Sony’s Teased Compact Cine Camera Is the $25,000 Venice 2 Extension System Mini

Mar 26, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A compact black Sony full-frame camera sensor module, shown against a black background. The front is open, displaying the sensor inside, with various connectors and ports visible on the body.

Last week, Sony teased a new full-frame E-mount cinema camera that promised to “Go small, shoot big.” That product has been fully unveiled, and it is extremely niche: the $25,000 Sony Venice 2 Extension System Mini that requires an even more expensive Sony Venice 2 8K or 6K camera.

The Sony Venice 2 is a big, beefy cinema camera with a large full-frame image sensor, 16 stops of dynamic range, and more buttons and ports than a professional cinematographer could shake a stick at. The roughly $60,000 professional video camera is mighty and used in many commercial environments, including filming some Hollywood blockbusters. However, its size can limit its utility in certain environments.

That’s where the Sony Venice 2 Extension System Mini comes in. The extension system separates the image sensor block and lens from the main body of a Sony Venice 2 camera, ensuring that creators can capture the same excellent 8.6K video without the bulk of the standard Venice 2 camera body. The Venice 2 Extension System Mini is basically just a sensor, an E-mount, and a few buttons and ports in a small shell.

A film crew captures a scene outdoors. A woman in a red dress walks up white stone steps. The cameraman follows her, while another crew member with headphones stands nearby. The setting is bright and sunny with whitewashed walls.

This is not Sony’s first foray into an extension system product like this, as the company previously sold a Rialto sensor block that promised much of the same workflow, albeit with older internal components. However, the new Venice 2 Extension System Mini is about 70% smaller than the prior version, making its promise of professional video in a tiny form factor even more attractive. Despite its small size, the extension system still features a built-in ND filter system, which comes with a nine filter set (0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, 1.8, 2.1, and 2.4 strengths).

Close-up of hands adjusting a camera with a Cinefade unit attached. The camera has a lens with visible focus markings. Cables and other equipment components are seen in the background, indicating a professional filming setup.

Filmmakers have demonstrated the utility of such a cinema camera system before, including during the making of F1, a blockbuster movie hitting theaters in June. Prior Sony Venice extension units have been used to create other major motion pictures, including Top Gun: Maverick.

The sensor block features a built-in gyro sensor to capture tilt and roll metadata, works with Cooke /i protocol, and features user-assignable buttons. The system also includes an Arri PL adapter, enabling filmmakers to use a diverse range of cinema lenses.

A hand holding a compact, rectangular Sony camera module against a dark background. The camera's lens mount and electronic contacts are visible, showcasing its sleek, metal body.

Another advantage of the Sony Venice Extension System Mini is that, due to its size, it is much easier to capture stereoscopic video by placing two extension units side by side. According to Sony, the compact system is also more usable for virtual reality and visual effects work.

Two Sony full-frame cameras placed side by side on a black stand, with a measurement of 64 mm indicated between the two lenses. The background shows blurred equipment and a curtain.

While the Sony Venice 2 Extension System Mini is undoubtedly made strictly for very high-end professional video applications, Sony is quick to note that more consumer-friendly video gear is in the works.

“This is geared toward high-end feature filmmakers and is already being used on four major films by Oscar winners and one high-profile TV series,” Sony tells a disappointed commenter on Facebook who hoped for something for “mid-class filmmakers.”

A woman in a red dress poses outdoors while a man operates a large camera rig on the other side of a white wall with an arched window. The setting is bright and sunny with modern architecture.