Blackmagicdesign Blackmagic URSA Installation And Operation Manual
Blackmagicdesign Blackmagic URSA Installation And Operation Manual

Blackmagicdesign Blackmagic URSA Installation And Operation Manual

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Installation and Operation Manual
Blackmagic URSA
Blackmagic URSA Mini
Mac OS X
Windows
September 2015

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  • Page 1 Installation and Operation Manual Blackmagic URSA Blackmagic URSA Mini Mac OS X ™ Windows ™ September 2015...
  • Page 2 We think it takes care of the needs of large film crews as well as having all the features you need if you're operating in single person shooting. Blackmagic URSA's unique design allows you to replace the sensor, adding new imaging capability to it over time. What this also means is we...
  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Rear Panel Connectors Turning Your Camera On Bottom Panel Connector CFast Cards Blackmagic URSA Features Inserting a CFast Card Blackmagic URSA Work Station Buttons Preparing a CFast Card for Recording Touchscreens Choosing a CFast 2.0 Card Touchscreen Features Preparing Media for Recording...
  • Page 4 Contents Blackmagic URSA Blackmagic URSA Mini Adding Audio Tracks Settings Color Correcting your Clips Dashboard Using Scopes Camera Settings Secondary Color Correction Audio Settings Qualifying a Color Recording Settings Adding a Power Window File Naming Convention Tracking a Window Display Settings...
  • Page 5: Getting Started

    To attach Blackmagic URSA's handle to the camera body, simply slide the base of the handle along Blackmagic URSA's handle ridges and screw the handle to one of the 3/8" mounting points. Choose a mounting point that provides the best weight balance for your camera.
  • Page 6: Turning Your Camera On

    DISP MENU SLATE on the DOP or camera assist and audio stations. On Blackmagic URSA Mini, the power button is located on the control panel behind the fold out LCD. Simply open the LCD to access the control panel. Step 2.
  • Page 7: Cfast Cards

    CFast Cards Inserting a CFast Card Blackmagic URSA and URSA Mini use CFast 2.0 cards to record 4K, Ultra HD or HD video. To insert a CFast card. Step 1. Open the fold out monitor to access the CFast slots.
  • Page 8: Preparing Media For Recording

    Mac or Windows computer. We recommend formatting your CFast 2.0 cards using Blackmagic URSA or URSA Mini for best performance. HFS+ is also known as Mac OS extended and is the recommended format as it supports "journaling".
  • Page 9: Preparing Cfast Cards On A Mac Os X Computer

    CFast Cards Preparing CFast Cards on a Mac OS X Computer Use the Disk Utility application included with Mac OS X to format your card in the HFS+ or exFAT formats. Remember to back up anything important from your CFast card as all data will be lost when it is formatted.
  • Page 10: Recording

    Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder with URSA's fold out monitor closed. On Blackmagic URSA Mini you can start recording by pressing the red 'record' button on the inside control panel, or on the side handle. A 'record' button is also on the outside of the fold out monitor.
  • Page 11 Recording Maximum Sensor Frame Rates Continued Codec Resolution Maximum Frame Rate Maximum Frame Rate Blackmagic URSA Blackmagic URSA Mini ProRes 444 XQ 1920 x 1080 Available in a later (full sensor area) software update ProRes 444 Available in a later...
  • Page 12 Recording After setting your codec and resolution, you should set your ‘project’ and ‘sensor’ frame rates. Refer to the ‘recording settings’ section in this manual for more information about frame rates. A table is provided showing the supported ‘project’ frame rates for each recording format and codec. You can create dynamic speed effects by using a sensor frame rate that is slower or faster than your project frame rate.
  • Page 13: Recording Duration Table

    Recording Recording Duration Table Tables are provided showing approximate recording durations in minutes and storage rate for Apple ProRes 422 HQ at 3840 x 2160 is approximately 880 Mbps. seconds compared to format, project frame rate and media size. The maximum At 24 frames per second, you can record approximately 48 minutes of video recording time for a CFast card will vary depending on the data size of the on a 256GB CFast 2.0 card.
  • Page 14 Recording Format CFast Frame CinemaDNG RAW ProRes 444 ProRes 444 ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 422 Card Rate Proxy Duration Duration Duration Duration Duration Duration Duration Ultra HD 4K 128GB 23.98 10 mins 4K RAW 11 mins 16 mins 24 mins 36 mins 52 mins...
  • Page 15: Playback

