Sony Burano : a groundbreaking cinema camera

Trankilstef · September 12, 2023

I am very exciting about this one. First camera with IBIS, ND and AF. Perfect choice for solo operator or small teams. 8K, auto ND as in the FX line, etc.

MurtlandPhoto · September 12, 2023

I'm veryyyy excited about this. I'll probably never own one—I'm not at that level. But, it shares enough of the FX line's DNA and is cheap enough that I can see myself renting this for bigger projects. Seems like a real winner.

A_Urquhart · September 12, 2023

It looks like it only has two audio inputs. As a solo operator, I'm using 3 or 4 channels of audio more and more.

Apart from that, looks great although I'm not a fan of the EVF. Sony NEED to develop an EVF similar to the one on the Alexa Mini. It's the best of both worlds with an EVF and flip out screen in one.

currensheldon · September 12, 2023

3 hours ago, A_Urquhart said:

It looks like it only has two audio inputs. As a solo operator, I'm using 3 or 4 channels of audio more and more.

Apart from that, looks great although I'm not a fan of the EVF. Sony NEED to develop an EVF similar to the one on the Alexa Mini. It's the best of both worlds with an EVF and flip out screen in one.

You can add the FX9 top handle and get four channels of audio.

This camera is truly incredible and probably my next purchase from my C300 III unless Canon follows up with something equually as impressive quickly. The fact that this camera inherits almost everything from the most popular cinema camera in the world that doesn't have Arri in the name (the Sony Venice), while also adding features that its target audience (indie and doc owner operators) will love - namely IBIS, E-ND, downsampled 8.6k, Venice color and image, smaller form factor, etc - is pretty incredible.

I mean, IBIS?! I did not expect to see IBIS and E-ND together for the first time ever in a cinema camera from Sony - but I'll take it.

This is truly an incredible release. Probably the biggest cinema camera release (again, not called Arri) since the original Venice and the Red Monstro before that.

kye · September 13, 2023

1 hour ago, currensheldon said:

I mean, IBIS?! I did not expect to see IBIS and E-ND together for the first time ever in a cinema camera from Sony - but I'll take it.

Yeah, that one is surprising!

Actually, considering how well Sony integrate with their lenses (e.g. focus breathing compensation), their IBIS might be really tuned to their lenses individually. That would be a huge advantage in tuning the resulting images.

Snowfun · September 13, 2023

Burano is even getting some positive comments on reduser… so it must be good.

I love the naming convention.

IronFilm · September 13, 2023

I would say this announcement is going to tank the prices for the F5/F55 camera bodies, but... I am not sure if they can go any lower!

But this is very much aimed at the F5/F55 owner.

It's a big jump up from the FS7 (which is what the FX9 was aimed at).

While being massively cheaper than the F35/F65 was (which is what the VENICE is aimed at).

Andrew Reid · September 13, 2023

SONY BURRITO

Andrew Reid · September 13, 2023

As you can see here with this Sony rep and his Zeiss CZ.2 lens, shaving those precious millimetres off the camera has revolutionised the way he shoots.

And that is before you even get to the main raison d'être of a 1.4kg weight saving vs VENICE 2.

That 1.4kg is crucial and a game changer when you have 35kg of tripod head, rails, cages, matte box, monitors, EVF and lens attached.

He must really feel the difference in his back all day long.

Here is one of our most adventurous and creative shooters, Nino.

As you can see the size of the BURRITO is once again a total game changer here as it allows the lovely new Cooke to move back a few cm making it necessary to break your wrist to reach it.

The added advantage here is that your hand forms a lens hood, reducing that nasty flare from the single coating!

And as we can see, the ENG style rig high up on the body definitely isn't unbalanced with a high centre of gravity from all the shit mounted on the top handle!

Finally we have the more minimal rig here.

The 2.8kg BURRITO clearly needs the 68 rods under it and a tripod head the size of a bus. Otherwise the whole thing would collapse, giving an unprofessional aura to the shoot.

I think that is an absolute brick of a battery on the back which is all part of the absolute game changing form factor as a cinema camera.

Have you EVER seen a rig like this before!?

REVOLUTIONARY!!!

Yours for only $25,000!

*Or just get a Sony a1 with same sensor from cash converters

BTM_Pix · September 13, 2023

22 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:

*Or just get a Sony a1 with same sensor from cash converters

You saw that one too then 😂

I must say looking at some of the footage from the Burano did have me immediately thinking about the a1 and was surprised to see how cheap that one was.

