MUMBAI: Consumer electronics company Sony has announced that its F23 digital cinematography camera was the production tool of choice for film and television projects in 2008 in the US.

The camera was used to shoot upcoming productions including Tekken, Public Enemies and Final Destination 4 as well as last year's releases like Cloverfield and Speed Racer.

On the TV schedule, the camera is behind the scenes of shows like Weeds, Gossip Girl, The Starter Wife and Knight Rider.

Final Destination 4 director of photography (DP) Glen MacPherson says, “The F23 has excellent dynamic range, handling highlights beautifully with a film-like quality. It’s also virtually noiseless in the shadows, and the 2/3-inch image sensor is ideal for shooting 3D. The F23 is my camera of choice for all those reasons.”

The F23 camera uses three 2.2 megabit 2/3-inch type progressive CCD imagers and a 14-bit analog-to-digital converter. The system supports multiple 1080 formats, including 24 and 60 fps in progressive mode.

Sony Electronics’ Content Creation Systems Group senior manager Rick Harding says, “The F23’s feature sets are expanded from our previous 24P cameras. It can shoot true variable frame rate (exposure time matches frame rate) and speed ramping (one to 60 frames per second). These functions are available to the director on the set in real time and can be immediately reviewed. There is no post step required. These features, along with compatibility with ARRI accessories, ultimately mean familiar operations, higher quality images, lower production costs and more footage at the end of the day’s shoot.”

The camera delivers 12.5 stops of latitude – more than any other 2/3-inch chip digital cinema camera. Cinematographers can also work in LOG mode, a camera setting that “allows for an even more film-like shooting experience,” according to Harding.

Stargate Digital founder and CEO Sam Nicholson worked with the F23 on Knight Rider and noted the distinct cost- and time-saving advantages of working with the camera’s dockable recorder, since it requires no reloading in the field and its “perfectly integrated speed ramps that go from zero to 60 fps at the turn of a knob, minimizing the need for on-set adjustments.”

Nicholson is working with the F35 as VFX DP for a new pilot drama called Defying Gravity. This is a fictional space epic about the first manned space mission across the solar system.

He says, “The real attributes of the F23 and F35 are their bullet-proof HDCAM SR workflows. These are the most smoothly integrated cameras on the market."