The Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF is Blackmagic’s full-frame cinema camera, designed to push resolution, dynamic range, and flexibility while remaining more accessible than many ultra-resolution cinema rigs. Announced last year, the URSA Cine 12K LF, along with the URSA Cine 17K 65, may be set to make an outsized impact on the industry. That’s something to say for a 12K camera.
First, we need to stop being afraid of 12K as a resolution. Blackmagic Design has made 12K Blackmagic RAW as easy to use as any high-resolution format. And this isn’t the first 12K camera or even the only one Blackmagic makes. Plus, the 12K footage is absolutely gorgeous. An additional benefit is that you don’t need to shoot 12K. You can shoot 8K or lower and still have that full-frame look.
What Blackmagic gets right with the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF is simple: The camera makes it easy to capture stunning images and simplifies the process of powering necessary camera accessories, which in turn makes it easier to use by a professional camera team. Do not side-eye me; there is a leap in capability when working with a team. A big part of the success of other high-end professional cinema cameras is their ability to connect and interact with necessary camera accessories.
Here is how I tested the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF: I shot a scene with my Wife and Daughter as they read a book. I worked as a solo operator, as I tend to film solo most of the time. Next, I shot an interview for a video of a wonderful woman who cleans up my area of town every week. Lastly, using Laowa’s beautiful Sword Macro Lenses, I captured the fleeting butterflies and season-ending flowers in my backyard. I can’t help but try my hand as a nature filmmaker now and then. It reminds me of the top-level skills we see featured in nature documentaries and how I am nowhere close to that level of professionalism. Kudos to those who capture nature well.
The URSA Cine 12K LF is one of the newest cameras from Blackmagic, which democratizes filmmaking by putting tools usually reserved for high-end filmmaking into the hands of the masses. I can always get behind that core theme by Blackmagic Design. Early on in their camera manufacturing, Blackmagic provided us with raw recording capabilities at a very good price, and also offers a free version of DaVinci Resolve for anyone who wants or needs the software. In many ways, Blackmagic Design has profoundly shaped the industry.
Key Specs & Features
Key features for the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF include a large 36×24 mm RGBW sensor, up to 12K resolution with high frame rates, built-in NDs, multiple mount options, onboard 8 TB media, and integrations for modern post-/cloud-workflows. Above is what one can read in any online description. Cameras are more than key specs and features.
Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF Camera Size
The Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF is not a small camera and it doesn’t attempt to be one either. The URSA Cine 12K LF is a larger professional cinema camera that comes equiped for any shoot. The camera can feel heavy in the hand if one tries to shoot with it like a small camera. I shot with a tripod for most of my testing, but I could have pulled out an EasyRig. In my case, what I wanted to shoot looked better from a tripod.
I did shoot handheld for a project, not edited yet, and I found the camera easy to shoot off the shoulder as its weight and balance are similar to other cameras.
B-Mount Batteries
If you want to make the most of the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF, you’ll need B-Mount Batteries or high-voltage batteries with 28V—thanks to Sherwin for the catch here. I asked BlueShape to help me with this review, and they sent me three of their latest B-Mount Batteries. Thank you, BlueShape, which is a great company.
Why do you want B-Mount batteries like BlueShape’s? Well, you can’t get the highest frame rates out of the camera without B-Mount’s higher voltage batteries. I actually think, if you’re shooting Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF, 17K 65, Arri 35 Xtreme, or any other high-end camera, you should probably invest in B-Mount batteries. Otherwise, on the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF, you are stuck with lower frame rates, and who wants to be stuck shooting 60 fps when you can top out at 224 fps at 8K 2.4:1 by a single battery change.
I try to think about growth in my work and gear. It seems to me that cameras that continue to push the envelope on dynamic range, resolution, and high frame rates will need the necessary power to achieve more and more incredible results. Add in the benefits to a company like Blackmagic, which may want to continue to push the engineering further and further. Power and cooling are a big part of that equation.
Wrangling 12K Resolution
In the review example Blackmagic sent me, the URSA Cine 12K LF came ready for me to use my CFexpress B cards. Not their proprietary 8TB Media, which is fine to me. I recorded 12K and 8K resolution at the highest frame rates available for the card reader and B-Mount battery. The URSA Cine 12K LF allows one to record across two cards, allowing you to blend two in Resolve. The process is easy, and if I were an owner/operator, I’m not so sure I’d require 8TB media. Though I think the cost-benefit is better for owner/operators if they invest in Blackmagic’s 8TB onboard media, especially for longer projects.
Shooting 12K
I wanted to test the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF in the way I typically shoot, which is mostly solo documentaries. The Dad in me comes out in these tests, capturing my family doing something. In this case, my Wife, Angela, reading to our child.
I shot 12K with the Sword Macro Lenses by Laowa. I like to get close to a subject at times, and these Sword Macro Lenses made it easy to get the shots I wanted. Overall, the image is nice with great skin tones. My Wife has a more olive complexion, and my daughter’s skin is lighter. I like being able to see the difference well.
