Should I upgrade to the 12k?

I got an email saying my Ursa Mini 12K is ready for purchase!
(I had preordered early on and just put a $500 deposit, which is refundable, down on my order.)

I currently own an Ursa Mini Pro and an Ursa Mini Pro G2. I was planning on only keeping one, but then thought about selling both and purchasing the 12k.

It IS a lot of camera and A LOT of money. The highest resolution i'd probably go is 6K, with the content i'm shooting. I've been really happy with the results from my G2, especially in low-light. But i also know the value of my current gear is dropping quickly with the release of a new model. Work has been light, and so rental gear is something i'm looking into.

I dunno, i'm just being wishy-washy.

Hey Adam, i was in somewhat of a similar situation as yourself. Here’s how i looked at it. The 12k is a great cam, but having an extra stop of dynamic range on my G1 and G2 means a bit more to me than resolution. The looks i usually go for is creamy and on the softer side. So the extra sharpness from 12 to 4k wouldn’t really appeal to me. We both have great cams. And i mean really great Cams. I also do a lot of VFX work which the 12k would be great at as well. But at the moment i get great results with the pro 4.6ks no issues. When the 2nd Gen of the 12K comes in. Then i would consider making that purchase.

Yeah, I'm on the same side as Donnell Henry regarding waiting for a Gen 2 12K. The UMPG2 is serving me well right now. I just sold my original URSA Mini 4.6K and will be replacing it with a Pocket 6K for the B-Cam. But the UMP 4.6K G2 will remain my A-Cam and main camera for a while more.

I also would say that if you ever need to use ProRes then don't get rid of the UMP cameras just yet. Since the 12K doesn't do ProRes you might be hurting yourself when work comes that requires you to hand off footage in ProRes because you're not doing post. That's a benefit I have had in my workflow I'm not willing to give up just yet.

I'd love to play with the new sensor technology however. I may rent a 12K in the future to give it a play. But for now buying is something you have to weigh based on the work you do and the workflow you have. If you don't need the higher resolutions then waiting for a next generation isn't a bad idea.

Other than some sensor improvements in Gen 2 12K, I'd love to see some additional improvements to the URSA Mini Pro body. I'd love for Tentacle Sync to be built in so that you can easily sync audio via timecode without having to use the external Tentacle Sync device. Also, I think moving to CFExpress would be a pretty good idea for the Gen 2 12K. I'll formulate more ideas for what I'd like to see in a future update, but for now you get the idea.

And just in the spirit of putting my money where my mouth is..below is screenshots of two shows I'm working on. Shooting on G1 And G2

Demonico.png (967.51 KiB) Viewed 2037 times

Screen Shot 2020-09-24 at 8.14.30 PM.png (774.02 KiB) Viewed 2037 times

Yeah, I'm on the same side as Donnell Henry regarding waiting for a Gen 2 12K. The UMPG2 is serving me well right now. I just sold my original URSA Mini 4.6K and will be replacing it with a Pocket 6K for the B-Cam. But the UMP 4.6K G2 will remain my A-Cam and main camera for a while more.

I also would say that if you ever need to use ProRes then don't get rid of the UMP cameras just yet. Since the 12K doesn't do ProRes you might be hurting yourself when work comes that requires you to hand off footage in ProRes because you're not doing post. That's a benefit I have had in my workflow I'm not willing to give up just yet.

I'd love to play with the new sensor technology however. I may rent a 12K in the future to give it a play. But for now buying is something you have to weigh based on the work you do and the workflow you have. If you don't need the higher resolutions then waiting for a next generation isn't a bad idea.

Other than some sensor improvements in Gen 2 12K, I'd love to see some additional improvements to the URSA Mini Pro body. I'd love for Tentacle Sync to be built in so that you can easily sync audio via timecode without having to use the external Tentacle Sync device. Also, I think moving to CFExpress would be a pretty good idea for the Gen 2 12K. I'll formulate more ideas for what I'd like to see in a future update, but for now you get the idea.

+100 For this.

And just in the spirit of putting my money where my mouth is..below is screenshots of two shows I'm working on. Shooting on G1 And G2

Demonico.png

Midnight PM.png

Oh, yeah, that looks pretty awesome! Are you using Fusion for your VFX work?

And just in the spirit of putting my money where my mouth is..below is screenshots of two shows I'm working on. Shooting on G1 And G2

Demonico.png

Midnight PM.png

Oh, yeah, that looks pretty awesome! Are you using Fusion for your VFX work?

