Rangefinder - May 2015

We teamed up with our frequent tester, New Jersey-based photographer and director David Patiño, who owns Blackmagic’s Pocket Cinema Camera, to put an EF mount URSA through its paces.

IMAGE QUALITY

Patiño used the URSA to shoot 4K in ProRes

422 at several frame rates, including 80 fps, indoors and outdoors, and only had good things to say about the quality of the footage.

(After our test was done, Blackmagic released a firmware upgrade that delivered the highest quality ProRes format available, ProRes 4444.)

Color reproduction was consistent and accurate, while the 12 stops of dynamic range preserved plenty of details in his scenes.

Users of the Blackmagic Production Camera should be familiar with the URSA’s cinematic output, as it uses the same sensor.

Thanks to its global shutter, the URSA won’t pick up rolling shutter artifacts that might otherwise mar a DSLR or mirrorless camera filming very fast motion—another plus.

Low-light performance was also good, though it trails other cameras in this category— particularly Canon’s Cinema EOS series. The camera’s native ISO is 400, and while you can push it higher, we stayed in this sweet spot for best results.

DESIGN

The design of the URSA is a major selling
point. One highlight is the ability to
upgrade the camera’s sensor by removing
the front module (behind just four bolts),
which contains both the sensor and lens
mount. While the URSA’s current 4K sensor
is hardly antiquated, Blackmagic told us
they eventually plan to offer newer sensors
through their network of resellers and that
installing them would be simple enough
for an end-user to accomplish by
themselves. Just pop off the
front module, screw in a new
module and, bingo, you’re
future-proofed.

We also loved the abundance of displays. First, there’s a huge 10-inch, 1920 x 1200 display. It’s extremely sharp and Patiño appreciated the focus peaking and zebra patterns that were so clearly visible on the URSA without having to resort to an external monitor. The 10-inch display is complemented by a pair of 5-inch touch screens on either side of the camera. They’re on hand to enable other operators to monitor audio and pull focus or make quick adjustments to camera settings.

WHAT WE LIKED

The URSA may look a bit intimidating on the outside, but its on-screen menu is remarkably straightforward. Patiño compared it favorably to RED’s cinema cameras, which can be more daunting to navigate. The versatile design gives those stepping up from a DSLR, or even Blackmagic’s own Pocket and Production cameras, more of the features they’ll need to shoot high-quality productions right out of the box.

The URSA starts up quickly, taking a mere five or six seconds to spring to life after a battery swap. It’s durably constructed, too. In fact, it feels like a tank.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE

The most immediate issue an event
videographer is going to have with the URSA
is its size and weight. We said “tank,” and we
meant it. At 16 pounds sans lens, you won’t
need a gym membership to firm up those
biceps. Without a big stabilizing rig, you
won’t be doing much “running and gunning”
either. It’s unwieldy off of a tripod.

Also, the CFast 2.0 cards it takes are still expensive. Those prices are falling, as memory prices tend to do, but you can easily tack on north of $1,000 to the URSA’s price tag if you don’t already own them.

HOW IT COMPARES

If you have about $6,000 to spend on a video camera that delivers 4K and a large image sensor, you’ll have a few options, including Sony’s NEX-FS700R and JVC’s new GY- LS300. The URSA is less portable than either, but offers more file format and frame rate options with a much larger display—not to mention more than one of them. The URSA is an extremely versatile filmmaking tool that’s also, all told, a tremendous value, even discounting the hit you’ll take investing in CFast 2.0 cards. If cinema-style videos are on your radar, the URSA should definitely be top of mind.

RANGEFINDERONLINE.COM 63 TOP: The URSA features a removable front module containing both the image sensor and lens mount. When new sensors roll out, upgrades will be as simple as replacing that module.