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SENSORS THE NEW MONSTERS
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SONY HAS FOCUSED ON MAKING THE CAMERA BETTER AT LOW LIGHT BY INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE PIXELS ON THE SENSOR
replaces the bulky F65 which had the option of a global shutter to stop the dreaded rolling-shutter effect. The Venice uses a conventional shutter but is said to control rolling-shutter effect well, thanks to its much faster processing speed. Compared to the RED, it’s around half the price for the body alone but doesn’t output in 8K. Instead, Sony has focused on making the camera better at low light by increasing the size of the pixels on the 35x24mm full-frame sensor rather than increasing the resolution wildly. The camera also has lots of different anamorphic capabilities, and the sensor will be interchangeable so can be upgraded if a new chip becomes available in future. With talk of 8K TV broadcast in coming years, especially around the 2020 Olympics in Japan, this would make it a prime candidate for a sensor upgrade. The camera comes with a PL mount but E-mount can be fitted, and the lens mount includes contacts that support Cooke/i Technology for recording data which can be used in post-processing. There are user- selectable areas of the image sensor to allow shooting in Super35 size while future firmware upgrades will unlock even more options. The sensor is said to handle 15 stops of exposure latitude and the camera offers 16-bit Raw/X-OCN and XAVC workflows using the portable memory recorder AXS-R7 (£7483/ $6236) that also fits the F5 and F55. A 1TB AXS card is £4780/ $3600 so the costs do escalate. The Venice also has a built-in, eight-stage glass ND filter system, the widest range of any similar in-camera system. What is unusual is that the users have to pay extra to licence certain features on the camera which can be bought for permanent use, or rented monthly or weekly. Although exact details haven’t yet been announced, they will unlock features such as 4K anamorphic and full-frame output. The camera will be on sale from February.
BELOW The Venice demo film starred amongst others actress Lily Collins. ABOVE Sony are promising an interchangeable sensor system within Venice.
DEFINITION FEBRUARY 2018
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