Testing out BM URSA

Hi Everyone

Got my hands on URSA and have given this a day of testing, mainly to determine can I run around with it and shoot as a single operator - or is it too heavy for one person?

The answer is "Yes, I can manage shooting with URSA."

Check out the report:

http://moviemachine.tv/video/shooting-w ... 117335851/

I like URSA. Had a lot of fun shooting with it, love the screen, and in a crazy kind of way really like the weight of a substantial camera. Would love to get the shoulder rig to try out this way of shooting.

Looking forward to where this goes with more developments.

Catch you all soon,

Rick

--
Rick Young - Producer/Director
Editor - Movie Machine
http://www.moviemachine.tv

Rick, most impressive item: carrying the camera and tripod, weighing about 30 lbs, 2 miles to your site; shooting; carrying it all 2 miles back to the van! Bet you had a shower after that workout.

Looks like a new marketing opportunity for either BMD or a spoof ad, touting the benefits from a health perspective of adding an URSA to your workout routines, something only previously offered by Alexa but now available for a tenth the price!


Rick Lang
Sent using Tapatalk HD

[CaptainHook]

Thanks for the video Rick. You mention in the video that phantom power isn't enabled, but this should have been enabled unless you were running old firmware. What firmware were you using while shooting this? Cheers.

Great review Rick!
It was interesting to see since you used it in the same way as I imagine I would if I rented one.
It was also the first time I heard and reflected on all this heavy weight people have been talking about translated to Kg, now I have no idea what the fuss has been about.
Sturdy sure, a little heavy sure but absolutely not as bad as some have made it sound.

Lastly, always enjoyed your reviews ever since the BMCC. And you are one of three people that made me buy my first BMCC (one of the others is also in this thread).

Hope to see more in the future, take care.
/Mattias

Great test, Rick. I find lugging mind around is not laborious as some made it out to be.

Guys - thanks for all the comments! I've been away filming and totally wiped out with long hours and not much rest, hence the delay in replying.

I think most of the comments people have made about the weight of URSA are from people who have never actually used it. I like it! Yes, it has weight, however, as mentioned in the report, the weight can be used to one's advantage while shooting.

I did the 2 mile walk and back (total of 4 miles) for fun and also to prove to myself that I can work with URSA. URSA isn't some mega-heavy crazy weighted item. I was tired at the end of the 4 miles though could have gone a lot further if I needed to.

Regarding phantom power - and the comment from Captain Hook that it is now enabled - I'm very happy to hear this! I can't tell you the firmware as I only had the camera on loan for a few days.

Hope to do more tests with URSA soon. I'm keen to get one as part of my camera collection though really, I have more cameras than any sane person would ever have. However, that has never stopped me in the past from buying more cameras.

I'm as keen on the Blackmagic gear now as I was over 2 years ago when I first got my hands on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Wonder what NAB will bring this year!

Cheers, catch you all soon,

Rick

--
Rick Young - Producer/Director
Editor - Movie Machine
http://www.moviemachine.tv

I agree with Rick on the weight.

I too was nervous about it prior to buying the camera (I even took my old ENG camera and added enough extra weight to match for a test) and having just completed a day of run and gun with it at a convention, I was really not that bothered by it. I am glad that I had a magliner to take the weight when going from hall to hall, but overall the weight of it when walking around didn't bother me. It reminded me of back in the old Sony 400 days with the monster bricks (and two in my belt).