Blackmagicdesign Blackmagic URSA, Installation And Operation Manual

Page 1: ...Installation and Operation Manual Blackmagic URSA Windows August 2014 Mac OS X ...

Page 2: ...tures you need if your operating in single person shooting Its unique design allows you to replace the sensor so add new imaging capability to it over time What this also means is we could put more value into the screens processing and cooling systems the camera has because it does not need to be thrown away every time we develop a new sensor for it So you get a built in large 10 inch on set monit...

Page 3: ...d Audio Station 12 Work Station Features 12 Front Panel 13 Rear Panel 13 Top Panel 13 Bottom Panel 13 14 Recording Recording Clips 14 Recording Duration Table 15 17 Playback Playing Back Clips 17 18 Connectors Camera Assist and Audio Station Connectors 18 Rear Panel Connectors 19 Bottom Panel Connector 19 20 Camera Features Work Station Buttons 20 Touch Screens 22 Touch Screen Features 22 Status S...

Page 4: ...g SDI 32 33 Post Production Workflow Working with Files from CFast 2 0 Cards 33 Editing your Clips 34 Using Final Cut Pro X 35 Using Avid Media Composer 36 Using Adobe Premiere Pro CC 36 Using Autodesk Smoke 2013 37 38 Blackmagic Camera Utility 39 Help 40 Warranty ...

Page 5: ...tings monitoring clips camera status and scopes The camera assist and audio station features a separate touch screen for camera settings monitoring clips status and scopes plus audio meters and adjustment knobs Professional BNC TRS and XLR connectors are provided for external audio headphones monitoring LANC control SDI in and out reference in timecode in and out and power Attaching the Handle Get...

Page 6: ...ng it counterclockwise until it stops Step 2 Align one of the lens four flange notches with the locating pin on the camera mount Be sure to align the lens for easy viewing of the lens marks Step 3 Tighten the PL locking ring by rotating it clockwise Step 4 To remove the lens rotate the locking ring counterclockwise until it stops then gently remove the lens When no lens is attached to the camera t...

Page 7: ...ector You can purchase these battery plates from professional digital cinema and video equipment suppliers Step 1 Remove Blackmagic URSA s molex power cover from the rear plate by unscrewing the 4 corner screws You ll now see Blackmagic URSA s 12 way molex 55959 1230 power connector Step 2 Connect Blackmagic URSA s 12 way molex 55959 1230 power connector to your third party battery plate Step 3 Sc...

Page 8: ...at your media card becomes corrupted HFS is natively supported by Mac OS X ExFAT is supported natively by Mac OS X and Windows without needing to purchase any additional software However exFAT does not support journaling 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 i...

Page 9: ... using a CFast 2 0 reader writer or CFast drive Step 2 Open the Start Menu or Start Screen and choose Computer Right click on your CFast card Step 3 From the contextual menu choose Format Step 4 Set the file system to exFAT and the allocation unit size to 128 kilobytes Step 5 Type a volume label select Quick Format and click Start Step 6 Your CFast card will quickly be formatted and made ready for...

Page 10: ...focus peaking and other on screen displays via the SDI monitoring output and 10 inch fold out monitor Page 29 6 PGM BUTTON Switches the monitor between the camera and the program video from the SDI input Pages 19 and 32 7 IRIS FOCUS REC AND TRANSPORT BUTTONS These controls allow camera operation when the monitor is folded closed such as when shoulder mounted IRIS FO CUS PEAK DISP REC ZOOM DISP PGM...

Page 11: ...ggles the touch screen between camera display and status display Page 20 7 MENU BUTTON Opens the touch screen menu Page 21 8 SLATE BUTTON Opens the slate so you can enter metadata using the touch screen Page 21 9 POWER BUTTON Turns your Blackmagic URSA on and off Page 21 REC ZOOM DISP PGM 1 CFAST IRIS FOCUS PEAK DISP MENU SLATE 2 IRIS SDI OUT 0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 L R SDI IN REF IN TIMECODE IN ...

Page 12: ... record start and stop iris and focus control Page 18 7 WORK STATION BUTTONS Activates various camera controls and the touch screen menu for adjusting settings Page 20 8 HD SDI MONITORING OUT 3G SDI connector for down converted 1080 HD output Pages 18 and 30 9 12V POWER OUTPUT 4 pin XLR connector for powering accessories such as an external viewfinder Page 18 10 XLR AUDIO IN XLR inputs for pluggin...

Page 13: ...nal Page 19 6 TIMECODE IN BNC connector for plugging in external timecode Page 19 7 TIMECODE OUT BNC connector for sending timecode to other professional video equipment Page 19 8 12 20V POWER INPUT 4 pin XLR connector for plugging in external power Page 19 Top Panel 9 3 8 MOUNTING POINTS and TOP HANDLE Mounting points for attaching top handle and accessories Bottom Panel 10 USB 2 0 USB 2 0 Mini B...

