Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6K vs. Arri Alexa
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- Опубликовано: 5 апр 2016
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Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan. Today on The Slanted Lens my friend Kenneth and I are taking the Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6k and the ARRI Alexa head to head to see how their dynamic ranges match up. Let me know if you were surprised with our results in the comments below.
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We used Datacolor's SpyderCHECKR 24 color chart in our test: bit.ly/1NkKPx3
Keep those cameras rollin' and keep on clickin'.
-Jay P.
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$6k camera compared to a $40K and people are still trying to shit on BlackMagic. Just crazy.
very well said. word
well because their shit is buggy
*****
lol, it is true that there are issues with their products and that is especially true for the ursa mini
After NAB, they apparently fixed most of the issues
I would shit on any camera that might fuck up out in the field.
I wont be greedy, I'll just take one of each please. Thank you
no u wont. coz u cant afford even 1. so shute the fuck up.
Lol go back under your bridge loser
LOL
Still not as good as JVC handycam. The digital zoom on those is unreal.
omg
lmao
we dont need zoom in cinematic view or movie - dolly are perfect
In my art college they had us shooting on PD170s... what a fucking joke right
You're lucky, we're still with the sony VX2100P
Absolutely fantastic review guys. Thank you so much!
This is the comparison a lot of shooters have been waiting for. Great to have a $6K option with this kind of image quality. Thanks for the thought and effort that went into this - appreciate it.
+Hybrid Camera Revolution Thanks for watching.
Great video Jay P. I go to your channel for great stills advice and love it. I really enjoyed how seriously you explored the pro video world in this video. I really enjoy both of these disciplines so I hope you continue to do more video videos to compliment your stills expertise. thanks again
+jwmpratt Thanks so much.
Great tests here guys - thanks for sharing. It's really mind-blowing to think that we're genuinely comparing cameras with such vastly different prices.
+FrameFury It really is. Thanks for watching.
Great comparison! Thanks for going so in depth with a thorough review! Now just have to wait for mine to arrive -_-
Thanks guys! Quality stuff as always. Blackmagic is amazing. Yes, they have QC issues. Yes, its a steep learning curve for people who's first cameras were DSLRs but wow....their sensor tech along with their innovative bodies and everything else....they are doing a lot of things right.
+The Post Color Blog (Dave's Tuts) Thanks for watching.
Very useful guys! Thank you.
+Filmmaker IQ Thanks so much.
+The Slanted Lens Dream cam vs Dream cam.
Thank you so much for the test, very helpful!
+Red Umbrella Thanks for watching!
Excellent review guys, thanks
Wow. The Blackmagic camera is looking every bit worth its money. I'm going to keep my eye on getting that little puppy.
This is the old one. We did a hands on look at the new one last week though- bit.ly/2n1cISa
thank´s a lot for this comparison. very helpful!
Awesome comparison, thank you for the information. Excellent data and experimentation.
+tenchimod Thanks for watching.
Excellent video, thanks for sharing. What is your workflow for grading the raw footage from the URSA Mini?
I enjoy watching this review thanks!!
Great video. Unrelated technical question. I notice you both are wearing lav mics. How did you manage to avoid the audio bleeding into each other's mics? I've used that setup and get the worst results and usually fall back on a shotgun mic for conversations between two or more subjects. . What am I missing? Thx.
"ProRes is ProRes, it should be very similiar."
No, it won't be. With an A7S (a camera I own and love), ProRes from an external recorder is still going to be 8 bit. ProRes from the UM46 is 10 bit. The difference between the two will be vast.
+David West Correct you are! I forgot that the A7s can only put out 8-bit video. A shame.
+David West Not to mention every camera has it's own way of processing the image and the only way to fully circumvent that is shooting RAW on each camera. The argument "ProRes is ProRes" is indeed really dumb.
No. Ursa Mini Prores in 4:4:4 is 12-bit, which is the same as RAW. The dynamic range is almost 99% the same as RAW you just can't change exposure in a linear way, which is probably why his grading was "wrong." If he switched into xyz linear using a color space transform, he would have had better results, but truthfully I think he just made mistakes because other people don't seem to have problems grading Ursa Mini footage during extreme under and overexposure.
So how do you know the camera has issues that point out it needs to be returned, especially if you have nothing to compare too?
great video, very well done comparison
great comparison and review I did loved it !!!! btw which are the best rig and gimble that work with this camera on a budget ?
