Norse paganism, also known as Norse religion, was the religious beliefs and practices of the Norse people of ancient Scandinavia during the Viking Age (800-1100 CE). The Norse pagan symbols played a significant role in their religious rituals, mythology, and culture. These symbols were not just decorative but held deep spiritual meanings for the practitioners of Norse paganism. One of the most well-known Norse pagan symbols is the Valknut, also known as the "knot of the slain." It is a symbol of Odin, the chief god in Norse mythology and the god of war, death, and wisdom. The Valknut consists of three interlocking triangles, which are said to represent Odin's power to bind and unbind the fate of warriors in battle.
Blackmagic’s 12K sensor does not have a typical RGB Bayer pattern color filter array. Instead, it’s an equal arrangement of RGBW—red, green, blue and clear (unfiltered-white). The W (clear) photosites add additional values of brightness and sensitivity to the RGB color-filtered photosites to get extended dynamic range and lower noise. You can find the patent online.
The URSA Mini Pro 12K records up to 80MP per frame in Blackmagic Raw and offers flexible recording options that include dual CFAST card capture and high-speed USB Type-C output. Now one thing that may be a limitation or may not, depending on your workflow, is that the URSA Mini Pro 12K only records in Blackmagic RAW as opposed to including ProRes recording like some its smaller siblings.
The Valknut consists of three interlocking triangles, which are said to represent Odin's power to bind and unbind the fate of warriors in battle. It is often associated with Odin's role in guiding slain warriors to the afterlife. Another prominent Norse pagan symbol is Mjölnir, the hammer of Thor.
URSA Mini Pro 12K price drop to $6K
URSA 12K Chockers. “Chockers” is Australian for “fully festooned.” Because the URSA 12K camera package will be shooting major shows, you will see many of them in full chockers mode, like this. And yes, the chockers things in this photo cost extra: Bright Tangerine accessories, Preston LR2W with MDR-4 and motors, Teradek BOLT 4K, and SIGMA 18-35 T2 Zoom.
This is irresistible. The Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K can now be had for US$5,995. That is a $4,000 drop from its original $9,999.
Blackmagic says, “This price reduction has been made possible by efficiencies in manufacturing combined with an improved supply of 12K sensors. With this new low price for Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K, a much wider range of customers will have access to feature film production.”
That has been a guiding business model of the Melbourne, Australia company—make great products eminently affordable so lots more people can buy them, thus enabling the lower cost.
I heard some skeptics mutter that price drops sometimes portend progression. But this thing is now so affordable, it doesn’t matter.
Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K camera body
In case you don’t have time to download the complete FDTimes URSA 12K Special Report, here’s a Cliff’s Notes review with some updates:
Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K is available now from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide for US$5,995.
URSA 12K is a serious camera that shoots stellar Super35 images at an astonishing 79.6 Megapixels per frame (12,288 x 6480) up to 75 fps in 2.39:1 (2.4:1), among many other aspect ratios, frame rates and resolutions.
Blackmagic RAW (BRAW) 12-bit files can be nimbly edited and finished even on a laptop. DaVinci Resolve 17.3, also announced today, works up to 3 times faster on Macs with the M1 chip. You can play, edit and grade 4K and 8K projects faster, even work on a laptop.
URSA 12K weighs about 5.6 lb and is slightly larger than a large can of Fosters.
Three internal ND filters and one clear filter with IR compensation can be summoned up with the twist of the ND dial: Clear, 2, 4 or 6 stops.
The camera comes with a PL mount. You can swap it quickly and easily for an optional EF or F mount. The EF mount offers autofocus and auto/user controlled exposure. The PL mount provides /i metadata embedded recording.
The main display on the camera left door shows timecode, shutter, lens settings, battery, recording status and audio levels. The display is backlit and visible in dimly lit studios or direct sunlight. Open the display door to reveal a 4-inch LCD touchscreen monitor and dual CFast 2.0 and UHS-II SD media slots. If you’d like more recording time, connect a SATA or NVMe drive to the camera’s rear USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port.
A BNC connector at the front camera right side provides HD-SDI (up to 3G). This is where you’ll plug in Blackmagic’s excellent 1920 x 1080 OLED URSA Viewfinder. It’s an essential optional extra and the $1495 price is a bargain compared to one out-of-focus shot. The camera’s rear BNC provides menu-selectable 4K SDI or HD-SDI (up to 12G) output.
So how does URSA Mini Pro 12K confound current credo with smaller pixels and more of them and great color science and gorgeous images?
Blackmagic’s 12K sensor does not have a typical RGB Bayer pattern color filter array. Instead, it’s an equal arrangement of RGBW—red, green, blue and clear (unfiltered-white). The W (clear) photosites add additional values of brightness and sensitivity to the RGB color-filtered photosites to get extended dynamic range and lower noise. You can find the patent online.
OK, I hear the chants of “Why do we need 12K?” Here’s why.
