Sony announces a monstrous Cine Alta camera
This is not an Alpha camera news but it’s nice to hear what Sony releases for the professional market. It gives you an idea of where the technology is going. Sony just announced that the new Cine Alta F65 will be launched in January 2012. Let’s look at the terrific specs. It has a 8K CMOS sensor that shoots 4K2K video. Now what really makes me crazy is that it has a 16-bit Linear RAW File output capability!!! RAW video recording is something that I would love ot see on professional fullframe SLT cameras! Below you can read the full press release. One more thing, the F65 costs $65,000 USD.
PRESS RELEASE:
Sony announces a monstrous Cine Alta camera
Sony Electronics officially raised the curtain on its F65 CineAlta™ digital motion picture camera system, ushering in a new era of digital cinematography. Before a select audience of American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) members, press and high-profile industry professionals, Sony screened new F65 footage shot by leading DPs, demonstrated new features and announced its roll-out plan for the revolutionary camera, including availability and a surprisingly accessible price of just $65,000 (with viewfinder).
Announced here only days before the F65 will be shown to a worldwide audience at the IBC conference in Amsterdam, the new camera clearly signals Sony’s commitment to the Hollywood community and to developing the production technologies content creators need.
The F65 derives true 4K resolution – and beyond – at the point of image capture. “4K” resolution is 4096 x 2160, which is more than four times greater than the full HD (1920×1080) spec. Its unique 8K image sensor, with approximately 20 total megapixels, offers higher image fidelity than any other digital cinema production camera. With 16-bit Linear RAW File output capability, the F65 creates the gateway to an end-to-end 4K file-based mastering workflow.
“This is the camera Hollywood has asked for, designed specifically for filmmakers,” said Alec Shapiro, senior vice president of Sony’s Professional Solutions of America group. “The ability to shoot content in true native 4K resolution lets filmmakers capture more of what they’re seeing through the lens to fully realize their vision. The F65′s incredible imager captures more data, which translates to more information that can be put up on the screen. And access to an open and inclusive platform enables the integration of an F65 file-based workflow into other systems, creating truly exciting, and limitless, production opportunities.”
Sony first announced the F65 at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in April, and the camera has already distinguished itself by offering superb resolution, incredible dynamic range and the truest color reproduction of any available camera.
With its latest enhancements and features, the F65′s capabilities now include:
• 14 stops High Dynamic Range with much wider color gamut
• Rotary shutter model (F65RS) to remove motion artifacts; four ND Filter built-in with rotary shutter.
• Wi-fi operation for remote control operation from tablet devices (including the Android-based Sony Tablet S and Apple iPad)
• HD-SDI output with viewing LUT for on-set monitoring with focus assist zoom
• 60 Minutes of 16 bit Linear RAW file recording onto a 1TB SRMemory card at 24FPS
Sony also introduced a dockable SRMemory recorder – model SR-R4 – which attaches to the camera to record directly to an SRMemory card of 256 GB, 512 GB or 1TB capacity with data security and sustained throughput of 5.5 Gbps.
Sony is now unveiling a powerful new capability for the F65/SR-R4 combination – the ability to switch recording between 16-bit linear RAW File and MPEG-4 SStP File modes. Users can configure the camera on a project-by-project basis, selecting either 16-bit linear RAW File for ultimate quality acquisition or high speed operation at up to 120FPS, or MPEG-4 SStP File (HDCAM SR native) for exceptional quality HD recording. MPEG-4 SStP File also provides full compatibility for viewing, offline and post production using either the free Sony PC or MAC viewer or products using the new Sony Software Development Kit.
The F65 is in high demand by the motion picture production industry, and Sony is now taking orders for the new camera. The first rental company in Hollywood to take delivery will be Otto Nemenz International.
