More details about the Sony F65

UPDATE 8:00 AM 9/7
I overlooked an important detail. The rotary shutter is a separate model:
  • Sony F65, with viewfinder for $65,000
  • F65RS (Built in Rotary Shutter Model) with viewfinder for $77,000
And, you can control it through wi-fi using Android and iOS devices, making this camera possibly the most expensive iPhone accessory.

There's some additional coverage:
Film&Digital Times: Sony F65 at ASC & DGA


Okay, so I'm not going to act surprised that Sony wants $65,000 for this beast. I'm sure they'll get it, but still....$65,000. That's only about 16 times my total gear budget! Maybe it's time to start a Kickstarter campaign?

Actually, I expected it to be expensive, though maybe closer to $60,000... I jest.

The F65 was pre-announced at NAB, and now Sony has come out with pricing and shipping information.

This camera uses an 8K CMOS sensor to produce a 4K resolution image (4096x2160) and is expected to start delivery in January, 2012. It has a rotary shutter to eliminate rolling shutter, and the CMOS chip has, according to Sony, a green photosite for each pixel (there's half your 8K pixels right there,) and then the other half are red and blue. That suggests that every pixel in the final image is built from two photosites on the sensor; one green and the other either blue or red. I wonder what the color aliasing for this sensor will look like...

Sony seems to like mixing things up on the sensors of their high-end cameras; the F35 used a somewhat unusual color array as well: Sony F35 : Another unusual sensor

Oddly enough, the F35 has a 12K CCD sensor, being used to produce a 1920x1080 image, while the F65 has an 8K CMOS sensor to produce a 4K image. The other odd thing; the F35 was selling for about $200,000 when it was introduced. See? CMOS based cameras are cheaper than CCD based cameras!

Creative COW: The Sony F65 CineAlta Digital Cinema Camera
Hollywood Reporter: Sony 4K Camera To Ship in January, Starting at $65,000
Street Insider: Sony Launches F65 CineAlta Camera and Unveils End-to-End 4K Workflow for Digital Cinematography

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