Ursa Mini Pro 4.6 OR KineMax Pro 6K?

I'm trying to decide on between Ursa Mini Pro 4.6 OR KineMax Pro 6K. For an extra couple grand it seems like you get so much more. What am I missing?

Support in your region?


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From what I've heard recently --and if I recall correctly it was from the mouth of one of their sales reps. (via YouTube video I think) Kinfinity has plans to locate an office in Los Angeles. What that will amount to in "support" is anybodies guess. They list a contact in Hollywood on their website, called but got an answering machine. Add to that I've heard some pretty scary (validated) stories about BM customer service though too... Not to say they haven't improved since.

Does the KineMax Pro 6K even exist? Are they actually selling them in any quantity? Could you easily rent a another as a backup or second camera when required?

I haven't had the easiest time with my Ursa Mini 4.6K (1 return and 3 RMA's to get it working properly) but I was eventually able to get a working camera and I am able to rent matching cameras in my area as a backup or for multi camera shoots. At this point I would say BMD is a safer bet than KineMax. I would recommend thorough testing of any newly purchased body, but anything from rental should be relatively reliable at this point.

Does the KineMax Pro 6K even exist? Are they actually selling them in any quantity? Could you easily rent a another as a backup or second camera when required?

I haven't had the easiest time with my Ursa Mini 4.6K (1 return and 3 RMA's to get it working properly) but I was eventually able to get a working camera and I am able to rent matching cameras in my area as a backup or for multi camera shoots. At this point I would say BMD is a safer bet than KineMax. I would recommend thorough testing of any newly purchased body, but anything from rental should be relatively reliable at this point.

Just talked to the Sales rep in Hollywood... he kind of inferred they do exist when he said "as you can imagine at 'that price' we're extremely busy in handling builds." I guess they act as a go between the China and the buyer to make sure nothing gets lost in translation. Still to get all the Zacuto addons (Gratical HD, Z drive etc.), batteries, drives that I'd want I'm looking at easily 17K + that's almost 3 times the URSA. Arrrgh. Decisions. Thank you for your reply. Awesome films i might add. Nice nice work Jamie.

Thank you for the kind words.
And I'm with you on the difficulty, there is never a clear answer as the exact right camera with so many factors to consider.
For $17K you could buy two Ursa Mini Pros with viewfinders, batteries and Cfast cards.

Have you also looked into the Terra cameras? I don't have personal experience with kinefinity, but I've read the 6K cameras have terrible rolling shutter readout. However I've seen some lovely videos out of them, which seem to have beautiful skin tones and colour science. The 5K terra isn't out as they're trying to do the global/rolling shutter switching, so even if rolling shutter is still bad, at least you'll have the option of global when you don't need so much dynamic range. Also the terra cameras are (depending on the rig) 1/3 to 1/2 the weight of an ursa mini. Having said all that, my ursa mini and now ursa mini pro have been great, the colours are stunning, dynamic range is amazing, and they're so easy to grade into any look you want. I wouldn't swap mine for anything besides an Alexa Mini! I think every camera has their quirks, just depends what suits the jobs you're doing and if it's worth the risk of customer service from kinefinity. For the record, blackmagic customer service has always been incredibly helpful to me. Perhaps save some money and invest in glass, that would be my recommendation.

Have you also looked into the Terra cameras? I don't have personal experience with kinefinity, but I've read the 6K cameras have terrible rolling shutter readout. However I've seen some lovely videos out of them, which seem to have beautiful skin tones and colour science. The 5K terra isn't out as they're trying to do the global/rolling shutter switching, so even if rolling shutter is still bad, at least you'll have the option of global when you don't need so much dynamic range. Also the terra cameras are (depending on the rig) 1/3 to 1/2 the weight of an ursa mini. Having said all that, my ursa mini and now ursa mini pro have been great, the colours are stunning, dynamic range is amazing, and they're so easy to grade into any look you want. I wouldn't swap mine for anything besides an Alexa Mini! I think every camera has their quirks, just depends what suits the jobs you're doing and if it's worth the risk of customer service from kinefinity. For the record, blackmagic customer service has always been incredibly helpful to me. Perhaps save some money and invest in glass, that would be my recommendation.

All good answers thank you. In talking directly to Bejing sales team turns out the Kinemax is currently unavailable now anyways. Their sales people urged me to the Terra 6K. It actually has better stats than the max --except that pesky rolling shutter. Bad bad bad.

Maybe it's URSA after all and as suggested "invest in glass".

The Pro cones in EF mount. Will you be using other mounts when available? PL and/or B4?


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The Pro cones in EF mount. Will you be using other mounts when available? PL and/or B4?


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I'm leaning toward the EF... partly because I can at least get started using some of the Canon lenses I already have maybe buy another nice one. Of course I also want the Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel so that's another 3K out the window... on top of all the Zacuto stuff.. Gratical HD.. etc.

And then I rob a bank...haha. Because you know.. it's never enough.

Marc, that might be illegal, but in some countries you could sell a kidney. There's a reason you have two of them!


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Marc, that might be illegal, but in some countries you could sell a kidney. There's a reason you have two of them!

Some might reply that "it's only illegal if you get caught."

Besides I like my kidneys right where they are. lol

Rent and try, before you buy.

(Old DP proverb)

Back to that rolling shutter --this guy seems to provide an answer that works well. I wonder if it works on other cameras too?

How to turn Rolling Shutter to Global Shutter effect in Terra 6K

And this guy thoroughly explains the why of rolling shutter (I did not know)

What's the difference between rolling and global shutter?

Back to that rolling shutter --this guy seems to provide an answer that works well. I wonder if it works on other cameras too?

How to turn Rolling Shutter to Global Shutter effect in Terra 6K

He provides no answer, just masks the skewing and introduces distortion.
A rolling shutter influences both axis - in one direction the image gets skewed and in the other it gets distorted.

He provides no answer, just masks the skewing and introduces distortion.
A rolling shutter influences both axis - in one direction the image gets skewed and in the other it gets distorted.

Well --that's good to know. Thanks!

The UM 4.6k sensor is despite it having rolling shutter very good and in normal shooting situations you won't see that it is not a global shutter. Nevertheless I'd love to have global shutter

FWIW I was in the exact same camp as you about 2 months ago deciding between the Terra 6K and the Ursa Mini.... decided to wait and check out both cameras at NAB. I was convinced I would purchase the 6K because all I could think about was the perceived lower cost of entry, modularity, weight, and accessories.

Once I actually met the guys from Kinefinity, and also the guys from Blackmagic, and checked out both cameras, I was instantly at peace with the idea of purchasing the Ursa Mini Pro. I wasn't impressed as much as I thought i'd be with the Terra, and I was much more impressed with how much of a complete solution the Ursa is.

I spent probably around $11K on the camera, batteries, cards, lenses (didn't have any Canon glass), and also bought a gimbal specifically for the Ursa. In only a month i've gotten a ton of value out of the purchase and my clients are all remarking positively.

I do believe my camera suffers from some fixed pattern noise, but outside of that, it is the most amazing image I have had the pleasure of capturing, and that is based on using Red and dslr's (but never used Alexa). The skin tones and dynamic range is insane, and I even like the low light look the camera produces. 60fps at 4k+ is awesome, and shooting Prores is very manageable.

Hope this helps!

It's all personal preference and this is probably very biased but I'd be weary of buying a professional camera from a Chinese company personally. It's partially about the possible lack of support locally. But buying overseas, especially from China, just gives me the willies.