Blackmagic Design announces URSA Broadcast G2

Blackmagic Design has announced Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2, a next generation professional broadcast camera with 6K digital film sensor.

The 6144 x 3456 digital film sensor provides “exceptional” low light performance with dual gain ISO of up to +36dB as well as 13 stops of dynamic range. The camera also includes H.265 and Blackmagic RAW file formats, Blackmagic generation 5 color science, as well as a USB-C expansion port for external disk recording, and more.

The camera is available now for $3,995.

Blackmagic is aiming the camera at both traditional and online broadcasters with its “3 cameras in 1 design” which allows it to work as a 4K production camera, a 4K studio camera or a 6K digital film camera.

The camera is compatible with existing lenses and batteries and users can record to common SD cards, UHS-II cards, CFast 2.0 cards or external USB disks, using common file formats such as H.265, Apple ProRes and Blackmagic RAW and is compatible with all video software and broadcast media management systems. The lens mount can also be changed.

Blackmagic says the large 6K sensor combined with Blackmagic generation 5 color science gives customers the same imaging technology used in digital film cameras. The 6K sensor features a resolution of 6144 x 3456 so it can work across broadcast and digital film work. When using B4 lenses, users get a 4K window of the sensor for Ultra HD broadcast use. Then if users change to a PL or EF lens mount, they can use the full 6K resolution of the sensor for digital film. With 13 stops of dynamic range, customers get darker blacks and brighter whites, so it’s perfect for color correction. Using digital film in broadcast is a revolution in image quality.

The new model features gain from -12dB (100 ISO) up to +36dB (25,600 ISO) so it’s optimised to reduce grain and noise in images, while maintaining the full dynamic range of the sensor. The gain can be set via a camera switch, the LCD menu or remotely using the SDI remote camera control protocol.

The URSA Broadcast G2 features a B4 broadcast lens mount that includes optics specifically designed to match the camera’s sensor. The B4 lens mount lets customers use modern Ultra HD lenses or lower cost HD lenses. Users also get full electronic lens control to adjust focus, iris and zoom using the camera’s controls, or remotely. For alternative lenses, users can change the mount to PL, EF and more.

The 1/4, 1/16th and 1/64th stop filters have been specifically designed to match the image sensor and colour science of URSA Broadcast G2, providing users with additional latitude and better colorimetry. This lets customers use different combinations of aperture and shutter angle, in a wider range of situations. The IR filters have been designed to evenly filter both optical and IR wavelengths, eliminating IR contamination. Plus the filter status on the LCD can be displayed as a fraction, number, or stop reduction.

URSA Broadcast is designed to work with standard file formats that are used by all broadcast systems and editing software. Users can record in ProRes 422 HQ and ProRes 422 into QuickTime files. The new Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 model can record into H.265 for small files at 60:1 to 285:1 compression ratios, in 10-bit broadcast quality. Plus customers can record to Blackmagic RAW files.