Sony unveiled VENICE, its full-frame 36x24mm CMOS sensor camera capable of shooting everything from full HD to 6K (6048 x 4032 3:2 mode at 23, 24 fps) earlier this month, and now, we’re seeing the first footage come in from the next-gen CineAlta camera.

Being full-frame, VENICE offers compatibility with a ton of glass. Everything from anamorphic and Super 35mm to spherical and full-frame PL mounts can visually tell your story. The PL-mount can even be changed out to support full-frame E-mount lenses. Like the Jenga of cameras.

While it obviously hasn’t been put to the test publicly yet, Sony claims VENICE touts more than 15 stops of latitude and can exceed the Rec. 2020 color space, which is wider than DCI-P3. File-based workflows will use 10-bit XAVC internal recordings to SxS cards or 16-bit RAW/X-OCN to Sony’s AXS-R7 external recorder on AXS cards.

It's also equipped with S-Log3, Sony’s third generation LOG gamma encoding and an 8 stage glass ND filter to provide more aperture control. The VENICE has a completely modular design–even the sensor block can be interchanged which makes the body somewhat future proof if upgrading to a high-framerate sensor. 

We can't wait to get our own hands on VENICE, but in the meantime, Academy Award-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda, ASC (Life of Pi, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) teamed with director Joseph Kosinski to shoot The Dig. The two first worked together on Tron: Legacy and have a new film coming out October 20 called Only the Brave.

We hoped Only the Brave was shot on VENICE, but when we reached out to Miranda for comment, he said VENICE was not available yet. Instead, he used Sony’s CineAlta F65 paired with Zeiss Master Prime and Fujinon Premier lenses. You might recall Miranda being one of the first cinematographers to shoot with the F65 for Oblivionback in 2013, so it’s fitting their relationship continues with VENICE.

Watch: The Dig

Written and directed by Joseph Kosinski, the project was produced in anamorphic. Be sure to watch in 4K.

Watch: Behind the scenes of The Dig

Hear from Claudio Miranda, ASC, writer/director Joseph Kosinski, first assistant A camera Dan Ming, colorist  Mike Sowa, D.I.T, Alex Carr and aerial cinematographer David Nowell, ASC about the process.

Watch: The Departure

Shot by cinematographer Ed Wild B.S.C.

Watch: Behind the scenes of The Departure

Hear the process from Ed Wild and his crew. 

Watch: Ed Wild shooting experience 

An interview with Ed Wild and Sony. 

Watch: Removing the sensor block on VENICE

See how user-friendly the change is. 

Tech Specs: 

  • Full-Frame 36x24mm CMOS Sensor
  • 15+ stops Dynamic Range
  • Interchangeable Sensor Block
  • 6K Full-Frame 3:2 mode (6048 x 4032)
  • 4K Anamorphic 4:3 and 6:5 (4096 x 3432)
  • 4K Super 35 mode (window)
  • FF & S35 spherical lens support
  • FF & S35 anamorphic lens support
  • 8-step ND filter
  • PL mount
  • E-mount
  • Exceeds Rec. 2020 color space

Recording Formats:

  • X-OCN Compressed Raw onto AXS-R7 Raw Recorder
  • 4K XAVC – Class480/300
  • ProRes HQ/422/LT
  • MPEG HD
Claudio MirandavenicecinealtaSony6kJoseph KosinskiEd Wild
Cinematography & Cameras