I have been using single BMCC 2.5 for the last 3 years with total 127 days of shooting, for my first feature film. Not a single glitch. Phenomenal color rendition. Tested in Barco n Christie digital projector.He is right, when you found it, you found it.
Hop to see a URSA 4.6k vs RED Dragon soon
I'd love to get my hands on that outdoor file. I wonder how you exposed it.
Great review. Does this Ursa camera have autofocus like the Canon C200?
At 11:15, you talk about the motion of the camera, and how cinematic it is compared to another camera you tested. Is there really a difference in the quality of motion between two cameras if they're both filming at 24fps at a 180 degree shutter?
The age old question. On paper it seems like there should be no difference, but viewing footage from a lot of different cameras with the same 24/180 settings, I can see a difference. I don't know what causes it, but it is there. Canon C-series cameras and Sony cameras tend to have more video-like motion, while Arri's, Red's, and Blackmagic cameras tend to feel more cinematic. That's just my opinion though.
Interesting. I've used all of the mentioned cameras and never noticed or thought to really look for a difference. I'll keep it in mind.
I think it might be how and how fast their sensors read the data. True progressive (with ccd sensor's or film) where the whole image is read in one moment always feels so much better to me compared to cmos sensors where the image is scanned from left to right, top to bottom iirc. And even though higher end cam's do it better than dslr's (of course), there is still the rolling shutter effect. Movement is simply different.
I notice differences in how cameras render motion as well. It's one of the primary reasons I don't like the footage I've seen from the GH4
Ralph Lindsen you do realise that film cameras utilise a rolling shutter too? There’s a slight difference from CMOS sensors because the shutter is mechanical, as opposed to electronic, but it’s becoming more and more common for CMOS sensors to have a global shutter, which means the entire image plane is scanned simultaneously.
What lenses did you use on the Ursa Mini 4.6k?
you can get 2 or 3 of the Ursa Mini and be a little more flexible as a "business" . also, the raw is a big deal if you're a colorist definitely. temperature correction and HDR full retention. #rawfilesmatter
I'm actually deciding between Blackmagic URSA or the Sony PXWFS5 for music video recording and low budget films .
ursa mini 4.6k would be a better option
It looks like you rendered this at a very low bit rate at times, were any of the Ursa shots in RAW ?
+ChrisBeBallin I think RUclips has more to do with the low bitrate than the Ursa itself.
+ChrisBeBallin Hi Chris, the compression for RUclips is unfortunately high. We did shoot footage in raw, however there was almost no difference between the raw and prores, and that has been corroborated with other owners I have talked to. Besides, the raw wouldn't have survived the compression any better than the ProRes :)
+Kenneth Merrill maybe you can post the rest videos else where or available for download so we can get the best looking quality possible. ?
What lenses did yall use?
great stuff. thank you.
Great review. Very focused and informative. You smart guys!
So when there was under-exposure, you dimmed the light, and then you cranked up the iso to get enough lighting? What do you mean by under exposure loss of colour? Do you see the colours in other settings? If you can explain that I find out what is missing there that can't be reproduced. Is it the sensor not gathering as much R, B, photons? so there is no way to crank up the ISO and get more colour and then colour-correct it for too much blue, etc.?
We underexposed by getting a proper exposure at F2 (if I remember correctly) and then simply closing the iris incrementally for each stop. Then in post I used the exposure tools in DaVinci Resolve to raise the exposure to proper levels. The reason there is loss of color in underexposed footage is because there is simply less luma information and therefore less color information. You can still push the color around in those lower stops, but because there is so little color information/separation, it will really be more like putting a color cast over everything.
Hi, Very interesting video.
Which cameras did you shoot the dialogue with?
Two Canon 5D Mark 3s, with Tamron lenses.
I noticed the video was soft. Knowing the 5DMKIII, you can sharpen it a lot more to achieve excellent 1080p.
Love the video guys. Do you all have any plans to compare the new Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro to the Sony A7Rii or another camera? Those built in ND filters should help considerably I would think.
Interesting to see how the colors behave in over and under exposure, thanks!
You're welcome Marcel! We have a new video on what to expect for the Ursa Mini Pro G2: ruclips.net/video/BYs6oyM2Spo/видео.html
What do you think of the Craft Camera?