    Hold the 'forward' or 'reverse skip' button to play or reverse at 2x speed. On Blackmagic URSA EF, you can also use the forward and reverse CFAST skip buttons to open or close the iris on compatible lenses while recording clips.
  • Page 16: Blackmagic Ursa Overview

    3. PLAYBACK CONTROL BUTTONS Buttons for playback start and stop and skipping for the next or previous clip. On Blackmagic URSA EF, the forward and reverse skip buttons can also be used to open or close the iris when using compatible lenses.
  • Page 17 Blackmagic URSA Overview DOP Station Work Station Features 1. MEMORY CARD SLOTS SDI OUT SDI IN Insert CFast 2.0 type cards into the slots for record and playback. Page 8. REF IN CFAST TIMECODE IN 2. TOUCHSCREEN ZOOM TIMECODE OUT...
  • Page 18: Camera Assist And Audio Station

    Activates various camera controls and the touchscreen menu for adjusting settings. Page 23. 8. HD-SDI MONITORING OUT 3G-SDI connector for down converted 1080 HD output. Pages 21 and 46. 9. +12 V POWER OUTPUT 4 pin XLR connector for powering accessories, such as the Blackmagic URSA viewfinder. Page 21. FOCUS PEAK DISP...
  • Page 19: Front Panel

    3. REAR PANEL CONNECTORS Rear panel connectors such as SDI output, SDI input, reference input, timecode input, timecode output and 12V power input. Refer to the 'Blackmagic URSA connectors' section for more information. Top Panel 4. 3/8" MOUNTING POINTS and TOP HANDLE Mounting points for attaching top handle and accessories.
  • Page 20: Blackmagic Ursa Connectors

    The port is a 2.5 mm stereo jack using the standard LANC protocol. 3G-SDI Out Use Blackmagic URSA’s down converted 3G-SDI output to send 1080 HD video to an external viewfinder such as the Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder. This output can also be connected to routers, monitors, SDI capture devices, broadcast switchers and other SDI video equipment.
  • Page 21: Rear Panel Connectors

    You can then select between the camera and the external recorder by pressing the PGM button TIMECODE IN SDI Out TIMECODE OUT Blackmagic URSA’s 12G-SDI output is used to send HD and Ultra HD 4K video to SDI equipment such SOLO MUTE SOLO MUTE as routers, monitors, SDI capture devices, and broadcast switchers.
  • Page 22: Blackmagic Ursa Features

    Blackmagic URSA Features Blackmagic URSA Features Blackmagic URSA Work Station Buttons All of Blackmagic URSA's settings are easily adjusted using the work station buttons and touchscreens. The buttons and touchscreens on each station perform the same functions, but work independently. SDI OUT...
  • Page 23 IRIS FOCUS PEAK DISP MENU SLATE POWER Button Press and release the 'power' button to turn on your Blackmagic URSA. Press and hold to turn your camera off. MUTE SOLO MUTE CH SOLO and MUTE Buttons IRIS FOCUS...
  • Page 24: Touchscreens

    Blackmagic URSA Features Touchscreens Each work station features a touchscreen so you can monitor your recordings, view scopes, apply settings and activate camera features. By pressing the 'disp' button you can switch between viewing your clips during recording and playback, you can open the dashboard where you can access camera features and apply settings, or you can view scopes and status information.
  • Page 25 When a card is full and you have an empty CFast card in the second slot, Blackmagic URSA will automatically record to the other CFast card. To play a selected clip, press the 'play' button on the...
  • Page 26: Blackmagic Ursa Mini Overview

    4. CONTROL PANEL BUTTONS Buttons for powering the camera, record and playback control, focus peaking, accessing the settings menu, plus iris and auto focus control on compatible EF lenses. Refer to the 'Blackmagic URSA Mini Features' section for more information.
  • Page 27: Right Side

