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Sony Announces v5.0 Upgrade for Venice

The company also celebrates the grand opening of its Digital Media Production Center in Los Angeles.

ASC Staff

The company also celebrates the grand opening of its Digital Media Production Center in Los Angeles.

Sony Electronics has announced a firmware update for the Venice full-frame digital motion-picture camera that will enable additional high-frame-rate capabilities and enhance workflow flexibility. The Version 5.0 update is planned for January 2020. 


Sony announced the news at the grand opening of its Digital Media Production Center in Los Angeles.


Version 5.0 will enable Venice users to shoot at speeds of up to 90 fps at 6K 2.39:1 and 72 fps at 6K 17:9/1.85:1. This will enable the camera to capture 3x slow motion at 24p, even in 6K. Cinematographers can utilize the same camera across multiple speeds, maintaining the full-frame shallow depth of field as well as the high picture quality of oversampling in 6K.


“To date, more than a hundred features and episodic-television productions have been shot on the Venice, and through an ongoing dialogue with cinematographers, we have continued to evolve the camera to meet the needs of top talent,” says Neal Manowitz, deputy president for Imaging Product and Solutions Americas at Sony Electronics. 


Projects captured with the Venice include 21 Bridges, shot by Paul Cameron, ASC; Minimata, shot by Benoit Delhomme, AFC; and Bad Boys for Life, shot by Robrecht Heyvaert.


Among the advances facilitated by the Version 5.0 update will be the ability to record in Apple ProRes 4444 with SxS Pro+ without 
Sony’s AXS-R7 recorder; 180-degree-rotation Monitor Out (flip and flop images via viewfinder and SDI); high-resolution magnification via HD Monitor Out; improved user marker settings and ACES support.  


Located at 2706 Media Center Dr., Sony’s new DMPC features a professional production stage for camera and lens testing, a workflow suite for ingest and grading, and a viewing room with both 4K projection and Sony’s Crystal LED display. The CLED display has an aspect ratio of 2:66:1, ideal for 6K anamorphic Venice content. The center also offers hands-on classes with Sony’s Alpha cameras and E-Mount lenses and a Sony Pro Support service center.


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