Behind The Sphere’s One-of-a-Kind 18K Big Sky Camera

Camera News

by Alexandra ThompsonDecember 4^th, 2023

In an age dominated by technology and the looming belief that AI will soon take control of our lives, an occasional flash of human creativity surfaces, reminding us that our ability to imagine is still going strong.

Enter, The Sphere. A $2.3 billion music and entertainment arena built in Las Vegas, it was unveiled in July of this year. It is the largest spherical structure in the world, at 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide at its widest point. It seats 17,500 – and 10,000 of those seats are haptic, allowing guests to feel sound vibration. Plus, The Sphere’s 160,000 sq. ft. LED screen has the highest resolution in the world at 19,000×13,500 pixels. We look at this structure and ask ourselves how on earth is this even possible. And how does it work?

Some background

The Sphere is hyped as a “complete immersive experience”- an enormous interior video screen that surrounds the audience – a screen that is a whopping 20 times larger than the biggest IMAX screen. But that’s only one part of the puzzle. Next was creating a custom camera system from the ground up, crucial in creating content and delivering visuals to match The Sphere’s scale and curved surface.

The first iteration produced by the innovative engineering team at Sphere Studios in California comprised 11 cameras welded together, each offering a unique perspective. You can imagine – getting the shots from each camera and then editing them together proved to be a nightmare. Under the guidance of Deanan DaSilva, the chief architect of the Big Sky Camera, the team created the Big Sky Camera System, along with a lens system that seamlessly integrated those 11 perspectives into a singular view, in a way that’s similar to the human eye.

The lens & sensor on the Big Sky Camera

Shooting for The Sphere’s screen presents two primary challenges. First, a camera is needed that can capture very wide angles, and second, the images need to be in super-resolution. The Big Sky Camera addresses wide angles by utilizing a version of a fisheye lens that is almost 12″/30.48cm across. A circular, linear image is produced, which distorts the view so a wider angle can be captured in a circle. Naturally, a larger sensor (18K x 18K) is required to capture more detail, and this sensor is square as opposed to a normal rectangular sensor. The circular image fits perfectly into the square, eliminating wasted pixels. The lens and sensor work together to create the expansive and exceptionally clear view that’s needed for The Sphere’s screen.

How do they shoot?

The field of view extends almost behind the lens. When the camera is tilted upward, it captures the full field of view, which looks natural from where the audience is seated in The Sphere. By tilting the camera, the horizon is lined up so that when the image is transformed into 3D, it will look normal from where each person in the audience is sitting. The team can check how it looks by using a VR headset with live, simulated footage. Furthermore, at the Big Dome, a structure that’s a quarter-sized version of The Sphere, they can test out a ‘real’ preview.

Where do we go from here?

Enter Director Darren Aronofsky who, with this remarkable camera, was able to create an exclusive film for The Sphere titled “Postcard From Earth,” and showcase immersive scenes from around the world. And it seems like the team at Sphere Studios has only just begun – they are continuing to work on the details of this mighty camera. It will be interesting to see whether this is a springboard for someone else’s imagination and where that might take us.

What do you think of this remarkable camera? Have you had the chance to visit The Sphere? Let us know if you have, and share your experience with us in the comments below!