By associate editor Elliot Smith:
Blackmagic’s new sensor and range of new cameras were some of the most talked-about items at this year’s NAB show. While the company has gone a little quiet on availability and release dates, OneRiver Media’s Marco Solorio has been spending some time with a pre-production URSA mini camera using Blackmagic’s new 4.6K sensor.
It’s the first sensor the company have developed themselves from scratch and will be available in the new URSA mini as well as in an upgrade module for the original URSA camera.
Marco hasn’t been allowed to share any footage from the camera yet, but praises its dynamic range, skin tone rendition and colour fidelity. ‘Everything I pointed the lens to with this sensor,’ he writes, ‘resulted in images that were nothing short of impressive.’ The sensor itself is physically the largest in its class and features a global shutter that can be switched on or off depending on what you’re filming.
He even goes on to say the footage is comparable to material shot on on an ARRI Alexa, no mean feat considering the URSA mini is slated to ship for around £3,000+VAT in the UK (an Alexa will set you back, er, considerably more than that).
Marco’s piece is well worth a read despite the lack of moving pictures, especially if you’re in the market for a new camera. Now all we need to know is when the rest of us can get our hands on one to try it out…
