March 2017 - my ongoing frustration with lenses

Hi -
because I only get involved with larger production systems (ATEM's, etc.) I am always looking in frustration about the powered zooms for the Blackmagic camera lines.

Now, I did not watch the entire recent presentation on the new Ursa Mini Pro, but you can clearly see
on the Blackmagic Design website the Ursa Mini Pro with the Sigma EF Mount 18 - 35 mm T2 Zoom lens. And everyone seems to love the Canon EN-E 18-80mm T4.4 Servo Zoom lens. But these are EF mount. You "get the impression" (at least I do) that these will work with the Ursa Mini Pro in a broadcast situation (like a real B4 lens) - but unless I am missing something here, there is no way to power these lenses from the Ursa Mini Pro, so it's all manual, and you are not using the ATEM to control anything on these lenses.

Same applies to the Blackmagic Studio camera (unless I am missing something) - Panasonic on their AG-DVX200 is using Leica Dicomar micro four thirds lenses, that are powered and controlled by the Panasonic camera. So, they are micro four thirds - will these work on a Blackmagic Studio Camera ?

So with my usual, ignorant, on going question - is there a way to get a 4K lens that is automated and powered by the camera, that doesn't cost over $20,000 - for any model of any Blackmagic camera ?

Thanks, and sorry if this was recently asked before (I did search).

Bob Zelin

Hi, Bob. The URSA Mini 4.6K PL camera I have includes a 12-pin hirose connector at the front of the camera (lower left of the front view). BMD added that same connector to the URSA Mini Pro which comes standard with the active EF mount. If you connect a zoom that normally draws power from the EF mount, that should behave normally. If you have a B4 lens, you change the EF mount to a B4 mount on the camera and use the 12-pin connector for power.


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Texas Media Sysrems is selling the UM Pro and the Csnon EF servo zoom as a package, so,perhaps the new Pro EF mount will support the zoom, at least power to the zoom, with the rocker zoom control handle attached, which connects to the camera via the 12-pin ENG lens plug.

If you are interested in this combo, as Texas Meida Systems about how the two work together?