WHOA!!! The Best Full Frame Camera from Blackmagic Design!
By Tim
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2025-04-06
I've barely had this camera for very long. However, it's immediately apparent to me that this is hands down the best camera Blackmagic Design has made yet. And, the sensor is hands down the best sensor they have done yet. Now, this is the 12K Full Frame (VistaVision) sensor and not the newer 17K 65mm Sensor, but it shares similar technological designs. So, I would state that this is the Best Full Frame Camera from Blackmagic Design, while the URSA Cine 17K will take the mantle for best 65mm camera.
This was a fantastic upgrade from the URSA Mini Pro line. The internal ND buttons are better than the old wheel design. The buttons overall are much nicer to use. The status LCD has been greatly improved and looks far better. The Flip Out LCD is greatly improved, and it rotates all the way around in a very welcome way.
The new AC Side LCD is a much welcome addition. I was originally someone who was like, oh, I don't need that. But, now that I have it and have used it the extra monitor has become a welcome addition. In fact, it has become so useful on set that others have praised the integration.
The WiFi and wireless control is fantastic with the Blackmagic Camera App. There is a latency with the Monitor and Control features, but that could be improved it time. Overall, a very nice feature to have if simply to adjust settings while camera is in remote position.
There is so much to write about in regards to this camera. So many improvements from past models. But the shining light is the sensor. It is such an incredibly detailed image with such great dynamic range. Hands down the best I have used next to Arri.
I can't recommend this camera enough. Worth every penny.
The URSA We've Been Waiting For
By David
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2025-02-28
To preface this review, my main gig is as a Steadicam Operator (narrative, documentary, broadcast, etc), so I can be quite opinionated when it comes to camera functionality. In the last decade I’ve been a Canon, Sony, Panasonic, and BlackMagic owner.
While I have a few nitpicky things to say about this camera, man do I love nearly everything about it.
I've had the BMPCC 6K Pro and 12K URSA for several years now, had that upgraded with the OLPF, and have been waiting for a full-frame URSA ever since.
Not only did Blackmagic take care of most gripes I had with the original 12K--like the screen that wouldn't rotate all the way around, the cheap plastic buttons, and the lack of alternating 1/4 and 3/8 mounting points on the bottom--but they blew it out of the park with the dozens of other quality of life features that they added with this latest generation.
Yes it's bigger and heavier, but every ounce is worth it. I've taken the Cine onto two music videos so far, and each director was in love with the built-in side monitor. Plus, I loved the side screen because it meant people weren't constantly hovering over my shoulder to see the frame. You can completely customize each view too, so enabling false color for instance on LCD 1 will not mess with what the director / AC is looking at on LCD 2.
BUILD QUALITY: The build quality is a big step-up from the original 12K as well, which wasn't itself bad. The buttons are now almost all a soft-gel touch like on ARRI's, the screen rotates completely and can close while facing out, so you effectively have monitors on BOTH sides of the camera. Amazing! The EVF is super light, the connection points for the EVF to the 15mm rod-based bridge, and from the bridge to the camera are amazingly quick to assemble and tear down without sacrificing strength. You can also mount focus motors from the 15mm rods on top, although you may need to use your own longer rods.
The shoulder pad is quite comfortable for one made from a hard rubber material, and the built-in ARRI dovetail mount is crucial for today’s setups--finally I’m done with stupid VCT plates. The lens mount system is all-metal and has so many improvements that it deserves its own subsection.
LENS MOUNTS: Their new lens mount system is fantastic, a huge upgrade to the previous URSA. The EF mount is now captive, meaning you can tighten the camera’s mount around the lens’s. THANK YOU BMD, this is HUGE! No more worrying about Canon lenses having a little bit of wiggle or play. With other cameras, this is usually a big problem because movement and FIZ motors introduce vibrations which can not only distort the image, but also compromise Steadicam and gimbal stability.
The lens mounts are now a unified design with four (4) external screws, meaning unlike the previous URSA and many other systems, you don’t have to expose the sensor to the elements to change the mount. Instead, you can leave the port cap on, remove all four screws, quickly swap the mounts, and then replace the four screws into the new mount. The previous system required different numbers of screws for EF and PL mounts and required removing the port cap to access them. The new mount also requires 1.5Nm of torque instead of the 0.45Nm on the original 12K URSA. I did need to buy a new torque wrench, but the extra torque and larger screws required gives me a bit more comfort using heavy lenses with the camera.
STORAGE: The 8TB SSD unit is a game changer. There’s no need to worry about picking the right media or whether the card you bought is going to drop frames, or even when you need to change media for the day--instead you get to focus on shooting. As a frequent documentary shooter, this is a HUGE bonus for me as I just have to worry about the camera and not a bunch of precious cards holding the first half of the day’s shoot.
Learning how to dump footage from this can be weird initially (just install the Camera Utility and click open explorer), but as soon as you get a proper setup you can dump onto another SSD via the 10G ethernet port at nearly a gigabyte per second.
IMAGE & COLOR: Last but certainly not least is image quality. If you’re familiar with Blackmagic’s cameras, you won’t be surprised to hear that I truly believe the image quality of the 12K Cine rivals that of the Alexa LF.
My biggest cons for this camera, which are super nitpicky, are:
-No way to turn off LCD 2, however it does come with a snap-on sunhood. A software update could add this functionality and possibly save a slight amount of power and/or
-Lack of mounting points. I’ve had some ACs complain that there’s not much to mount wireless video or other things to, which I would usually do on the “dumb-side” of the original 12K URSA with a cheese plate. The second monitor takes away some mounting points, but it’s definitely doable with some 3/8” to 1/4” bushing adapters to mount things off the top handle. It’s still more physical mounting points on the camera body than a stock ARRI camera would have, so I don’t want to hear people whining too much.
-The ”Ready to shoot kit” was somehow missing a... plug? I couldn’t believe this, but for some reason they decided to not include the IEC standard 3-prong plug cable that goes between the wall outlet and the power supply for the camera. Fortunately most of us buying a camera like this will probably have one lying around to use while waiting for a new one, but it seems like a bad idea to not include a properly rated cable for a 250W power supply.
Regardless of these concerns, the URSA Cine is still a 5-star camera in my mind. I can find way more things to complain about with RED, Sony, and even ARRI cinema cameras that cost over twice as much and lack many of the features that this camera has.