On October 6, 2023, Sony held an invitation-only event to unveil the CineAlta camera “BURANO” to photographers at IMAGICA EMS Takeshiba Media Studio.
The event consisted of a viewing of BURANO’s footage works and a hands-on corner where you could experience the ease of use. The event was held three times a day, and each time was nearly full, demonstrating the high level of attention it received. Here, we will mainly report on the hands-on corner that seems to be of most interest.
Mr. Nobutatsu Takahashi, general manager of the Professional Imaging Technology Division, gave a speech at the screening.The main story of “YUME” (director: Takeshi Hamada, cinematographer: Kohei Kato) filmed at BURANO, BTS, “My melomania” (director and cinematographer) We screened the main story by Yoshinori Okamura) and the main story by BTS and “Awaei” (directed and cinematography by Masaaki Chijimatsu).
Main story of “YUME” (director: Takeshi Hamada, cinematographer: Kohei Kato)
Main story of “My melomania” (directed and cinematography by Yoshinori Okamura)
Hands-on corner where the actual BURANO machine was displayed
In the hands-on corner, two types of BURANO PL mount and E mount are on display. I was able to try out the one-operation shoulder style of the 1st set by combining it with the grip remote control “GP-VR100”. He explained that it is now possible to fully control the camera from the grip remote control, and that it is convenient to use it in combination for one-off operations.
E-mount lenses can be used by removing the PL mount adapter. By attaching the grip remote control GP-VR100 that can utilize the AF function, you can control using the zoom lever, recording START/STOP button, multi selector, etc.
Despite its small size, BURANO is equipped with optical image stabilization, and even the PL mount supports image stabilization. Even when a B4 mount conversion adapter and B4 lens are attached, it is possible to take pictures with image stabilization inside the housing.
Additionally, BURANO claims that this camera is the only one in the world that has both image stabilization and an electronic variable ND filter inside the housing. Mirrorless cameras are equipped with image stabilization, but not electronic ND. Conversely, cinema cameras are equipped with electronic ND, but not with image stabilization. BURANO was appealing as an intermediate camera that had both.
The first PL mount camera to support built-in optical image stabilization when a PL mount lens is attached.
In the recording media CFexpress Type B card corner, 1TB and 2TB models compatible with BURANO are on display. The selling price at Sony’s official store is around 190,000 yen including tax and around 360,000 yen including tax, and is scheduled to be released in spring 2024.
The existing models of Sony CFexpress Type B cards are not compatible with BURANO, but the two new models comply with the VPG (Video Performance Guarantee) standard and are compatible with BURANO. It has a tough design and is designed to withstand drops from a height of 5m and pressure of 7kg.
VENICE was also on display in the cinema camera corner. VENICE tends to get a lot of attention due to the appearance of BURANO, but it is Sony’s undisputed top-end flagship model, and VENICE is the most recommended when building a system according to a project.
VENICE continues to feature a variable ND filter, with BURANO as low as 0.6ND and VENICE as low as 0.3ND. It supports low ND, making it easy to reach itchy areas.
BURANO will be released in spring 2024, and firmware version 1.1 is scheduled to be available in summer 2024. Compatible with S700 protocol (Ethernet connection) for remote control of Sony cameras. Expanding the range of anamorphic lens compatibility and adding a display function that squeezes at 1.5x.
The release date has not yet been determined, but updates include the addition of a 4:3 aspect imager mode, a 1.8x disc-ease display function when using an anamorphic lens, and changes to the layout of the camera status display for HDMI output.