Just out of pure curiosity, shouldn't a DP know the difference between F-stops and T-stops? At least, that seems to be the explanation of the difference in light between the two lenses (somewhere between 1/3 and 2/3 of a stop)
great video :) thank you guys
+S6 Thanks for watching!
can u do a fs7 and ursa mini comparasion?
Thanks guys. No mention of how it stacks up in low light?
+cuckoomusic You're welcome! The under-exposure portion of the test should give you an idea of the noise patterns on the cameras and how clean low-light footage will look after you process it.
+Kenneth Merrill yeah I guess, but that doesn't say anything about low light ISO modes, if it has different ISO's. I've got a Pocket Cinema, and the different ISO's there are known to be more or less digital gain.
Im really interested in stepping up to the ursa mini pro but after hearing what you said about the a7rii going prores into an atomos im a bit torn. I currently shoot on the Sii and the Rii (not yet heavily invested in sony glass) and Im wondering if it'd be worth the upgrade or if i should just rig my sonys up with the atomos? PLEASE do a test between those two! Also Ive been using a modified version of the EOS HD color settings and getting almost indistinguishable from canon skin tone and color results, with the added benefit of slog 2 for pushing a grade. I like the smaller form factor and if i can get similar resluts for even less $$$ Im all about it.
The biggest spec difference in a dslr like the a7 and something like the fs7 or URSA is 10 bit vs 8 bit. The URSA does 12 bit when shooting raw dng. And if you are going to get picky about "skin tones" you need to shoot in log or raw and learn how to grade. They say that there is no noticeable difference between prores and raw, but that is because of the youtube compression and the fact that they don't know how to grade. The URSA mini is an amazing camera, but the biggest downsides I have found are the battery life and overheating issues. I had a lot of artifacts in my footage because the camera was running for too long and overheated. For some people it may also be too heavy, though I like the weight. It just depends on your use, like if you are going to be mounting it to a MoVi etc. The fs7 is a really great 10 bit camera. If you get the URSA you also get the full version of Davinci Resolve which has the HDR toning function, which is something that really can set your footage apart.
Great review! Would you mind sharing the whole UM4.6 rig you used? It would be great since I'm looking to buy! Cheers
It's a while ago now, but I think this was the setup: Ursa Mini body, BlackMagic Ursa Mini shoulder support system and V-lock plate, Anton Bauer Dionic HC battery, 15mm rods, Tilta MB-104 mattebox, True ND neutral density filters.
Thank you for this review - it certainly seemed a bit more balanced than what I have been reading. I wanted to know if you guys would be comfortable weighing in on why the reviews on sites like B&H are so overwhelmingly negative about this camera. The majority of which are discussing a magenta cast in the video. Did you guys experience this issue at all (beyond a warm quality) and how much should it be factored as a consideration ?
+Brendan Forward Hi Brendan, I can't speak for Jay P, but here is my opinion. We did this test before the magenta vignette was brought to light. I have read up extensively on that issue, and it is very serious. At least one user has reported that not even the new OS (with new color science) has fixed the magenta vignette on his camera. Blackmagic have not officially recognized it as a flaw in the camera (which it most certainly is), and they have not offered any suggestion that they will take steps to fix it (though we can hope they do). And that is not the only issue that several users have reported.
Before the B&H reviews started popping up, there were rumors of audio interference in the XLR's and corrupted cards. The B&H reviews reflect that. Folks at BMCuser and the Blackmagic forum suggest that not all of those reviews can be trusted (i.e. maybe some or all of them have been written by "trolls"). I find that hard to believe. All of the issues reflected in the reviews have already been reported elsewhere by real users. Even if you only trust B&H reviews from "verified buyers," that suggests that you have a 50/50 chance of getting a camera with the magenta vignette and other issues.
Blackmagic cameras always ship with problems. Usually it's not as big a deal because the investment is only 1-2000 dollars. This time it's a much bigger investment. I personally would not risk my money on a product that has a 50/50 (or much worse) chance of being unusable.
ProRes on Ninja Assassin from a7r/s I/II still won't compare vs URSA Mini 4.6K since its 8-bit vs 10-12 bit.
+Jeremy gay Good catch! I forgot the output from the A7 series is only 8-bit. Shame.
+Jeremy gay You are 100% correct
You guys should've put some 4K footage samples or something from the shoot, since youtube compression doesn't show it in all its glory. I mean it would be nice and all, but thanks for the video!
