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06.04.2025

06-04-2025 - Technical Guides

Top 5 New Features in the Expanded BURANO V2.0

By: SonyCine Team

With the release of the BURANO’s free firmware update, V2.0, comes a host of new features, many of which have been eagerly awaited since the release of the camera.  Here we will focus on the top 5 most requested feature sets which make this camera even more powerful than before.

MONITOR FHD

Perhaps the most requested feature, this enables the on-screen display to be arranged on a black border outside the main image area, leaving the entire image area unobscured for the filmmaker to view the composition.  This is now enabled in the EVF, as well as SDI 1 & 2 outputs on all record modes. 

NEW HIGH FRAME RATE SENSOR MODES

Full Frame crop 3.8K 16:9 mode allows filmmakers to film at high speed (up to 120fps), while still retaining the full field of view from their full frame lenses on the full frame sensor*. By subsampling and using sophisticated filtering technology along with Sony’s proprietary processing power, the resulting footage has a natural feel and the usual chroma noise and edge artifacting is mitigated. 

Similarly, the new S35 1.9K mode allows for the capture of 1080p imagery, derived from the full S35 image, up to 240fps, and is compatible with all S35 and full frame lenses.  This mode will disable all monitoring over HDMI and SDI during filming, except for playback.

ADDITIONAL ANAMORPHIC SUPPORT

A third sensor mode was added, S35 4.3K 4:3. This is intended for use with anamorphic lenses.  Additionally, a 1.8x Anamorphic stretch mode was added, allowing for a true 2.40 mode with this sensor.  Pre-existing modes allow for all popular wide screen ratios from 16:9, 2:1, and 2.66:1. With a horizontal pixel resolution of 4.3K, this support meets all stringent requirements for streaming and theatrical content. Anamorphic stretch is properly applied to all monitoring outputs. This sensor size is only available in the X-OCN LT recording mode.

IMPROVED IMAGE STABILIZATION

Previously only available in the S35 mode, Active Stabilization and Steadyshot High are now available in both the Full Frame crop 6K and the S35 1.9K modes. Active Stabilization combines the mechanical stabilization of the Burano’s sensor, with digital stabilization, resulting in a slight crop.  The resulting footage has a dramatic increase in stability, even from intense handheld shooting.  Steadyshot High takes data from OSS compatible E-mount lenses and combines it with mechanical sensor stabilization and digital stabilization allowing for an even smoother appearance.

EXPOSURE TOOLS

Burano V2.0 enables the Hi/Lo Key exposure tool, which has been part of Sony’s flagship cinema cameras for many years. This function can be mapped to any of the assignable buttons. This is a rapid way for DPs, Operators and DITs to check out what the sensor is really capturing in terms of dynamic range. With the touch of a button, you can focus only on the extreme highlights, immediately determining if you are seeing the detail out of a bright window, and whether you can recover that information in post. With a second touch, the image shifts to only show the lowest part of the shadows, letting you know if you are seeing into the shadows or if the image has gone to pure black. With a third touch, the image resumes its normal appearance. It’s a very handy tool for exposure, especially in tricky documentary scenarios.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

On top of these 5 features, the update includes support for 24.00 fps in 16:9 aspect ratios, VF Gamma Display Assist, Improved PL-mount lens support, enhanced Auto Focus performance, additional white balance points, improved naming conventions, and support for multicam and live event remote control.  

Download the free update here.


*FFc 3.8K 16:9 mode results in an approximately 11% crop of the FF8.6K imager size.

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