Page 14: ...ady to record in the video format you have selected The current recording format is shown on the status strip on the touch screen Blackmagic URSA Supported Recording Formats CinemaDNG 4K RAW 4000 x 2160p 23 98 24 25 29 97 30 50 59 94 60 Apple ProRes 422 HQ ProRes 422 ProRes 422 LT and ProRes 422 Proxy 3840 x 2160p 23 98 24 25 29 97 30 50 59 94 60 1920 x 1080p 23 98 24 25 29 97 30 50 59 94 60 Black...

Page 15: ...2V OUT CH1 SOLO CH1 MUTE CH2 MUTE CH2 SOLO L R SDI OUT SDI IN REF IN TIMECODE IN TIMECODE OUT 12V 1 2 0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 Format CFast Card Frame Rate CinemaDNG RAW 4K ProRes 422 HQ ProRes 422 ProRes 422 LT ProRes 422 Proxy Duration Duration Duration Duration Duration Ultra HD 4K 256GB 23 98 22 16 48 32 73 00 104 08 237 12 24 22 12 48 28 72 56 104 04 237 00 25 21 20 46 20 69 56 100 20 224 32 ...

Page 16: ... Duration Duration Duration Duration Duration Ultra HD 4K 128GB 23 98 11 08 24 16 36 30 52 04 118 36 24 11 06 24 14 36 28 52 02 118 30 25 10 40 23 10 34 58 50 10 112 16 30 08 52 19 22 29 00 41 50 94 48 50 05 20 11 38 17 24 25 04 56 08 60 04 26 09 40 14 32 20 54 47 24 HD 128GB 23 98 44 28 97 02 145 58 208 18 474 28 24 44 26 96 58 145 52 208 08 474 04 25 42 40 92 44 139 52 200 46 449 08 30 35 32 77 ...

Page 17: ...e start of the current clip or press twice to skip back to the start of the previous clip Hold the Forward or Reverse Skip button to play or reverse at 2x speed You can also use the touch screens to scroll through your clips For example touch the media timeline and slide your finger let and right to select a clip to play Play the clip by pressing Play on the fold out monitor transport controls Thi...

Page 18: ...G SDI Out Use Blackmagic URSA s down converted 3G SDI output to send 1080 HD video to an external viewfinder when using the camera on your shoulder This output can also be connected to routers monitors SDI capture devices broadcast switchers and other SDI video equipment 12V Power Output Use the 4 pin 12 Volt XLR connector for powering accessories such as an external viewfinder XLR Audio In Use th...

Page 19: ...e cameras connected to a switcher Timecode In Connect timecode from other professional audio and video equipment such as audio mixers and clapper boards to Blackmagic URSA s Timecode In BNC connector This ensures audio and picture can be easily synchronized during post production Timecode Out Send timecode from Blackmagic URSA to other professional video equipment by connecting to the Timecode Out...

Page 20: ...rrectly focussed When the lens is focussed the square will disappear Its important to know that while most lenses support electronic focus some lenses can be set to manual or auto focus modes and so you need to ensure your lens is set to auto focus mode PEAK Button Press the Peak button to activate focus peaking The focus peaking feature creates a green edge around the sharpest parts of the image ...

Page 21: ...2 MUTE Button To mute the audio on channel 2 and monitor only channel 1 press the Ch 2 Mute button Audio Level Adjustment Knobs Turn each knob clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or decrease the recording level for each channel of audio As you adjust each knob you ll see the corresponding audio meters respond Audio Meters The audio meters display the strength of your recorded audio If your a...

Page 22: ...ter displays a time sequence showing Hours Minutes Seconds Frames and will progress through the sequence as you record or play back clips The displayed duration of each clip starts from 00 00 00 00 for the first clip or from the end of the previous recorded clip For example if a clip stopped recording at 00 06 25 00 the next clip will start recording at 00 06 25 01 Clip duration is displayed on th...

Page 23: ...The Audio scope displays a continually updating waveform of the previous 3 seconds of recorded audio If you hear a loud sound while recording you can easily check if your audio is clipped because the waveform will display red tips on the waveform spikes You can make adjustments to avoid clipping by turning the audio level adjustment knobs counterclockwise until the audio meter stops rising above 0...

Page 24: ...ime zones If you have your Blackmagic URSA stored for long periods the time may need to be reset It is always a good idea to check the time and date prior to recording When connecting your camera to your computer via USB and launching Blackmagic Camera Utility Blackmagic URSA s time is synced to your computer time ISO To adjust the ISO settings touch the ISO arrow icons ISO settings are helpful wh...

Page 25: ...e setting your white balance to 7500K can significantly warm your picture to create an intimate mood Shutter Angle To adjust the Shutter Angle settings touch the Shutter Angle arrow icons Shutter Angle defines the level of motion blur in your video and can be used to compensate for varying light conditions 180 degrees is the optimum shutter angle for capturing a satisfying motion blur in most cond...

