Sony Venice first impressions

The new "beast" by Sony for cinema at its best

Sony has launched "Venice", a full-frame CineAlta film camera. The main feature of the camera is the sensor: Venice is equipped with a newly designed 36 mm x 24 mm 6K full-frame sensor without rolling-shutter.

The resolution is 24 megapixels (plus 6 megapixels vs the Sony F65). Internal recording works with two SxS cards that support an XAVC 10 bit 4:2:2 codec. ProRes HD is also supported internally. The new R7 recorder enables the recording of Sony RAW and the new 16-bit X-OCN format.

Other its native 6K, the sens also offers 4K and UHD modes but the current firmware does not allow you to take advantage of all the possibilities described by Sony. The native ISO of the new Venice is ISO 500, less than other solutions currently available on the market but Sony states that it will be usable even in low light situations thanks to its wide dynamic range that allows 8 underexposed stops.

Thanks to Adcom, director Davide R. Meraviglia had the opportunity to test the new camera. Here are his impressions: "I have been into Sony for years because to me it is currently the best alternative on the market, so I was very interested in the new Venice, which can represent a new milestone for the Japanese manufacturer. On paper it promises extraordinary images with an incredible dynamic range of 16 stops. In real world when I tested it I can say that the image is extraordinary if correctly exposed.
The performance in low light remains a question mark, given the native iso of ISO 500, whereas other Sony cameras are set at ISO 800. I stress tested the camera by under-exposing the image of about 3 or 4 stops (less than the 8 possible stops declared by the company) and the results were not usable, not even with a knowledgeable color and a grain denoiser.
The RAW X-OCN format is extraordinary: the codec algorithm allows to record a very light RAW file without noticeable compression and stil 100% workable even with the most powerful postproduction. This is certainly one of the most impressive surprises of the test.
The currently available firmware is still a work in progress version and does not allow to fully exploit the potential of the camera. Suffice it to say that there is still no information on the framerate of the camera to date. In conclusion I see pros and cons of this new model. My feeling is that only a new firmware update will clearify all the doubts and unveil the true value of the Venice which is a very ambitious camera".