    Blackmagic URSA Mini Overview Right Side 1. SIDE ROSETTE MOUNT Standard rosette mount for the side handle. Refer to the ‘Getting Started’ and ‘Blackmagic URSA Mini Shoulder Mount Kit’ sections. 2. HD MONITORING OUTPUT 3G-SDI output BNC connector. Refer to the ‘Camera Video Output’ and ‘Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder’...
  • Page 28: Top Panel

    1. 1/4 INCH MOUNTING POINTS Mounting points for attaching top handle and accessories. 2. XLR AUDIO IN Balanced XLR audio inputs for connecting external audio. Refer to the ‘Blackmagic URSA Mini Connectors’ section for more information. Underside 1. 3/8 INCH MOUNTING POINTS Mounting points for attaching tripod heads, the optional URSA Mini shoulder mount kit and other accessories.
  • Page 29: Blackmagic Ursa Mini Connectors

    The right side of your Blackmagic URSA Mini provides outputs for connecting a Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder and other external monitors and accessories, plus a dedicated LANC connector for the side handle. For more information on how to use these connectors refer to the ‘Blackmagic URSA Mini features’ section.
  • Page 30: Top Connectors

    Blackmagic URSA Mini Connectors 12G SDI Out Blackmagic URSA Mini’s 12G-SDI output is used to send HD and Ultra HD 4K video to SDI equipment such as routers, monitors, SDI capture devices, and broadcast switchers. Reference and Timecode In This input automatically recognizes and switches between timecode and reference input signals.
  • Page 31: Blackmagic Ursa Mini Features

    Your Blackmagic URSA Mini’s 5” fold out LCD touchscreen pivots for shooting high and low angles. Buttons on the outside of the LCD panel let you control your Blackmagic URSA Mini when mounted on your shoulder using the URSA Viewfinder and the LCD closed. The status display shows your camera settings, plus scopes for exposure and audio levels.
  • Page 32: Control Buttons

    Blackmagic URSA Mini Features Control Buttons Your Blackmagic URSA Mini has control buttons on the left side of your camera behind the LCD, the outside of the LCD and on the side handle. The iris, focus, record and playback buttons all perform the same function.
  • Page 33 The playback buttons let you start and stop playback, plus skip to the next or previous clip. On Blackmagic URSA Mini EF, the forward and reverse skip buttons can also be used to open or close the iris when using compatible lenses. Refer to the ‘playback’ section for more information on how to use the playback buttons.
  • Page 34: Settings

    Select 'enter' to save your camera ID, or 'cancel' to discard any changes. Setting Date and Time To set date and time on your Blackmagic URSA, tap the + or - icons to change the year, month and day settings.
  • Page 35 White Balance To adjust the 'white balance' settings, tap the white balance arrow icons with your finger. Your Blackmagic URSA includes white balance presets for a variety of color temperature conditions. These are: ‚ 2500, 2800, 3000, 3200, 3400, 3600, 4000, 4500 and 4800K for various conditions under tungsten, incandescent or fluorescent light, or under dull natural light including candle light, sunrise/sunset, morning, and after noon light.
  • Page 36: Audio Settings

    Settings Audio Settings To adjust audio input and monitoring settings on your Blackmagic URSA, select the 'audio' touchscreen menu, then tap or slide the relevant arrows and slider icons with your finger. Scroll the menu to reveal more audio settings.
  • Page 37: Recording Settings

    Dynamic Range Adjust the 'dynamic range' setting by tapping the dynamic range arrow icons. Blackmagic URSA has two dynamic range settings: Film The 'film' setting shoots video using a log curve giving you 12 stops of dynamic range and maximizes the information in your video signal to help you get the most out of color grading software, such as DaVinci Resolve.
  • Page 38 4K ProRes HQ. This frame rate is normally set to match your playback speed used in your post project frame rate. production workflow. Your Blackmagic URSA has 8 project frame rate settings including 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60 frames per second. Sensor Frame Rate The sensor frame rate sets how many actual frames from the sensor are recorded every second.
  • Page 39 CFast slot indicators together. While recording, both CFast slot indicators will flash to show the cards are active and their respective media timelines will update accordingly. On Blackmagic URSA Mini, 'dual rec' will appear on the top left of the status display when dual card mode is enabled.
  • Page 40: File Naming Convention