Can you get an adapter for EF to PL? If yes, does it change anything negatively?
UncleScrooch Yes, it is possible and several exist
Um why no upload in 4k.
+Crewchief 227 This test was meant to compare color and dynamic range. You can find a lot of 4K footage elsewhere, particularly Vimeo!
+Crewchief 227 who has time to render a 20 minuet 4k video?
Same lights with URSA M ??? it's already clipping on skin a 0 stop. Zebras & so on checked a hundred times I guess, so why didn't it work that well for URSA M ?...
do these cameras all have global shutter and how do they perform fast action or movement the question is how's fast panning with these cameras
None of these cameras have global shutter. The Alexa's shutter read-out is a lightning fast 5ms; you'll never notice RS on that camera. The Ursa Mini seemed pretty good. We didn't test it specifically, but I would expect it to fall at least in with other cinema cameras like the Red Epic (16ms).
very cool!
The different exposures you get between the two lenses may well be that one is a photo lens marked in f-stops although the other is a cine lens marked in t-stops which is the real exposure you get matched with the focal length of the lens. Every lense absorbing a certain quantity of light depending of its focal lenght, this value being rendered in T-stops and not in F-stops.
+Louis Leroux I expected minor variations between the two because of the that reason, but we found (too late) that the mechanics of the EF lens were actually faulty.
How does it compare to a Sony FS7?
I would like to see an image comparison between 3:1 Raw, Raw, and ProRes.
I wonder why people use ProRes 4:4:4 over 3:1 Raw when 3:1 Raw cost 70mbp/s fewer than ProRes.
+The Slanted Lens
Hey Jay, it could look cinematic because it has a global shutter. I personally feel that a 'video look' comes from the sensor "scanning" the image rather than capturing it as a whole.
+SoloFlightProd If you're referring to the Ursa Mini 4.6K, it does NOT have a global shutter, nor does the Alexa.
higher end does have faster read outs though, so they get closer to progressive
I still haven't managed to fall in love with the Ursa's orange 'California' skin tones. Does anyone have experience grading that out or recovering more alexa-like neutral tonality in skin? The rest of the spectrum seems strong, but the red pop just on the Ursa Mini seems to burn skin tones.
An IR cut filter helps with the color.
Its always cool to see this comparison but the URSA is WAY more useful to the low budget low man power type of shoots people like us will be working on.
Thanks
The color separation on the Alexa is one thing that's never really mentioned. If you click back and forth, the tonality of the each individual color is much more distinct on the Alexa. So not only does the Alexa hold its colors much more vividly when over/under exposed, it renders the colors more faithfully and makes color differences more easily perceived. That's what I think is the real special sauce of the camera. That out-of-the-box color. Is the Blackmagic 4.6 Ursa Mini still a great camera? Yes, indeed. It's still impressive!
Tbh of you walk into a professional set with this camera no one's gonna be mad...
Except for for sports broadcast cameras. We also hate black magic cameras for live concerts.
However they are great for filmmaking like weddings and docs and shorts
@@vizon-aryproductions6191 Yeah, that's when you realize Blackmagic has special cameras for those scenarios. I've used a modified version of the Blackmagic Studio and URSA Broadcast cameras at the Scotiabank Arena here in Toronto, interface is super easy to use and it looks sharp as a knife and clean as in 0 noise to be found. I really don't know what else you would want, "cinematic" colors? For a live show? The colors are clean and it holds a surprising amount of dynamic range for the REC709 color space it works on, a lot better than the SONY cameras we used to have
Arcanineisthebest now do you use fiber or tri axe cables ? I feel like black magic broadcast cameras are klunky and cheap as opposed to Sony/ fujinon cams where it takes less time to use your chip chart and white balance the cameras through via shading station. I mean it’s like comparing grapes to wine.. black magic have awful contrast and highlight points . I’m not knocking at all. But when you’re use to operating 7 figure cams black magic can hold its own but isn’t at supreme level for live broadcast
@@vizon-aryproductions6191 "black magic have awful contrast and highlight points" Unlike the SONY cameras we used to have, there is no processor or anything in the actual "camera". It's just a big sensor with a lens mount and some ports on it. The entire "Brains" are on the console itself (not sure if that's the right name for it) and yes, you can change the curve and modify the image to your liking. And no, it's not post-processing because you are changing the way the sensor interprets the image. The whole system was a butt load of money, I asked and they wouldn't tell me how much.I feel you keep referring to plugging a 4.6k to a live scenario and expect it to work, that's not what I'm talking about, these are completely different cameras and systems.
good review
Thanks Jay.
