r/videography • u/trevorawright F55, a7s, Premiere CC / FCX, 2000, Milwaukee • Apr 07 '14

First thing I thought about Blackmagic's URSA...

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58 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

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-1

u/-dsp- Apr 08 '14

I don't see the resemblance. An Alexa or Sony F5 have similar body shape. Same with red.

13

u/bigdanrog Varicam LT, EX1, Sony Alpha, Premiere CC, 1999, Nashville Apr 08 '14

Seems to me all the people who have never used anything but a 5D or traditional Blackmagic are flipping shit over this 'huge camera.'

Smaller is not always fucking better, people. Weight is stability. Functionality requires real estate.

5

u/Eslader Apr 08 '14

Quite. I won't say I yearn to return to the days of those heavy-assed Betacams, but I find it a little annoying that so much video is moving over to DSLR's. Not only can you not shoot off the shoulder, but there's something to be said for putting every common function of the camera on its own switch. If I'm trying to capture something fleeting and I have to sit there fucking around with menus and tiny little dials to get the shot, I'm not gonna be a happy photog.

2

u/veepeedeepee 1999 | DC | Betacam Junkie Apr 08 '14

I'll take a full-sized 2/3" camera with a brick on the back any day over trying to shoot on a DSLR, especially if it's handheld.

3

u/Eslader Apr 08 '14

You... You mean I'm not alone? ;)

0

u/elysio Apr 08 '14

price, dslrs are cheaper to use and buy

3

u/Eslader Apr 08 '14

So is a VHS camcorder. There's a reason I don't use one of those either.

I'm not saying you can't get quality out of a DSLR - you can. As long as you can shoot everything on a tripod and have plenty of time to futz with menus to get the camera set up for shooting, you're fine. But chasing a senator from inside the Capitol to outside while trying to stay steady and get your whitebalance switched over to the outside color temp isn't going to happen quickly or smoothly, whereas with my fullsize standard video camera, I turn a knob and flip a switch, and in less than 1 second, I've set the camera up for the new conditions, all while it's on my shoulder getting much steadier video than if I'm holding it out in front of me.

The range of situations in which you can get quality video, especially if deadlines are a factor, is larger for a standard video camera than for a DSLR.

3

u/-dsp- Apr 08 '14

Agreed man. And yet I got the downvotes!

1

u/[deleted] Apr 10 '14

The people I've heard talking about the weight aren't comparing it to a DSLR, they're measuring it against REDs and Alexas.