The sky turned a deep shade of purple as the sun slowly began to rise. It was no ordinary sunrise; it was a weird magic sunrise. The hues of purple intensified, creating an ethereal glow that spread across the horizon. The air smelled of something unfamiliar, something otherworldly. As the first rays of light peeked over the horizon, everything around seemed to come to life in a bizarre way. The grass shimmered with an iridescent sheen, reflecting the unusual purples and pinks that danced across the sky.
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 grass shimmered with an iridescent sheen, reflecting the unusual purples and pinks that danced across the sky. Flowers bloomed in vibrant colors that defied nature's usual palette. Birds took flight, their wings flapping with an otherworldly grace, as if they, too, were caught up in the strange magic of the sunrise.
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.
Their songs filled the air, but they sounded different somehow – harmonious and haunting, echoing through the stillness of the morning. People emerged from their homes, rubbing their eyes in disbelief at the spectacle before them. Some simply stood awestruck, while others couldn't help but wonder at the strange power that seemed to emanate from the sun as it rose higher in the sky. The magic sunrise seemed to cast a spell on everything it touched. Faces were illuminated with a soft glow, and laughter and chatter filled the air as the surreal beauty of the moment captivated everyone. Even the usually mundane objects took on a magical quality – buildings seemed to shimmer and sway, casting intriguing shadows that seemed to dance in time with the strange rhythm of the sunrise. For a brief moment, the world was transformed. It was as if reality had been shifted ever so slightly, allowing a glimpse into a realm of enchantment and wonder. The weird magic sunrise was a reminder that there is so much more to the world than meets the eye, that there are fantastical moments waiting to be discovered in the most unexpected places. And as the day continued, the magic slowly faded, giving way to the familiar colors of the sky. People returned to their daily routines, carrying with them the memory of the strange and enchanting sunrise. It was a reminder to keep their eyes open, to embrace the possibility of wonder in their lives. The weird magic sunrise was a fleeting moment, a gift from the universe to remind us of the beauty and magic that surrounds us. It was a reminder to look beyond the ordinary, to seek out the extraordinary in the everyday. And perhaps, if we're lucky, we'll catch another glimpse of that weird magic sunrise and be transported once again to a world where anything is possible..
Reviews for "Embracing the Unknown: Embracing the Weird Magic Sunrise"
1. Sarah - 1/5 - I was really disappointed by "Weird magic sunrise". The storyline was confusing and I couldn't follow what was happening. The characters were also poorly developed and I didn't feel any connection or interest in them. The writing style was chaotic and disjointed, making it hard to engage with the story. Overall, I found this book to be a waste of time and I would not recommend it.
2. Ryan - 2/5 - "Weird magic sunrise" was not what I expected. The concept sounded interesting, but the execution fell flat for me. The pacing was incredibly slow, and I found myself losing interest in the story. Additionally, the dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult to connect with the characters. While the book had potential, it failed to deliver a captivating narrative that left me wanting more.
3. Emily - 2.5/5 - I didn't hate "Weird magic sunrise", but I also didn't love it. The plot seemed promising, but it lacked depth and complexity. The story felt rushed and left many questions unanswered. The characters were okay, but I didn't feel invested in their journey. Overall, the book had some enjoyable moments, but it didn't fully live up to my expectations.
4. Michael - 1/5 - I found "Weird magic sunrise" to be extremely boring. The plot was uninteresting and predictable, and I struggled to stay engaged. The writing style was monotonous, lacking any excitement or creativity. I definitely will not be recommending this book to others looking for a captivating read.
5. Jessica - 2/5 - I had high hopes for "Weird magic sunrise" based on the description, but it failed to deliver. The story felt disjointed and confusing, with too many unnecessary subplots that distracted from the main narrative. The writing was also mediocre, lacking in strong imagery or compelling prose. While there were some interesting ideas sprinkled throughout, they were not enough to salvage the overall reading experience.