I got hands-on with Sony's compact new Venice Extension System Mini

Sony held a launch event for the press at its Digital Media Production Centre based in the world-famous Pinewood Studios, near London in England. During the presentation, Nobutatsu Takahashi, general manager of Professional Imaging Technology Business Unit, Sony Corp (Cinema Alta), revealed the Venice Extension System Mini from within his jacket’s inside pocket. It’s that small.

Housing the Venice 2’s powerful 8K full-frame imaging sensor, used in cinematic masterpieces including Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water and The Fire Inside, the Extension System Mini further shrinks Sony’s innovative modular system by an astonishing 70% versus its predecessor, the Rialto.

Designed to further unlock the creativity of filmmakers, this ultra-compact design makes it easier to choose the Venice tool for handheld shots, on gimbals and POV shots that would have been far too impractical to achieve previously.

Speaking to me about what this camera means for filmmakers, Mr Takahashi said: "It’s tough for me to define. In any situation, cinematographers want to have freedom. This makes it easier to work in narrow spaces, it’s light and small, so they can now use it on any gimbal and make operating the camera very easy.

"It also makes creating stereoscopic rigs more practical, for new content creation opportunities. Those are three unique offerings that we have improved to push the boundaries for filmmakers."

The smaller, lighter body also makes creating true POV content with the Venice 2 camera possible, as demonstrated by the Cyclops POV head camera rig that was demonstrated during the exclusive press and partners event.

I asked Mr Takashi what he believes the impact of this camera may be on the filmmaking world. “It’s always challenging for me to mention the full benefits when we launch a new camera system because it is the cinematographers who discover the maximum power of these products.

They’re very talented and they know about the art, so I can’t predict. But we will find out through the filmmakers, that’s what always happens."

I also wondered what the release of this camera may signal for the rest of the Sony camera system as a whole. "It is the top-end area who lead the innovation. With the introduction of this camera, there will be more ideas coming from our engineering side and at the same time, from the art side, the cinematographer side.

"This is just the beginning. Engineers are always eager to have a challenge, it excites them. Since we are listening to DoPs and filmmakers, we will learn more and we will innovate more. It’s a collaborative process.

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"With Venice leading the technology, we have some ideas for how we can implement these new ideas into the other cinema cameras. We see this in two areas; one is ‘Look’, and the other is: ‘Operability’.

"We have begun implementing the Venice Look in the cinema series. Then in terms of operability, Venice has a very simple, but very useful menu system, so we want to have that simplified, good menu, throughout. Those two pillars define the future of Sony filmmaking."

A key development introduced in the Extension System Mini is the ND filter slot. The Sony Venice uses a wheel ND, which makes the camera significantly larger. But this new module features a drop-in cartridge ND, which sits between the sensor and the lens mount, helping to significantly reduce the size of the camera. Nine drop-in ND filters, one of which is clear, are available as an optional accessory kit.

A launch film was shown at the event, Descent, shot by DoP Kate Reid BSC and directed by the Lynch Brothers (David T Lynch and Keith Lynch). The film is shot inside a replica 2x2x2m space capsule, a real test in terms of working space for any cinema camera system. But it was a perfect demonstration of just how versatile and practical the Venice Extension System Mini is in a real-world cinematic application.

Speaking about her time using the Extension System Mini to shoot Descent, Kate Reid’s enjoyment was clear. "The day that I saw the camera at One Stop where we were prepping, I felt really comfortable. "This camera, you can operate it like a medium format stills camera, and so shoot from the waist."

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Looking for a camera for your next movie? Check out our guides to the best cinema cameras or the best Netflix-approved cameras. If this Venice camera is a little much for your needs, check out our guide to the best cameras for filmmaking for a wider range of options.