Kinefinity MAVO Edge 8K – Now Available on B&H

Camera News

by Olaf von VossDecember 6^th, 2021

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The Kinefinity MAVO Edge 8K is a pretty capable high-end digital cine camera (read –and watch– our review here). Still, US customers have held back as local support has been (very) limited – until now: the camera is available through B&H and Kinefinity has established a service center right in the heart of Hollywood. Will this change the way this camera is received by the (US) industry?

19 months ago, in April 2020, Kinefinity lifted the curtain on its then-brand-new flagship, the MAVO Edge 8K. And it turns out that this camera is a beast of a fully-fledged cine-cam. With its insanely large sensor (8192px x 5288px) and native support for internal ProRes RAW 4444XQ 12-bit capture, the MAVO Edge 8K should have earned a spot at the top…. but it didn’t.

And that’s not because of a lack of functionality or build quality, but because of a completely different problem: Kinefinity is based in China, so it’s not always easy to source goods from there if you live in the US. When you’re forking out $12,000, you want to be sure that the right support is just a phone call away and not a trip to the nearest customs office with months of waiting and an uncertain outcome, right?

Kinefinity MAVO Edge 8K

That’s why Kinefinity has set up a service center in Burbank, California, right in the heart of the Hollywood dream factory. With this facility and the new US website, Kinefinity is now ready to launch the second phase of its ongoing flirtation with the US market. At B&H, the MAVO Edge 8K camera is listed for pre-order. And that’s a first in the history of Kinefinity cameras.

So what does this move tell us? I think that the ability to not only purchase but also service this camera will open many doors for Kinefinity. The MAVO Edge 8K has proven that it is indeed a very capable tool for capturing high-end cinema productions, but the lack of customer support held back potential users outside of the home market of China.

On paper, the MAVO Edge 8K is on par with other high-end cameras like the ARRI ALEXA LF, the RED Raptor or the Sony VENICE, it even surpasses them in terms of pixel count. Moreover, the highly acclaimed ProRes XQ codec is an industry standard (422 and proxy variants are of course also available).

No Netflix

One drawback remains, however. The MAVO Edge 8K has not yet been approved by Netflix, although its sensor size and K-count are more than adequate. Of course, other specifications and considerations play a role in such a certification, but I’m sure Netflix will now have to take a closer look at the MAVO Edge 8K.

Still, it’s a big achievement for Kinefinity to have made it into one of the biggest retail outlets for filmmakers in the US. They have managed to get their foot in the door, so to speak.

Link: Kinefinity

What do you think? Have you already used a MAVO camera on one of your projects? Share your experiences in the comments below!