Blackmagic Design URSA Broadcast G2

Blackmagic Design URSA Broadcast G2

The new Blackmagic Design URSA Broadcast G2 is a very powerful camera designed for both traditional and online broadcasters. This camera is basically 3 cameras wrapped into 1 body design allowing it to work as a 4K production camera, a 4K studio camera or a 6K digital film camera.

Built for Broadcast and for Digital Cinema

The URSA Broadcast G2 from Blackmagic Design is the perfect solution for broadcasters because it uses the lenses and batteries you already own. It allows you to record to common SD cards, UHS-II cards, CFast 2.0 cards or external USB disks, using common file formats such as H.265, ProRes and Blackmagic RAW. This means it's compatible with all video software and broadcast media management systems. The lens mount is also interchangeable giving users even more options to be more creative with their footage. 

LCD with Touch Controls

With a built in LCD that folds out, you can both monitor and control the camera. While URSA Broadcast G2 features lots of physical buttons and knobs, using the LCD, you also get on screen status and touch screen controls. The built in touchscreen also includes a heads up display with the most important shooting information, as well as menus for all camera settings, LUTs and custom presets. Plus behind the LCD there are extra buttons, as well as knobs for audio levels. There's even programmable function buttons that can have functions assigned to them, such as zebra, false color, focus peaking, LUTs and more. Plus you can change the function assigned to each button in the on screen menus.

Magnesium Allow Body for Durability in the Field

URSA Broadcast G2 features a super durable, lightweight magnesium alloy body that’s perfectly balanced and designed to be comfortable to use all day. It features familiar externally mounted switches and controls that give you direct access to the most important camera settings. The controls are laid out logically, making them easy to locate by feel, so you can adjust settings without having to look at the buttons. You also get a foldout touchscreen for monitoring, viewing camera status and changing settings using on screen menus. URSA Broadcast G2 also includes standard 12G-SDI connections, XLR audio inputs, USB-C and an industry standard 4 pin XLR broadcast 12V DC connection!

Bringing Cinema Quality Footage to Broadcast

The Super 35 6K sensor combined with Blackmagic Design's latest Gen 5 Colour Science gives users the same imaging technology used in digital film cameras. This means broadcasters can now use digital cinema quality in broadcast. The 6K sensor features a resolution of 6144 x 3456 so it's flexible enough for broadcast and digital film work. When using B4 lenses, you get a 4K window of the sensor for Ultra HD broadcast use. Then if you change to a PL or EF lens mount, you can use the full 6K resolution of the sensor for digital film. With 13 stops of dynamic range, you get darker blacks and brighter whites, so it's perfect for color correction. Using digital film in broadcast is a revolution in image quality.

Dual Native ISO (400/3200) For Stunning Low-Light Performance

The new URSA Broadcast G2 features incredible low light performance so you can shoot using ambient light or even under moonlight. The URSA Broadcast G2 features gain from -12dB (100 ISO) up to +36dB (25,600 ISO) so it's optimized to reduce grain and noise in images, while maintaining the full dynamic range of the sensor. The primary native ISO is 400, which is ideal for use under studio lighting. Then the secondary high base ISO of 3200 is perfect when shooting in dimly lit environments. The gain can be set via a camera switch, the LCD menu or remotely using the SDI remote camera control protocol.

Get the Best Out of Your B4 Broadcast HD Lenses!

Furthermore, when it comes to choice of optics, the new URSA Broadcast G2 features a B4 broadcast lens mount that includes optics specifically designed to match the camera’s sensor. This B4 lens mount lets users take advantage of modern Ultra HD lenses or lower cost HD lenses.

Older HD lenses often feature resolutions well beyond HD, so you get great quality at low cost! B4 lenses are fantastic because they are par-focal, so the image stays in focus as you zoom in and out, so you don't need to constantly chase focus as you shoot. Users also get full electronic lens control to adjust focus, iris and zoom using the camera’s controls, or remotely. Moreover, there is also another option to utilise alternative lenses, by swapping the lens mount to either PL, EF and Nikon F giving you access to tons of fine quality optics be it stills of cine quality.

Built-in High-Quality IR ND Filters

URSA Broadcast G2 features high quality ND filters that let you quickly reduce the amount of light entering the camera. The 2, 4 and 6 stop filters have been specifically designed to match the image sensor and color science of URSA Broadcast G2, providing you with additional latitude and better colorimetry. This lets you 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. 

Record to Industry Standard Media File Formats - ProRes and H.264/H.265

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

Plus you can record to Blackmagic RAW files, a revolutionary new format designed to capture and preserve the quality of the sensor data from the camera. That means you get the perfect range of file formats designed for all types of workflows.

Dual Media Card Slots for Uninterupted Recording

With dual CFast 2.0 recorders and dual SD/UHS-II card recorders, you can choose the media that's best for you! Both types of media are standard, inexpensive and readily available at computer and camera stores. Plus with dual media slots, URSA Broadcast gives you non stop recording. When a card is full, recording automatically continues onto the next card so you can swap a full card while recording continues. You get enough speed to record high quality ProRes and H.265 video file formats, even when working in Ultra HD at high frame rates. That means URSA Broadcast G2 is easy to integrate into your existing broadcast systems. You can even record 12-bit Blackmagic RAW cinema files.

Record direct to an SSD via USB-C

The Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 features a high speed USB-C expansion port on the rear of the camera that allows you to record to external disks or connect to a wide range of accessories. If you plug in a large and low cost external USB flash disk, you can record ProRes, H.265 or even high quality 12-bit Blackmagic RAW files for later editing and color correction. That means you can just move the disk to a computer to work, and you don't need to waste time with file copying.

Program Video Monitoring

If you're doing live production, sometimes you need to monitor program video back from the switcher. Simply press the camera’s PGM button and the viewfinder will switch from the camera display to the program return feed from the switcher. A built in speaker also lets you monitor the switcher audio as well. Program return is a fantastic feature as sometimes on large live shows, camera operators can be left waiting a long time for their camera to be used, so program return lets them watch the show while they wait. This means that even if the camera operator is a large distance away from the switcher, they can still keep up with what is happening and remain alert.

Custom 3D LUT Support and More!

Digital film cameras shoot logarithmic colorspace to preserve the dynamic range, which is great for later post production. However, when these files are viewed on a monitor they can look flat and washed out. 3D LUTs solve this problem as they allow you to apply a "look" to the monitor so you get an idea of how the finished images will look when editing. LUTs can be applied temporarily for monitoring only, or they can be recorded into the Blackmagic RAW files for use in post production. The URSA Broadcast G2 works with industry standard 17 and 33 point 3D LUT files, or you can work with the built in LUTs such as Extended Video, Film to Video, Film to Rec.2020 and more.

Features

• 6K Sensor, Blackmagic RAW
• Dual Native ISO
• 2/3" B4 Lens Mount & Active EF Mount
• Records to ProRes and H.265/264
• 12G-SDI Input & Output
• Genlock/Timecode
• 13 x Stops of Dynamic Range
• 2 x UHS-II SD, 2 x CFast 2.0 Slots
• Built-In 2/4/6-Stop ND Filters
• XLR Inputs, 3.5mm Audio Output
• ProRes up to 1080p/120fps