GEAR
BLACKMAGIC URSA MINI PRO G2
not the best low-light camera, and does prefer a lot of brightness. The G2 has decent ND filters with IR compensation in two-, four- and six-stop range. These are designed to match the way the camera processes colour and evenly compensate for both far-red and infrared wavelengths. A USB-C slot lets you plug in a large-capacity SSD for external recording. If you are just using an SSD via a cable, this means the screen on the left side has to be open, and the SSD simply dangles from its cable. A better solution is a Blackmagic Ursa Mini Recorder, which clips to the camera’s rear. To record internally, there are dual CFast 2.0 and SD UHS-II
CHUNKY BOY Thanks to a rugged
“The optional OLED viewfinder is essential for use on the shoulder as an ENG camera”
build and hefty size, it’s possible to go without an external monitor
via tablet or smartphone thanks to a free app. There are professional connections such as XLR audio controlled by adjuster wheels – and on-screen levels help you set everything up quickly. There is a 12G-SDI out connector, HD-SDI monitoring output, two LANC inputs, timecode and reference input – which records continuous incoming timecode. The optional OLED viewfinder is essential for use on the shoulder as an ENG camera, and you should also splurge on the shoulder mount kit and handgrip. However, when it comes to AF, the Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K G2 has no clever tracking, face detection or even phase detection AF, but a push-to-focus button. There is no continuous AF or focus tracking to be found, which is a shame. It’s just about the only gripe for this high- spec, high-performing camera – especially considering the price.
card slots, which you select with a small toggle switch. CFast cards are essential for full-resolution Blackmagic Raw 12-bit recording, while UHS-II SD cards can record Blackmagic Raw 8:1 or 12:1 for UHD and regular HD files. In terms of build quality and functionality, it’s rugged, well- designed and has a great four-inch touchscreen and menu system. Its relatively large size means you can get away without an external monitor a lot of the time. The touchscreen has tabs at the top to let you select what group of settings you want. Then, just tap away and you can adjust settings like white-balance, shutter angle and audio levels using sliders – tweaking them is easily done. It’s a shame the screen doesn’t give the option for large waveforms to help nail exposure. A histogram, zebra, false colours and peaking are all available, though. The screen has a digital ‘slate’ to enter metadata and keywords with an on-screen keyboard. And the camera can be completely controlled
SIMPLE SWITCHES The Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K G2 has intuitive controls, even if it doesn’t feature focus tracking
More information blackmagicdesign.com
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