Stepping up the Game, Pt. 2: The BlackMagic Cinema Camera and the BlackMagic Mini Ursa Pro 4.6k
The time has come!
Finally, I was officially introduced to the BlackMagic Cinema Camera and the BlackMagic Mini Ursa Pro 4.6k! As I have already blogged about in relation to my ‘internship’ at Echoes of Silence, I already had a quick introduction to the BlackMagic Mini Ursa Pro and its functions. And while I did not get to operate that camera by myself back then, I was now able to get to know it much better after the tech dem with our technical demonstrator.
Which is why I won’t lose much time anymore and give you a brief overview of the two above-mentioned cameras before I delve deeper into the specifics of each camera.
The General Lowdown
Delving into the topic at hand, the Australian BlackMagic camera series combines the qualities of both the analogue and digital camera systems. This means, that while the cameras are mostly designed to work and record digitally, they do not come with global shutters as digital cameras would, but with rolling shutters. However, instead of using mirrors like film cameras, the BlackMagic series utilises digital sensors.
In general, they are characterised by requiring more work for sound and post-production than other camera systems would. Filming on a BlackMagic usually means that the image itself will look bleak and almost colour-drained before post and thus requires not only colour-correction but also colour-grading to make the colours truly pop in the end result.
One major helpful advantage for the workflow with a BlackMagic camera, and especially with both camera models discussed here, is the fact that you can enter meta data into a slate-like menu before each and every shot and review these shots indivually. These data consist of elements such as the project name, the number of reels, scenes and shots, comments, keywords and any other form of valuable documentation pertaining to that shot. Once documented, the camera will save these pieces of information in the meta data of the actual clip, enabling the editor to sift through the clips for the relevant information later on in post. Hooray for technological development!
As for sound recording on a BlackMagic device, this should be avoided at all cost if you’re after high quality sound recordings. While the scratch audio recorded on these devices can naturally always be used to help sync up film and sound clips in post, the quality of the recording is general sub-par and should thus not be used for the final outcome. At least with the BlackMagic Cinema Camera, the internal microphone itself has been built in at the bottom front, which lies directly next to the internal fan at the bottom of the camera, thus picking up its lovely sound.
Per each BlackMagic camera kit available at our university, we do have access to one electrical variable lens and three default mechanical prime lenses from the Korean manufacturer Samyang with 14mm, 35mm, and 85mm of focal length. This again, is a major step-up to our current game in which we primarily used the variable lens inbuilt into the Panasonic AVCs and P2s. While it forces me to improve my understanding of Exposure, Depth of Field (DOF) and my framing skills in general, it also brings me one step closer to my dream of becoming a cinematographer.
Finally, and luckily for Apple users, the BlackMagic cameras are compatible with Apple and thus also come with the option of being remotely controlled via an iPhone or iPad within a 30f-distance, provided that you install the Bluetooth+ for BlackMagic app and turn on the Blutooth function on your device. At the time of writing, the app costs about £5 in the App Store and I have already budgeted that purchase in my overall budget for the next month.
The BlackMagic Cinema Camera
Singling out the BlackMagic Cinema Camera, this is the digital film camera released by BlackMagic in 2012. It comes in a front-heavy box-shape design, together with a LCD touch screen at its back, one slot each for solid state drive (SSD) and SD, and an internal battery with a total running time of one hour.
On its right side, the Cinema Camera offers a remote control plug (for all those who do not own an iPad or iPhone), a headphone socket, a BNC video output, a Thunderbolt input and ¼ inch jack inputs instead of XLR-inputs. The Cinema Camera furthermore comes with two record buttons, one at the back and one at the back, depending on whether you shoot on a tripod or hand-held.
The internal propriety software Camera Utility that comes with the camera not only offers new features like a slate-menu to enter meta data, but also includes the DaVinci Resolve software for Microsoft, Apple, and Linux. The firmware can be updated via USB connection to a computer and firmware updates to format solid state drives and lossless RAW capability have been made in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
The BlackMagic Cinema Camera now thus shoots in either Apple ProRes HQ, 2.5k RAW, CinemaDNG or DNxHD codecs, thus being able to record in both 1080p, 2.5k and lossless 2.5k resolution. It offers shutter speeds at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 and 30 frames per second and 13 stops of dynamic range in total. Its mirrorless Micro Four Thirds system has been designed in collaboration with Arri and also the lens mount compatibility seeks to include a broad range from Canon EF, to MFT and Arri PL lens models.
This camera’s native ISO lies at 800, meaning that you receive the best dynamic range and amount of detail for this camera at ISO 800. As always with the ISO (or ASA, as the Americans would call it), the higher the number, the more sensitive the sensor becomes to light and the brighter the image turns out to be (with the correct exposure, of course!).
