Blackmagic Design is expanding its fleet of URSA cameras this week at NAB. The latest URSA iteration is the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K. Blackmagic Design bills the new camera as a “revolutionary new digital film camera” that offers 16 stops of dynamic range and video resolutions up to a staggering 12K. As you might guess, the URSA Cine 12K has a staggering price tag, as well.
Getting to know the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K
The URSA Cine 12K features a 12K image sensor that builds on the technology used in the URSA Mini Pro 12K. The RGBW sensor features large photo-sites, which is what helps the camera achieve an impressive 16 stops of dynamic range. The sensor is designed with equal amounts of red, green and blue pixels, which promises to result in rich colors at every resolution. Speaking of resolutions, the URSA Cine 12K shoots video in resolutions from 4K up to 12K, with open gate shooting available in 4K, 8K and 12K. There is also a 9K Super 35 mode. Plus, the camera supports de-squeezing for a range of anamorphic aspect ratios.
The new camera is built with a magnesium alloy chassis and carbon fiber polycarbonate composite skin. It also features standard accessory connection points to ensure compatibility with other production gear. Plus, it has two 5-inch touchscreen monitors and a color LCD status screen. As for lenses, the URSA Cine 12K has an interchangeable lens mount system that supports PL, LPL, EF and Hasselblad lens mounts.
12K recording to built-in storage
The headline feature of this camera is its 12K video recording capabilities. So how does it capture so much video data? The Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K captures Blackmagic RAW files to a built-in Blackmagic Media Module 8TB. This SSD can store around 4 hours of 12K footage or an impressive 20 hours of 4K footage. Data can then be accessed quickly via the camera’s 10G ethernet connection.
If you’d rather use your existing CFexpress cards, however, there is an optional Blackmagic Media Module CF. This adds two CFexpress card slots.
Notable features of the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K
We’ve only covered the highlights of the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K, so here’s a quick overview of the camera’s notable features:
- Cinematic large-format sensor promising 16 stops of dynamic range
- Lightweight yet durable camera body with industry-standard connections
- PL and locking EF mounts included with optional LPL mount available
- Blackmagic RAW 12K recording
- Generation 5 Blackmagic Color Science with new film curve
- OLPF to reduce moire and aliasing
- Built-in ND filters
- Up to 80 fps in 12K, 144 fps at 8K and 240 fps at 4K
- Blackmagic Media Module 8TB included
- Recording media compatible with the Blackmagic Media Dock
- WiFi, 10G Ethernet or mobile data network connections
- Built-in RTMP and SRT live streaming
- Includes DaVinci Resolve Studio
Pricing and availability
The Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K is available now for a lofty $14,995. If you’re curious, you can learn more at blackmagicdesign.com.