I would love to see a similar test on the kinefinity 5 and 6k cameras as well as the craft camera when they come out. A lot of exciting affordable cine cameras for 2016!
+Michaelbak We'd like to do more of these reviews.
good work
Thank you, Hakam!
Perhaps a comparison between the Blackmagic URSA Mini and the ARRI ALEXA Mini (or the RED Dragon - Weapon) would be better / a good idea in that they are all "Mini's", or compare all the full-sized models. Nonetheless all the "STOP" comparisons were great as being a Film Student we only just got basic training on the full sized RED Scarlet; and it was interesting comparing Pro Res to RAW (we also had the SONY FS7 but I didn't get to touch that one as I focused more on the RED)..
+Film & TV Thanks for your comments, and thanks for watching!
Had a dead pixel on mine. Sent it back . Waiting on the new one now. Fingers crossed.
sorry to hear that, shawn. hope everything gets fixed!
The beef of this camera is in shooting RAW... Why would you test them both in prores?
They say in the end they found the difference between raw and ProRes minor. Unless you set white balance wrong, black magic ProRes tends to deliver very good colors, in my opinion (BMPCC amateur)
+Alex Bodnar Hi Alex! We did shoot in raw, but we found the difference between the ProRes and raw footage so negligible that it didn't warrant the side-by-side comparison. I mention this at the end of the video.
what was the resolution of each camera?
4.6K Ursa Mini and 2K Arri Alexa
please anyone help....I am looking at buying the black magic Ursa mini 4.6k camera however I want to get the best camera at that price range (6,000) can anyone tell me of a better camera at that price instead?
Check out the canon 1d mark ii
Nicely done! This comparison shows what everybody expects. The Alexa is better. The Ursa is great bang for the buck. But I'm not sure this is enough to make me want to deal with Blackmagic's poor quality control and their product's faults. I guess the reviewer said that much himself though.
+wyxvt Thanks for watching.
Thanks folks. What is the native ASA of the Ursa?
400, max. 800 for Ursa
Big issue now is BM has announced only the 4k version will have a global shutter and the 4.6 will not. I think that will be a big deciding factor for prospective buyers.
+David Liang Do you view a global shutter as a must have? I don't but I was curious as to why you might think that, personally
+Ravenscreek Pictures I guess it depends on your budget and needs...but IMO for the vast majority of users applications out there it's more of a nice to have.
David Liang I agree. more options are always better but I think a lot of people get hung up on the global shutter. IMO the global shutter seems to create this very un-cinematic look in motion whereas the Ursa mini rolling shutter looks amazingly beautiful. Thank you for your response, David
Hows slow motion on Black Magic ursa?
120 fps 1080p and 60 fps in 4.6K. Some have managed to get up to 160 fps 1080p following an update, but it windows the sensor.
i'm going on the limb here because of your review i been looking at the ursa mini since the release and i hate buying then find out its crap..thanks for comparing which most us small guys can't get hand on the Alexa... i almost bought 4k which i knew need improvement 4.6k seems like a buy
Which one out of the two is more cinimatic ?
Alexa has better color science and with the 4:3 version of the 35mm sensor adding anamorphic lens would instantly give you a more cinematic look than the Ursa
I say start with the pocket cinema camera and build a relationship with the company (if you get a bum camera at first). By the time you get the Ursa, hopefully you have a good line of communication with them that if anything goes wrong they give you priority. I can't think of anything worse than spending 6k and then having to go back and forth for months over quality control.
Would love to see comparison with the kinefinety! Just wish black magic could make it a bit (ok a lot) smaller...Btw, had to laugh...J.P Morgan and Merril Lynch? did a double take there! You go you investment banker/independent filmmaker types!
So, why do you compare Prores not RAW?
+Blacknaag0 16:50
What values were you exposing to?
+Andrew Berekdar The EV values are listed in type in the test video portion.
+Kenneth Merrill EV +1 etc only means something in relation to EV 0 - it's not a light measurement.
+Andrew Berekdar We didn't measure the foot-candles of the light. But for the overexposure portion, the key side at 0EV read f16 at ASA 800 on a Sekonic incident light meter. For the underexposure portion, the key side was f2.8 at ASA 800 for 0EV. That might give you an idea.