Browsing through the Camera Utility menu, you can enter the Settings menu which itself consists of various sub-menus such as, e.g. ‘Camera’, ’Audio’, ’Recording’, and ’Display’. While ‘Camera’ subsumes elements such as Date, Time, ISO, White Balance and Shutter Angle, ‘Audio’ offers you various options for recording sound or scratch audio. ‘Recording’ then focuses on the codecs, as mentioned above, as well as Dynamic Range, Frame Rate and Time Lapse. Finally, ‘Display’ gives you options on the Dynamic Range, Brightness, Frame Guides, and so on, rendering the navigation of the interface easy.
BlackMagic Mini Ursa Pro 4.6k
Much like the BlackMagic Cinema Camera, the BlackMagic Mini Ursa Pro 4.6k attempts to combine the best of various worlds: The rolling shutter of film cameras, with the sensor of a digital camera and features and controls of a broadcast camera, making it an ample fit for both film, TV and live productions.
The BlackMagic Mini Ursa Pro 4.6k that hit the market in 2016, comes with five different versions of ergonomically designed, evenly weighted but robust bodies that, due to their build, sadly would not work properly as a glidecam camera. It can be expanded with a viewfinder that needs to be powered separately with a cord (as it contains its own LED-display) as well as a shoulder mount and arm, thus allowing for maximum utility when shooting hand-held. Its on-board software is fairly intuitive and thus quick to use and get used to. Much like with its predecessor mentioned above, it also comes with the DaVinci Resolve Studio software for Microsoft, Apple, and Linux.
The BlackMagic Mini Ursa Pro comes with a 4 inch fold-out LCD touch display that displays the usual status information of a video camera and its menu is designed rather similarly to that of the Cinema Camera. The Mini Ursa Pro furthermore contains built-in ND-filters (offering 2, 4, and 6-stop filters), which is a rare commonality with the Panasonic AVCs and P2s. In contrast to its predecessor, the Mini Ursa Pro offers 15 instead of 13 stops of dynamic range and shutter speeds of up to 60fps.
The BlackMagic Mini Ursa Pro comes with a 4.6k sensor that records in a recording resolution of up to 4608 x 2592p. It dropped recording in Avid’s DNxHD codec but instead focuses now on 4.6k RAW and XQ, the latter which is basically an uncompressed ProRes codec.
It is able to save its files on SD (for HD and RAW HD files), 2.5 inch mini SSD (for 4k and 4.6k 12bit RAW files) and now also on the truly expensive C-Fast cards (for full resolution 4.6k RAW recording). According to the manufacturer, the new model even allows to swap cards while recording in case one of the cards run full. However, while you can enter both cards simultaneously, you will need to flip a switch in the hidden compartment on the left side of the camera to switch between recording on either one of them.
One important aspect with the SD-cards should further be noted: Since the camera records a lot of (meta)data and possibly in 4.6k, it tends to buffer, meaning that it records a bit overtime even after pressing the record button a second time, as it still transfers data. That implies that you must not turn off the camera while the record light is still blinking or else you will lose valuable data. This process might take a couple of seconds, especially if you shoot in 4.6k. Once the record light has turned off, you are ready to record again or turn off the camera.
As with the BlackMagic Cinema Camera, the BlackMagic Mini Ursa Pro also records the metadata in each and every clip, provided you enter them in the slate-menu, and makes them accessible in DaVinci Resolve, FinalCutPro and Avid Media Composer. Another very useful function, which I really love about the Mini Ursa Pro is the fact that you can import your own LookUpTables (LUTs) into the camera and preview it on your screen to get a feel for the final outcome. However, as smug as this function is, it does not mean that the camera records the footage with the LUT engaged. It is really only previewing it to give you a first impression.
Much like with the Cinema Camera, BlackMagic sought to cooperate with various manufacturers, coming with a standard EF ring but offering interchangeable lens mounts to switch between the photographic Canon EF and F series, the B4 broadcast lenses and the cinematic Arri PL lenses. This makes the camera extremely versatile and thus broadens the BlackMagic’s target market. This is also warranted by the fact that the BlackMagic Mini Ursa Pro is used as a B-roll camera to the Arri Alexa since its internal colour metry is the closest to the one in the Arri Alexa. This camera is furthermore often used in Netflix productions, so this makes me extra proud that we are now allowed to use them. One step closer to industry standard!
But in contrast to the Cinema Camera, the Mini Ursa Pro 4.6k – with its recording resolution of 4.6k on the sensor, the additional shutter speeds and ND-filters, the return to XLR-inputs and the loss of its front-heaviness – is a lot more advanced than its predecessor.
I am looking forward to the next opportunity at using the BlackMagic cameras, especially the Mini Ursa Pro 4.6k. Since we will be filming with real film and thus need to block our shots in advance, I will use any of the two cameras available in the pre-production phase to get an idea of what the footage might look like. As I said: My time has come!
References:
Anonymous (2018) Blackmagic Cinema Camera [online] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackmagic_Cinema_Camera [Accessed on 13 October 2018]
Blackmagicdesign (2018) Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro [online] https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicursaminipro [Accessed on 13 October 2018]
Charnley, L. (2018) Introduction to BlackMagic The Northern School of Art, Hartlepool, 04.10.2018