First Look: Sony VENICE

[The full article written by Kenny can be found and originally appeared at ProVideo Coalition]

The​ ​new​ ​$42,000,​ ​full-frame​ ​Sony​ ​VENICE​​ ​debuted​ ​on​ ​the​ ​Sony​ ​Pictures​ ​lot​ ​at​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of September​ ​and​ ​it​ ​looks​ ​good.​ ​Really​ ​good.​ ​Not​ ​game-changing​ ​good,​ ​but​ ​really​ ​good nonetheless.

Sony​ ​seems​ ​to​ ​have​ ​taken​ ​a​ ​page​ ​out​ ​of​ ​Arri’s​ ​book,​ ​both​ ​by​ ​naming​ ​their​ ​product​ ​with​ ​a​ ​word instead​ ​of​ ​a​ ​number​ ​and​ ​by​ ​putting​ ​that​ ​word​ ​in​ ​all​ ​caps.​ ​They​ ​also​ ​seemed​ ​to​ ​have​ ​borrowed the​ ​menu​ ​buttons​ ​well,​ ​as​ ​Canon​ ​did​ ​with​ ​the​ ​C700.​ ​Thankfully,​ ​that​ ​means​ ​Sony​ ​has​ ​ditched their​ ​notoriously​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​navigate​ ​menu​ ​system​ ​for​ ​something​ ​a​ ​bit​ ​more​ ​tried-and-true​ ​or, “familiar”​ ​as​ ​they​ ​put​ ​it.​ ​The​ ​VENICE​ ​looks​ ​a​ ​little​ ​more​ ​than​ ​half​ ​the​ ​length​ ​of​ ​its​ ​Arri competition,​ ​so​ ​after​ ​assembly​ ​you’re​ ​looking​ ​at​ ​a​ ​magnesium-bodied​ ​camera​ ​weighing​ ​in around​ ​the​ ​13lb​ ​mark,​ ​depending​ ​on​ ​your​ ​rigging.​ ​It’s​ ​a​ ​little​ ​over​ ​8lbs​ ​naked.

The​ ​camera​ ​is​ ​aspect​ ​ratio​ ​agnostic,​ ​allowing​ ​you​ ​to​ ​use​ ​almost​ ​any​ ​lens​ ​you’d​ ​like​ ​as​ ​long​ ​as it’s​ ​PL​ ​Mount​ ​or​ ​adaptable​ ​to​ ​an​ ​E-Mount,​ ​including​ ​the​ ​new​ ​Arri​ ​65​ ​lenses​ ​and​ ​similar. Unfortunately,​ ​you’ll​ ​have​ ​to​ ​acquire​ ​the​ ​licenses​ ​for​ ​most​ ​of​ ​those​ ​resolutions​ ​as​ ​detailed below.​ ​While​ ​Sony​ ​says​ ​this​ ​is​ ​a​ ​6K​ ​sensor,​ ​it’s​ ​more​ ​honest​ ​to​ ​say​ ​it’s​ ​capable​ ​of​ ​6K,​ ​but​ ​out​ ​of the​ ​box​ ​you’re​ ​getting​ ​a​ ​4K​ ​camera.​ ​Depending​ ​on​ ​who​ ​you​ ​are​ ​this​ ​might​ ​not​ ​affect​ ​you​ ​but​ ​I would​ ​at​ ​least​ ​like​ ​to​ ​see​ ​the​ ​Anamorphic​ ​License​ ​done​ ​away​ ​with​ ​and​ ​included​ ​in​ ​the​ ​base package.​ ​The​ ​licenses​ ​come​ ​in​ ​weekly,​ ​monthly,​ ​and​ ​permanent​ ​flavors so you have options for​ ​when​ ​you​ ​finally get​ ​that​ ​6K​ ​gig​, as well as when you’re working with a​ ​pedestrian​ ​15​ ​stops​ ​of​ ​4K​ ​that falls into the category of “beautiful enough.”

[Read the full article, with pictures, at ProVideo Coalition]