FREMONT, CA — At the 2023 NAB Show, Blackmagic Design (www.blackmagicdesign.com) announced the Ursa Mini Pro 12K OLPF, a new digital film camera that adds a high performance optical low pass filter to the 12K Super 35 image sensor. The OLPF reduces artifacts, such as moire and aliasing, while preserving color and critical image detail. The Ursa Mini Pro 12K OLPF is available from Blackmagic Design resellers for $6,385.
Blackmagic’s Ursa Mini Pro 12K features a 12,288-by-6480 12K Super 35 sensor and 14 stops of dynamic range. The combination of 80 megapixels per frame, new color science and the flexibility of Blackmagic RAW makes working with 12K a reality. Oversampling from 12K gives customers the best 8K and 4K images, with the subtle skin tones and high level of detail found in high-end still cameras. Customers can shoot at 60fps in 12K, 120fps in 8K, and up to 240fps in 4K Super 16. Ursa Mini Pro 12K features an interchangeable PL mount, as well as built in ND filters, dual CFast and UHS-II SD card recorders, and a SuperSpeed USB-C expansion port.
When shooting in virtual production environments, the high frequencies of the LED matrix in video walls can cause problems for ultra sharp modern lenses and high-resolution sensors, creating interference patterns. Using an optical low-pass filter minimizes that interference, which results in a reduction of moire and aliasing. Ursa Mini Pro 12K OLPF adds a high performance, optical low-pass filter that is precisely matched to the 12K sensor. The OLPF also incorporates updated IR filtering that improves far red color response which, when combined with Blackmagic RAW processing for the Ursa Mini Pro 12K OLPF, preserves color and critical image detail for new levels of image fidelity.
The 12K’s extreme resolution goes well beyond traditional motion-picture film, giving users benefits comparable with shooting film, including a high level of detail, wide dynamic range, and rich, deep color. The camera is well suited for feature films, episodic television, immersive experiences and IMAX. The high level of definition around objects also makes it well suited for working with green screen and VFX, including compositing live action and CGI.
Recently, the Ursa Mini Pro 12K was added to Netflix’s approved camera list, which specifies the capture requirements necessary to be qualified as an approved camera by the streamer. This includes dynamic range, resolution, codec and workflow compatibility. Netflix requires 90 percent of a program’s final total runtime to be captured on approved cameras. The list already includes the Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K G2.