    Dynamic Range Set the dynamic range of your fold out monitor and Blackmagic URSA’s fold out monitor and touchscreens let you view your video as you are recording. touchscreen displays using the 'display' settings. This feature You can set the display dynamic range to 'video' or 'film' settings. The 'display' settings dynamic range...
  • Page 41 Settings 10" Brightness On Blackmagic URSA, move the '10" brightness' slider icon left or right to adjust brightness for the 10" fold out monitor. Zebra To activate and adjust the zebra setting, tap the left and right zebra arrow icons.
  • Page 42 Settings Frame Guides You can choose from seven different frame guides to display on your camera's fold out monitor and SDI outputs. Frame guides include aspect ratios for various cinema, television and online standards, plus a rule of thirds composition grid. Tap the 'frame guide' setting arrow icons to select your desired frame guide.
  • Page 43 Settings Image Stabilizer When using an EF lens mount, Blackmagic URSA or URSA Mini supports the image stabilizer feature found in many EF lenses. Simply set the stabilizer switch to 'on' to use it with your camera. When URSA is battery powered, the image stabilizer is activated only while recording in order to conserve power.
  • Page 44: Entering Metadata

    Entering Metadata The Slate The touchscreen on your Blackmagic URSA Mini, or the two touchscreens on Blackmagic URSA have many purposes, one of which is to allow you to easily log metadata directly into the camera using the 'slate' feature. Metadata is stored in the recorded files and is easily accessed by editing software.
  • Page 45: Camera Video Output

    When connected to a switcher, you can easily view the switcher's program output on your Blackmagic URSA. To do this, first connect the switcher to your camera's rear 12G-SDI input. Now press the 'program' button marked PGM on your Blackmagic URSA's fold out monitor. To switch back to the I IN D IS camera image, simply press the PGM button again.
  • Page 46 Camera Video Output Connecting to Monitors SDI monitoring can be really handy when accessing the fold out monitor is impractical, such as when secured high on a jib arm, on a crane, or mounted on a vehicle. Monitoring information is displayed via your HD-SDI monitoring out connector by adjusting the 'front SDI overlay' settings in the display settings menu.
  • Page 47: Blackmagic Ursa Viewfinder

    D IO Mounting and Connecting to Blackmagic URSA To attach the Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder to the camera body, slide it along the handle ridges and tighten the thumb screw to one of the 3/8" mounting points. To connect your URSA Viewfinder to your URSA, simply connect the viewfinder's attached cables to...
  • Page 48 Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder ‚ ZOOM (F1) - ‘menu’ - The 'zoom' feature helps you find sharp focus by zooming into your picture. Press the 'zoom' button to zoom in and press again to return to 100% view. When using the settings menu, the 'zoom' button also serves as the 'menu' button. Press and...
  • Page 49 Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder ‚ False Color - Switches the false color feature on and off. False color overlays different colors onto your image that represent exposure values for different elements in your image. For example, pink represents optimum exposure for skin tones. By monitoring the pink false color when recording people, you can maintain consistent exposure for skin tones.
  • Page 50 ‚ Tally Brightness - allows adjustments of tally LED brightness. ‚ Focus Chart - Your Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder has a built in focus chart so you can focus the eye piece to suit your eyes. Simply turn the focus diopter on the eyepiece until the chart is in perfect focus.
  • Page 51: Mounting Batteries

    Mounting V-mount or Gold Mount Batteries You can easily mount industry standard V-mount or gold mount batteries to Blackmagic URSA or URSA Mini. To mount a battery, you'll need to attach a Blackmagic V-mount battery plate, a third party V-mount or gold mount battery plate to your camera's plate mount.
  • Page 52 12 V output and battery status. Refer to your battery plate information, plus the diagram and tables on this page for help connecting the wires. If you require further assistance visit the Blackmagic Design support center at www.blackmagicdesign.com/support. Wire Configuration Table...
  • Page 53: Using Davinci Resolve

