GEAR
BLACKMAGIC URSAMINI PRO 12K
“There is no low-pass filter, which can introducemoiré, but our tests showed no issues”
means you can colour-correct 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 recovery was needed, and it was best to overexpose a tad and recover detail rather than underexpose, which shows up shadow noise. There is no low-pass filter, which can introduce some moiré, but our real-world tests showed no issues at all. Shooting at base ISO 800 or below gave optimum results, while going up to the maximum showed some noise that could be reduced in post, but it was definitely there. It shows this camera is really designed for high-end productions with lots of light rather than run-and-gun or ENG use. And it means spending some 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 keeps in line with Blackmagic’s ethos of offering great value. But if you want to take full advantage of the maximum quality of the camera, then there’s one issue that can’t be ignored, and that’s the file size. Files are huge and, chances are, your computer
RIGHT The grip can be used like this or moved forward using the included extension arm for using the camera on the shoulder
tests, the quality is still incredible. We found a good mediumwas 8:1 or Q5 compression. In fact, using the more compressed files meant it was actually possible to edit 12K footage on a modern MacBook Pro. That’s something we never thought would be possible. For the best results, shoot in 12K and then drop resolution in post to 8K or 4K. And you’ll still have the 12K files for future use. However, shooting in-camera in these smaller sizes has the advantage of still using the whole area of the sensor – meaning the angle of view doesn’t change. And also unlocks higher frame rates. Shooting from the full size of the sensor, you can record up to 17:9 in 12K at 60fps or 8K and 4K at 110fps. If you record in the 2.4:1 ratio, then it’s possible to shoot at 75fp in 12K and 160fps in 8K and 4K. If you crop the sensor to Super 16 size, then you can record 6K at 120fps and 4K at 220fps. Let that sink in for a minute. It shoots 110fps in 8K Raw to memory cards. That’s simply incredible, and the rolling shutter is well controlled, too. Whether you are shooting in normal frame rates or faster, then the one thing this camera does demand is quality glass. It comes with a PL mount, but you can also DIY fit a Canon EF mount like we did. It doesn’t need shimming and just bolts right on. But that
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 CFast 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 a forthcoming Blackmagic Ursa Mini Recording unit, which accepts SSDs. But not any SSD will do, as you will need to buy very fast drives at 900MBps or more. 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, then the options are Q0, Q1, Q3 and Q5. The more you compress files, the more it affects quality, but the more it reduces file sizes. So for the highest quality, 5:1 is the way to go. Using more compressed ratios allows the camera to shoot to its maximum frame rate, and in our
BELOW The viewfinder is clear and detailed, and it can be removed to make the camera less bulky
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