Flying BURANO: Thierry Donard's Take on the Burano

Swiss cinematographer Thierry Donard recently had the opportunity to take the all-new Sony Burano for a test drive. Set out to push the BURANO’s boundaries, Thierry Donard took on the challenge to film the intense extreme sport wing suit flying. Hear Dondard’s final conviction of the Sony Burano in this blog:

Wing suit flyers reach speeds of up to 280 kilometres per hour, demanding lightning-fast and accurate autofocus. The BURANO, equipped with Sony E-Mount lenses and an AI-based face recognition system, excelled at tracking these high-speed flyers. Thierry Donard, initially sceptical of autofocus, became a convert, praising its reliability.

Custom-built FPV drones captured breathtaking shots for the film. The BURANO's built-in variable ND filter, auto exposure, and autofocus made drone work effortless. Its exceptional dynamic range and impressive colour reproduction along with being able to use a dual base ISO of 800 to 3200 amazed Thierry, calling it "mind-blowing."

The BURANO's variable ND filter smoothly managed extreme lighting changes during flight sequences. In-body image stabilization (IBIS) ensured stable, immersive point-of-view shots, a crucial feature in these conditions.

When filming extreme sports, you often only get one opportunity, where time is spent on getting into position and preparing. The BURANO's quick startup and low power consumption allowed Thierry to maximize his shooting time with minimal battery use, only using 2 V-Lock batteries for a full day of shooting.

The BURANO's compact size and user-friendly design made it ideal for remote locations. Thierry found it "ready to go straight out of the box," with its monocular viewfinder and top handle facilitating ease of use. The GP-VR100 Smart Grip further improved control and functionality.

The film, shot using the X-OCN LT codec, demonstrated the BURANO's versatility, offering high-quality footage in various modes. Post-production was seamless, thanks to the camera's user-friendly material format.

'Human Wings' shot on BURANO by Thierry Donard from Nuit de la Glisse

Go behind the scenes with Thierry Donard on the creation of his BURANO short film, ‘HUMAN WINGS’.

Sony Burano

Credit: Sony