    Using DaVinci Resolve Introducing DaVinci Resolve Shooting with your Blackmagic URSA is only part of the process of creating film and television content, and just as important is the process of media backup and management as well as editing, color correction and encoding final master files.
  • Page 54: Editing Your Clips

    Using DaVinci Resolve If your clip folder doesn’t appear in the library, you’ll need to add it. This is easily done by clicking on preferences in the DaVinci Resolve title bar and clicking on the ‘plus’ icon in the ‘media storage’ tab, browse to and select a drive or folder path, click 'save', restart DaVinci Resolve and reopen ‘untitled project’...
  • Page 55: Trimming Clips

    Using DaVinci Resolve Trimming Clips When editing clips you’ll want to trim them to include only the specific actions you want in each shot. There are various ways, but the easiest is to adjust the clips’ in and out points on the timeline: Step 1.
  • Page 56: Adding Transitions

    Using DaVinci Resolve Adding Transitions A transition is a visual effect used to bridge one clip to another in a pleasing way, for example dissolves, wipes, dips to color, and more. These can add a layer of excitement to your edit. Transitions don’t always have to be joining two clips, for example you can apply a dissolve transition to the end of one clip to create a quick and easy fade to black.
  • Page 57: Adding Audio Tracks

    Using DaVinci Resolve such as color, size, alignment, position, and more. Transitions can be added to titles, just like they can for clips. Adding Audio Tracks If you want to mix a large sound edit with lots of sound effects and music, you can easily add more audio tracks when you need them.
  • Page 58: Using Scopes

    Using DaVinci Resolve Using Scopes Most colorists make creative color choices by focusing on the emotion and the look they want their program to have and then simply work using the monitor to achieve that look. You can look at everyday objects and how different types of light interact with them to generate ideas on what you can do with your images and a little practice.
  • Page 59: Secondary Color Correction

    Using DaVinci Resolve You can also use the curves palette to make primary color corrections. Simply click to create control points on the diagonal line inside the curve graph, and drag them up or down to adjust the master RGB contrast at different areas of image tonality. The optimum points to adjust are the bottom third, mid, and top third of the curve line.
  • Page 60: Adding A Power Window

    Using DaVinci Resolve Sometimes your selection can spill into areas of the shot you don’t want to affect. You can easily mask out the unwanted areas using a power window. Simply create a new window and shape it to select only the area of color you want.
  • Page 61: Using Plugins

    Using DaVinci Resolve Step 3. Open the ‘tracker’ palette. Select the pan, tilt, zoom, rotate, and perspective 3D settings appropriate for the movement in your clip by checking or unchecking the relevant ‘analyse’ checkboxes. Step 4. Click on the ‘forward’ arrow to the left of the checkboxes. DaVinci Resolve will now apply a cluster of tracking points on your clip and then step through the frames to analyze the movement.
  • Page 62 Using DaVinci Resolve Step 3. In the ‘file’ settings, select ‘use custom filename’. Name your export, then choose your destination by clicking the ‘browse’ button and selecting a folder location. Click ‘ok’. Step 4. You’ll see the 'deliver timeline' stretched across the bottom of the page. Select 'all clips' to select the entire program for rendering.
  • Page 63: Blackmagic Camera Setup Utility

    Blackmagic URSA or URSA Mini. On Blackmagic URSA, the Mini-B USB 2.0 port is located on the bottom panel of your camera. On Blackmagic URSA Mini, the USB port is located on the left side panel above the memory card slots. Simply open the rubber cap to access the port.
  • Page 64: Post Production Workflow

    To import your clips from a CFast 2.0 card: Step 1. Remove the CFast card from your Blackmagic URSA or URSA Mini. Step 2. Mount the CFast card to your Mac OS X or Windows computer using a CFast 2.0 reader/ writer or CFast drive.
  • Page 65: Working With 3Rd Party Software

    Post Production Workflow Working with 3rd Party Software To edit your clips using your favorite editing software, you can copy your clips to an internal/external drive or RAID and then import your clips into the software. Or import your clips directly from your CFast card using a CFast 2.0 reader/writer or CFast drive.
  • Page 66: Using Adobe Premiere Pro Cc

