Ursa Broadcast G2 feedback needed !

Hello everyone !

I'm very interested in buying this camera which, on paper, seems to tick lots of boxes for me. Sadly there's almost no info or review on the internet as some of you already noticed.

So I'm seeking for feedback from people who actually bought the camera and use it as a "cinema camera", using the full sensor (and EF mount).

I had my fair share of quality control issues with Blackmagic, yet I keep coming back for the image quality, the price, and the camera OS (and the fact that it's available, not like the FX6 I ordered 8 months ago).

So I'd like to hear about your personal experience with the camera. Any known issue, firmware bug waiting to be fixed ? Is the image the excact same as the Pockets 6K (noise, rolling shutter...) ? Good or bad experience, anything !

I also hope BM will release a firmware where you can choose between ISO and GAIN, which seems to be an easy yet essential option to offer.

Thank you !

I own this camera and I am very happy with it. But I bought it for Eng and doco work - broadcast TV, if you will, which is obviously it's primary market.

I am not a DP or dramatic fiction filmmaker but I think if you are looking at it for that, since it is a bargain compared to the 12K and UMPG2, I would consider carefully these:

1) Full Super 35 sensor requires either 6K Braw or 422HQ Prores workflows. There are no other options (edit H264/5 but they are more for news) - it does not scale from full sensor in Braw, like all the other BM cameras, even the pockets. There is no 444 or XQ Prores either. If you can handle 6K rushes both in storage and computing then it is not necessarily out of the question.

2) The rolling shutter in 6K is approx. 3x the UMPG2, identical to the BMPCC 6Ks, but nonetheless, worth being aware of. That means it is still around 15ms even in 4K cropped.

3) There are no DCI 17:9 formats; there is 2:4:1 full sensor width, but that is it. You can crop, not the end of the world, but it's really a pure 16:9 camera.

4) HFR is 150fps maximum and only in 1080 Braw (Prores 120fps maximum 2.7k windowed only).

On the other hand, it is Gen 5, dual gain/iso (iso would be nice, not essential IMV - it's easy to cross reference them) new body with Gen2 usb, similar to the 12K. More or less identical to the 6K Pockets, in all other regards, at full sensor. It comes too with EF and B4 mount, shoulder mount and handle kit, V mount battery plate all included, for a great price.

Bottom line, if my primary goal was cinematography, I would honestly on balance save up for one of the other Ursas. It is really a great and flexible TV production camera, as opposed to a pure Cinema camera, which is why it suits me very well - it has a great image BTW. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your feedback !
Apparently not many people got themselves an Ursa broadcast G2. It was at a quite interesting price here in France, but it just got a 600 euros increase (and a 400 euros prior that) that made me give up on this purchase for now...

And talking about inflation... I remember offers on the internet of 2150 euros for a BMPCC 6K Pro, now it also had its price increased by 600 euros and now for the former price you only got the 6k G2... Seems like a big jump... bigger than inflation.

At least I don't buy new gear anymore :p

Thanks for your feedback !
Apparently not many people got themselves an Ursa broadcast G2. It was at a quite interesting price here in France, but it just got a 600 euros increase (and a 400 euros prior that) that made me give up on this purchase for now...

You're welcome Olivier. I think whilst it may not have hit the mark amongst filmmakers, perhaps for the reasons I outlined, it has been quite a good seller in OB, events and some broadcast applications. I might be wrong on that but everywhere I look, here in the UK, it is either sold out or only 1 or 2 remain. It's unlikely that it has been taken up by national broadcast, for example the BBC, SKY etc., at least I haven't seen that but if you are kitting out an OB van with 3 or 4 or more of them, the savings can be quite considerable. A Sony PXW-Z450 (the next cheapest 2/3") would cost with VAT some 25,000 pounds and it's 8 years old in design - you could kit that van out and have one or 2 G2s to spare, for that price. Apart from the rolling shutter, the image IMV is better from the G2 too. But the Sony's are far more solid, as is their support, no mistaking.

Yes, the prices have gone up, I was lucky to get in before and I got a good deal with my supplier, since I buy a lot of gear from them. Notwithstanding all that I have said, for nice 'cinematic' images, as in say arts and history TV documentaries, the option of a full Super 35 sensor, even if it is 'just' the Pocket 6K, with an Ursa body and interchangeable mounts, is for me quite compelling, when I was initially only contemplating using B4s. Prores 422HQ is much more practical in TV, where we rarely need or deliver 444 or Raw rushes too. It has been well designed from a Broadcast perspective, codec wise, whilst remaining quite flexible.

It's a fabulous camera for me. Doing for fun, friends, and family documentaries and getting this image quality and BM color science for under 6G amazes me. I'm thrilled with it.