With the continuous development of SSD, it has been applying to lots of devices and this has led to good result. At present, SSD recording on the URSA Mini is a new thing. Some film and video communities start to use SSD as the recorder. So, I feel it’s necessary to talk about the SSD recording on camcorder.
The acronym of SSD is solid-state drive. One of the most important advantages of this new kind of storage medium is that: the data read and write speed of it is much faster than that of a traditional mechanical hard drive. It is said that even the worst SSD is at least three times as fast as a mechanical drive.
The SSD is used more and more widely; and now, people can even see it on a camera. Here, my focus will be put on the topic – SSD recording on URSA Mini.
SSD Recording on URSA Mini Is Now a Thing
Now, SSD recording is a feasible and approachable thing for film and video community. All thanks to the incredible success of Atomos in their monitor-recorders. As a matter of fact, though the RED has applied SSDs into their workflow earlier, other manufacturers haven’t been following this action (haven’t adopted SSD into the whole range of cameras). Till September, 2017, Blackmagic added SSD recorder to its new URSA Mini Pro, native Nikon mount and mic holder.
About Blackmagic
Blackmagic Design, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, is an Australian digital cinema company and manufacturer. Obviously, it mainly focuses on the design and manufacturer of digital cinema related products.
- digital movie cameras
- broadcast and cinema hardware
- video editing software
Founded in 2001 by Grant Petty and produced the first product in 2002, the Blackmagic company has come a long way.
- Introduced the first URSA-branded camera in 2014.
- Introduced the URSA Mini 4K and URSA Mini 4.6K in 2016.
- Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro (the most recent variant of the URSA camera), was released on March 2, 2017.
- The Blackmagic URSA Broadcast was released on February 1, 2018.
Later, it gains a large following among the short-film-low-budget-crowd, enthusiasts, and professionals. All thanks to a more affordable price and the ability to shoot CinemaDNG Raw in 12bit natively without an additional recorder.
The Introduction of SSD Recorder
Since the release of Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, the ability to record to an external SSD (via USB-C) is not a dream. But, currently, the CFast 2.0 card is still necessary for URSA camera. Though you can witness a clear price drop in the new camera (using SSD as the camera recorder), it is still a break for more frugal filmmakers.
The recorder of Blackmagic’ fits the URSA Mini greatly. Yet, it’s a pity that the community’s reaction to it is not that good.
SSD – The New Camera Recorder Still Needs Improvements
The SSD recording on URSA Mini is not as good as many people thought it should be, mainly due to two reasons.
There Is No Support for 4.6k 60p Lossless Raw
Two CFast 2.0 cards are used simultaneously on URSA Mini 4.6k and URSA Mini Pro for the codec; they work alternatively, one frame is written to each. This is because the full brunt of that codec is too strong for either two CFast 2.0 cards or a single SSD.
The Rear SDI Ports Are Blocked
The front SDI-ports will be blocked when you use the fabulous URSA Viewfinder. Then, the rear SDI-ports will also be blocked by the Blackmagic URSA Mini SSD recorder. As a result, a monitor for the focus puller or the wireless transmission units of camera will be blocked efficiently, since the SDI-pass-through function is not included in both devices.
Two alternatives are available on the market: Atoch C2S recorder and CCTech Pro SSD Mount.
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