I had presumed that the a1 could do 8K RAW out to the Ninja V+ but it can only do 4K though.

The a1 is still a lot of camera for that money though.

BTM_Pix · September 13, 2023

Not sure I could stop myself turning into Vic Reeves every time I had to say Burano though

Andrew Reid · September 13, 2023

BUURANOOOO 🙂

As small as a Venetian island and almost as expensive as one.

The a1 sensor is a very nice thing indeed, and some sort of end-game (until the next one) for full frame video.

I do like that nifty Auto ND in the Burrito though. I wonder if it is the same thing they had on the FS5? It was a bit cheaper back then.

Honestly that 10bit 422 500Mbit codec in 8K on the a1 is so good you don't need no raw.

PannySVHS · September 13, 2023

So what was to dislike about the A1 other than the price? Btw, your post shows once more your natural funny bones. Was laughing like little kid! Nino must be a trained handed lens hood shadow boxing master! @Andrew Reid

BTM_Pix · September 13, 2023

14 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:

BUURANOOOO 🙂

As small as a Venetian island and almost as expensive as one.

Honestly that 10bit 422 500Mbit codec in 8K on the a1 is so good you don't need no raw.

The a1 has by and large flown under the radar so its diminishing price on the used market does make it an interesting proposition a bit down the road to do a poor man's 10% of the price / 90% of the image version of the Burano with one.

Need a name though.

Base it on the Venice* obviously, so it has to be something with lots of canals.

But a bit more rough and ready to reflect the price.

And a bit more northern for the dourness and attitude.

Right, the Birmingham it is then.

* Fun fact is that Birmingham is one of the gazillion places referred to as the Venice of the North but in actual fact it should be that Venice is called the Birmingham of the South as Birmingham actually has more miles of canals. All built by order of The Peaky Fucking Blinders presumably.

Andrew Reid · September 13, 2023

Nino is a trained poser 🙂

The a1 aside from the price has no weakness at all and is invincible. 8K, but it doesn't sacrifice low light like you'd think it would, or introduce bad rolling shutter. 4K but not capped at 30 or 60...it's 120p. 4K 120 from a 50 megapixel full frame sensor is end game for me. I don't need higher numbers until the next end game comes out!

Brilliant AF even with the Leica M thingy

They fixed something big in the colour science / sensor readout and so no complaints there & that firmware update with the chunky 422 codec allows it to compete with RAW without the massive file sizes.

No complaints with the excellent EVF, battery life, compact size and weight, overheating, etc.

Maybe the one niggle for me is that the clear-image zoom in 4K for Super 16mm lenses doesn't 'stick' when you power cycle the camera, so takes a few extra taps to put it in Micro Four Thirds 2x crop mode for those lenses.

Also perhaps it could have done with that magic eND mythical unicorn tech or a way to simulate the look of 180deg shutter somehow.

Actually it does have a few other downsides but they're not dealbreakers for me:

- Doesn't have anamorphic open gate

- No in-camera LUT support

- Firmware updates a bit thin on the ground from Sony

- EVF res can drop when it is autofocusing

Andrew Reid · September 13, 2023

7 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

Right, the Birmingham it is then.

Introducing the Sony BRUM

MrSMW · September 13, 2023

7 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

SONY BURRITO

My first thought, was they combined the (alleged) Italian style of Milan, but were going to have the thing made by under-employed watermelon farmers (other legal forms of occupation such as drug running are available) in old Mehico.

BURrito milANO

But I could see Brumano also being a thing. Made in one of Tommy Shelby's factories.

Being sherioush, it does look like being quite a bit of kit. Waaaaay above my pay grade, but interesting.

kye · September 14, 2023

12 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

* Fun fact is that Birmingham is one of the gazillion places referred to as the Venice of the North but in actual fact it should be that Venice is called the Birmingham of the South as Birmingham actually has more miles of canals. All built by order of The Peaky Fucking Blinders presumably.

I was thinking of making a Peaky Blinders joke as I read through the thread, but you beat me to it.

I laughed so hard at this I started to cry a little.. nice work as always!!

Kino · September 17, 2023

I've had my eye on the Sony A1 for a long time. I was hoping Sony would announce the A1 II, so that the prices on it could drop a little. At $6500, it is a bit steep. LongGOP 8K is also not ideal, but the video footage overall is very impressive for a mirrorless full-frame camera. The DR, roll-off, ISO performance, and texture are all amazing. These are video frame stills if you can believe it!