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Ursa 4.6k vs 1dxii for available light filmmaking?


Owlgreen
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Hi everyone, 

I'm considering either the Ursa mini 4.6k or the 1dxii for run and gun filmmaking purposes. It seems they have a comparable rolling shutter speed when shooting 4K, namely 14-15ms. The Ursa has phenomenal highlights, while the Canon has impressive low light abilities. The Dual pixel AF on the Canon seems a godsend. Overall, each camera has its strengths, and they're hard to compare, but I'm trying to do so anyway. What I you all think? Can anyone comment on the DR and highlight handling of the Canon?

Thanks!

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The 1DXM2 is not bad as far as DR, but it is 8 bit. You will not have the latitude of a cinema camera. Shadow recovery is better than most comparable cameras of this format. However, for run and gun the flexibility of the 1DXMk2 will be a smarter choice for most shooters.

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I shot a short film on the URSA 4.6K, and I would go with the 1dxII if you want a run & gun "available light" kit. 

While the highlights are amazing, the sensor really needs light. Your choices for a good image is ISO 400 & 800. ISO 1600 is garbage and you will never be able to bring up blacks if you underexpose. The URSA also requires V-mount batteries, and cFAST cards.

So if your shooting narrative, and your comfortable shooting only ISO 800, and want utmost image quality, get the URSA. Otherwise go with the Canon.

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Thanks, guys!

 I'm leaning towards the 1dxii over the 4.6k for its general usability, but great highlights are a big deal. Ideally I'd shoot super-16, but it's not practical for me right now. Nonetheless, filmic highlights, saturated colors, and filmic noise/grain in a digital format is precisely what I'm after. How's the noise on the 4.6k? Does it suffer from fixed pattern noise? As per the 1dxii, would it be a winning strategy to always protect the highlights, and raise the shadows as necessary in post, knowing the noise floor is very low? Would this betray issues owing to the 8-bit codec?

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The opposite of Canon, you want to expose the image as much as possible before you clip the highlights. In my experience you HAVE to lower dark areas. Never raise them or you will get noise. 1600 has a large amount of fixed pattern noise. The URSA has a lot of space to play with the highlights, very little for shadows.

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