I edited that little video in DaVinci Resolve with an 8K export. The 4K version looks a little softer in the export, but still retains the pop that the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF can deliver without being overly sharp.
Filming Butterflies
Using the same Laowa Sword Macro lenses, I tried to capture the fleeting butterflies in my backyard. Butterflies move a whole lot quicker than one initially imagines. I cranked the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF to its highest frame rate. To get even more out of the camera, I set the project to 60p, allowing me to change my clip attributes in Resolve and see an even higher frame rate in the edit.
Would having the Blackmagic 8TB media module have given me even higher frame rates? That I couldn’t test. I was stuck with CFExpress B as my media. Still, what I was seeing looked slow enough for me to capture some decent footage of butterflies.
That POP!
What I love about the butterfly footage is all the detail we can see in the butterflies. From the color of their wings, hair on their bodies, to the dusting of pollen all over. It’s pretty cool to see that level of detail on top of an image that POPs on screen. I don’t know what it is about the butterflies, but I could stare at those details because they’re things I usually can’t see every day. I did not reframe any of these shots, but I easily could have delivered a 4K video and reframed to make it a better edit, but I’m not here for better edits. I’m here to pixel peep.
Filming Interviews
Interviews can be long, and I certainly shot a one-hour-long interview for a video about a volunteer. This is where I wish we had that Blackmagic 8TB Media Module. As a video producer and shooter, running out of media space and batteries is the biggest mistake one can make. With this video, I did crop in to change the shot from time to time. The freedom to shoot in 12K or even 8K is pretty helpful.
Proxies
This is where the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF shines. The camera records proxies to either the same card or a different card for you. As an editor and video producer, I used those proxies to log the video interview. That is a handy feature. However, if you’re using CFExpress B cards and recording proxies to the same card as the higher resolution, you may encounter read/write speed choke points. Send those proxies to another card if you can.
XLR Audio Inputs
Blackmagic chose to keep the two XLR inputs on the top rear of the camera. I consider this an interesting place for audio. Clearly, it’s easy for a sound recordist/boom operator to access the top of the camera. The right side features volume adjustment knobs for channels 1/2 and 3/4. I can see Blackmagic wants to make it easy for teams to work together. I like the physical knobs.
Blackmagic EVF
Blackmagic has proven time and again that they make great viewfinders. The latest version is better, has a stronger mount to the camera, and is crystal clear. Now, Blackmagic has an EVF extension accessory allowing operators to position the EVF a bit further away from the front of the camera. This makes the operator from a tripod pretty comfortable. 
LCD Screens
The Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF and 17K 65 both come with a left side flip-out LCD screen and a second LCD screen on the right side of the camera. For those working with a camera crew, the additional right side LCD will be a handy feature. As a solo shooter, I liked being able to operate the camera from either side. When I was helping my daughter shoot a little bit, we’re dipping her toes into photography and video, I was able to assist her from the camera assistant side. Both LCDs are bright and looked great to me. The color felt accurate in both. We shot in bright sunlight and we didn’t have a problem seeing the image on either screen.
12K in Resolve
This combo, the URSA Cine 12K LF and DaVinci Resolve, is where Blackmagic has tuned the two to bring out the most from that 12K footage. I found it super easy to pull colors and adjust and change any image without much fear of destroying the image.
What Works Really Well
- Resolution & Flexibility
- User-Changeable Lens Mounts
- The ability to shoot in very high resolutions (12K) and then downsample, reframe, crop, or stabilize in post while retaining excellent image quality is a big plus. 12K gives a lot of creative freedom
- Dynamic Range / Color / Image Quality
- The ~16 stops of dynamic range, good highlight roll-off, and the newer RGBW sensor give richer color fidelity. Skin tones and color science are solid.
- Built-in Workflow & Storage.
- Price / Value (Relative to Competition)
- For what it offers, especially at its pricing, many find it compelling: high resolution, large sensor, professional features.
Perfection Eludes All
Not everything is perfect. Every camera has trade-offs and potential downsides. With the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF, noise can be found in the lower end of the image when filming at higher ISOs. If you’re shooting 12K all the time, you’d better have a good storage solution. The camera is heavy. For mirrorless shooters, the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF may feel very heavy. The weight of a camera can increase the cost of rigging when shooting, as you may need more robust equipment to capture the shot you absolutely need. 
Verdict
The Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF is a powerful cinema camera that delivers not only 12K resolution but also excellent color and dynamic range. At its price, one gets one helluva camera. Blackmagic continues to democratize the industry, and the URSA Cine 12K LF is the latest tool at a very reasonable price. Actually, a VERY REASONABLE Price.
If you have good lighting and can handle large files in post-production, this camera offers great value and creative flexibility. However, in lower light or mobile settings, you may notice some trade-offs. I believe this camera can produce incredible images in the right hands. I still watch the butterfly video I shot, and I’m in awe of the detail and color. That’s what we want. We want a camera that makes it easy to capture stunning footage, and Blackmagic has succeeded in that regard.
