Could Sony's massive new sensor sway even Christopher Nolan?

The Rialto 65 sensor block will mount on Sony's Venice 2 camera, which currently offers modules based around 50MP and 24MP full-frame fully-stacked sensors. Image: Sony

Sony has announced the Rialto 65: a large format sensor module for its Venice 2 cinema camera. The "Rialto" will be built around a 53.75 x 35.83mm sensor, making it comparable in size to the 53.4 x 40mm (essentially 645) sensors its semiconductor division makes for the likes of the Phase One IQ4.

More to the point, it's very close in size to the dimensions of the Arri Alexa 65, a rental-only cinema camera used in very high-end Hollywood productions. That has a 54.12 x 25.58mm sensor. The Rialto sensor uses a taller 3:2 aspect ratio than the Arri camera.

No details have been given about the pixel count or sensor technology being used, but it's probably safe to say it won't be the high pixel-count, relatively slow readout designs used in the Phase One and Fujifilm's smaller-sensor GFX Eterna cameras.

Sony says the sensor "block" will be available in the first half of 2027, with it being on show at the Cine Gear Expo show in Los Angeles later this week.

At present, the Venice 2 is available with stacked 35 x 24mm sensors that closely match the spec of the a1 II and a9 II photo cameras.

What is 65mm?

The Arri 65 uses a ∼54 x 26mm sensor which, like the Rialto 65, mimics the size of a vertically-fed strip of "65mm" film. Image: Arri

As if we weren't having enough fun judging digital cameras by the dimensions of film formats over on the stills side of things, Sony is careful to point out that "65mm" refers to "a class of imaging area derived from the 65mm film format," rather than actually being a dimension of the sensor size (a footnote the camera industry might consider applying to its inch-type sensor size nomenclature).

As with "35mm" film, 65mm can be used in a variety of ways. Both Arri and Sony are mimicking the 5-perf vertical usage when they refer to 65mm. Illustration: based on images by Mliu92 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

As with "35mm" film, the 65mm format is named after the full width of the film, including the sprockets. And, as with 35mm, which can be used vertically, using four perf(erations) to give the "Super 35" movie format, that's roughly the same size as APS-C, or horizontally, using eight sprocket holes per frame to give the 36 x 24mm format we call full-frame, 65mm can be used in a number of ways.

The most common are 5-perf vertical, giving a roughly 52.6 x 23mm widescreen frame, or the vast 15-perf horizontal IMAX format that Christopher Nolan seems determined to maintain, single-handedly. This is a vast 70.4 x 52.6mm. If you know anything at all about the exponential costs of making larger sensors, you'll understand why Sony is mimicking the former.

Why Rialto?

While, for Brits at least, the world 'Rialto' may evoke crumbling former cinemas in faded seaside towns, the name actually derives from Venice's historical theatre district. And this sensor block fits into the Venice 2 camera. Clever, eh?

Sony hasn't given details of price but we'd assume it's as close to the cost of one of Venice's islands as the price of your current camera.