URSA Broadcast with SD B4 Canon Lens test



The above is a test sequence I have made using the Blackmagic Design URSA Broadcast camera with a Standard Definition Canon YJ20X8.5B4 KRS B4 lens.

What a great camera to work with. The dynamic range is such a step up from the cameras I already have. It just captures things so nicely, and precisely. Really pleased I got the viewfinder with buttons such as 2 x Zoom which really helps with focus, as does peaking, which is something I really liked about the Canon XLH1 black and white viewfinder. I recorded all the clips at 4K (UHD) using the ProRes422 HQ codec seamlessly onto the SSD card without any frame dropping or issues.

Even though I am using a standard definition lens, it holds up quite well, but there is noticeable blurring at the edges and there is quite bad chromatic aberration (which I have reduced with colour grading). Parfocal ENG lenses are always nice to use, but I do find the focus ring on this particular lens a little loose, but it is an old well used lens so that is probably expected. I went for a cheap SD lens to start with whilst I am waiting for the Fujinon LA16 lens , so I didn't expect miracles from this lens. I was more interested in taking the camera out for a test drive and using it against strong contrast and to set how it coped. The snow has fallen so I took that opportunity to get scenes with bright white and dark areas to see how the contrast and range perform and I am really pleased with results. It has a really nice solid feel about it although this does make it heavy but I feel that makes things more stable. The menu system is simple and the buttons on the body mean you don't have to fiddle around inside a menu system. The Swit battery system was ok, each battery lasting around 2 - 2.5 hours. Overall, I am very please with the setup, but will be looking forward to when my LA16 4K lens arrives so I can see the real quality of this camera.
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