YES I am aware that Blackmagic has since Monday released a new 4.0 BETA firmware for the Ursa Mini 4.6K, but since I sent the camera back before this was out I made this video using firmware 3.3. The new firmware does add A LOT of awesome features including quicker access to controls, so thumbs up to Blackmagic for getting that rolled out.
Camera Body
I/O aside the Blackmagic had a few quirks that I will mention here for anyone considering on purchasing an Ursa Mini 4.6K. The first is that all the threaded mounting points on the camera are sized for ¼”-20 screws. The reason this could be a small issue for some is that most tripod plates come with a single ¼”-20 screw and a single 3/8” screw, meaning that you will need to have extra ¼”-20 screws on hand to prevent your tripod plate from twisting loose.
My second minor gripe with the Ursa Mini’s body is that the power button is ONLY on the inside of the monitor. This was particularly annoying when I was using the camera handheld eventually needing to switch batteries and in order to do so I had to take the camera off my shoulder open the monitor, power the camera off, set the camera down or have someone hold it then finally change batteries. When trying to work quickly with a crew in particular this was a minor but noticeable annoyance.
My third and final physical complaint is the omission of the global shutter. While I understand that Blackmagic could not make the process work with both the promised DR and the Global shutter it is a bit of a let down. The silver lining to this is the rolling shutter on the Ursa is very solid and was never an issue even when using the camera handheld. In all the work I put this camera through not once did it cross my mind that the rolling shutter made the image much worse. I consider Global Shutter to be a feature reserved for higher end cameras and there aren't many cameras close to the Ursa's price point that have it.
QC Issues
Like all of Blackmagic’s releases this camera has been in high demand and had a lot of people in line with pre-orders. While I can only guess, this seems to have led to difficulties in their QC process. Our unit from B&H had a small imperfection on the cameras monitor that was not generally noticeable when you had an image on screen but was definitely visible going through the cameras menus. This could very easily be damage the camera received during shipping but ether way we ended up with it, annoying.
The second more pressing issue we had physically was the REAR SDI out on the camera did not work at any point in time. I tried multiple camera and full size desktop monitors and half a dozen SDI cables with no luck. This was disappointing but not something I believe Blackmagic would fix if my past customer service experience with them is any indication. This is however something that many will find unacceptable since you will be without your camera for up to several weeks depending on where you live.
The last and possibly the most talked about QC issue that people have been mentioning is the magenta cast that some of the 4.6K sensors seem to be exhibiting. While I was shooting with the Ursa Mini I was using a GenusTech Variable ND filter and a Hoya IR Cut Filter since I was often outside shooting for this video and the short film. When using those two filters together I did not notice any magenta cast in any of the footage I shot, making sure to go through every shot start to finish checking for it. The corners of the frame seem to be the dead giveaway on other owners units but I did not experience such a drastic issue. That being said when I was not using the ND filter with the IR cut filter I did notice a SLIGHT magenta cast in some of my evening footage particularly at 800 ISO (Will be adding screen grabs in the morning)
When I first noticed it I was a tad bit concerned however after doing a simple tint correction with in Premiere Pro (nothing fancy) I was able to remove all signs it was ever there, in fact many shots in the video originally had the slight tint and I am fairly certain you would never know it was there to begin with after colour correction was done. It is a shame others are having issues with their copy of the camera but if most currently shipping Ursa Mini’s give the images I got from the one I tested I think there will be many happy owners of this camera out there still.
I do hope Blackmagic addresses this issue full swing as its one of main drawbacks being talked about this camera at the moment, but it is also something that should be fixable with time as these cameras begin shipping in larger numbers. It isn't something to brush past if you are considering this camera but if you can afford the time to correct it when it arrives the rest of the image will impress.
Finally I hope you guys enjoy the video and if you have any other specific questions about the Ursa Mini 4.6k please done hesitate to ask me on twitter: @Brandon_Y_lee
