How Blackmagic’s Proprietary RGBW Sensor is Changing Cinematography

As we covered when first announced at NAB last year, the Blackmagic URSA Cine is truly one of the company’s most audacious cameras yet. With a 12K full-frame 36 x 24mm sensor and an advertised 16 stops of dynamic range, the URSA Cine 12K—along with the recently announced Base Model version—is already revolutionizing the high-end cinematography world with its advanced features, quality recording, and competitive pricing.But the real “black magic” at work here might simply be the URSA Cine’s RGBW sensor and the proprietary technology powering it. Let’s look at some helpful camera reviews and test footage features to explore just what’s happening under the hood of the URSA Cine 12K and why cinematographers and filmmakers might want to seriously consider this technology for their shorts and features.Blackmagic’s Proprietary RGBW CFAAs you can see in this video review from Team 2 Films, the most impressive aspect of the URSA Cine 12K isn’t the camera’s dynamic range or 12K 3:2 open gate raw capture recording. But rather, it’s the sensor itself. The URSA Cine 12K doesn’t use a Bayer Sensor as you’d find in previous Blackmagic cameras (as well as ARRI and Sony cameras). Instead, it uses Blackmagic’s proprietary RGBW CFA (color filter array), a more complex sensor technology that Blackmagic and other brands have been experimenting with for years. The crux for this switch from Bayer sensors to this new RGBW technology has to do with the improvements Blackmagic has made in terms of image processing technologies and speeds. The URSA Cine 12K is a great camera for many reasons, but its image processing has—perhaps sneakily—become its most important feature.Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K ReviewsIn the same video from the Team 2 Films team, we see some examples of how the URSA Cine 12K’s RGBW sensor handles different shooting situations in the real world. We also get some different modes compared and a review of the image quality from these different shooting situations.We can also see more test footage and reviews from some of these reliable and familiar names in the YouTube cinematography space, including reviews from Of Two Lands and Michael Tobin—which you can check out below.The Future of RGBW SensorsWhat’s perhaps most fascinating—and exciting—for those working in the film and digital video industries is not just what sensor technology is doing today but rather what it’s going to do in the future. One of the biggest holdups for more mainstream adoption of RGBW sensors has been image processing technology. As cameras become more sophisticated (and, for better or worse, are aided by other new technologies like AI), they’re also able to become more powerful, compact, and—most importantly—affordable. Blackmagic’s decision to push out a Base Model version of the URSA Cine 12K is a nice step in this direction as the entry cost for what rivals the highest end of digital cinema becomes more accessible than ever before.

Feb 13, 2025 - 22:30

How Blackmagic’s Proprietary RGBW Sensor is Changing Cinematography

As we covered when first announced at NAB last year, the Blackmagic URSA Cine is truly one of the company’s most audacious cameras yet. With a 12K full-frame 36 x 24mm sensor and an advertised 16 stops of dynamic range, the URSA Cine 12K—along with the recently announced Base Model version—is already revolutionizing the high-end cinematography world with its advanced features, quality recording, and competitive pricing.

But the real “black magic” at work here might simply be the URSA Cine’s RGBW sensor and the proprietary technology powering it. Let’s look at some helpful camera reviews and test footage features to explore just what’s happening under the hood of the URSA Cine 12K and why cinematographers and filmmakers might want to seriously consider this technology for their shorts and features.

Blackmagic’s Proprietary RGBW CFA

As you can see in this video review from Team 2 Films, the most impressive aspect of the URSA Cine 12K isn’t the camera’s dynamic range or 12K 3:2 open gate raw capture recording. But rather, it’s the sensor itself.

The URSA Cine 12K doesn’t use a Bayer Sensor as you’d find in previous Blackmagic cameras (as well as ARRI and Sony cameras). Instead, it uses Blackmagic’s proprietary RGBW CFA (color filter array), a more complex sensor technology that Blackmagic and other brands have been experimenting with for years.

The crux for this switch from Bayer sensors to this new RGBW technology has to do with the improvements Blackmagic has made in terms of image processing technologies and speeds. The URSA Cine 12K is a great camera for many reasons, but its image processing has—perhaps sneakily—become its most important feature.

Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K Reviews

In the same video from the Team 2 Films team, we see some examples of how the URSA Cine 12K’s RGBW sensor handles different shooting situations in the real world. We also get some different modes compared and a review of the image quality from these different shooting situations.

We can also see more test footage and reviews from some of these reliable and familiar names in the YouTube cinematography space, including reviews from Of Two Lands and Michael Tobin—which you can check out below.

The Future of RGBW Sensors

What’s perhaps most fascinating—and exciting—for those working in the film and digital video industries is not just what sensor technology is doing today but rather what it’s going to do in the future. One of the biggest holdups for more mainstream adoption of RGBW sensors has been image processing technology.

As cameras become more sophisticated (and, for better or worse, are aided by other new technologies like AI), they’re also able to become more powerful, compact, and—most importantly—affordable. Blackmagic’s decision to push out a Base Model version of the URSA Cine 12K is a nice step in this direction as the entry cost for what rivals the highest end of digital cinema becomes more accessible than ever before.