The 12K sensor scales from 12K to 8K or 4K without cropping or binning. Most of us who have shot commercials never encountered an art director lacking an irresistible urge to repo (reposition) and blow up (enlarge) things in post. Often, the only restriction was resolution: blow up too far and it looks like noisy gold balls. If you’re shooting in 12K and finishing for 4K, that art director will weep with joy at the almost limitless possibilities to mess with your masterpiece and zoom in on the product’s logo. Even better, you can grab individual frames in DaVinci Resolve (View>Stills>Grab Still) and then Export (Right Click on the thumbnail>Export with LUT).
Bob Caniglia, Blackmagic Design Director of Sales Operations, North America, explained the efficiencies of 12K: “On its own, 12K is obviously a huge number. In order to shoot 12K or 8K, you truly need to be able to use it. One of the challenges set out from the start of this project was to be able to have hardware over-sampling to make 8K files or 4K files from the 12K files, but to be able to do it without requiring a supercomputer.
“It was a combination of our managing the color science, having Blackmagic RAW, developing the sensor and having DaVinci Resolve Studio (included with the camera) on the back end to deal with the files. For example, this camera lets you shoot 12K plates for VFX. For 8K or 4K, the camera does in-camera hardware scaling. And, if you’re shooting vertical video, you get a 6K vertical format.”
The URSA 12K records in constant quality or constant bit rate.
Constant bit rates are 5:1, 8:1, 12:1 or 18:1. So, 12K 5:1 at 24 fps is close to 600 MB/s. 18:1 in 12K at 24 fps gets it down to 160 MB/s.
“Constant quality choices are Q0, Q1, Q3 and Q5. Image quality stays the same but the amount of compression varies depending what you are filming.
For example, if the scene involves an actor standing still in front of a white cyc, the image data can be compressed more because there is very little detail in the background and little movement. However, if you are filming an actor running in the street, the camera would demand less compression to get the same quality because there’s a lot more fine detail and motion. In Q0, the highest quality, data rates are from 289 to 1200 MB/s. The compression ratio ranges from about 5:1 to 12:1, depending on the scene. Q5 is constant quality with the most compression—from 96 to 413 MB/s.
Thor was the god of thunder and lightning and the protector of the gods and humans against evil forces. Mjölnir was a symbol of protection and power. It was believed to have the ability to strike lightning and ward off giants and other malevolent beings. The hammer is often depicted with various motifs, such as engraved runes, which added extra meanings to the symbol. The Helm of Awe, also known as Ægishjálmr, was another Norse pagan symbol that held protective properties. It was believed to provide the wearer with courage and invincibility during battles and also had the power to induce fear in enemies. The Helm of Awe was commonly worn or inscribed on various objects for personal protection and to ward off evil or negative energies. Yggdrasil, the World Tree, was a central symbol in Norse paganism. It represented the interconnectedness of all living beings and the cosmos. Yggdrasil was believed to support the nine realms of Norse mythology, including Asgard (home of the gods) and Midgard (the realm of humans). The tree symbolized the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. Other Norse pagan symbols include the Vegvísir, a compass-like symbol that was believed to guide lost travelers and protect them from harm. The Aegishjalmur, or the Helm of Awe, was believed to grant protection and induce fear in enemies. The runes, ancient Norse letters with magical and divination properties, were also considered powerful symbols. Overall, Norse pagan symbols played a vital role in the religious, cultural, and spiritual beliefs of the Norse people. Each symbol held its own unique meanings and associations with specific gods, virtues, or concepts. These symbols provided a tangible representation of the Norse worldview, emphasizing the cyclical nature of life, the interconnectivity of all beings, and the power of the gods..
Reviews for "Norse Pagan Symbols: Exploring their Use in Shamanic Practices"
1. Jane - 2/5 - I found this book to be a disappointment. As someone who is interested in Norse mythology, I was excited to learn more about the symbols and their meanings. However, I found the information provided in this book to be very basic and lacking depth. It felt like a surface-level introduction rather than a comprehensive guide. Additionally, some of the explanations were unclear and poorly written, making it difficult to fully grasp the concepts. Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a thorough exploration of Norse pagan symbols and their meanings.
2. Mark - 1/5 - I couldn't even finish reading this book. The author seemed to have a very limited understanding of Norse mythology and paganism. The information provided was shallow and often inaccurate. It felt like a rushed attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Norse symbols without putting in the necessary research or effort. I was left feeling frustrated and disappointed by the lack of substance and attention to detail. Save your money and look for a better resource if you want to truly understand Norse pagan symbols and their meanings.
3. Sarah - 2/5 - Although this book does cover a variety of Norse pagan symbols, I found the explanations to be extremely brief and lacking in detail. It felt like a quick overview rather than a comprehensive exploration. Additionally, the author's personal opinions were inserted throughout the book, which I found to be distracting and unnecessary. I was hoping for a more objective and informative resource, but unfortunately, this book fell short of my expectations. I would suggest looking for alternative books or online sources for a more in-depth understanding of Norse pagan symbols.