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Blackmagic's new camera for Apple Vision Pro content has a hefty $29,995 price tag

The Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera is available for pre-order.

The Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera for Apple Vision Pro content was made available for pre-order, with shipments to customers expected in early 2025. Here's what it can do, and who it's for.

Originally announced in June 2024, the device was hailed as an end-to-end workflow for the Apple Immersive Video format used by the Apple Vision Pro headset. Apple Immersive Video combines 8K 3D video with a 180-degree field of view and Spatial Audio support.

The Apple Vision Pro, announced during WWDC 2023, is Apple's first attempt at a virtual reality headset, with the company's CEO Tim Cook referring to it as an "early adopter product." Priced at $3500, the headset is powered by Apple's M2 chip and runs a unique operating system known as visionOS.

The headset enables unique and immersive 3D video experiences, letting users re-live their favorite moments through formats such as Spatial Video. Apple has also produced exclusive content in a special format called immersive video. Now, other companies are jumping in and offering their own cameras for immersive video recording, with Blackmagic bringing some impressive specs to the market.

Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera — technical specifications

The Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera will let users record Apple Immersive Video and edit it through DaVinci Resolve Studio, which will gain support for the aforementioned video format in 2025. Blackmagic's new camera will be able to record stereoscopic 3D video, with a resolution of 8160 by 7200 at 90 frames per second. Pixel-level synchronization and 16 stops of dynamic range will also be available.

The camera body consists of a magnesium alloy chassis with a carbon fiber polycarbonate composite skin, for added strength and even weight distribution. It features a 5-inch fold-out HDR touchscreen on one side and an external color status LCD on the other side. There's even a second 5-inch touchscreen, which minimizes the need for external displays.

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In terms of connectivity, users will have access to 12GSDI out, 10G Ethernet, USB-C, XLR audio, and more. On the back, the device features an 8-pin Lemo power connector, with support for 12V and 24V power supplies. The device also ships with a 250W power supply.

Will we see more exclusive content for the Apple Vision Pro because of this new camera?

The $29,995 price tag serves as a clear indicator of the camera's commercial nature, with the company's CEO Grant Petty saying that it's "looking forward to working closely with filmmakers" on Apple Immersive Video.

Close-up of a man's face blended with an erupting submarine, sparks flying. Text reads Apple TV's Apple Immersive Submerged. Exclusive content for the Apple Vision Pro has predominantly come from Apple themselves.

"With this innovative system, filmmakers can record remarkable moments like action-packed scenes, unique perspectives, stunning landscapes, intimate performances, and more, all with incredible fidelity, offering viewers an unparalleled sense of realism and immersion," said the CEO.

Though a certain amount of exclusive content is already available for the Apple Vision Pro, so far it's mainly come from Apple itself. The rollout of immersive content for the Apple Vision Pro has been undoubtedly slow as a result, with few third-party contributions.

How the Blackmagic camera compares against the competition

While the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera is certainly a welcome addition, its uncompetitive price tag is unlikely to result in more third-party content for the Apple Vision Pro. Similar products, such as the V-RAPTOR 8K VV, a high-end RED camera, can be purchased for around $24,000 to $30,000 new. The new URSA Cine Immersive camera costs twice as much as the standard URSA Cine, priced at $15,000.

There are also lower-priced options for immersive video-compatible cameras, though these are geared towards the average consumer or enthusiast rather than commercial applications. The arrival of the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera ultimately means that professionals have more options, though it is unlikely we will see more exclusive content for the Apple Vision Pro because of it.

A variety of immersive videos for Apple Vision Pro were made available in February 2024, which is when the headset became available to the public. In October 2024, Apple released "Submerged," a 16-minute short film about a World War II submarine crew fighting to survive an attack. A month later, in November 2024, the company debuted a new Concert for One series featuring The Weeknd.

Though new content for the Apple Vision Pro is always in the works, nothing new has been announced or previewed by Apple. New releases and episodes of existing shows tend to drop without prior announcement, with the most recent being the third episode of "Wild," featuring sharks.



