TOOLKIT SONY BURANO
RICH COLOURS AND AN INCREDIBLE dynamic range of up to 16 stops ”
The camera records in H.265, which is roughly twice as quick as H.264 but needs a fast computer to run – or else you’ll be in a world of proxies and hours of rendering. And with massive file size, you’ll need huge, fast hard drives to store the footage as well as pricey CFexpress Type B cards in the twin slots. We used a pair of 1920GB Sony cards, which are VPG400 rated though cost £2058/$1998 each. You could choose cheaper cards, but do need VPG400 spec to let the camera record without issues. Sony’s cards come with free recovery service, so if there are any issues they should be sorted for free. When it comes time to edit, the files are stored in an MXF wrapper like the VENICE 2. If you are shooting X-OCN Raw, each clip is stored in its own folder, so opening them in DaVinci Resolve is quite a pain. XAVC files open in all NLEs, except you can’t control settings as well as you can with pure Raw files – or Camera Negatives as Sony likes to call them. That’s where you get the real benefits.
However, S-Cinetone gives a cinematic look straight out of camera. Using that on something like the BURANO does seem like a bit of a waste. The bottom line is that you need to understand what each codec offers, how to set the camera up correctly and how to process the files properly. This is not a camera for beginners. All this work is the price you pay for simply stunning files. In all settings, all sizes – the camera produces rich colours and an incredible dynamic range of up to 16 stops. The footage is simply incredible; you can pull and push it around in the grade as much as you like. It’s forgiving of over and underexposure, too. In terms of colour, some early users reported that there can be issues when shooting things like black fabrics due to IR pollution – especially when dialling in the internal ND filters. We had no issues, but to be safe it’s best to do a custom white- balance when shooting XAVC. In Raw, there are no issues as white-balance can be accurately altered in post. The only minor niggle with the footage is that, as the camera doesn’t have a global shutter and doesn’t read out its sensor signal quite as fast as the VENICE 2, you can get some rolling shutter effects. But this is only in fast whip pans. For creative effects, the camera offers slow shutter speeds down to 64F, which is 2.5 secs at 25p, and can drop to as low as 1fps if you like. So time-lapse shots are a breeze. The camera itself is solidly built and has lots of customisable buttons, though there is no power output socket to provide juice for accessories. You would need to use a V-Lock battery with a D-Tap socket for that. There is also no
mic mount included, so you have to rig one up for yourself. An alternative is that the camera has the same contacts and top mounts as the FX9, so you could buy an FX9 top handle and fit that. This version has the MI Shoe, so you could push on one of Sony’s wireless receivers with no need for any extra cables. The camera itself offers two XLR audio inputs as well as four-channel audio recording with good-quality preamps. Our biggest gripe is with the three- inch touchscreen and loupe that turns it into an EVF, ideal for shoulder use. The screen is decent quality and has good buttons around it for adjustments. But to work with the loupe, you have to mount the screen on the top handle pointing sideways. So if you want to change to a tripod and use the screen for monitoring, you have to slide off the loupe then take the screen off and re-fix it after turning it through 90°. It only takes a few seconds, but when you’re on a shoot it feels like a total faff. Several aftermarket companies have already come up with solutions ranging from a whole new screen and EVF combo
MENU MATTERS Sony’s menus can often come in for criticism, but this one is clear and quick enough
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