Sony is building a medium format sensor that’s 2.2 times that of a full-frame E-Mount sensor – and fans now finally have a glimpse of the upcoming oversized sensor technology.
Last week, Sony announced that it is developing a 65mm-format sensor for its modular Venice cinema system that will allow filmmakers to swap out the sensor on the modular camera for an oversized sensor rivaling the likes of medium format cinema options like the Fujifilm GFX Eterna, Blackmagic Ursa Cinema 17K 65, and the Arri Alexa 65.
That oversized sensor will be capable of 9.7K video and measures about 53.75mm wide and 35.83mm tall (the 65mm comes from the 64.60mm diagonal measurement).
But, as a development announcement not expected to arrive until the first half of 2027, the announcement came without any official images of the actual sensor. Sony, however, previewed the technology at the CineGear 2026 expo – and now the first images and footage of Sony’s overzies sensor are trickling in.
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Sony had the new sensor display tech on display in a few different ways, including mounting the sensor block directly to the Venice 2, mounting with a cable setup, and displaying the sensor block itself.
As only a development announcement, there’s much that filmmakers don’t yet know about the Rialto 65, including the type of shutter that will be paired with the sensor. But the announcement is exciting in that it pushes Sony into the medium format market, albeit for cinema and not stills.
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Videos and photos coming from visitors to the CineGear Expo 2026 offer Sony fans a glimpse at just how much larger the sensor is than the full-frame currently available for the Venice 2 system.
In a Reddit post, one user claiming to be from Sony says that the company has noted increased demand for 65mm with an uptick in launches for lenses for the format. Meanwhile, Reddit users responded with a mix of reactions, from asking for a medium-format stills camera to hoping for a global shutter to come with the Rialto 65.
The upcoming sensor will likely be out of many creators’ budgets – the full-frame Venice 2 with its two different resolution sensor blocks ranges from $49,000 to $58,000 / £41,000-61,000 / AU$ 76,200-96,800 / CA$55,000-80,000. But the announcement offers a rare official glimpse into what tech Sony is working on behind the scenes.
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