Clint Milby
We had a great opportunity to visit Blackmagic Design’s Burbank, California Offices to get a look at the new URSA Mini Pro. With just a couple of hours to spend with the camera, here are our first impressions of the camera:
URSA Mini Pro Features
- Same great 4.6K Sensor from the URSA Mini 4.6k with 15 stops of dynamic range
- Interchangeable and the additional mounts including the PL are available separately for $245 (we were not able to test the interchangeable mount).
Internal ND Filters
We also made sure to test the Internal ND Filters of the URSA Mini Pro. The camera was set with 200 ISO, WB was set to 4700k and the lens was set to 3.5, and it was an overcast day outside. The filters rotate across the sensor on a wheel and go from Clear, 2 Stops, 4 Stops and 6 Stops. You can see our results in the video, but here are some stills:
The filters worked great, and they did not cause a blue cast, which sometimes happens with other, cheaper ND Filters.
On the Body
- External controls for ISO, Shutter Angle WB all get their own metal toggle switch
- Dedicated High Frame Rate button
- Exterior Record Button
- A dial button for the Iris and Monitor Brightness
- 2 User Defined Buttons on the outside of the body
- Audio Channel Switch on the outside of the body
- Playback Controls on the outside of the body
- Audio level dials on the outside of the body
- Robust switch for Power on the outside of the body
- LCD Settings Readout on the outside of the body
The new fold-out Screen is reduced in size (from 5 inches to 4 inches), but it’s still a touch-screen and retains all of its functionality. The URSA Mini Pro has dual SD Card slots as well as CFast Card slots, but you cannot use them both at the same time. You must choose either SD or CFast. You can record RAW using SDXC2 cards.
Although we were not able to test it, the Audio Inputs have received a new pre-amp, as some users were having to use an additional pre-amp with some microphone systems.
Coming Soon
- An SSD recorder that attaches between the camera and battery plate
- F-Mount for Nikon lenses with a robust cine-like iris controller
- If you’ve purchased the URSA, you can get the URSA Mini Pro at $3495 which is a savings of $2500
The URSA Mini Pro is available now from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide for US$5,995. Also available from resellers are the optional URSA Mini Pro PL lens mount for US$245, as well as the optional URSA Mini Pro B4 HD lens mount for US$385. The URSA Mini Pro comes standard with an EF lens mount, and additional replacement mounts can also be purchased for US$175.
For more information see the press conference above, the press release below and go the Blackmagic Design Website at www.BlackmagicDesign.com
