Sony didn’t announce a new camera in June. They announced something more interesting: the RIALTO 65, a 65mm-format sensor block — in development now, targeting the first half of 2027 — that turns the VENICE 2 you already own into the largest-sensor cinema platform in the industry. No new body. No starting over. Same camera, new eyes. Here’s what we know, what we don’t, and what it means if you’re running — or shopping for — a VENICE 2.
The short version
- What it is: a swappable 65mm-format image sensor block for existing VENICE 2 bodies — 9.6K 3:2 open gate, with a sensor roughly 2.2× the light-gathering area of full frame.
- How it mounts: docked directly to the VENICE 2 body, or tethered on a cable like the Rialto extension system — so the 65mm block can fly on cranes, cars, and gimbals without the body.
- When: revealed at the ASC on June 3, 2026 and shown at Cine Gear Expo; scheduled for release in the first half of 2027.
- Why it matters: your VENICE 2 investment doesn’t age out — it upgrades. That changes the math on buying one today.
What the RIALTO 65 actually is
The RIALTO 65 is a new image sensor block built around a 3:2 sensor measuring 53.75 mm wide by 35.83 mm tall — a diagonal of roughly 64.60 mm. For scale, the VENICE 2’s current 8.6K full-frame sensor is 36.2 × 24.1 mm. Sony says the new sensor delivers about 2.2 times the light-receiving area of full frame and calls it one of the industry’s largest sensors in a commercially available cinema camera.
Paired with a VENICE 2 body, it records 9.6K 3:2 open gate and supports multiple readout modes — a practical detail that matters more than it sounds, because 65mm-format lenses don’t all cover the same image circle. Narrower-circle glass gets its own readout options instead of being locked out of the system.
This isn’t a bolt-on accessory, and it isn’t a new camera. It’s Sony making good on a promise baked into VENICE from the start: the sensor block was always designed to be interchangeable, so the platform could grow into new sensor technology instead of being replaced by it.
Side-by-side: VENICE 2 today vs. RIALTO 65
| Spec | VENICE 2 (8K, today) | RIALTO 65 (announced) |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor size | 36.2 × 24.1 mm full-frame | 53.75 × 35.83 mm (~64.60 mm diagonal) |
| Light-gathering area | Full-frame baseline | ~2.2× full frame |
| Resolution | 8.6K (8640 × 5760) | 9.6K 3:2 open gate |
| Aspect ratio | 17:9 / full-frame modes | 3:2 open gate, multiple readout modes |
| Mounting | Sensor block in body; Rialto 2 extension available | Docked to VENICE 2 body, or tethered via cable |
| Lens coverage | Full-frame, S35 modes | 65mm-format lenses, incl. narrower image circles |
| Availability | Shipping now | First half of 2027 (in development) |
RIALTO 65 specs are from Sony’s development announcement (June 2026) and may change before release. Frame rates, dynamic range, and recording formats have not been published yet.
Two ways to rig it
Docked. Mount the RIALTO 65 block directly to the VENICE 2 body and you have a conventional 65mm camera configuration — familiar menus, familiar color science, familiar accessories.
Tethered. Separate the block from the body on a cable, the same trick that made the original Rialto a fixture on high-end productions. The imaging block and lens go where the shot needs them — car rigs, crane heads, tight sets, handheld sleds — while the body and media live somewhere sensible. Except now the block you’re flying is a 65mm-format sensor.
Why 65mm matters
65mm is the format of Lawrence of Arabia, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and more recently Oppenheimer and Nope. It’s the look premium theatrical exhibition is built around: enormous spatial depth, exceptionally shallow focus when you want it, and a sense of scale that smaller formats approximate but don’t match. With premium large-format screens driving theatrical box office, studios and streamers are actively commissioning for it.
Until now, shooting true 65mm digital meant committing to a dedicated large-format camera system. The RIALTO 65’s pitch is different: keep the VENICE 2 workflow your crew already knows — and step up to 65mm when the project calls for it.
What this means if you own (or are buying) a VENICE 2
This is the part we care about most as a dealer, so let’s be direct.
- Existing owners: your body is the platform. When RIALTO 65 ships, you add a sensor block — not a second camera system, not a new ecosystem of accessories and training.
- Buyers on the fence: the calculus just shifted. A VENICE 2 purchased today is a full-frame flagship now and a 65mm platform in 2027. That’s rare insurance in a business where cameras usually depreciate on a countdown.
- Rental and fleet operators: same bodies, two format classes. A VENICE 2 fleet that can option into 65mm is a materially different rental proposition.
And if you’re acquiring now: eligible VENICE 2 configurations currently qualify for 0% financing over 12 or 24 months through Sony’s DLL program — which means you can put the body on set today and be positioned for the 65mm upgrade when it arrives.
Thinking about a VENICE 2 before the 65mm era?
We’ll price a VENICE 2 package configured for your workflow — lenses, media, and support included — with current 0% financing terms, so you can see real numbers before you decide.
Request a VENICE 2 QuoteWhat we don’t know yet
Honesty over hype: this is a development announcement, and Sony has not published pricing, frame rates, dynamic range, recording formats, or the full lens-support list. “First half of 2027” is a target, not a ship date. We’ll update this article as Sony releases specifications — and as an authorized Sony Cinema Line dealer, we’ll have ordering and availability details for the Southeast as soon as they exist.
The honest answer: plan for it now, buy for today
Nobody should buy a camera for a sensor block that ships next year. But if a VENICE 2 already makes sense for your production slate — and for scripted, commercial, and premium episodic work in the Southeast, it often does — the RIALTO 65 removes the biggest hesitation: the fear that the flagship you buy today is the legacy body of tomorrow. Sony just told you, in hardware, that it isn’t.
As an authorized Sony Cinema Line dealer and the sole Sony cinema provider in the Southeast, TakeOne will help you spec a VENICE 2 package that’s ready for where your work is going — and we’d rather talk through whether 65mm is even right for your slate than sell you a bigger sensor than your lenses.