Blackmagic casually announces 12K URSA Mini Pro Camera

[Neumann Films]

1 minute ago, kye said:

I told the wife about this camera.

She said I can get it, but I have to put every other purchase on hold for a long time, I am only allowed to buy $10k worth of storage, and once that's full, I have to go down to 640x480!

Do it, I think this IS the camera to “future proof” with. It has the feeling of like a 6K Red Epic Dragon (still my favorite RED camera). 

[leslie]

9 hours ago, SteveV4D said:

I wonder if this is Blackmagics attempts to be taken more seriously in the Video Professional World.  Perhaps they want their products to be used to the same extent as Arri Alexa, Red and even Canon for high end Professional work.  They've gone all out to impress and the specs are powerful.  

Yet, documentary filmmakers probably go with the C300 for its great AF, and feature film and TV Productions Alexa for its reliability.  2 things I have not always associated with Blackmagic.  12K will be a specialist resolution for many, and even 8K isn't on the list of requirements for most TV Companies.  

It's another case of a Camera maker pushing what is possible for a future we shall all one day enjoy.  I'd be interested in seeing some footage when this is camera is realised, though not in 12K....  Alas I'm stuck in the dark ages with just a pitiable 4K TV.  How sad is that.  😪

this will be like taking a rottweiler for a stroll down to the local dogpark and everyone else has a shih tzu or poodle 😎

sadly $10000 and 12k is waaaay above my paygrade, guess i'll have to struggle on with 4k 😉

[Anaconda_]

12 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

We’ll have to wait and see whether the rolling shutter in 12K is manageable at that resolution. That’s a lot of data to read off the sensor but considering it cranks up to 60fps in 12K, this implies the rolling shutter might actually be quite fast!

From @CaptainHook

Full 12K : ~15.5ms
8K/4K (full field of view) : ~8.5ms*
6K crop : ~7.8ms
4K crop : ~4.25ms*


*We hope to improve this slightly in an update

[MrSMW]

I make cat videos.

Would this be any good?

[Thpriest]

23 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

I make cat videos.

Would this be any good?

Big cats?

[Caleb Genheimer]

With that much resolution, they really should run half of the photosites through a different gain architecture to achieve higher dynamic range.

[kye]

3 hours ago, Neumann Films said:

Do it, I think this IS the camera to “future proof” with. It has the feeling of like a 6K Red Epic Dragon (still my favorite RED camera). 

She was smiling in a certain way when she said it.

16 minutes ago, Caleb Genheimer said:

With that much resolution, they really should run half of the photosites through a different gain architecture to achieve higher dynamic range.

From what I understand about how they build cameras, this might actually be possible via a firmware update.  This is pure speculation of course, and should be treated as such, but imagine the DR improvements!!

[Tim Sewell]

8 hours ago, amsh89es335 said:

Also lets not forget they promised global shutter on the Ursa Mini 4.6k and took preorders and then when they arrived the Global shutter mode was a lie and was taken away, HDMI out was taken away, and also accelerometers for VFX was no where to be seen.  I bet what they announced today some of the feature will disappear. Like 12k 60p and 8K 110 fps.  Or even 12k. They might be 12k sensor sampled to 8k or 6k. 

Feel your pain, but the cameras are already built - following a CML email thread I saw that John Brawley received his factory-built, final firmware unit yesterday.

[BTM_Pix]

2 hours ago, Thpriest said:

Big cats?

With the amount of punching in this camera allows, all cats can be big cats!

[Django]

3 hours ago, Anaconda_ said:

From @CaptainHook

Full 12K : ~15.5ms
8K/4K (full field of view) : ~8.5ms*
6K crop : ~7.8ms
4K crop : ~4.25ms*


*We hope to improve this slightly in an update

Wow.. with these numbers alone we are close to global shutter in 4K. 

These high MP cameras seem to serve a double purpose when you lower the resolution.

I mean this camera just may trump RED/ARRI ??

[ade towell]

It's definitely going to give RED a run for its money. That you can film in so many different resolutions of BRAW is huge ,there's even 6k super 16 mode for documentary type stuff

[Tim Sewell]

8 minutes ago, Django said:

I mean this camera just may trump RED/ARRI ??

I think this camera is definitely an attempt to eat Red, if not Arri's lunch - clearly aimed at high-end narrative.

[nickname]

I don't think that this particular product will disrupt the market but the sensor tech and image pipeline inside might. 

I love my pocket 4k for its simplicity and affordability but I hate the hoops i have to jump to get a good looking image. 

Without an olpf and color space transform it looks like video with a bad LUT.

For me tha body design of the pocket is perfect, but i can see how it isn't for many other purposes and tastes. The same goes for the Ursa. They will have to learn hiw to build proper camera hardware if they want to get some real traction in the pro field. 

At the moment it feels they want to create alternatives in niches and dont want to step on the toes of red and arri and the like yet. 

[ND64]

2 hours ago, Django said:

Wow.. with these numbers alone we are close to global shutter in 4K. 

4k crop in this sensor is equal to 1 inch format. 1/200 of a second readout at that size is not revolutionary. 

[Danyyyel]

17 hours ago, Super8 said:

If Drive-In Theaters make a comeback 12K down to 8K might be the future in theatrical release motion pictures.  

LOL, you mean when it is projected on the low quality outdoor screen full of pigeon shit....

[Danyyyel]

2 hours ago, gingercat said:

 

LOL, what is the price to pay for this footage 6 to 8x more data than 4K and 4x that of 6k. I mean we are supposed to be blown away.

[Nikkor]

12K on Super35 is just stupid, sorry. Maybe it opens up computational possibilities, but just from a resolultion/sensor size point it's stupid.

12K on a Medium Format sensor is interesting, on s35 it's just marketing and datawaste....

[maxmizer]

3 minutes ago, Nikkor said:

12K on Super35 is just stupid, sorry. Maybe it opens up computational possibilities, but just from a resolultion/sensor size point it's stupid.

12K on a Medium Format sensor is interesting, on s35 it's just marketing and datawaste....

you're wrong, all the cinema lenses on the planet until a few years ago are S35

[maxmizer]

if it actually does what it promises at that price !!! ... Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Red, kinefinity should be afraid ...

maybe you save ZCam if you agree to Braw ...

everything else are still photography with possibility of the video

[Danyyyel]

17 minutes ago, gingercat said:

Actually the 12K BRAW data rate is surprisingly low. In DaVinci Resolve 16.3 beta on a 2017 iMac it plays very smoothly. BRAW is a very efficient codec.

Does it if you have like 6 nodes with some power windows etc... H2.65 plays smoothly on my set up, start to add some nodes and you have to revert to proxy files. Now imagine the typical TV shows I have been working on with two 2.8k arri Alexa's, transitioning to that. So 2 12k camera with at least 3 backup. It would be like 3 to 4x what they already have even with the best estimates. I don't see this camera going to get any traction in film and TV shows. And I guess that most of that super color info BMD is talking about is going be loss with these compression anyway.