Sony have been making a pretty big deal out of their new Sony VENICE 6K full-frame CineAlta camera posting lots of photos on social media of big rental companies receiving their VENICE shipments, and rightfully so. From what I’ve seen at trade shows and industry talks, Sony have done an outstanding job with the new sensor in the VENICE, which is capable of producing some lovely skin tones and true to life tonality coupled with organic texture that cinematographers are looking for. With 6K Full-frame capture to boot, the package all of a sudden gets even more appealing.
Sony recently released a test promo film called “The Shoot”, which had Sony Artisan Of Imagery Jeff Berlin serving as DP, who used the new full-frame Sony VENICE camera for the entirety of the shoot.
“The Shoot was made as a sort of real-world test of the new VENICE. We had a full crew and we cast models with distinct skin tones to show how the camera handled them, and it handled them beautifully.”
For me personally – these are the best skin tones and footage out of a Sony camera I’ve ever seen and I really think you’ll starts seeing the VENICE shoot lots of big projects in the near future. The Sony VENICE has been shipping since February this year and in August it is due to get a Firmware 2.0 update, which you can read more about in my previous post here.
Sony Venice on set of launch promo film
Sony VENICE 6K FF Highlights
- New Full-Frame 36 x 24mm CMOS Sensor
- 15+ stops Dynamic Range
- Interchange-able Sensor Block – for future sensor upgrades (user serviceable)
- 6K Full-Frame 3:2 mode (6048 x 4032)
- 4K Anamorphic 4:3 and 6:5 (4096 x 3432)
- 4K Super 35 mode (window)
- Support for FF & S35 spherical lenses
- Support for FF & S35 Anamorphic lenses
- 8-step Mechanical Built-in ND filter (8 Stops ND)
- PL mount (Cooke i technology supported)
- Locking E-mount
- Recording Codecs/Formats:
- X-OCN Compressed Raw onto AXS-R7 Raw Recorder
- 4K XAVC – Class480/300
- ProRes HQ/422/LT
- MPEG HD
- Recording Media – SxS cards, AXS cards for RAW (external recorder)
- Price: £37,000/$45,000 Body
- Available: February 2018
- 6K Full-Frame – License Only – approx. €6,000 to buy
- Anamorphic Mode – License Only – €4,000 (or around €10K for both)
- There will be also rental options for day/week/month for both
- Compatible with existing CineAlta accessories:
- AXS-R7 4K Raw recorder
- DVF-EL200 viewfinder
For those of you eager to see some more high resolution footage from the Sony VENICE, you can check out the “Most Serene Republic” below shot by Director/DP Peter Chang. The actual City of Venice Carnival with its colourful masks and costumes as well as its emblematic canals reflecting marble architecture and glorious sunsets, presented the perfect opportunity for the VENICE camera to capture every tone and texture of this timeless city.
Check out the Behind the Scenes below where you can spot some of the additional gear they used to shoot this promo on such as the massive DJI Ronin 2 gimbal.
So, what do you guys think of these new tests shot on the VENICE? Are you currently shooting with a full-frame cinema camera or planning on in the near future? Do share in the comments below.
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