Just Released - iPhone App to control Ursa Mini Pro

Hi all, I've been keen for an iPhone app to control my Ursa Mini Pro for a while, so in the absence of an official offering, I've made my own. It's just gone live on the App Store, you can check it out here if you're interested:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bmd-bluetooth-control/id1376947780?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D2

My initial goal was just to bring the functionality of the existing iPad app to iPhone, in a universal app that will run on both devices. Now that I've done that, I will keep looking to improve and add more functionality, so please feel free to make requests and suggestions.

Current plans involve an Apple Watch companion app that will let you start/stop recording from your watch, expanded controls over recording options, such as resolution, project frame rates and more, depending on what BMD makes possible in their API.

Hope someone find it useful!

Can you access the phone's core.motion data and send the data to a file, maybe a database of some sort? That file can be created when you hit record on the phone?

The Ursa Mini was to have a GPS/Gyro functionality which was never implemented. Having the core.motion data read from the phone can allow for a rig (like smallrig/zacuto) to allow for the phone to sit flash with the camera. The WXYZ data can be imported into your animation application of choice...and significantly reduce the work needed in tracking, compositing, AR and many other things which some 3D camera solves fail.

Lens Data, compass, gyro, focal plane distance,

Can you access the phone's core.motion data and send the data to a file, maybe a database of some sort? That file can be created when you hit record on the phone?

The Ursa Mini was to have a GPS/Gyro functionality which was never implemented. Having the core.motion data read from the phone can allow for a rig (like smallrig/zacuto) to allow for the phone to sit flash with the camera. The WXYZ data can be imported into your animation application of choice...and significantly reduce the work needed in tracking, compositing, AR and many other things which some 3D camera solves fail.

Lens Data, compass, gyro, focal plane distance,

That's a very cool idea. I think the main limitation would be how precisely the phone would need to be mounted to the camera for it to provide useful data. But I'll look into it for sure!

Thank you for taking the time to do this dean. It is very much appreciated.
Just downloaded the app ..it connects to the camera but does nothing else. I’m not able to get into the app after it connects to the camera.
Ok I got it to work I had to do a factory reset on the camera

Thank you for taking the time to do this dean. It is very much appreciated.
Just downloaded the app ..it connects to the camera but does nothing else. I’m not able to get into the app after it connects to the camera.
Ok I got it to work I had to do a factory reset on the camera

Hey Donnell,

Thanks for getting in touch. Glad you got it sorted. Can I ask, when you did your factory reset did you upgrade to a newer firmware version? If so, do you know what version you were on before the reset?

Hi dean, when I did the factory reset I was on version 4.9 for the URSA Mini pro .. after the reset I am still on version 4.9
Question for you dean. Are you able to get this app to control frame rates up to 120fps when the camera is set to 2k? As of right now, same as in the Blackmagic app you can only change the frame rates up to 60fps

Does anyone know if you can input slate metadata using the mobile app keyboard? Would that be a faster way to input data?

Hi dean, when I did the factory reset I was on version 4.9 for the URSA Mini pro .. after the reset I am still on version 4.9
Question for you dean. Are you able to get this app to control frame rates up to 120fps when the camera is set to 2k? As of right now, same as in the Blackmagic app you can only change the frame rates up to 60fps

I'll look into that Donnell. My hope is that in the next update, you will have full frame rate control, including project frame rates, not just off-speed frame rates

Does anyone know if you can input slate metadata using the mobile app keyboard? Would that be a faster way to input data?

Good idea, I'll try and include this in the next update

Dean, the latest update with the ability to pull focus in the App is great.

Some further suggestions for the App:

For the PCC4k please consider a different listing of the ISOs:
Right now you go from left to right
100 | 125 | 160
200 | 250 | 320

and so on.

It would be great to color code the different gain stages from 100 - 1000 (with 400 as native) and 1250 - 25600 (with 3200 as native) plus considering the further reduced dynamic range from 8000 upwards like it has been illustrated in the PCC4k user manual on page 35.

For the focus it would be great to have A B buttons for marking 2 focus points and being able to start a transition with a defined length/speed.

A minor design bug: with a for example f/4.0 lens attached it is possible to drag the iris slider down to f/1.2 - and then it immediately jumps back to the true minimum of f/4.0. One shouldn't be able to drag the iris value below what is really possible with the lens.

Great job on the update. This is my go to app now. Thanks for including more controls for the frame rate

Dean, the latest update with the ability to pull focus in the App is great.
For the focus it would be great to have A B buttons for marking 2 focus points and being able to start a transition with a defined length/speed.

A minor design bug: with a for example f/4.0 lens attached it is possible to drag the iris slider down to f/1.2 - and then it immediately jumps back to the true minimum of f/4.0. One shouldn't be able to drag the iris value below what is really possible with the lens.

I would also find the AB points useful for focus.

I'm also having issues with the iris setting. I noticed while using the Oly 17/1.2 lens that the slider does not stay at f/1.2. I can adjust it to f/1.2 in camera and the app displays f/1.4. When I drag the slider down, the lens will briefly revert to f/1.4 before opening up to f/1.2, but automatically jumps back to displaying f/1.4 even though the lens itself is still at f/1.2.

I haven't noticed this with any other lens, but this is the only f/1.2 lens I own so I can't properly test it.

Edit: I'm running iOS 12.1 on an iPhone 5S.

Question, could timecode sync be provided by app if one had multiple cameras connected via bluetooth? Syncing and starting simultaneous record on a multicam setup would be pretty ace.

Triggering stills would be great!

I am noticed a bug with Pocket4k
When i am starting record from app my FPS in app is increasing to 60fps from my 25. In camera fps stays as they was - 25.
Also every time when i am changing my Apeture in app, fps also increasing to 60fps. In camera everything stays as it was.

So every time i am worry that my settings go wrong and if camera in position that screen is not visible i am can not be sure that settings is ok and have no changed in camera.

And please! Add ability to change resolution on codec

Hey there. The App is great, though I do find it loses connection quite a bit if more than a few ft from the camera. Any way to solve this?
Also, It would be really useful if you could go into playback from the APP.
THANKS!