7 Comments

bradchatellier 10 Years · 29 comments

Now we just need an underwater housing for it so I can start producing CONTENT.

2 Likes · 0 Dislikes
mattinoz 10 Years · 2526 comments

If you think this price tag is hefty then you aren’t even close to the target market.

6 Likes · 0 Dislikes
danox 12 Years · 3490 comments

mattinoz said:
If you think this price tag is hefty then you aren’t even close to the target market.

For what it does that price is cheap for serious creators, Blackmagic is simply one of the top companies in the video production field, there will be many people/companies who will buy rent and do whatever it takes to get access to that camera for their production, in time there will be content for Apple Vision. It just takes people with creative talent and ability to make it happen and they will, building a new Apple ecosystem from the ground up, takes time and iteration, the crows on the fence can’t seem to understand Apple is just laying the groundwork no different than Blackmagic, oh and Apple hit an all-time high $251.38 per share. 


Despite the Wall Street noise ignore it, according to them, Apple is doomed…. again. if you want to afford that camera or a Mac Studio Ultra M4 invest in a few shares of Apple computer and let Apple pay for it.

After all, if you are a reader of Appleinsider, you are privy to the knowledge long before many other people can figure it out.

6 Likes · 0 Dislikes
9secondkox2 9 Years · 3211 comments

BMD has been making great stuff at impossible price points for a long time. 

I e used their video switchers, studio and pocket cameras, and URSA for capturing footage and live streaming. It’s amazing how much gets packed into each price point (because they leave out unnecessary features). 

This camera is impressive and the price is actually not bad at all considering you’re essentially  getting two full featured. URSA level cameras in one. 

Not a fan of headsets in general, but glad to see BMD on this. 

Would love to see a shootout with the competition from RED. 

2 Likes · 0 Dislikes
jellybelly 16 Years · 143 comments

I see the biggest challenge in creating Vision Pro content in new ways of story telling.   

It’s not just depth but with a wide field of vision, you have competing things for you eyes to look at.    
That’s why not all cinema content is suitable for, or cannot really take advantage of iMax.  

It would take the talent of studios or directors like Pixar, James Cameron or Lucas Film to invent new storytelling to take advantage of immersive content.   
You could even track the eyes and have content change along numerous insights and perspectives.  Then you re-watch it and create a diverging or more revealing  storyline by examining different visual elements the second and third time and you get new insights and plot twists. 

Immersive is most effective when the camera is in close.  Telephoto bringing you apparently closer yet doesn’t register depth.  Telephoto shots taken from further away tenders to flatten shots.   
This  is used to great effect in portraits whereby features are foreshortened such as large noses etc.  Taking portraits from say 20 feet instead of 5 feet away are more complimentary.   That’s why portrait lens tend to called such in the 85mm to 105mm short telephoto range, also with wider apertures such as 1.8 to 2.8 f/stops.  It’s not the lenses, but rather the distance they afford for intimate and complimentary portraits.  The wide apertures afford bokeh, bring the the subject to the forefront of attention, blurring distracting backgrounds. 
In sports, the closer you are the faster ther angular velocity and you might miss catching something that happens so fast and passes by your eyes before you register it—and you’re less likely to get the big picture.  
Current televised sports has many cameras with cuts in real time in an expensive mobile or on-site studio.   
Having many of the expensive immersive two lens cameras would initially be not just expensive in cameras and talent, (cameras making this Black Magic look inexpensive), new directorial skills need to develop.  Initially the best use case would be immersive replays, although, would that justify buying an expensive headset for viewing.   And would additional costs be recovered under current subscription pricing or would competition drive adoption.  Lets hope it’s the later.   

Certain sports are better for immersive content.  You’ll see more overhead cable rigging for cameras as equipment
 is developed and deployed such as you see in overhead cables with cameras over American football games.  It’s difficult as you can’t get in the way of high kicks or high passes.  The same goes for basketball plus not annoying the live audience in higher seats with more cable trolleyed cameras overhead between the action and the high seats. 

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