CineGear2025 / Vol.03
Sony at Cine Gear 2025 – New possibilities for spatial reproduction displays
At the Sony at Cine Gear 2025 booth, many guests expected the brand-new FX2 to be the most popular exhibit, complete with its full-size image sensor.
However, Sony’s demonstration of the spatial reproduction display attracted more attention than expected. This demonstration attracted a lot of interest from visitors with experience of stereoscopic images, especially many people in the film industry.
The spatial reproduction displays on display included the 27-inch “ELF-SR2,” the 15-inch “ELF-SR1,” and a 75-inch prototype model, which was being shown for the first time in the U.S. The images shown in the 75-inch prototype model in particular surprised viewers with their immersiveness. This display does not require glasses and reproduces natural space from multiple viewpoints with the naked eye.
Sony’s spatial reproduction display was originally designed with panels installed at a 45° angle. However, the ELF-SR2 can now be installed vertically thanks to SDK 2.4.0 released on October 29, 2024. It also supports multi-display settings, allowing multiple displays to be connected and used together. Meanwhile, the 75-inch prototype model achieved frameless display with a huge single display.
How it works
Conventional Sony spatial reproduction displays are equipped with gaze recognition sensors that recognize the position of people and output images based on that. This is also applied to the 75-inch spatial reproduction display, and the principle of a built-in camera capturing the viewer and displaying a three-dimensional image on the display is the same.
8K Resolution Panel
The 75-inch model has an 8K resolution panel with a refresh rate of 60P. There may be changes required for commercialization in the future, which will be considered during the development stage.
Meanwhile, in the demo corner using a 27-inch spatial reproduction display, two VENICE Extension System Mini camera heads were placed in parallel to perform 3D photography, enabling real-time image expression with a sense of depth.
In this demo, Sony proposed a total solution for the production workflow of spatial reproduction displays, from shooting to viewing. This solution enables real-time monitoring of images shot using stereoscopic data, and is intended for use in reviewing individual cuts after recording and editing, as well as for presentations.
3D Images with this system
In the production of 3D images, it has been pointed out that the fast camera movements can cause discomfort to the viewer. However, these problems are being overcome with the introduction of robotic arms. Robotic arms enable appropriate motion control of the subject, reducing the occurrence of motion sickness caused by 3D images.
Furthermore, this technology makes it possible to produce spatial content while monitoring elements such as the sense of depth relative to the subject, the degree of blur, resolution, and focus adjustment in real time. This kind of real-time image processing capability is expected to be utilized especially in the field of live production.
Shooting stereoscopic images is difficult due to issues such as parallax. Sony’s solution focuses on monitoring applications that allow you to check the image in real time while shooting, thereby resolving issues during the production process. The final output is in the same format as a conventional 3D movie.
Sony VENICE Extension System Mini enables new creative possibilities through collaboration with third parties
Sony exhibited the VENICE Extension System Mini at NAB 2025 in April this year. This system strengthens collaboration with various accessory manufacturers, and at the Sony booth at Cine Gear, an ecosystem including Bright Tangerine was on display.
At NAB 2025, the VENICE Extension System Mini head was exhibited alone, with no accessories such as a grip included. However, at the Sony booth for Cine Gear, it was shown that the VENICE Extension System Mini head is being expanded with third-party accessories.
This is a situation in which accessory manufacturers have pursued the possibilities of customization in order to meet the diverse requests of users, and have made it possible through collaboration with Sony.
At the Sony at Cine Gear 2025 booth, visitors could try out shooting with the Second Reef “Coral Anamorphic” lens, experiencing a specific image look (texture and color). This shows that a practical operating environment for the VENICE Extension System Mini is being established in a short period of time since its announcement.
Sony’s FX2 focuses on the new viewfinder and improved operability
Sony’s FX2 made its debut at Cine Gear this year. In Japan, there are trial opportunities available at Sony stores on limited dates, but visitors were able to touch the actual product on display ahead of its August 2025 release.
The demo model was equipped with a combination of a G Master zoom lens and a prime lens. One of the main features of the FX2 is the viewfinder, which was not installed on the FX3 or FX30. Sony has thoroughly considered the best viewfinder for video shooting, and has achieved a new viewing angle that can be fixed at any angle and allows you to check the inside even when you are not looking. By actually looking through this viewfinder, you can experience how easy it is to use. The orientation of the viewfinder installed on the demo model can be changed depending on the application.
The FX2’s tilting electronic viewfinder is designed to be changeable for use with either the left or right eye by removing the eyecup or flipping it over as needed to ensure optimal visibility depending on the user’s dominant eye.
The FX2 Unique Viewfinder
The viewfinder uses a 3.68 million dot OLED, achieving specifications similar to those of the digital single-lens camera “α7 IV,” providing users with a high-quality visual experience. In addition, since it uses the same interface as the FX3, there are no changes to the size or button layout, allowing existing users to operate it intuitively. Another feature is the two screw holes at the bottom.
As a new feature, the home screen has been updated to “BIG6”, allowing for more intuitive operation. In addition, two slow-motion settings, Fixed and Variable, have been added. This differs from the conventional S&Q (Slow & Quick), and allows you to switch between fixed and variable frame rates within a single mode, just like VENICE and BURANO. These improvements to the user interface can be confirmed by touching the actual device.
The FX2 supports both still and video photography, and has been praised for its design. Another attractive feature is its suggested retail price of 416,900 yen (including tax).
