Blackmagic Design has announced it is starting to accept preorders for its new Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera. It’s the world’s first commercial camera system designed to capture Apple Immersive Video for Apple Vision Pro.
Apple Vision Pro
Apple unveiled its new augmented reality headset, Apple Vision Pro, in June 2023. The headset looks like a large pair of ski goggles with a separate battery pack connected by a cable. It also incorporates an ultra-high resolution display system that has 23 million pixels across two micro-OLED displays. In addition, the Vision Pro is powered by Apple silicon, with an M2 chip supported by a brand-new R1 chip. All of this computing power is used to process input from two cameras, five sensors and six microphones. You can use the Vision Pro for augmented reality or as a full virtual reality device.
URSA Cine Immersive
The Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera features a fixed, custom lens system pre-installed on the body. This lens system is designed for URSA Cine’s large format image sensor. It offers extremely accurate positional data that is read and stored at time of manufacturing. The lens is also designed specifically to capture Apple Immersive Video for Apple Vision Pro. In addition, the camera’s two 58.7 megapixel sensors deliver 8160 x 7200 resolution per eye with pixel level synchronization and 16 stops of dynamic range. This means you can shoot 90fps 3D immersive cinema content to a single file. The URSA Cine Immersive supports Blackmagic Design’s Generation 5 Color Science with a new film curve.
Other features
The Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive is based on the company URSA Cine camera. It comes with 8TB of high-performance network storage built in, which records directly to the included Blackmagic Media Module. This can also be synced to Blackmagic Cloud and DaVinci Resolve media bins in real time. The camera’s fold-out monitor has a 5-inch HDR touchscreen on one side and an external color status LCD on the other. In addition, the right side of the camera features a dedicated assist station with a second 5″ HDR touchscreen. Inputs and outputs include 12G‑SDI out, 10G Ethernet, USB-C, and XLR audio.
DaVinci Resolve
The immersive lens projection data is calibrated and stored on device by the URSA Cine Immersive. This data then travels through post-production in the Blackmagic RAW file itself. Blackmagic Design is also releasing a new version of DaVinci Resolve Studio in the first quarter of 2025. You will be able to edit, color grade, and produce Apple Immersive Video shot on the URSA Cine Immersive camera for Apple Vision Pro. In addition, you will be able to pan, tilt, and roll clips for viewing on 2D monitors with a new immersive video viewer. Alternatively, you can use Apple Vision Pro for an even more immersive editing experience.
What we think
The URSA Cine Immersive is a fascinating prospect. It delivers most of the features of the company’s flagship cinema camera in a system dedicated to creating Apple Immersive Video. This offers the tempting prospect of immersive movies with full cinema-grade image quality. The premium price also shows that the URSA Cine Immersive is intended for high-level productions. However, another interesting aspect of the new camera is what it may mean for the relationship between Blackmagic Design and Apple moving forward. One feature that has always been missing from Davinci Resolve is support for Apple’s ProRes RAW. Maybe greater cooperation between the two companies could bring other benefits as well.
Pricing and availability
Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive is available to pre-order direct from Blackmagic Design offices worldwide for $29,995. Delivery will start in late quarter one of 2025. The camera will also be available from other resellers later next year.
