On my visit to NAB Show last week, I was eager to see the unveling of two brand new cameras, the newly developed Blackmagic Design Studio Camera and the ENG/Film style URSA. As I walked down to the enormous Blackmagic Design booth at the entrance of the massive C Hall of Las Vegas Convention Center, I almost could not have a glimpse of the cameras due the to inmense crowd packing the booth, all of them thirsty for everything Blackmagic.
.
.
As all camera manufacturers have done up to now, a shooting gallery-studio- style was set up for a hands-on experience so you could press every new button or peek thru their latest viewfiinder (if any..!!!) or ascertain its egonomical design with a test-ride around the floor while barraging the manufacturer's representative with your "norm" technical questions and then translated them into the aesthetic reasoning of your artistic self.
Right under their limelight, I got familiar with the new Broadcast Studio Camera, which at first sight seemed just like a pocket camera fused to a large hooded monitor (10 inches) and capable to record HD video, but after a closer look and handling, the advantages of this revolutionary EFP/Studio configuration were obvious. Blackmagic call this camera "The world’s smallest broadcast camera with the world’s largest viewfinder!
Blackmagic Design defines it as the world’s most advanced broadcast camera for live production. Inside its incredibly tough, lightweight magnesium alloy body you get a massive 10” viewfinder, the New Ultra HD display delivers a picture that has 4 times the resolution of 1080 HD, a massive 3840 x 2160 pixels, 4 hour battery, talkback, tally indicators, phantom powered microphone connections and built in optical fiber and SDI connections that let you connect to your switcher with a single cable.
The Blackmagic Studio Camera is available in HD and Ultra HD models, and is packed with all the advanced features you need for multi camera production and broadcast. The camera comes in two resolution flavors to suit your production needs and pocket (even shallow ones!), the Blackmagic Studio Camera HD, an advanced broadcast camera for live HD production at $1,995 and the Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K, the world’s first 12G-SDI broadcast camera for live Ultra HD production with 10” viewfinder, 12G- SDI, MFT lens mount, supporting for up to 2160p60, 4 hour battery, talkback, tally indicators, phantom powered microphone connections and built in optical fiber and SDI connections that let you connect to your switcher with a single cable at $2,995
I think both cameras are very economic next to what it was the cost of any regular broadcast EFP /studio camera in recent past. Let's take in consideration that the price of both cameras was approximately the cost of a power supply for an older generation Thomson, Grass Valley, Sony or Ikegami..Blackmagic is really delivering us tools to make brodcast video and digital cinematography affordable to all.
Ursa is Blackmagic's flagship camera. Ursa's design and body is a total departure of their past models, here we have a truly "put it in shoulder" camera designed egonomical to meet the requirements of the camera operator. No more, are any needs of cumbersome bracketry or aftermarket handling components, from the box to your shoulder or tripod..or gimbal.
At first sight, URSA is most impresive, it is a "real ENG/digital film" camera but curiosly, without an eyepiece viewfinder, (EVF conector available) and having instead a massive folding monitor/viewfinder 10.1” 1920 x 1200 and a 2 TFT-LCD5” -Integrated LCD capacitive touchscreens for menu control, one operator side and other on assistant side. It comes with large user upgradeable Super 35 global shutter 4K image sensor with an incredible 12 stops of dynamic range, 12G-SDI and internal dual RAW and ProRes recorders.
URSA is world’s first user upgradable 4K digital film camera. It comes in four models and prices, according to their lens mount, EF Mount, PL Mount and Video (B4) Mount (2). The camera is integrated with dual CFast card up to 350 MB/s recorders and all HD-SDi/BNC/Lanc/XLR and 12v power connectors to allow the operator to configure the camera to his/her needs. Ursa EF and Ursa PL are shipping out in July at $5,995 and $6,495 respectively.
