New Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro looks great, but where's the new Pocket Cinema Camera?

[tweak]

12 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

If Blackmagic put out a GH5 rival shooting RAW (DJI have proved it's possible already), they'd sell a boat load of $2000 cameras to almost everyone from beginners to pros.

This would sell like hot cakes. Look at all the hype around the GH5 and all the people who hype it... most are video shooters, not many still shooters and most are touting 10bit and better colour space as the main reasons to buy. If they were given a good BM $2000 option that shot raw/prores and blew the GH5 away I have no doubt at least half would buy it instead. Thus I think there's a bigger market there than people give credit to. I mean Pana wouldn't put so much time and effort into GH5 if there was no market.

[Andrew Reid]

Yes Sony and Panasonic but huge effort into video and 4K.

They also have TVs to sell, which helps, but the market for video around $1000-$3000 is much bigger than people think.

It's also scarily competitive and doesn't have the high margins of the pro $6000+ stuff.

[Chrad]

All Blackmagic need to do is release a sensibly designed camera in the 1-3k range and they'd make a killing.

How about a handycam design, like the NEX VGs or JVC LS300?

Something sensible for handholding, with EVF and LCD included. If they are worried about protecting the Ursa line they could restrict it to S16-M43 size sensor. 

[Andrew Reid]

Agreed but the NEX VGs were awful!

I say keep it in the mirrorless / DSLR form factor.

Much nicer handheld format for interchangeable lenses

Camcorder bodies are needlessly long from lens mount to the battery at the back.

[webrunner5]

I had a VG 20 and a VG 30. Man I Loved the form factor, but they gimped the hell out of them Codec wise. You could throw one in your glove box and go. I have no clue why all these company's skimp features out of cheaper products, not that the VG series were ever cheap!

OK they might take sales away from higher end  models, but what the hell difference is it if they sell thousands of cheaper ones, than 100's of higher ones profit wise. It IS all about the money in the long run.

[Kisaha]

The VGs problem wasn't the codec, they were poorly designed cameras for the most amateurish appeal possible. I had the "luck" to use (back then when they seemed like an excellent idea) those cameras on a few projects, and for second or third cameras, and I was shocked at how bad implemented were. Every week someone here is reminding me another great Sony failure, and the reason I am skeptical with their cameras!

Funny thing, working with a director and insisted using only the VGs sound, because Sony advertised it as the best sound possible! and this person is making documentary series since the 90s...

Ursa doesn't need to make a dSLR style camera, they have proper smaller ones, and there are at least 5-7 brands (Pentax makes cameras too!) to compete in that market, how many more manufacturers you want to make photographic cameras that shoot video?

I personally need better video dedicated cameras that they can help me to do my job better and when I need a hybrid camera, I have one (or 3).

The Ursa mini pro is  one, I believe they are spot on with these decisions, they have to round some rough areas, but they are very close to a real productive, multi headed - beast of a camera. I do will consider this camera for a feature purchase.

What do you people believe are the cons and pros between this and the FS5?

[Stanley]

On 3/16/2017 at 11:15 AM, Andrew Reid said:

If Blackmagic put out a GH5 rival shooting RAW (DJI have proved it's possible already), they'd sell a boat load of $2000 cameras to almost everyone from beginners to pros.

Glad you said almost, can you imagine a boatload of beginners shooting raw and ringing BMD to ask what they do next.