Sony Defends 4K Video: It’s Not Just About The Resolution

It seems like almost every time the subject of 4K video cameras comes up, someone inevitably argues that such high resolution is unnecessary. Well, Sony have taken notice, and this week DoP Philippe Ros — who was hired to shoot a 4K promo video — jumped to 4K’s defense by explaining that it’s not all about the resolution.

Interestingly, Ros admitted that only the first row may notice the resolution in a movie theatre, what he’s more interested in is the dynamic range and color info that professional 4K cameras like Sony’s $65,000 F65 produce. As Engadget astutely pointed out, you can’t expect Ros to say anything negative about 4K, but if what he says is true then cinematographers using 4K cameras will find post-production much more flexible.

We’re only just now seeing more widespread use of 4K in the movies (M. Night Shyamalan is currently shooting his new movie After Earth on that F65 mentioned above), and the benefits of 4K inevitably come with a hefty price tag attached, but it’s good to see someone looking past the number of pixels and pointing out the other benefits of the technology. Who knows, if pro cinematographers begin widely accepting it, we may even see a more substantial consumer push.