The competition in the cinema camera space has been tough. With Sony’s FX line offering 16-bit RAW in small form factor bodies, and Canon pushing to make 8K the new standard, there doesn’t seem to be any more room on the dance floor.
But Kinefinity has something to say about that.
After the launch of the MAVO Edge 8K in 2020, which won the iF DESIGN AWARD in 2021, the China-based camera manufacturer returns to the cinema camera world with a new addition—the MAVO Edge 6K.
This large-format cinema camera is packed with production-level features that look to rival high-tier RED, ARRI, and Sony cameras. Let’s dig into the details and see how the new MAVO stands up to the competition.
The Full Frame MAVO Edge 6KCredit: Kinefinity
The MAVO Edge 6K
Right off the bat, the new addition to the MAVO lineup is an impressive beast on paper.
The MAVO Edge 6K is built around a full-frame 3:2 CMOS sensor capable of recording in 6K at 75fps and 4K at 150fps. The adaptable KineMOUNT allows creatives to utilize a wide variety of lenses, including PL, LPL, Active EF, and Sony E-Mount.
An internal ND system contains full-spectrum e-ND filters from 0.6 to 2.4, or 2-8 stops, while the dual native ISO sits at 800 and 5120.
Full-Spectrum eND FilterCredit: Kinefinity
With these capabilities, Kinefinity claims that the MAVO Edge 6K will outperform the MAVO LF when it comes to highlight performance.
Externally, industry-standard ports are already built into the body, and the dual SSD media slots are capable of recording Apple ProRes 4444/XQ, as well as uncompressed RAW with NVMe M.2 2280 SSDs.
The 6K CMOS sensor is paired with Kinefinity’s OLPF FF3, which sacrifices some sharpness to almost completely negate aliasing. It’s a bit more heavy-duty than regular optical low pass filters but offers a lot of benefits for narrative work where aliasing can be detrimental to your image. However, if you’re shooting on vintage lenses that already smooth out your high-resolution footage, the OLPF FF3 can be replaced with something that better suits your needs.
Best of all, the whole package is packed into a small form factor that weighs only 3.6 lbs.
MAVO Edge 6K w/ Atlas Orion LensCredit: Kinefinity
Apple ProRes and RAW
This is where the MAVO Edge 6K really evolves your toolkit. With a large list of Apple ProRes options and uncompressed RAW.
ProRes options include 422 HQ and LT, ProRes 4444, and 4444 XQ all in 12-bit KineLOG3 that offers a solid 14 stops of dynamic range with low to zero compression artifacts.
Camera companies tend to be a bit liberal with their DR measurements, so it remains to be seen if users will be able to hit the 14 stops in real-world scenarios.
Even if the measurements are a bit off, that will be more than enough dynamic range for most use cases. Just don’t go shooting into the sun while trying to capture your subject in a dark closet.
Unfortunately, the uncompressed RAWwill come in a future firmware update in Q2 of 2022.
A Super Cool Move
To record these robust formats, the MAVO Edge 6K is equipped with dual PCIe-3.0 SSD slots. Kinefinity also offers its own SSD media called the KineMAG Nano, with up to 1TB of storage. This is based on NVMe M.2 2280 SSD tech that should give you write speed up to 10Gbps.
But what makes Kinefinity stand out from companies like RED (who also have proprietary SSD mags) is that they offer an empty KineMAG Nano shell to allow users the option to install third-party NVMe drives. It also comes with a universal USB-C port to offload data without the need for a dock. This is a super cool move by Kinefinity and opens up a lot of budget options for filmmakers who are already spending a pretty penny on the MAVO Edge 6K.
Dual SSD PortsCredit: Kinefinity
KineOS Updates
The MAVO Edge 6K will ship with KineOS 7.0, the latest firmware for the MAVO lineup. The new updates feature a redesigned user interface that supports touch functions, especially with the new KineMON-5U2 and 7U2 touchscreen monitors.
Almost the entire camera can be controlled via the touch screen. Frame rate, shutter angle, ISO, ND strength, color temp, LUTs, and audio levels are all literally at your fingertips. Even iris control is available with compatible lenses.
The Cooke/i protocol is also supported in the new OS, which allows filmmakers to capture lens metadata to make post-production and VFX-heavy workflows a lot more efficient.
There’s also a pre-record function, but like the uncompressed RAW, this will also come in a future update, but in Q3 instead.
Touch ControlCredit: Kinefinity
We Heard You Like Ports
To make the MAVO Edge 6K production-ready right out of the box, Kinefinity put on as many ports as they possibly could.
Brace yourself. It's a long list.
Dual 1.5G/3G SDI outputs pump out metadata and audio, while also maintaining compatibility with third-party accessories such as external recorders and monitors that only support SDI 1.5G.
Ports GaloreCredit: Kinefinity
Two additional proprietary video ports, which are completely independent of the SDI outputs, can be connected to the Kinefinity micro-OLED viewfinder and the KineMON-5U2 (and KineMON-7U2) Ultra-Bright monitor, which tops out at 2000 nits.
In addition, a timecode port supports Jam and regular Sync, while an RS232 protocol embedding in the lens port provides access over third-party accessories. There’s also an RS port for powering and triggering an external record function.
But wait, there’s more. Not to mention the myriad of buttons opposite port side.
and Buttons GaloreCredit: Kinefinity
A 3.5mm stereo mic jack supports four-channel 24bit/48kHz audio recording, while an in-camera mic provides rock-solid reference sound. Audio pre-amps are built-in to give you a low noise floor, and two independently controlled 48V phantom-powered XLR sockets will make your sound person love you.
Or hate you if they don’t like to be close to the camera.
The new camera has WiFi 5 for livestreaming, a USB-C connection, and Gigabit Ethernet via an RJ45 port.
There’s also a three-axis gyroscope to record the camera's position to keep things level. Who knows, you might be able to utilize that for camera tracking.
All of this is powered by a hybrid battery plate that supports 14.8v V-mount batteries, as well as BP-U, and NP-F550 batteries with a UPS baseplate.
Okay, that’s it. We promise. If you want more ports than that, you may have a problem a camera can’t fix.
Battery PlateCredit: Kinefinity
Availability
We usually start this section with the question, “Should you buy it?”
The MAVO Edge 6K, however, is an attempt to play on the same level as high-end RED, ARRI, and Sony cameras. These aren’t cameras you should think about buying, these are cameras you dream of buying. Even if you really should just rent them.
Kinefinity MAVO Edge 6K
- 6K 3:2 Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
- FF Open Gate 6016 x 3984 up to 48 fps
- Record In-Camera up to 6K ProRes 4444 XQ
- Dual Native 800/5120 ISOs
- High-Speed S35 4K150/S16 2K290/MFT 3K195
- 14+ Stops Dynamic Range
- e-ND Darkens by 2 to 8 Stops
- 2 x BNC & 2 x Kinefinity Video Outputs
- Native KineMOUNT Lens Mount
- Adapts to PL, LPL, Active EF & Passive E
Kinefinity is still a newcomer to the ballgame, but with the last few releases, the new kid on the block has come ready to win.
Whether the MAVO Edge 6K is for you or not will depend on your workflow, budget, and production needs. If you need all the ports it has, and you can’t afford a RED V-Raptor, this is a solid solution to put on your shortlist. If you just want 6K, then there may be better options.
But from what we’ve seen from the new MAVO camera, the lads from Kinefinity are not to be underestimated.
