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Sony: 4K isn't just about the resolution
With M. Night Shyamalan already shooting his next movie -- After Earth -- on the F65 4K camera, Sony's PR machine is going all out to assuage remaining doubters in the film industry. One of the more curious aspects of the awareness campaign is that it doesn't focus solely on the exorbitant resolution -- in fact, it gives almost equal weight to other visual promises that Sony hopes will persuade producers, directors and cinematographers to make the leap before anyone else does. What might those eyeball treats be? Philippe Ros, a DoP hired by Sony to shoot a 4K promo film, put it succinctly at a showing we attended in London this week: "Only the first row in the cinema may notice the resolution, but I'm more interested in the colors than in the 4K." According to Ros, every terabyte that floods out of the F65 per hour of filming contains color and dynamic range info way beyond what you normally get when shooting digital. The end result? Crews on the ground can relax just that little bit more, knowing that any mundane-looking scenes can be given far greater impact later. Now, even bearing in mind that Ros couldn't have said anything bad about 4K without things getting awkward, it's still interesting that he admits to being skeptical of the resolution itself. But if others on independent shoots discover the same post-production flexibility that he did, then the push for 4K might come from filmmakers rather than those further down the food chain.
Sony's F65 CineAlta 4K camera now available for a paltry $65,000
Sony's F65 CineAlta camera now has a price tag to match its name -- and its girth. The imager, which was first unveiled at this year's NAB Show, has now been officially released ahead of this week's IBC conference in Amsterdam. The newest member of the CineAlta family captures images in 4K (4096 x 2160) resolution and features a speedy 20.4 megapixel, Super 35mm CMOS sensor, capable of reaching up to 72fps at 4K resolution and 120fps on 2K. The F65 also comes boasts 16-bit RAW output at 19Gbps on 4K and WiFi connectivity that allows you to manipulate it from the comfort of your tablet. The shooter won't start shipping until January, but filmmakers or production houses with lots of disposable income can order one now, for a mere $65,000. More details await you in the press release, after the break.
