Shot on BURANO: Bill Winters puts the camera to the test

"I was lucky to get my hands on the new Sony BURANO camera for a couple of days. People have been asking if I like it, and the answer is a resounding yes. 

I consider it a high-end documentary camera that can also play in commercials and films. It lands between the FX9 and VENICE 2 while including features that neither has. For example, in body image stabilization for Sony E-mount and PL mount lenses, new and improved auto focus for e-mount lenses, and approximately 33% lighter weight than the VENICE 2.

I wanted to challenge the BURANO and shoot in difficult lighting conditions so here I chose to shoot at twilight and sunrise/sunset right into the sun. I love shooting into the sun. The dynamic range is awesome. The highlights have a nice roll off while still retaining lots of information in the shadows. I didn’t do heavy color correction on these shots, but I did find myself adding even more contrast in some cases. I would say in general the large dynamic range and characteristics of the sensor gives it a “gentle and organic look.” Not too harsh.

There is so much I can say about it so reach out if you have questions and I will post more footage as well. Here is a quick breakdown of my initial thoughts:

It is a very well-built camera and feels like a high-end cinema camera while being about 33% lighter than VENICE 2. That combined with the internal lens stabilization makes it my favorite camera for handheld work. It improves on the FX9 by adding X-OCN LT 16-bit internal recording (which is huge) improved 8.6K sensor/recording, internal lens stabilization, improved auto focus, and LCD/Viewfinder.  Advantages over the VENICE 2: about 33% lighter, auto focus, internal lens stabilization, internal variable ND, however it doesn’t have X-OCN ST and XT recording and I don’t know if the sensor is as good as the VENICE 2’s - more testing needed. Bottom line is - I love this camera."