URSA Broadcast auto iris is choppy/steppy

We recently bought an URSA broadcast and discovered that when the camera is set to auto iris the iris does not move smoothly. As you point into and out of light the iris on the lens jumps in steps/jerks. I've seen other posts saying the same thing and in the manual they mention some b4 lens need to be set to shutter/iris so that the shutter takes precedence. This is very undesirable... There are times when we shoot moving objects, or into a video screen or led screen and having the shutter speed change isn't an option. I'm waiting on delivery of the ccu and hoping that the iris control on the ccu moves smoothly. If not this camera is all but useless.

If you are using a HD B4 ENG zoom, then you need to update the camera firmware to the new version, 5.1.1, this should fix the problem. The camera ships with FW 5.0, and it and your EVF need to be updated.

Some of the Older SD B4 lenses may not work as well, so this could also be a lens issue, depending on which lens you are using. The CCU controller will give you more precise control, but the fix for this issue is thr FW update.
Cheers

I had exact the same issue.. Running the latest fw on my camera.. The iris is smooth now when you run it with the Camera control from the atem..

But the auto function only goes in steps instead of smooth.. (Iris only mode.. No iris + shutter mode)
Which is very very undesirable..

When running a long lens like the Fujinon 66x box lens.. Zooming into a DJ being on stage.. You need to adjust your iris to compensate for the sunlight when you zoom out.. This is not handled the right way on auto iris.

I did update the camera to 5.1.1 but the issue remains. Also I've noticed that even when adjusting the iris using the control wheel on the side of the camera the iris steps about one f-stop a second rather than smoothly opening and shutting. We're using a canon ehd 22x7.6b irse lens. But it also does the same on older standard 17x analog b3 lenses... We're waiting on the aftermarket RCP from Sweden for external control... If the issue persists using external control we'll probably end up returning the camera for a refund. The lenses in question work perfectly with our ikegami's hdk79s so we know it isn't a lens issue.

I did update the camera to 5.1.1 but the issue remains. Also I've noticed that even when adjusting the iris using the control wheel on the side of the camera the iris steps about one f-stop a second rather than smoothly opening and shutting. We're using a canon ehd 22x7.6b irse lens. But it also does the same on older standard 17x analog b3 lenses... We're waiting on the aftermarket RCP from Sweden for external control... If the issue persists using external control we'll probably end up returning the camera for a refund. The lenses in question work perfectly with our ikegami's hdk79s so we know it isn't a lens issue.

So you better go to your dealer and see if he takes it back. We‘ve just received a „Color Fly“ from Skaarhoj and did the first American Football game with two Ursa Broadcasts and several Sony ENG cameras controlled via RCP/MSU and the auto-iris „feature“ remains: choppy iris.
The auto-iris is executed and controlled inside the camera since the camera needs to measure the amount of light coming in and then tells the lense to open/close the iris. So no matter what external controls you connect to the Ursa, they can only be as good as the software in the camera.

Besides: why is the auto-iris feature only selectable inside the camera-menu, or am I missing something here? Even the Color Fly cannot select auto-iris which leads the assumption, that there is no way to control it externally (missing protocol-parameter?).

There are several severe flaws which prevent the Ursa from being used in a professional environment (i.e.: Talkback, above mentioned iris problems, iris-control still not working for all B4 lenses and the newest addition to this list is the built quality: the VCT14 connector of shoulder mount does not always securely lock on all plates so the camera can fall of the tripod).

Most of these issues might only be software related and fixable in an upgrade. Maybe now that „Resolve“ is at a higher level, Blackmagic might put some menpower into other „professional“ products, given that they really intend to gain ground in this market.

newest addition to this list is the built quality: the VCT14 connector of shoulder mount does not always securely lock on all plates so the camera can fall of the tripod).

Aahh i thoughed i had a bad plate.. But this happens to more people

And yes most of it can be fixxed with a few days of coding.. But it seams that BMD does not put manpower on it to fix the issues....

in 3 weeks the 2nd biggest broadcast fair of the world is going.. (IBC Amsterdam) And i will go there for 4 days or so.. Hope to talk to a few guys there that can relay these issues up to the top to get things going..

Hope more people that have these issues let them know so BMD will understand that this IS VERY important to us.. Because these few little things that can be solved with a few days of coding are holding back the product to be a REAL broadcast worthy camera...

We ran 2 events last 2 weekends with 3 Ursa broadcast, running UHD to an Atem Broadcast.. But we had seperate intercom as it still is not working correct. We had a lot of issues with auto exposure.. Which is very desired when you go light to dark all the time..

BMD you are so close.. please finnish it with those details that really matter for a PRO broadcaster..

Daniel, the iris control is still not smooth when using the ATEM CCU, or when using the manual iris wheel to change the iris? The iris control wheel on the AF100 (very similar) worked very smooth with supported auto MFT lenses (similar setup to the UM Pro). I do not have a B4 lens to test this, using my PL zooms right now.
Cheers

Update, Blackmagic is aware of the issue (choppy response/steppy iris) and says that they are looking into it. We just got our Skaarhoj RCP controller and the iris responds smoothly to the joystick (thanks) but there are other issues with the RCP. The auto iris button does not toggle on off... It is momentary and so your option is gaff taping the button down to get the auto iris to stay on. We've tried reprogramming the button but toggle is NOT an option (although it is for other buttons)...

I did update the camera to 5.1.1 but the issue remains. Also I've noticed that even when adjusting the iris using the control wheel on the side of the camera the iris steps about one f-stop a second rather than smoothly opening and shutting. We're using a canon ehd 22x7.6b irse lens. But it also does the same on older standard 17x analog b3 lenses... We're waiting on the aftermarket RCP from Sweden for external control... If the issue persists using external control we'll probably end up returning the camera for a refund...

So you better go to your dealer and see if he takes it back. We‘ve just received a „Color Fly“ from Skaarhoj and did the first American Football game with two Ursa Broadcasts and several Sony ENG cameras controlled via RCP/MSU and the auto-iris „feature“ remains: choppy iris.

...Why is the auto-iris feature only selectable inside the camera-menu, or am I missing something here? Even the Color Fly cannot select auto-iris...

There are several severe flaws which prevent the Ursa from being used in a professional environment (i.e.: Talkback, above mentioned iris problems, iris-control still not working for all B4 lenses and

...the VCT14 connector of shoulder mount does not always securely lock on all plates so the camera can fall of the tripod).

Woah. Good thing I had not found which lens makes the most sense for this camera!

Ursa Broadcast acquired 24 hours ago is still sealed in its box, thankfully because you gents have forthrightly convinced me this camera's not ready for prime-time!

[Telephoning vendor to work out a refund...]

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It might be that the release a firmware fix at IBC.. (often happens they release new firmware around IBC and NAB..)

We will know in 2 weeks..