Page 26: ... the Ch 1 Input slider icon left or right to decrease or increase the channel 1 audio level When connected the external channel 1 XLR input overrides the built in microphone and is recorded to audio channel 1 Channel 2 uses Channel 1 Input Select Yes if you want to record channel 1 external audio to channels 1 and 2 Select No if you want channel 1 audio to remain on one channel only Channel 2 Inpu...

Page 27: ...ition video This lets you work faster by recording directly to the compressed video formats your camera supports which are compatible with popular post production software Frame Rate Adjust the Frame Rate setting by touching the frame rate arrow icons Your Blackmagic URSA has 8 different frame rate settings for shooting common film and video frame rates including 23 98 24 25 29 97 30 50 59 94 and ...

Page 28: ... format of each still frame is based on your recording format so if you set the camera to record in 4K ProRes HQ the Time Lapse setting will maintain this format The frame rate will be based on the recording frame rate you have set i e 24fps This is so your time lapse footage can be easily incorporated into your post production workflow When the REC button is pressed in time lapse mode the timecod...

Page 29: ...he fold out monitor Dynamic Range Blackmagic URSA s fold out monitor and touch screens let you view your video as you are recording You can set the display dynamic range by selecting Video or Film settings The Display settings dynamic range is independent of the Recording settings dynamic range This means you can monitor your video with the display set to video even when the recording format is se...

Page 30: ... display or set to OFF for a clean feed All displays both frame guides and recording information Status displays only the recording information such as f stop number frame rate battery life etc Guides displays only the frame guides Off gives you a clean feed Your selected overlays can also be viewed on Blackmagic URSA s fold out monitor by pressing the Disp button on the monitor control buttons Im...

Page 31: ...to the Keywords field will allow you to use them as search terms in your library database This may be particularly useful for large projects where you have lots of material The use of keywords narrows down the number of clips to search through saving valuable time when you are editing All metadata is compatible with popular software such as Final Cut Pro X and DaVinci Resolve Log metadata directly...

Page 32: ...ch viewfinder To switch back to the camera image simply press the PGM button again 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 SDI Overlay settings in the Display sett...

Page 33: ...use the same naming convention Step 4 Now you can simply drag the files you want from the CFast card onto your desktop or another hard drive or you can access the files straight from the CFast card using your editing software CinemaDNG RAW files are saved to the CFast card as separate DNG images for each frame This is an open format and you can use many software applications to view your RAW 4K im...

Page 34: ... and set your video resolution and frame rate to match your RAW video clips or your intended delivery In this example we ll use the 2160p format with a frame rate of 25 Step 2 If using clips with high frame rates for slow motion set your Master Project Settings Conform Options Mixed Frame Rate to None Step 3 Import your CinemaDNG RAW clips into the Media Pool Step 4 Go to Project Settings and set ...

Page 35: ...older that contains each individual clip from the Resolve timeline The converted clips can now be imported into your editing software You can always make adjustments to your grade by exporting an XML from your editing software Using Final Cut Pro X To edit Apple ProRes 422 HQ clips using Final Cut Pro X you need to create a new project and set a suitable video format and frame rate This example us...

Page 36: ...o the timeline and begin editing Using Adobe Premiere Pro CC To edit your Apple ProRes 422 HQ clips using Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2014 release you need to create a new project and set a suitable video format and frame rate For this example clips are set using ProRes 422 HQ 1080p25 Step 1 Launch Adobe Premiere Pro CC In the Welcome window select Create New New Project A window will open containing pr...

Page 37: ...e sure bit depth is set to 10 bit and frame type is Progressive Step 5 From the Config Template drop down menu select 1920x1080 25000p cfg Step 6 Leave the Preferred Format set to ProRes 422 HQ and click Create Step 7 Click on the New button under the User heading Step 8 When the Create New User Profile window opens type your user name and click Create Step 9 When the Project and User Settings win...

Page 38: ...c Camera Utility folder containing this PDF manual and the Blackmagic Camera Utility installer Double click the installer and follow the on screen prompts to complete the installation How to Update the Camera Software After installing the latest Blackmagic Camera Utility on your computer connect a USB cable between the computer and your Blackmagic URSA The Mini B USB 2 0 port is located on the bot...

Page 39: ...rrently Installed To check which version of Blackmagic Camera Utility software is installed on your computer open the About Blackmagic Camera Utility window On Mac OS X open Blackmagic Camera Utility from the Applications folder Select About Blackmagic Camera Utility from the application menu to reveal the version number On Windows open Blackmagic Camera Utility from your Start menu or Start Scree...

Page 40: ...air or service the product b to repair damage resulting from improper use or connection to incompatible equipment c to repair any damage or malfunction caused by the use of non Blackmagic Design parts or supplies or d to service a product that has been modified or integrated with other products when the effect of such a modification or integration increases the time or difficulty of servicing the ...