Sony has introduced the Venice Extension System Mini, which includes a Venice 2 8K sensor, nine swappable ND filters and a much smaller size than the existing Venice Extension System 2.
The Mini has a footprint equal to the size of an average smartphone and approximately 70 per cent smaller than the current system, said the company. The head unit is 63.9mm x 103.2mm x 60.2mm and weighs approximately. 0.54 kg with E-mount*4, 1.05 kg with PL mount adapter.
The Extension System Mini features a custom drop-in ND cartridge system with nine glass Neutral Density (ND) filters, including a clear ND specially developed to perfectly match the Sony Venice 2 systems while maintaining a compact size.
The Mini was developed over two years following requests from crews who were interested in filming stereoscopic or volumetric video, Sebastien Leske, head of cinema business development at Sony Europe, told TVBEurope.
“They were using the Extension System 2 for some applications, but it was still too large,” said Leske. “The Mini will perfectly fit the demand. With the recent announcement of VR glasses from different manufacturers, the demand for creating content is also increasing. So with the Extension System Mini, they have a perfect tool in order to create content, but without compromising on the quality.”
When two units are placed side by side, the distance between the 2 sensors is approximately 64mm, matching average human interpupillary distance, said Sony.
The Mini can also be used on traditional productions—including those with very small sets. “We shot some demo footage, where the set was just two by two metres,” explained Leske. “There was no compromise on the lens the DoP wanted to use, because the backpack is so small.”