    Post Production Workflow Step 5. Go to the 'raster dimension' drop down menu and select 1920x1080. Click OK. Step 6. Select 'tools>background services' and click the 'start' button if background services are not already running and then click 'OK.' Step 7. Select the media bin where you wish to import your files.
  • Page 67 Post Production Workflow Step 4. Make sure bit depth is set to 10-bit and frame type is 'progressive'. Step 5. From the 'config template' dropdown menu select 1920x1080@25000p.cfg. Step 6. Leave the 'preferred format' set to ProRes 422 HQ and click 'create'. Step 7.
  • Page 68: Attaching The Shoulder Mount

    URSA Mini Shoulder Mount Assembly URSA Mini Shoulder Kit Assembly Attaching the shoulder mount The URSA Mini Shoulder Mount Kit lets you carry URSA Mini on the shoulder for ENG style shooting. This kit includes a top handle, shoulder mount baseplate, extension arm for the URSA Mini side handle, long LANC cable, Viewfinder adapter plate, plus all the required screws.
  • Page 69 URSA Mini Shoulder Kit Assembly To attach the top handle without URSA Viewfinder: You can use URSA Mini Shoulder Mount Kit with or without the optional URSA Viewfinder. The top handle is supplied with a rubber viewfinder cap on its base which is replaced with an adapter plate when attached to the URSA Viewfinder.
  • Page 70 The hole inside the front of the handle is used with the thumb screw when attaching and adjusting the URSA viewfinder. For information on how to attach the URSA Viewfinder to the top handle, refer to the ‘Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder’ section in your URSA manual. 2 x 1/4” socket head screws for...
  • Page 71 URSA Mini Shoulder Kit Assembly Attaching the extension arm When using the URSA Mini shoulder mount kit, Side handle extension arm Side handle you'll need to reposition URSA Mini's side handle for comfortable shoulder based shooting. Use the bundled extension arm and longer LANC cable to move the side handle to a more ergonomic position.
  • Page 72: Upgrading The Sensor Turret

    Upgrading the Sensor Turret on the URSA model Blackmagic URSA's unique design lets you replace the sensor turret if you want to upgrade your camera as we release new sensors in the future. When upgrading, you can also change the lens mount. For example, you can upgrade from an EF mount to a PL mount.
  • Page 73 Upgrading the Sensor Turret on the URSA model Removing the Sensor Turret Step 4. Step 5. Step 6. Remove the 15mm rails mount using the 4.0mm Loosen the four sensor turret mounting screws Use the plastic wedge levering tool to lever the hex key driver.
  • Page 74 Continue to apply one full turn to each screw in the and evenly tighten the screws until all have reached (if any) to Blackmagic URSA's rear panel. described sequence until all screws have reached the maximum allowable torque of 3 Nm.
  • Page 75: Shimming The Pl Mount

    Shims are placed between the PL mount and the camera body so the distance from your subject to the sensor matches the focus marks on your lens. Your Blackmagic URSA or URSA Mini is supplied with a 0.50mm shim already installed. You can purchase shim sets of varying thickness from your local Blackmagic Design reseller.
  • Page 76 Shimming the PL Mount Removing and replacing the PL Mount Step 4. Step 5. Step 6. Note the alignment of the existing 0.50mm shim Remove the existing 0.50mm shim and replace Place the lens mount onto the camera body with the alignment pin at the 11 o'clock position. with the appropriate shim thickness needed to ensuring the alignment hole is aligned with the bring your lens focus marks into alignment with the...
  • Page 77: Help

    After checking the version of Blackmagic Camera Utility software installed on your computer, please visit the Blackmagic Design support center at www.blackmagicdesign.com/support to check for the latest updates. While it is usually a good idea to run the latest updates, it is wise to avoid updating any...
  • Page 78: Warranty

    Warranty Warranty 12 Month Limited Warranty Blackmagic Design warrants that this product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 12 months from the date of purchase. If a product proves to be defective during this warranty period, Blackmagic Design, at its option, either will repair the defective product without charge for parts and labor, or will provide a replacement in exchange for the defective product.

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