project: The event we covered with
the UMP G2 was a paddleboard
race, called the Catalina Crossing.
During this event, we filmed inter-
views and shot b-roll of the event.
We captured top paddleboard rac-
ers as they crossed the finish line in
Manhattan Beach, California. All
in all, I felt the shoot offered chal-
lenging conditions on every front—
requiring handheld footage, shots
from tripods with long-lens shooting
in extremely bright, harsh sunlight
conditions with wind and ocean
noise as well as tons of people and
lots of white, reflective sand.
First Impressions During The Project
I received the review unit from
Blackmagic a few days before the
shoot, which meant I was able to rig
it up for shooting and just tried a few
quick shots around the office before
packing it up for the big shoot. My
first impressions were good: The
camera seemed to be very well built.
But the UMP G2 isn’t a light camera.
Just consider the following and how
much the camera and various acces-
sories weigh:- Camera body with two CFast 2.0
cards and V- Mount battery plate:
5.2 pounds - Shoulder mount kit: 3.4 pounds
- Handgrip: .67 pounds
- Viewfinder: 1.5 pounds
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 IS II
lens: 1.8 pounds - MaxOak 177Wh V-Mount bat-
tery: 2.4 pounds
All in all, the total camera package
weighed almost 15 lbs. (Although, to
be fair, my Canon C200 set up weighs
just a couple of pounds less.) What’s
important to note, though, is weight
in cine cameras has its advantages
and disadvantages: - Pros Of Shooting With Heavy
Cameras: For shooting shoulder-
mounted footage, heavier cameras
are better since their mass allows
you to produce much smoother,
less-shaky movements. You also
have the ability to hold longer
lens shots steadier simply because
you won’t get the micro jitter that
plagues small, lightweight cameras. - Cons Of Shooting With Heavy
Cameras: The disadvantages to a
heavier camera when shooting as
a one-man band is that carrying
a heavier camera around tires you
out much more quickly. Add in a
backpack for a water bottle, snack,
spare batteries and media, and a
20- to 25-pound pro tripod, and
you could easily be lugging around
50 to 60 pounds’ worth of gear.
During our shoot, we found a lot to
like about the camera.
The menus on the UMP G2 were clear and easy to understand, which made navigation a breeze.
We shot mostly UHD Prores HQ, although you can see there are a lot of other choices as well.54 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com