Blackmagic releases beta of huge Camera 4.0 update

Soon to feature 4.0 software

After the release of The URSA Mini 4.6K, Blackmagic Design has been hard at work, not only addressing concerns over some aspects of the image, but also the general usability of the camera. In what transpires to be a huge update by anyone’s standards, it has therefore just has released a public beta of the forthcoming Camera 4.0 Update.

[Ed - This is based on information just released. We are currently reviewing the software update and you'll see our article in these pages soon.]

The list of new features is extensive. Primarily it has created a new URSA Mini operating system, with an entirely new menu system, which has been designed with speed of operation in mind. This includes the ability to change iris, ISO, framerate, timecode options, off speed framerate favourites, and shutter angle directly from the heads up display, rather than having to delve into menus. The ability to adjust these settings can also now be assigned to the function buttons, too.

Flicker free shutter options are also now available, which is sure to please those who have to film under office based lighting or computer monitors. New white balance options such as fluorescent, mixed lighting, and overcast have also now been added.

One of the biggest additions to the new firmware is the ability to load third party 3D LUT files for on set monitoring. The camera can load these from the CFast cards, and can store six of them in the internal memory. One of these can be exported, too, so that the colourist has access to the same LUT used during shooting.

One of the drawbacks of some of the BMD cameras has been when it comes to outputting the footage to third party monitors or recording systems. The Camera 4.0 beta has tackled this with a huge amount of versatility, allowing LUT viewing, false colour, zebras, focus assist, frame guides, and other on screen information to be toggled on and off for each individual video output with the added option of a clean feed toggle for each feed as well.

The list of new features is extensive, and impressive, and go a long way to showing not only Blackmagic’s commitment to its gear, but that its cameras have reached a new level of maturity.

Check out the full specifications of the new update after the page break.

What's new in Blackmagic Camera Setup 4.0 Beta
Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K and 4K

• New URSA Mini OS.
• New heads up display.
• New menu system to allow faster operation.
• New monitoring options separately configurable for different SDI outputs.
• Added ability to load 3D LUTs (Look Up Table) for monitoring.
• Added ability to save and load camera settings presets.

New Heads Up Display Features

• Swipe up or down to show and hide the heads up display.
• Added pan-able focus zoom.
• Added ability to change frame rate directly from heads up display.
• Added ability to change iris from heads up display on electronic lenses.
• Added ability to toggle timecode or duration from heads up display.
• Added ability to toggle favorite off-speed frame rate quickly.
• Added ability to change shutter angle from heads up display.
• Added flicker free shutter angle suggestions.
• Added manual shutter angle option for up to 2 decimal places.
• Added indicators for genlock, timecode status, and sensor window in heads up display.
• Added ability to change ISO from heads up display.
• Added ability to change white balance from heads up display.
• Added white balance presets including daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, mixed lighting, and overcast.
• Added tint control.
• Added auto white balance feature.
• Added audio input and headphone level control from the heads up display.
• Added media status page for formatting cards and media information.
• Added ability to toggle battery indicator from heads up display.
• Added monitoring option controls from heads up display including zebra, focus assist, frame guide and grids.

New Metadata Features

• Improved slate and metadata functionality.
• Added lens data information to slate metadata.
• Added auto-fill lens metadata from electronically controllable lenses.
• Changed slate shortcut from a single tap to a sideways swipe on the LCD.

New Record Features

• Added additional ProRes resolutions for URSA Mini 4.6K including 4.6K 16x9, 4.6K 2.4:1, 4K DCI, 3K Anamorphic, 2K 16x9 and 2K DCI.
• Added additional RAW resolutions for URSA Mini 4.6K including 4.6K 2.4:1, 4K 16x9, 3K Anamorphic, 2K 16x9 and HD.
• Added option to select the preferred card for recording.

New Monitor Features

• Improved screen colorimetry for the built in LCD.
• Added ability to switch 3D LUT on and off for each output individually.
• Added ability to switch false color, zebras, focus assist, frame guides, grids and safe area guide on or off for each output individually.
• Added clean feed toggle for each output.
• Added program tally indicator for the built in LCD and Front SDI when using ATEM.
• Added monitoring option for tally, crosshairs and centre dot as part of grids.
• Added 14:9 frame guides.
• Added configurable safe area guides.
• Expanded options for focus assist to include red, green, blue, black and white as well as peaking.
• Added option for viewing codec and resolution setting instead of meters on the built in LCD.

New Settings Features

• Added ability to program function buttons as a preset for frame rate, iris, white balance, ISO or shutter angle.
• Added ability to program function buttons for Up or Down frame rate, iris, white balance, ISO or shutter angle.
• Added ability to program function buttons as a toggle for clean feed, display LUT, frame guides, focus assist, false color, zebra, grids, safe area guides, off-speed and color bars.
• Added flicker free shutter frequency selection for 50Hz or 60Hz.
• Added support for drop frame timecode.
• Added ability to trigger color bars from camera.
• Added factory reset function.
• Added hardware ID display.
• Added software version display.

New Presets Features

• Added ability to create up to 12 global camera settings presets.
• Added ability import and export camera presets to CFast media.

New 3D LUT Features

• Added ability to monitor with 3D LUTs.
• Added ability to import 3D LUT from CFast media.
• Added ability to store up to 6 custom 17 point or 33 point LUTs into the camera's internal flash memory.
• Added the ability to export one of the camera's 3D LUTs to CFast media so you can pass the 3D LUT to a colorist or editor.
• Added ability to delete 3D LUT from camera's internal memory.

New General Features

• Improved timecode functionality for external timecode and jam timecode.
• Improved white balance performance.
• Added option for single clip or all clip playback.
• Added loop playback feature.

Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder

• Improved colorimetry for viewfinder.
• Improved proximity sensor sensitivity.
• Improved proximity sensor timeout settings.
• Improved frame guide appearance.
• Added support for URSA Mini OS metadata settings.
• Added support for new frame guides, safe area guides and grids.
• Added menu items for configuring overlay settings.