A fun camera to check out is the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K. It’s an affordable 12K camera! It’s also reasonably sized and can be rigged up to work in studio environments or be brought on the road. Shooting in 12K does sound super interesting since it isn’t exactly something you can get with any old camera – not even many high-end cinema cameras come close.
If you were at all interested in picking up an URSA 12K you may want to check out this video by Zac King. He shows off his rig along with how and why he selected the various pieces he is using.
Upgrading the URSA was mainly due to control. Dedicated cinema cameras offer all your controls and settings on the body itself (usually) making it a much more enjoyable experience on set.
Image Credit: Blackmagic Design
For the barebones setup there is the V-mount battery plate on the back and on the bottom is the Ignite Digi Baseplate which allows for quickly switching from tripod to a MOVI. On the top is the SmallRig Top Handle for URSA.
This has a couple pieces so you can slide it in and out when you need. On the side he uses the SmallRig Cheeseplate to add a ton of mounting points. The top handle features some 15mm rod slots which he uses to hold, well, a pair of 15mm rods.
Moving to the back battery plate he adds a “Sharkfin” device from Core SWX. This allows you to use two V-mount batteries at a time and you can now hot swap. He claims this gets him an entire day of filming.
Image Credit: Core SWX
As for the lenses, he pops on the DZOFilm Pictor 14-30mm T2.8, a nice cinema zoom. He also combines it with the 50-125mm T2.8 to make it a full range set.
Up on top he pops on the Blackmagic Video Assist 7” using a SmallRig Monitor Mount. This gives him good placement and adjustability.
Image Credit: Blackmagic Design
Moving back to the 15mm rods he wants to attach his follow focus. For that he connects the Tilta Nucleus-M Side Handle to the side plate. He also adds a SmallRig Articulating Arm above it and then the Accsoon CineEye 2S Pro as the video transmitter.
With all that set up he then goes back to the actual focus and zoom motors. These mount to the 15mm rods to get lined up with the lens gears.
In front of the lens is the PolarPro Basecamp Matte Box where it just clamps on. This is good for mist filters or simply using the flag to get rid of unwanted flares.
Image Credit: PolarPro
Cabling is the next step. He runs an SDI cable from the camera to the monitor as well as the wireless transmitter. Next are the power cables he is running to his accessories to keep everything powered up from the same battery packs.
It definitely simplifies matters. On the sharkfin there are four D-tap ports which are immensely helpful for power routing. This setup shows the benefits of good cable management and getting some BongoTies or other pieces can help a ton.
It is a very comprehensive rig and something you can apply to most types of cinema cameras even if you don’t have an URSA 12K. Like designing it to leave the side with all your controls open and using power distribution to simplify your battery configuration.
[source: Zac King]
Order Links:
- Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 12K Cinema Camera (B&H, Amazon)
- Tilta Nucleus-M Wireless Lens Control System (B&H, Amazon)
- PolarPro Basecamp Matte Box Kit (B&H, Amazon)
- SmallRig 1979 Top Handle for URSA Mini (B&H)
- Core SWX Short Form Factor Hotswap Shark-Fin Battery Mount (B&H)
- SmallRig Side Plate for URSA Mini (B&H, Amazon)
- Blackmagic Design Video Assist 7” (B&H, Amazon)
- SmallRig Tilt and Swivel Monitor Mount (B&H, Amazon)
- Accsoon CineEye 2S Pro Wireless Video Transmitter & Receiver (B&H, Amazon)
- SmallRig Articulating Arm with Dual Ball Heads (B&H, Amazon)
- DZOFilm Pictor 14-30mm T2.8 Lens (B&H, Amazon)
- DZOFilm Pictor 50-125mm T2.8 Lens (B&H, Amazon)
- BongoTies (B&H, Amazon)
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate partner and participant in B&H and Adorama Affiliate programmes, we earn a small comission from each purchase made through the affiliate links listed above at no additional cost to you.
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