+Kenneth Merrill thank you!
you could have adapted eather the pl lens or ef lens
I don't understand how you can say that raw and prores can have the same
amount of picture and color data especially when the purpose here is to
compare the stops. If I don't shoot raw with my BM Pocket I lose at
least 2, hell 3 stops of data. Even if the compression is great in 444
prores its still a compressed footage, and the result shouldn't be
similar at all. Unless I'm missing something here, otherwise if you
could give more info regarding that statement I'd be very happy. ^^
Otherwise great video.
+GirlsMeetAdventures Hey! I'm not sure why the BM Pocket loses so much latitude when you shoot 4444. I can't speak to that. I do know that when you shoot film mode on the UM4.6K, the gamma curve is identical to the filmic curve you use when you process the raw footage--and since the gamma curve is ultimately determines how many luma levels are in an image, the dynamic range should be the same for both 4444 and raw. Besides that, I literally looked at side-by-side comparisons of the two (raw and 4444) at all stops and found almost no difference--especially in clip points or noise. All I can tell you is what I saw... Hope that helps!
I'm going from a 5DIII to a 4.6k.
+Marc Jennings Let us know how it goes!
Ursa mini is a great camera, and the price is minimal for the quality Ursa mini offers. The fact that Ursa mini has a 4.6k chip means that in post you can really push and shift the colors, the brights and the shadows any way you like and as much as you like. The Alexa is a $60 000 and the Ursa is only $5500. The Alexa gives a very nice image right out the bag but Ursa mini can get that in post-just the same. You can push the data of colors. brights and darks without having to fear that the image will fall apart, because it won't. Don't worry about the noise either it only appears in very dark dark shot where no light was used and it is fixable in post but if you film the scene right no noise will ever appear. Get that Ursa mini and start making movies already. People make documentaries with Panasonic Gh2 for crying out loud and the image is nice. Ursa Mini is above and beyond anybody could have bargained for. I am not a paid promoter of any kind and my opinion is true and honest
ursa has terrible dynamic range in the blacks. only highlights it's best in and just feels less like actual film compared to the alexa.
Tryst Films It is the only film camera that you can buy on a budget and it is simply amazing for what it is. Alexa is no doubt a better camera but it costs $65 000 just for the body so the fact that we compare The Ursa mini to the Alexa speaks for the quality of The Ursa. The ursa mini is a beast and it is a professional cinema camera that costs barely anything.
How hard is it to hire an URSA PL mount camera to get consistency for your test? Seems you already compromised the test by messing with the cameras initially...which to me makes your test a waste of time. I think you should do another test with consistency for both cameras. Good that you did the test regardless, but I think your results wont be accurate when comparing.
Very hard actually.
Starts at 4:33! You welcome
I found myself watching the low-wattage bulb in the frame. Looks like despite Blackmagic's claims, the Alexa still boasts higher dynamic range. The Alexa could expose that bulb all the way up to 3 stops of overexposure.
+John Burton I don't think anyone believes its an Alexa so not sure what your point is
+Ravenscreek Pictures It's true nobody expects $40,000 performance from a $6000 camera, but if we go by the specs that Blackmagic Design published for the camera, then the Ursa Mini 4.6K should actually perform BETTER than the Alexa. Arri claims the Alexa has 14 stops of DR. Blackmagic says the Ursa Mini has 15 stops. This test was meant to see if Blackmagic's claims were true. We see now that they are not.
***** If you look at the specs on the Alexa it has Recording Outputs unencrypted 12 bit log & 16 bit linear internal image processing. Of course BM cannot compete with that. We both know that the Ursa Mini was not going to beat out the Alexa... But for the money I would take it over Sony and Canon in Color Science alone. I wish they could get their act together on QC and hitting delivery dates but I understand they are a young company in the camera space but have made very big strides.. This is good for all film-makers as it pushes the big boys who got rather stale (ARRI aside)
For those commenting on the obvious superiority of Arri, yes, DUH, the BM camera doesn't compete with the Alexa in general.
However, it CLAIMS to compete in one aspect: Dynamic range. I'm saying that that SPECIFIC CLAIM doesn't seem to be accurate. That's it, guys.
+John Burton My thoughts exactly, John.
blackmagic is , pl ,ef, mount ?
it's both but you have to choice
It's a shame the Blackmagic is famous for poor quality control, and over-promising and under-delivering...
