The Ursa Mini is an interesting camera at the price point. Consider the $1500 viewfinder as an absolute necessity. BlackMagic has a reputation for great innovation and awful fabrication. The reason many of us don’t use their products is because they used to break, the mini HDMI out plug on the Pocket Cinema Camera that is mounted on the board and not the chassis is a perfect example. Cheaper to replace the camera than repair it. Don’t know if the 4.6 Mini is any different or not. Proven workhorse cameras from Arri and Sony are dead reliable with only rare problems. With the daily cost of shooting. cameras that don’t fail is a major consideration. The images I’ve seen have been ok. Nothing special. but ok. The lack of an OLPF (Optical Low Pass Filter) on a camera with a sensor pixel count that is different than the delivery standards is potentially problematic. The anti-aliasing qualities of OLPFs is one of many reasons to have them. With 4.6K pixels across, the resize to delivery specifications could be another aliasing source. The lack of an OLPF also hugely increases the likelihood of moire issues in the image. The camera lacks internal ND filters so it might need IRND or Hot Mirror filters to deal with infrared saturation. The camera does not have a global shutter, and the rolling shutter would also increase the aliasing. This is seemingly a B or C level camera. If it fills the needs of a given production better than any of the other choices out there then it is certainly at an attractive price. Choosing it would depend upon test results and I have not yet had a production that I thought would benefit from it so have not tested it. Other than price there is nothing about this camera that stands out as better than other cameras. Cameras should be chosen for many reasons, price is only one of them and most certainly not the most important.

@Andrew - Your response embodies everything I love about this community. You gave me (and others, I would think) much to consider. If this is a "B or C" camera, what would you consider A in this price range either to purchase or rent?

Sorry, confusing terminology on my part. Shouldn’t write these notes during a conference call :-) I meant a B or C level camera, not a B or C camera on a given production. We all have our own ranking systems, for me the top or A level go to cameras are the Alexa, Sony F55, Sony F65, and the Panasonic V35. Spectacular images from very rugged stable cameras. In the $5000 price range there are no A level cameras. Lower pricing means you give up things.

I've been thinking about getting one.

Im deciding on the URSA or the URSA Mini...I like the weight of the mini but the features of the URSA..

I own one and LOVE it. Ive shot several feature films and I must say I might buy another one

Jaap thanks for answer. So 4.6k is better? Is it a abig difference?

David, this is interesting. My friend photographer also said that he doesnt like sony lenses, he wanted some backup body and looks for an a7sii but because of that lenses he choosed canon mirrorless.

I'm sorry, I hadn't noticed your reply! The 4.6K (especially the Pro) works way better in low-light, for starters. It also offers more ISO options. The 4.6K and the 4.6K Pro have the same sensor, but when you compare images, the 4.6K Pro is definitely the better quality one.

That said, have you heard of Kinefinity? They released the Terra 4K a while back. I'm going for that one myself. Philip Bloom is currently testing the Terra 4K and is 'Super impressed.' I added a screenshot from his Facebook. More updates on the camera from Bloom will be posted soon!

A friend of mine owns the KineMINI 4K, an older model. The image quality is superb and outruns The Blackmagic camera's by a long shot. The downside is that it does not shoot cDNG or Cineform. The .krw (kinefinity's RAW file) file needs to be converted to cDNG, etc. after recording.

I've shot Sony with Canon lenses, using Metabones Speed Booster. Also done Zeiss CP.2 and XEEN on the Sony. Looks great! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDP3llwcWjI

Fp camera by sigma.

Your cinematographer should decide what camera to use. In most cases, what they own. Crew size depends on experience and how many hats someone is comfortable wearing. When I do projects, I do the lights, camera and audio. Other projects, would have 4-8 people spread out for these duties. My advice, whatever money you set aside to rent / purchase gear, give to whomever is putting your idea on screen.

Whatever happens - wishing you all the best with your project!

Claudio, I agree with Dan and Stephen comment, the dp should help you decide on the camera to be used. and crew wise, since it's just a 9mins short (maybe a weekend filming), you can easily have small crew that are experienced people and do a great job.

E Langley Absolutely! Luckily this will be done on our land so backing up will be just steps away. Already have 12TB Raid5 setup I use to backup podcast and video files. Researched throughput issues as well and have bookmarked high speed cables, seems most drives come with inadequate cables for some reason that don't support the speed of the drive.

That's good pre. No surprises. In a RAID 5, make certain to have two hot spares.

Another suggestion to do a short, end-to-end test from acquisition through post. Saves swallowing a bottle of aspirin (or Hemlock) later.

E Langley it's just the two of us doing it all; camera, directing, sound, etc..., so we will be doing several mock shots to test lighting and everything else. Planned to take that footage and do the full import, editing, post, to lock in a routine and be efficient. I appreciate the input.

I love Blackmagic, however they always come up short with their releases. I have been begging them for a box camera for years. They finally release one but it has no internal NDs nor the ability to record anything but RAW. The price is good but I wouldn't touch it without those missing features. Might as well get a Pocket 6K pro for less money and more options.

As for the new flagship 12K, it's $8000 more than the super 35 version and offers hardly anything more beyond the larger sensor.

I'm puzzled. They have good products but do not listen to their customers which is quite irritating.

The whole thing of not being able to get paid shooting on the RED One anymore isn't true. I know many people who prefer the look of the RED One MX and many old school film guys prefer it's body.

As a certified old school film guy ( shot over two million feet of film since the 90's ), I assure you the One was an ill conceived pig of a camera and it's the rare pro who embraced it... notable fans proving the rule. Having shot hundreds of days on film with no form factor issues on anything ( except Bolexes ) - even handheld with huge cameras like Arri BL4s - never have I had the neck strain and tendinitis caused by a few days hefting a RED one - a RED One updated with the best Element Tecnica kit and Bomb finder; a cinderblock of a camera nonetheless. The Epic and Scarlet form factor are much more adaptable to proper kit and use. I merely expect a camera to work and have proper form. I don't love any modern cameras but I sure do hate some of them. There's not a lot to re-design or discover in digital; film gear worked very well and if you missed the chance to use it it's a shame... Can someone make money with a RED ONE ? Obviously. WIll producers ask for it or accept it over a newer RED ? Rarely. I will stop now; RED fanboys ( and proud owners of RED ONES ) will not, I am sure :) ( Disclaimer: in my profile photo, I have a RED ONE , shooting pre-release tests of Unique Optics primes several years ago. Image and marketing... people wanted RED, you give it to them. )

I am getting closer and closer to keeping with the practice of renting known quantities!

Look forward to your reaction, Xochi Blymyer

I can't wait to watch this, James. Congratulations!

James Kicklighter I’ve put the date on my Google Calendar and will watch it, James. Well done on pulling this all together. I can’t see the trailer, by the way, because of region restrictions. You did well getting it on all those streamers! How did you manage that? It would be great for the community to hear about it.

And again, congratulations on this success.