Hey Tim. Thank you. I basically use Houdini Fx for Pyro, water Vfx etc... Cinema 4d for modeling . And After effects for Compositing. Fusion I've played around with a little, but I really need to take more time to dive deeper.

Hey Tim. Thank you. I basically use Houdini Fx for Pyro, water Vfx etc... Cinema 4d for modeling . And After effects for Compositing. Fusion I've played around with a little, but I really need to take more time to dive deeper.

Yeah, and if you're using Cinema 4D Lite that comes with After Effects you can't export out the Cinema 4D files to import into Fusion. So, you're stuck using After Effects for the 3D models unless you shell out the money for the standalone full version of Cinema 4D. Or it might be time to learn Blender for 3D modeling so you can composite in Fusion.

The Pandemic was the perfect time to learn a new skill. Should have used it to learn Fusion. Still, there's plenty of time to do it. Learning new software and new skills always keeps you sharp.

Hey Tim. Thank you. I basically use Houdini Fx for Pyro, water Vfx etc... Cinema 4d for modeling . And After effects for Compositing. Fusion I've played around with a little, but I really need to take more time to dive deeper.

Yeah, and if you're using Cinema 4D Lite that comes with After Effects you can't export out the Cinema 4D files to import into Fusion. So, you're stuck using After Effects for the 3D models unless you shell out the money for the standalone full version of Cinema 4D. Or it might be time to learn Blender for 3D modeling so you can composite in Fusion.

The Pandemic was the perfect time to learn a new skill. Should have used it to learn Fusion. Still, there's plenty of time to do it. Learning new software and new skills always keeps you sharp.

Absolutely I agree. I Have the standalone version of C4D. I pipe that thru Element 3d in after effects to composite. I've also done some compositing in Fusion, but not extensively. My new learning during these Covid times is L Systems. Basically making trees. And simulating tree growth. The program is Speedtree. Gotta stay sharp.

Sorry Adam for derailing your post

If you don't need to deliver above 4k, what you have is going do well enough.

I say to all people, wait to see the next pocket, micro. Fullframe. It might be 8k or 16k, and a step up or good enough.

People might gather I'm not overwhelmed with 12k. With stunning performance in Alexa and low light pocket, it's not enough just to have resolution outside of 8k delivery. 12k does not divide evenly into 8k, 16k does, and half shift pixels give anti-alaising around a single 8k pixel. That would be interesting.

At 8k we might have a more descent sensor than 4k, or this type.

But basically, to use this sensor type at 16k, they only need to offer higher compressed modes at 16k, and normal at 8k. This makes 16k still great at stills. So, it's worth looking at if you don't need a new camera yet.

You got to view it as what you need now, and what you need in the future. If you only need what you got now, and something better is coming soon before you need it, that will suite what you need for the lifetime of the new camera, you might aswell wait.

Adam, I believe you are geek’ing out just as much as myself and others on this camera.

Personally, I’m holding my breath for a pocket size cam with same sensor tech. We do some production with URSA, but only streaming/low budget content(tripod) that don’t need that kind of resolution or tech. If I wanted to make a feature… than the 12k would be mighty tempting. I’m 100% sure that there will be big features coming from this cam. People have seen enough already to know its power. You have to be blind to disregard what it produces. But than again… is the G1 or the G2 still good? Yes, 100% YES. They are both great but sadly political disregarded from the big league, which ironically has nothing to do with image quality. I believe the 12k will enter the big league though. So, if you have clients that long for other “you know who” brands… G12K is the playmaker IMO.

The attachment Midnight PM.png is no longer available

Great stuff man! And a bit hilarious, no disrespect attended. I was instantly thinking of some weird crossing of “independence day”and “ lost in space”

Seem familiar

Lost in space

51+Cd0fYH2L._SY445_.jpg (35.28 KiB) Viewed 1869 times

Midnight PM.png

Great stuff man! And a bit hilarious, no disrespect attended. I was instantly thinking of some weird crossing of “independence day”and “ lost in space”

Seem familiar

51+Cd0fYH2L._SY445_.jpg

Oyvind. None taken. And thank you! Really want to show Adam that our current 4.6k’s are more than capable of getting great images. Without having to upgrade. And trust me when i say this, being burnt a couple times before..they’re going to have a V2 of that 12K. That would be the one to upgrade to.

And just in the spirit of putting my money where my mouth is..below is screenshots of two shows I'm working on. Shooting on G1 And G2

Demonico.png

Midnight PM.png

Nice stills, are you editing for 4K output?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey Ryan thanks. Yea it’s going to be output in 4k.