+simianinc so ture
junk. new one flickers in the shadows, BM says it's normal. i sent it back. NEVER again.
I don't understand it sounds like you guys basically calculated the blackmagic ursa mini as only about 8 stops of useful range yet blackmagic claims there are 15 stops. I'm honestly pretty dissapointed to see the alexa blowing it away even if it does cost a heck of a lot more.
If the Alexa's image looks green, it's probably because you shot in Log-C Film. Turn off the film matrix and it'll be accurate. Other than that, great review.
All of you over-hyping the Alexa are the same people that would use it for a film and have the footage end up coming out looking like it was filmed on a canon-5d... it really does matter who is holding the camera more than it does what camera you use.. I've seen plenty of short film shot on professional cameras that end up looking shitty because people seem to live under a rock and not realize what actual film footage looks like and mimic it..
So true! You just posted the most legit comment!
Well two things : first, the Arri is over-hyped. That is for certain. The reason why Hollywood productions use Arri almost exclusively is much more about the Arri *system* than it is about the cameras themselves. Arri cameras comes loaded with features and gizmos that make them so great to have on a set, such as the fantastic EVF, or the built-in wireless image transmitter for monitors across the set etc
This and the consistency of the image it produces across all the dynamic range no matter what is your lens of choice, is why you wanna use it on a film set...
However... the Canon 5D is actually the industry standard. Believe it or not, it is. I'd say that most TV/Netflix/high-end web series are shot on 5D Mark IV those days. Why? Because a DSLR is a much more *versatile* camera than any cinema camera.
To properly use a cinema camera, you have to take into account that the native iso is 800. You cannot push the iso very far nor very low at all. You start at 800 and work from there maybe up to 5000 big max.
Cameras like A7SII absolutely *kill* an Alexa at the ISO game, day and night (especially night, if ya know what I mean...). Even a 5D is just way better at this game.
And the thing is... properly lighting up a scene to shoot with a camera such as an Alexa takes *time*. On a TV set, things are going really, really fast.
The director doesn't always have the time to block the scene, direct the actor, and make sure the lighting is perfect.
For that reason, sometimes everyone on the set is rushing and you have to work fast. In that instance, the 5D will yield better results than any cinema camera. It takes filters, assistants, and way more time to properly set a cinema camera just, for instance, to handle an over-exposed scene compared to a DSLR which may only requires a variable ND filter (don't shoot over-exposed, he did it as an experiment).
And a 5D, BTW, can yield *exceptional* results. Among other series, Dr. House and Dexter were shot on 5D Mark II. Canon cameras are *that good*.
"Marvel’s Iron Man 3, which grossed a worldwide total of $1.2 billion, made use not only of the EOS C300 for filming action sequences, but also the EOS 5D Mark III for its production stills".
Yes the C300, a camera costing 5K, was used in the place of an Alexa, costing 40-70K depending on the model.
Alexa image quality is over-the-top hyped, man are you right!
Or, you can just shoot DNG Raw and call it a day.
All Raw isn't the same doe, the BM raw has that vintage gamma.
Eyeshadow on a stick? It might catch on
Great test guys, really well presented. Haven't heard of 14k's before though
+Matt Workman Thanks! Did I accidentally say 14k?
+Matt Workman Slip of the tongue. How embarrassing! :)
I wish they did make 14ks! :) Loved the video
Black magic Ursa 👌
it is a great camera. are you excited for the new 4k pocket?
if one day i decided buying camera i would love choose blackmagic ursa mini pro . much better the colour the speed the price
arri alexa minimum 50k so you can save a lot of money
Well said! I agree with your comment!
Alexa hints green. Ursa hints cyan (NOT neutral).
The difference between the Ursa Mini 4.6K and the Alexa is like a CD and an LP. They both have a different feel to them, which is absolutely visible. Personally, I think the Ursa doesn't handle skin tones that great.
That being said. Comparing an Alexa to 35mm film is also like a CD and an LP
I see evidence that the Ursa 4.6k hints towards magenta.
Whoops, yeah meant to say that.
haha all good
Shoot raw in BMCC and your there.Bang for buck BMCC hard to beat.
I don't think we can compare the FS5 with the Ursa, I would still choose the fs5 for documentary work, but for cinematic the Ursa destroys the fs5. 2 different markets imo
its realy good . 6k camera is fine .talk less work more