02-03-2025 - Case Study
Filmmaking Daredevil Renan Ozturk Tests the BURANO 2.0 Firmware
By: Yaroslav Altunin
There are filmmakers and then there is Renan Ozturk. As an expedition filmmaker, he has scaled sheer cliff faces, braved deadly frozen seas, and climbed both glaciers and skyscrapers with a camera in hand. It’s no wonder that National Geographic has given him the honor of Adventurer of The Year.
As a cinematographer, Ozturk has shot everything from features, commercials, and documentaries, braving elements that most would find impossible. On these projects he has carried a myriad of cameras from the Sony ecosystem, but most recently, he has chosen the Sony BURANO digital cinema camera as his camera of choice.
To prepare for the upcoming release of Firmware Version 2.0 for the BURANO, Sony gave Ozturk the opportunity to battle test the new update in the places where no one dares to tread.
Video: Renan Ozturk puts the BURANO Version 2 to the test. See the footage
BURANO Version 2.0: How the Update Performed In the Wild
Ozturk has been using the Sony BURANO ever since its release. It is a tool that crafts beautiful imagery present in flagship cinema cameras, all in an armored form factor that can withstand not only the elements, but the brutal working conditions of an expedition.
With the new BURANO Version 2.0 Firmware Update, Ozturk had new tools at his disposal, including three new recording formats, various monitoring and metadata improvements, and improved image output and exposure tools.
“We wanted to challenge the camera and ourselves as much as possible,” Ozturk said. “So, we took the camera to shoot ice climbing with our friend and professional North Face mountain climber Andres Marin.”
“When you are hanging from a rope on the fragile ice above your friend, with sharp objects called crampons on your feet, you have to consider every detail and button press and recording format. This was similar to the early test we did with the camera when climbing on the Empire State building with Jared Leto (when we had an early prototype of the camera.)”
VIDEO: Check out Renan's first experiences with the BURANO
During the scene with Marin on the ice wall, Ozturk wanted to capture the shards of ice flying away with every impact, which is hard to capture using a standard framerate. Using the new 3.8K 16:9 Mode, the BURANO captured every fragment of ice in slow motion and vivid detail.
“The UHD, 120 fps format, which is 16-bit color depth, and thus a step up in depth from the smaller cameras, was the biggest and most exciting thing about this firmware update for us,” Ozturk continued. “We are always hunting for details when we shoot in slow motion on our biggest narrative features, documentaries, and commercials.”
The BURANO has become such an important creative partner for Ozturk, that he endearingly named it the Power Nugget, as it includes so much creative power and control is such a compact package.
“It really does everything,” Ozturk said. “The 16-bit color, incredible skin tones and color science, built-in ND, 8.6K resolution, super fast power on time, insane low-light, and the ability to use Sony G-Master lenses from our stills cameras with incredible auto focus.”
“Now that we have this more robust slow motion recording format it makes it even better.”
Slow motion cinematography provides added nuance to a project and the three new recording formats — 3.8K 16:9 120 fps in Full Frame, Super 35 4.3K 4:3 60 fps for Anamorphic, and Super 35 1.9K 16:9 for up to 240 fps — can thrive in almost any scenario.
“There’s no doubt I will use these new slow motion recording formats constantly,” Ozturk said. “Expedition Studios is currently shooting a snowboarding film in Japan with North Face athletes for YETI doing tricks in heavy snowfall, which needs a lot of slow motion when the athletes are flying through the air.”
“But at the same time, we need to shoot a lot of humanity and tender moments,” Ozturk continued. “So, the BURANO was the perfect camera. From slow motion to low light to verité moments, the BURANO helps us elevate the style of the documentary.”
The Evolution of BURANO 2.0
Ozturk is currently planning a new feature about Tenzing Norgay, the first Tibetan to climb Mount Everest. For the cinematographer, the BURANO is the perfect mix of features for the big screen.
"I really appreciate that (the firmware update) wasn’t just the spherical UHD 120 fps recording format,” Ozturk said. “Sony also paid attention to the anamorphic slow-motion recording, and I’ve been shooting anamorphic quite a bit, so it’s nice to have a 60 frame per second option.”
It really is a magical point in history where we have tools like this.”
The new BURANO Firmware Version 2.0 is available at no cost and is planned to be released in March 2025.
To learn more about the BURANO 2.0 firmware updates, check out this article: Sony BURANO Adds More Features to the Upcoming Version 2.0 Firmware Update
