Considering its price point, the Kinefinity platform hasn't quite made the dent in the North American market that some might have expected. With nice-looking test footage, a good review from popular blogger Philip Bloom, and an amazing price point for their Terra 4k (around $4,500), it felt like a possible dark horse entry in the "which camera do I buy?" department. However, the company's lack of a North American dealer base has proven to be a dealbreaker.
This hasn't stopped Kinefinity from continuing to innovate. The company announced two new cameras over the weekend that could welcome significant interest from buyers, even if having at least one North American support facility would help.
Credit: Kinefinity
The new cameras are the Mavo and the Mavo LF. The "normal" Mavo boasts a roughly Super35mm sensor—larger than the original Terra sensor size—and the LF, unsurprisingly, boasts a large format sensor. These moves put Kinefinity squarely in the "large format cinema camera" club, right next to ARRI, Sony, and RED.
While a price has yet to be announced for the LF, the base Mavo comes in at $7,999 (body only), meaning that the LF will only be a fraction of the price of any of its major full frame cine competitors. By retaining the same 6K resolution for both sensors, Kinefinity can use larger photosites on the LF, leading to a higher base ISO of 1600.
In addition, there is a new KineBACK available that provides wireless video and integration with wireless follow focus units from Movcam. This will simplify camera build setups and accelerate the speed of switching from a body-only gimbal mode to a fully built studio mode. Considering the power of wireless video and focus for gimbal shots, many users might consider keeping the KineBACK on for gimbal use.
Credit: Kinefinity
Kinefinity has also teamed with filter manufacturer NiSi to create the Kinefinity Full Frame Prime set, with primes ranging from 10-to-25mm T2 glass. A set of five only costs $11,999.
We recently did a full frame prime test with what we considered "affordable" Tokina and Sigma lenses, but of course, this would come in at an even lower price point of $2,399 a lens. Cine lenses are a complicated beast, however, and while we're excited about more competition, we'd really need to see them in action before making any guesses as to their quality.
Credit: Kinefinity
The Mavo will be ready to ship in April, with a price of $7,999 for the body and $1,399 for a full package. The LF will be coming later this year.
Tech Specs:
- 6016x4016 open gate resolution
- CinemaDNG 3:1, 5:1 and 7:1., ProRes 444XQ, 444, 422HQ, LT and Proxy, and KRW KineRaw
- 24mm x 16mm sensor (Super 35mm), 36 x 24mm sensor (LF)
- 25, 35, 50, 75, 100mm T2 prime lenses available in PL mount
- 2.5" SSD SATA drive recording
- KineMOUNT, with adapters for PL, Canon EF, Nikon F and Sony E Mount
- Base ISO 800 for Mavo, 1600 for Mavo LF
