Kinefinity MAVO Edge 6K Introduced – Full-Frame Open Gate Mode and Uncompressed RAW

Camera News

by Francesco AndreolaMarch 29^th, 2022

Kinefinity has just released a new full-frame Cinema camera, the MAVO Edge 6K. This powerful tool boasts a new 3:2 6K sensor and it supports Cinema DNG Uncompressed RAW as well as ProRes recording up to 6K Open Gate at 75fps. It also comes with internal eND filters, a redesigned UI, and an extensive set of I/O ports. It is now available for pre-order starting at $9,999. Our camera first look review and a short film can be found here.

In the last few years, Kinefinity has been a little quiet when it comes to new product releases. Indeed, their last big announcement dates back to 2020, when the Kinefinity MAVO Edge 8K was first introduced. In case you missed it, check out my colleague Johnnie’s hands-on review of this 8K powerhouse.

After taking a few uncertain steps with ProRes RAW recording last year, the Chinese camera manufacturer is now back in full swing. Indeed, it’s time to welcome a new 6K full-frame cinema camera, the Kinefinity MAVO Edge 6K. After reading its specs on paper, I was personally quite impressed. So let’s jump straight to the core of this new little beast: the image sensor. For a full review, please head over to my colleague Johnnie’s article.

Kinefinity MAVO Edge 6K: sensor and recording modes

The new Kinefinity MAVO Edge 6K inherits the form factor of the MAVO Edge 8K, but with a 6K 3:2 full-frame sensor. The camera sports a native KineMOUNT. According to the manufacturer, the new sensor outperforms that of the current 6K cameras in the lineup: the MAVO LF and the S35 MAVO. We are curious to put this new camera through its paces in our Lab Test to have a hands-on experience of how it performs.

Like many cinema cameras these days, the MAVO Edge 6K chip is a dual native ISO sensor (800 and 5120 ISO). The lowest value should offer the highest dynamic range and up to 6 stops of highlights protection. On the other side of the spectrum, the highest ISO should provide cleaner shadows with reduced noise in low-light environments.

The camera is capable of capturing motion at up to 75fps in 6K Open Gate and 160fps in 4K. Currently, only different flavors of ProRes recording are available, from 10-bit ProRes 422 LT up to 12-bit ProRes 4444 XQ. In this scenario, recording using the pre-installed Kine LOG3 Gamma helps optimize dynamic range.

However, the company announced that Uncompressed RAW will also be available with a future update coming in Q2 2022. Adopting the CinemaDNG standard, this format will preserve sensor data in its purest form, thus turning the MAVO Edge 6K into an absolute beast. Moreover, another update planned for Q3 2022 should add a pre-recording function.

Third-party media and power options

In order to enable high-resolution RAW recording at fast speeds, the MAVO Edge 6K relies on two PCIe-3.0 SSD slots. The company offers a proprietary media solution, the KineMAG Nano 1TB, but the good news is that third-party NVMe M.2 2280 SSDs are also compatible. For this purpose, a KineMAG Nano Body is already included with the camera to easily adapt disks of other brands.

Users are provided the same amount of flexibility when powering the camera. Indeed, the battery plate features a hybrid design to host both 14.8V V-mount and BP-U batteries.

The body is also equipped with several output ports for powering camera accessories, including a D-Tap, a 12V RS, and a 12V lens port. However, these are just a few of the numerous I/O connections that the camera has.

New UI, connectivity, and monitoring

All camera settings are fully controllable using either the simple button layout on the left side of the body or the KineMON-5U2/7U2 touchscreen monitors. These large screens feature a 2000-nit, daylight viewable panel that now comes with a completely redesigned UI for a more intuitive approach. This is made possible by the fresh KineOS 7.0 firmware, which also introduces advanced features such as support for Cooke/i metadata protocol.

As far as monitoring goes, the MAVO Edge 6K is also compatible with Kinefinity’s Micro-OLED viewfinder and it also offers two independent 1.5/3G SDI ports to preview different versions of the same image. Ingeniously, Kinefinity also equipped the camera with Wi-Fi connectivity to rapidly stream an H.264 image onto smart devices.

The list of input and output connections that this camera boasts is quite extensive. To me, it looks like the MAVO Edge 6K is built like a tank and it’s ready for all sorts of productions. Its body is populated with all sorts of I/O ports, including a control, timecode, RS232 lens protocol, run/stop, RJ Gigabit Ethernet, and USB-C port. In particular, the USB-C port can also be used for fast footage offloading straight from the camera.

Body design and internal eND filters

The new MAVO Edge 6K shares the same body design as its 8K sibling, but with aluminum rather than carbon fiber construction. The camera has such a compact form factor that it can fit on a DJI Ronin RS2. It only weighs 1.6kg/3.6lbs, which is not much for a full-frame cinema camera with these specs.

In such a compact body, the company also managed to fit a set of continuous internal eND filters that take away from 2 to 8 stops of light. Furthermore, Kinefinity also revealed that they’ve been working closely with Tilta and SmallRig to develop rigging accessories for the camera.

3.5mm jack and professional XLR audio inputs

Along with the impressive video specs, the manufacturer packed the camera with professional audio tools that can easily fit into any workflow. This little beast supports 24bit/48kHz four-channel audio recording from three different sources: the built-in mics, the 3.5mm jack, and two XLR ports with +48V phantom power.

Full specifications

Price and availability

The new Kinefinity MAVO Edge 6K is now available for pre-order on B&H and it will reach the shelves in May 2022. The full-frame cinema camera comes in two finishes with slightly different official retail prices. Indeed, the Cyber Edition version will cost you $500 more than the raw steel gray model, whose suggested retail price is $9,999.

The company also offers two accessories pack options, the Core and the Professional Pack. Depending on the color of the camera body, their price changes as follows:

• Raw steel gray – Core Pack: $14,099
• Raw steel gray – Production Pack: $16,399
• Cyber Edition – Core Pack: $14,099
• Cyber Edition – Professional Pack: $16,899

For more information, please visit Kinefinity’s website here.

Have you ever shot something on a Kinefinity camera? What do you think of this new product release? Let us know your thoughts on the MAVO Edge 6K in the comment section down below!