6K sensor? Can't you tell the story of that guy cheating on his wife or that Chinese girl falling in love with that black guy shooting ProRes 4:4:4 with a 4K sensor? ProRes 4 4 4 will allow more than what's necessary to color grade nicely.

Agreed. To be honest, even with a 4.6K Ursa Mini, I expect that I'll do most of my shooting in 2K, ProRes HQ.

There will be times when it will be very nice to have the option of shooting 4K, and times when the extra flexibility you can get in post to shoot in RAW, but most of the time, it will be overkill.

It does have its advantages when you're shooting in situations where you can't control your environment or timing, like ENG to have 15 stops of dynamic range... but even then, most of the time, ProRes HQ will be enough. :)

[Larry Secrest]

Michael,
I didn't say Spielberg shot in digital, I said that even if he'd shoot in 16k what he does doesn't interest me a bit.
Yes, I can see why 15 stops of DN and raw could be interesting for anybody who doesn't control the situation such at ENG, sports events, etc.

[Brian Drysdale]

ENG , sports events etc, don't have the time to deal with RAW, these productions commonly have fast turnarounds, a lot of the time there's no grading unless there's a problem (unless for a promo or sting). It's the cameraperson's job to get it right in the camera.

[Craig Seeman]

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

ENG , sports events etc, don't have the time to deal with RAW, these productions commonly have fast turnarounds, a lot of the time there's no grading unless there's a problem (unless for a promo or sting). It's the cameraperson's job to get it right in the camera.

I'd shoot ProRes. You can toss a LUT on but don't forget Blackmagic Cameras can shoot Rec 709 rather than flat. 4.6k would have good value for sports as it would give you a big window on a 1080 timeline to cut to a close up on a play you couldn't get close to on time. Then there's the slow mo at 120fps I believe.

[Rakesh Malik]

Originally Posted by Craig Seeman

I'd shoot ProRes. You can toss a LUT on but don't forget Blackmagic Cameras can shoot Rec 709 rather than flat. 4.6k would have good value for sports as it would give you a big window on a 1080 timeline to cut to a close up on a play you couldn't get close to on time. Then there's the slow mo at 120fps I believe.

I suspect that a lot of the people who insist on shooting in RAW don't realize that you get access to the same dynamic range when you're capturing in ProRes that you do when capturing in RAW, since the capture mode doesn't change the sensor or the front-end image processing.

I wonder if adding LUT support is in the card for the Mini. It would be nice to be able to craft a look on set, Alexa-style, and deliver footage that's closer to edit ready than film LOG or rely on rec 709.

[Mark Watson]

BMD site still says "Shipping in July" for all four versions, but the B&H site has been updated with "Expected availability: Mid September 2015"
From what some of you were saying, this was to be expected.

Mark

[Dylan Couper]

Blackmagic not shipping on time?!?!?

My heart... Can't take...

Oh wait, yeah BlackMagic. I'm going to say January.

[Rakesh Malik]

So... You're an optimist ;)