Last Thursday I attended a Sony road event. There, they showcased a few 3D cameras and discussed some workflows and technology updates. They showed the PMWTD300, PMWF3, HXRNX3D1I and F65 (CineAlta,) which is an 8K camera!!
These cameras (not all are out yet) are very cutting edge and have much to offer. They seem to have improved the image quality while maintaining the proper size. The only exception would be the smaller consumer sized Handycam types. I was thoroughly impressed with the F65. This beast can produce an 8K image. There are few cameras that can do this. It can shoot 16 bit RAW files and works as an SR master. For those that don’t know, this camera would likely rival the Arri Alexa or Panavision Genesis. It seems that this is Sony’s foray into the DI acquisition field.
For post, it seems that nothing has changed except the need for faster computing power and processor speed. These behemoth files will likely reach 100 MB per frame of video. You’re going to need some serious storage for these bad boys. I didn’t hear a mention of how this might with with Davinci systems for color grading, but I certainly could have missed it. At times I was busy being awestruck at this stuff. This F65 is slated for a January release, but I have the feeling that it may be pushed back. They mentioned how the others were supposed to be out already but some were not. I’m not sure about you, but it’s rare that I itch to spend $65,000, just on the body. The glass used on the demo was a Canon 18mm-85mm zoom. I can’t imagine how much it was.
The one negative part about these cameras was they each employed a different 3D technology. You can’t use the same glasses while monitoring these pictures. Each monitor required a different set. I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, but we’ll see.
