DoP Tim Hawkins chooses Sony BURANO as his A camera

Sydney based DOP Tim Hawkins has a career spanning over 30 years as a cameraman and DoP. Having worked on multiple genres of television production documentaries and long form lifestyle TV shows including Who Do You Think You Are, Todd Sampson’s Body Hack and Selling Houses Australia are his speciality. Recently Hawkins decided to upgrade his primary A camera of choice to the Sony BURANO.

Hawkins explained, “I’m a long-term user of Sony cameras and there’s been a Sony camera of some description sitting in my crew van since 1994. That’s 30 years of continuous Sony use. Before my BURANO arrived I owned three Sony FX series cameras. I love the FX cameras, but I had been waiting for something that sits above them that would fill a gap in my business. I was waiting for a broadcast style CineAlta large sensor camera that shoots 16-bit raw with all the tech of the FX series cameras. That camera arrived with all guns blazing in the form of the new BURANO.”

Over the past few years Hawkins found himself offering the FX9 to his clients who wanted a more “cine” look.

He added, “The discussions were always around how the FX9 could fulfil their brief and give them the look that they were wanting. In turn I sometimes found myself recording externally with the FX6 to give me the high resolution and high data rate I needed. My clients do trust me and I was delivering great results, but I knew I needed a camera in my kit that unquestionably sold itself in this regard. A camera that doesn’t need to be talked up or hyped. That’s why when I read the specs of the BURANO I pre-ordered one straight away.”

Hawkins found the full-frame 8.6k sensor that shoots internal 16-bit X-OCN that he was looking for in the BURANO. As he evaluated it it had all the tech of the FX series cameras with the top end recording format and high bit rates with more besides.

He continued, “I’m not sure people fully appreciate how versatile a camera the BURANO is. It competes with the big boy cameras in 16-bit 8k while being able to also shoot in 4k X-AVC with a bunch of crop functions. It also shoots in HD when required and here’s the TV industry’s dirty little secret … I think many people would be very surprised to know how many productions are still captured in HD.”

A large percentage of Hawkins’ work is still in HD. He shoots almost exclusively primetime TV series for streaming and broadcast and many of those shoots are still acquisitioned in HD not 4K. So, whilst HD isn’t always a big selling point, according to Hawkins it is still a very important part of the market.

He added, “Incredibly the BURANO shoots in 8.5k 16bit raw and also 1080 10bit. Now that’s what I call versatile.”

Hawkins purchased his BURANO from Lemac, one of Sony’s main partners as according to Hawkins they are one of the best technology resellers in the country.

He said, “I think I bought my first camera from Scott Backhouse at Lemac 20 years ago. I always liked the honest approach he has and he is in my mind a true gentleman of the Australian TV industry. I know if there are ever any issues with a purchase, Lemac will have my back and get it sorted. It may cost a bit more to not buy online but as a small business owner it’s a risk-free solution to purchase from Lemac.”

By his own admission Hawkins is using the BURANO a lot more than he previously anticipated, thinking that it would only be pulled out for larger jobs that warranted it. Having initially thought he would be using his FX9 and FX6 daily and pull out the BURANO for bigger jobs Hawkins has been pleasantly surprised.

He explained, “It’s not played out that way at all. The BURANO has become my A camera for all jobs. As a result of the BURANO’s versatility I’ve found myself pulling it out for just about every job since getting it. My FX9 and FX6 cameras are used as great B or C camers and my FX3 cameras are still being used, but they all now always play second fiddle to the excellent BURANO.”

Hawkins recently shot a five-part feature length crime series with his BURANO as the A camera in DCI 4k X-AVC. He has also used the BURANO on lifestyle series Selling Houses Australia and the award-winning historical series Who Do You Think You Are.

He added, “I use the BURANO for everything. It’s a great master interview camera and with the built-in image stabilisation (IBIS) I’ve found myself shooting a lot more handheld work with it than I would have with the FX cameras. The IBIS offers a really nice handheld look. Don’t get me wrong, you can’t use the IBIS all the time, but it’s a really nice tool to have in the tool belt.”

Hawkins is mostly a single operator DOP, although it is rare that he will only have a single camera with him

He said, “Gone are the days of a freelance DOP rocking up to a shoot with one camera, two lenses and a few lights. It’s a whole new ball game and today’s clients expect a vast array of cameras to be deployed on just about every shoot. To be competitive freelance DOP’s must have an eyewatering amount of gear. For me alongside my Sony BURANO and FX cameras I use a DJI RS3 Pro gimbal and also have a fleet of drones. All my cameras have wireless monitoring and a variety of lens options and whilst I currently own just shy of 20 different lenses my Sony G Master lenses are the workhorses.”

It’s clearly an exciting time to be shooting television and one that Tim Hawkins is grateful to be a part of as he concluded, “I feel blessed to be working during this period of technology advances in TV, it’s very exciting. The advances in cameras, gimbals and drones have dramatically changed the face of TV production. Production levels and standards are light years ahead of where they were 10 years ago. The BURANO is very much a part of this new technology landscape. There’s not a more versatile camera on the market.

It’s a real showstopper having the Sony BURANO on set. It a camera that’s filled with the technology of the Sony FX series cameras mixed with the beautiful look of the Sony VENICE and can record everything from 16-bit 8K through to HD. It’s built like tough like a proper ENG camera. It feels good in your hands. It’s really well made and I’ve come to really enjoy the design. Internally it boasts things like dual ISO, variable ND, 16 stops of dynamic range, in built stabilisation and 8.6k sensor with PL or E mount and there’s not many cameras that can say all of that. I’m a much more versatile DOP since owning the BURANO and having it in my kit totally gives me an edge over my competitors.”