BLACKMAG I C 12K | GEAR REVI EW
But, of course, if you want to take full advantage of the maximum quality of the camera, there are some issues that can’t be ignored, namely the file sizes. They are huge, and chances are your computer won’t be able to edit full-fat 12K Raw files unless you are a Hollywood production house. You’ll also be spending a fortune on storage to download all that footage to, as well as C-Fast 2.0 cards or V90-class SD cards. You can also plug in an SSD via a USB-C socket on the rear of the camera to record to, or inside a forthcoming Blackmagic Ursa Mini Recording unit that accepts SSDs. But not any SSD will do – you’ll need to buy very fast drives at 900Mbps or more, if you can get them. To make this less of an issue, with Blackmagic Raw you can choose compression levels of 5:1, 8:1, 12:1 or 18:1 at a constant bit rate. Or to keep constant quality by varying the bit rate, the options are Q0, Q1, Q3, Q5. The more you compress files, the more it affects quality, but it also reduces file sizes. For the highest quality, 5:1 is the way to go. The camera’s little brother, the Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K G2, also offers 3:1, but it’s just too much for a 12K file. Using more compressed ratios allows the camera to shoot to its maximum frame rate, and in our tests the quality is still incredible. We found a good medium was 8:1 or Q5 compression. You’d have to have a very fast system and a huge,
and having all the information from a proper 12-bit Raw file means you can correct colour and grade properly. While some Raw formats actually restrict what you can change in post, the Blackmagic Raw gives you full control. You can change ISO, white-balance, sharpening, and individual colours as much as you like. We found some highlight recover was needed and it was best to over-expose a tad and recover detail rather than under-expose, which shows up shadow noise. There is no low-pass filter, which can introduce some moiré, but our tests revealed no issues at all. Shooting at base ISO 800 or below gave optimum results, while going up to the maximum showed some noise. This can be reduced in post, but it was definitely there. It shows this camera is designed for high-end productions with lots of light, rather than run-and-gun or ENG use. But it does mean spending time in post getting the look right is easy to do and worthwhile. It’s a seriously good camera for narrative and drama work, and at just £9714/ $9995 (body only), it’s in line with Blackmagic’s ethos of products that offer great value.
CMOS chips typically use a Bayer sensor in a 2:1:1 formation, where there are two green sensor sites for every one red and blue. So, the colours have to be combined carefully to create a natural colour. And this means it’s difficult to get the colours right – many people see sensors like this as having a ‘digital’ look, say Blackmagic. The Ursa Mini Pro 12K uses Blackmagic’s own sensor, which has symmetrical 1:1:1 sampling of red, green and blue for a more truthful colour representation. And instead of recording in a variety of codecs, which can all affect the look, the only option is to record in Blackmagic Raw using Log, which is then opened and edited in DaVinci Resolve using the latest fifth- generation colour technology. This careful management of the footage at all steps of the process means the camera can be relied on to produce a stunningly detailed and filmic look, just as Blackmagic intended. And it really works. The dynamic range of 14 stops at the base ISO of 800 gives a lot of shadow and highlight detail, and the colours are very film-like and not too over-saturated. There is a nicely controlled roll-off to the highlights
BELOW The traditional cinema camera controls are there, including the ND filter wheel
“THE SMALLER SENSOR IS PACKED WITH TINY PHOTOSITES, WHICH IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS”
MARCH 202 1 | DEF I N I T ION 25
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