LOS ANGELES: Sony Electronics officially raised the curtain on its F65 CineAlta digital motion picture camera system this week. Before a select audience of American Society of Cinematographers members, press and high-profile industry professionals, Sony screened new F65 footage shot by leading directors of photography, demonstrated new features and announced its roll-out plan. The camera is set to become available in January for $65,000 with viewfinder. A model with a built-in rotary shutter, teh F65RS, will go for $77,000. A dockable recorder, the SR-R4, will be available for $20,000.
The F65 derives 4K resolution--roughly four times greater than HD--at the point of image capture. The camera’s 8K image sensor, with approximately 20 total megapixels, offers higher image fidelity than any other digital cinema production camera, Sony said. 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 Professional Solutions of America group. “he 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 NAB show in April. It’s capabilities 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, the 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 also unveiled a 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.
Sony is now taking orders for the new camera. The first rental company in Hollywood to take delivery will be Otto Nemenz International.
With the debut of the F65 in the heart of film-making territory, Sony brought out a new logo for CineAlta, it’s 10-year-old digital cinematography brand. The new logo is designed to resemble the symbol for infinity. The logo will be applied to all Sony system components that enable digital imaging beyond the 1920 x 1080 HD format.
The F65 is being shown currently at the IBC conference in Amsterdam.
