Digital Motion Picture Cameras
At Sony, the quest for better imaging never stops
Emotion in Every Frame
It spurs us to do the hard stuff. To develop and fabricate ground-breaking image sensors. To create original codecs that combine unprecedented quality and practicality. To build forward-looking recording systems and incredibly useful lens mounts.
Silicon, Glass and Steel in the Service of Art
The resulting Sony® CineAlta® cameras capture world-beating color. And resolution beyond the ordinary. And sensitivity. And exposure latitude. That’s why DPs choose Sony CineAlta cameras for everything from intensely personal projects to big-budget blockbusters.
Capture Colors that Others Can't
We design our own image sensors and build them in our own factory. That’s how the Sony VENICE and F55 can capture shades of green and red that are not simply beyond the reach of other digital cameras. They’re beyond the capability of print film. And where others record with 10-bit or 12-bit precision, Sony’s 16-bit linear RAW delivers 4,000 times as many color gradations. Which means that every nuance of color is faithfully preserved.
Sony Publications
CineAlta Magazine
Go behind the scenes with our digital motion picture cameras. See the real stories of the people behind the cameras, in the edit bay and in the color correction suite.
@ction magazine
Get the inside story on amazing projects shot on Sony FS Series cameras, as told by the production teams themselves.
Which Camera?
From the shoot-and-go handheld FS5 to the groundbreaking full frame VENICE motion camera system, Sony has a camera for every project.
| Cameras | VENICE | F65 | F55 | F5 | FS7 II | FS7 | FS5 II | FS5 |
| Sensor resolution | 6048x4032 (full frame) | 8192 x 2160 | 4096 x 2160 | 4096 x 2160 | 4096 x 2160 | 4096 x 2160 | 3840 x 2160 | 3840 x 2160 |
| Color gamut | S-Gamut | S-Gamut | S-Gamut | Wide | Wide | Wide | Wide | Wide |
| Lens mount | PL Mount and E-mount lever lock type | PL | Sony FZ + PL | Sony FZ + PL | Sony Lever Lock Type E-Mount | Sony E-Mount | Sony E-Mount | Sony E-Mount |
| Linear RAW recording | 16bit linear RAW with AXS-R7 recorder | From 8K to 2K 16-bit with SR-R4 recorder | 4K and 2K 16-bit with optional AXS-R5 | 4K and 2K 16-bit with optional AXS-R5 | 4K and 2K 12-bit with XDCA-FS7, AXS-R5 + HXR-IFR5 | 4K and 2K 12-bit with XDCA-FS7, AXS-R5 + HXR-IFR5 | 4K and 2K 12-bit with XDCA-FS7, AXS-R5 + HXR-IFR5 | 4K and 2K 12-bit with XDCA-FS7, AXS-R5 + HXR-IFR5 |
| Shutter | VENICE | Rotary + Electronic | Frame Image Scan | Electronic | Electronic | Electronic | Electronic | Electronic |
| Exposure latitude | 15+ stop | 14+ stops | 14+ stops | 14+ stops | 14+ stops | 14+ stops | 14+ stops | 14+ stops |
| Maximum frame rate | 4K 17:9 at up to 110fps. * V4.0 firmware with optional CBK-3610H upgrade | Up to 120 fps in one frame increments in 4K RAW | Up to 240 fps in one frame increments in 2K RAW; Up to 180 fps on board | Up to 240 fps in one frame increments in 2K RAW; Up to 180 fps on board | Up to 180 fps in one frame increments on board | Up to 180 fps in one frame increments on board | 960 fps on board (burst mode) | 960 fps on board (burst mode) |
| Maximum bitrate at 24p | 2+ Gbps | 5.5 Gbps with SR-R4 in 8K | 960 Mbps with AXS-R5 in 4K | 960 Mbps with AXS-R5 in 4K | 960 Mbps with XDCA-FS7, AXS-R5 + HXR-IFR5 | 960 Mbps with XDCA-FS7, AXS-R5 + HXR-IFR5 | 4K and 2K 12-bit with XDCA-FS7, AXS-R5 + HXR-IFR5 | 4K and 2K 12-bit with XDCA-FS7, AXS-R5 + HXR-IFR5 |
Built to Work the Way You Do
Sony CineAlta cameras fit comfortably into the on-set realities of today’s productions. We designed FS7 from the ground up for long-form, handheld shooting. And the highly modular F55 and F5 now slide into the CBK-55BK shoulder mount dock, sold separately. When docked, the F55 and F5 combine the capabilities of a Super 35 cinema camera with the ergonomics of a shoulder-mount 2/3-inch broadcast/documentary camcorder.
The VENICE Extension System (CBK-3610XS) enables cabled separation of the VENICE camera body and image sensor block by up to 5.5m with no degradation in image quality.
Exquisite Slow Motion
Nothing underscores dramatic action like slow motion. And nobody delivers slow motion like Sony. Our F55 and F5 capture 240 fps, which translates to an ethereal 10x slow motion when played back at 24p.
Never Fear the Dark. Or Sunlight. Or Contrast.
Bring on the pyrotechnics. Bring on the Los Angeles noontime exteriors, when the sun is direct and the shadows are deep. Bring on the night scenes with faint city lights glowing in the distance. In every aspect of exposure, Sony cameras exceed expectations, because they exceed the capabilities of the human eye. Up to 14 stops of exposure latitude equal the best that film has to offer. While extraordinary sensitivity and low noise enable you to pull detail out of darkness in ways that film never could.
DP Scott Kevan shot Deliver Us From Evil on the F55. “We wanted the Bronx to be a major presence,” he says. “That’s where the actual events took place and the architecture has a weight to it and a darkness even in the daylight.”
Telling a Story
Sony has always seen beyond the standards of today—to create the standards of tomorrow. Way back in the 1980s, we produced the world’s first commercial HD production system. In 2005, we built the world’s first commercial 4K projectors. Today, we offer production in HD, 2K, 4K, 6K and even 8K with the remarkable F65.
The Universal release, ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ was shot in Santa Fe, New Mexico on F55s. According to DP Michael Barrett, “What I most appreciate is that these cameras enable a cinematographer to reflect less on technology and more on how best to tell a story.”
Digital Unchained
All too many digital cameras lock you into a single lens mount, a single recording system or a single shooting style. Sony CineAlta® cameras deliver mind-bending versatility. The F55 and F5 already record to four different codecs. And there are two more — Apple® ProRes 422 and Avid DNxHD® recording — via the CBK-55PD encoder board, sold separately. The total range of bitrates varies from a utilitarian 50 Mbps all the way up to a magisterial 960 Mbps with the docking AXS-R5 recorder. Sony gives you options to mount cine lenses, SLR lenses or broadcast lenses — all on the same camera body. The F65 and F55 can even support 4K live production, complete with remote camera control, live switching and instant replay.
