The Sony Cinema Line is a unified camera ecosystem that celebrates Sony’s ongoing investment in the cinema industry and its commitment to delivering tools that diversify the creative possibilities of filmmakers worldwide. From the FX30, FX2, and FX3 to the BURANO and VENICE 2, filmmakers can capture stunning images across a wide range of budgets and production demands. Now, a new toolkit joins the Sony ecosystem, offering cinematographers a historic capture format designed for the movie theater. Expanding on this long-term commitment to filmmakers and the cinematic arts, Sony has announced the development of the RIALTO 65, a new 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2, scheduled for release in the first half of 2027.
RIALTO 65 prototype
A New Format for Sony VENICE 2 The RIALTO 65 is a new sensor block designed to extend the capabilities of the VENICE 2, providing the flagship cinema camera with the industry’s largest image sensor among commercially available cinema cameras.
When paired with existing VENICE 2 camera bodies, the RIALTO 65 effectively transforms the system into a 65mm format digital cinema platform, while preserving compatibility with the current VENICE 2 ecosystem.
With a 3:2 aspect-ratio sensor measuring 53.75 mm wide and 35.83 mm tall, the new image sensor has a diagonal size of approximately 64.60 mm and approximately 2.2 times the light-receiving area of a full-frame image sensor.
The RIALTO 65 sensor block can be mounted directly to the VENICE 2 camera body or separately from the body via a cable similar to the VENICE Extension System, enabling greater mobility and versatile shooting configurations. This modular approach allows creators to adapt quickly to demanding production environments without compromising image quality, enabling cinematographers to capture both intimate character detail and expansive spatial depth while delivering an exceptionally shallow depth of field and a heightened sense of scale.
In a world filled with more screens than ever, the RIALTO 65 delivers enhanced visual storytelling to the silver screen with a more immersive and epic presence that only large-format imaging can provide.
The Importance of the 65mm Format From the 1962 Lawrence of Arabia, directed by David Lean, and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Jordan Peele’s Nope, the 65mm format has been used to capture sprawling desert vistas and historically detailed and immersive visual effects.
Initially utilised to compete with the rise of home television, the 65mm format created expansive and immersive imagery that maximised image clarity and detail that couldn’t be found at home. The late 1920s saw the rise of Grandeur by the Fox Film Corporation, while Todd-AO brought Cinerama to the masses in the 1950s, offering filmgoers a true cinematic experience.
Now, these different formats are thriving once again in the modern world, making the movie theater the only place to see the grandeur offered by the 65mm format. With the RIALTO 65, cinematographers will be able to use the reliability and image quality of the VENICE 2 to bring these historic images back to the big screen.
To learn more about the VENICE 2 and the other cameras in the Sony Cinema Line go to: https://www.sony.com.au/electronics/cinema-line and https://pro.sony/en_AU/products/digital-cinema-cameras