Blackmagic released a major update to its 4K Ursa camera today, bumping the maximum frame rate to 80fps and employing a new 3:1 raw compression ratio that increases the amount of footage that can be recorded on a CFast card — critical for making it easier to shoot at high speeds.
The new CinemaDNG 12-bit raw format using 3:1 compression enables higher-frame-rate recording to CFast 2.0 cards, which can now be formatted in camera, rather than on a computer. In fact, Blackmagic now recommends formatting CFast cards in the Ursa, which analyzes the storage structure and optimizes the formatting for real-time performance.
lso new in the Blackmagic Camera 1.9.9 firmware is playback at project frame rate, meaning footage shot in slow- or fast-motion plays back correctly in context, at the overall frame rate of the rest of the project. In addition, the Ursa gets a new dashboard menu screen with scrolling menus offering access to longer lists of settings, and framing guides for 2.35:1, 1.85:1 and other aspect ratios can now be displayed on the fold-out monitor as translucent overlays.
The Blackmagic Camera 1.9.9 is available as a free upgrade for Ursa owners from the Blackmagic Design website.