“The F65 is more than just a new camera; it’s a complete system and a revolutionary approach to the digital production workflow,” said company president Otto Nemenz. “My customers are looking for the latest and greatest, and this technology more than fits the bill. I’m proud to be the first to carry this camera.”
maga
2 years ago |hhmmmm.. what to get , what to get…. I think I’ll get the Nex-5N… It has more bang for the buck
EiTaro
2 years ago |LOL
www.MilosJanata.com
2 years ago |+1
Eric Calabros
2 years ago |I dunno why Sony calls a 4K2K , 8K !?
patty
2 years ago |4096 x 2160 = 8.8 million LOL
Carl
2 years ago |The sensor resolution is higher than 4k. A good thing, as otherwise there would be problems with demosaicing errors.
Carl
2 years ago |You mean I can’t mount my G lenses on it? No Sale!
ray oody
2 years ago |4k…does that mean we should expect 4k TVs in 2012 or the very least 2013???
andy
2 years ago |IBM did make a monitor of this resolution in very limited quantities a few years back, just before they pulled out of the computer retail business. I know this because we managed to get hold of one at my university. I think they didn’t even bother marketing it so I doubt you’ll find much about it on any google search. There’s an Eizo 4K2K screen coming out soon but it’s much larger than the IBM.
I doubt it’s going to become mainstream in the near future. Digital cinemas are probably the only thing that would use this at the moment.
Camaman
2 years ago |What kind of viewfinder does it use?
EVF? What resolution?
matgay
2 years ago |i dont care about the F65, i just want it’s viewfinder LOL! put it’s electronic viewfinder on the a900 just to tease everyone that is crying about not having an “optical viewfinder” that will always be superior.
Jiri
2 years ago |What is the physical size of that sensor with approximately 20 total megapixels? Comparable to APSC? It gives a hope that Sony should be able to manage a reasonable video output from the NEX-7 too.
Jiri
2 years ago |I found it: It´s a 24.7 mm x 13.1 mm CMOS sensor boasting 20.4 (18.3 active).
Curtis Clark, ASC describes the footage as comparable to 6K or 8K 35mm scans and possibly even 65mm film. (http://poetzerofilm.com/2011/04/sony-previews-the-f65-8k-20mp-sensor/)
Maxwell
2 years ago |RAW video must request enormous data storage requirements and processing requirements.
So I can’t believe I (as an amateur) would ever start using it.
But more dynamic range in video is maybe interesting.
But can’t you when recording set contrast to minimum and in after processing adjust the contrast and other parameters as wanted/needed?
Also colour saturation I have seen people turn down when shooting video with DSLR. And sharpening. I guess it is about get the most out of the sensor and 8 bit video (or what bit number it is) so you can tweak it later when you render to final media.
Steve Jones
2 years ago |You can forget about RAW hi-def video files from DSLRs any time in the foreseeable future as the data volumes are simply huge. If we take a 1920 x 1080 video with 12 bit depth and just assume we are sampling only one colour at each pixel position, that’s 3MB per frame. With 60 frames per second, that’s 180MBps. Even if we can (loss lessly) compress 2:1, that’s still 90MBps or 5.4GB per minute. However, sampling just one colour per pixel pixel position isn’t a great way to do it – if it’s a 4 cell bayer-pattern element per pixel position (which is geometrically possible on any 3:2 sensor with 10 megapixels or more), that data rate is quadrupled. That’s 360MBps with 2:1 compression or over 20GB per second.
As for the requirements of 4K & 8K video…
ageha
2 years ago |Why do you post it today? The camera got announced ages ago. I like those 1TB memory cards with a transfer rate of 5Gbps.
Raul S.
2 years ago |Oh my goodness…look at that lens…look at that tripod…look at that VF…looks like the armored version of the F35…and very Impressive that they’re offering a Cine Alta for less than the other Cine Alta I have seen. Are you sure it cost 65000USD?
Clyde
2 years ago |This is gonna be big… really big!
noobidoo
2 years ago |My iPhone 5 will out performance the Cine Alta!
hans de vries
2 years ago |Still see no reason why not to buy an epic x instead, and I get very distrustful by the fact that the writer presents this as a major step ahead; this step has already been taken by someone else and Sony is following