For official coverage of the papal appearance from St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican chose Sony's HDC-5500 system camera for its 4K HDR output and performance under complex lighting.
The Vatican took special care when recording the historic announcement of Pope Leo XIV on 8 May in detail. The City has a tradition of documenting globally significant events with high visual fidelity, making sure they reach millions of viewers across the world.
During official coverage of the papal appearance from St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican chose Sony's HDC-5500 system camera for 4K HDR output and the ability to operate under complex lighting conditions, such as those in the early evening of Thursday 8 May, the HDC-5500 proved to be well suited for capturing the unique atmosphere of the Vatican, from late afternoon crowds to the reveal on the famous loggia. The HDC-5500 delivered clear, sharp images, lifelike colours and precise high frame-rate footage.
4K HDR Capture
The camera has Sony’s 2/3-inch 4K 3-CMOS sensor with global shutter, preventing artefacts and banding noise. It captures sharp 4K images with low noise (-62dB) and high sensitivity – F10 at 1080/59.94p or F11 at 1080/50p.
The HDC-5500’s development focusses on 4K HDR capture in live production environments. Through its on-board signal processor, the HDC-5500 can output 4K signals directly without having to install a dedicated external processor. It can also output 4K signals directly via 12G-SDI. Due to its 4K baseband transmission and compact size, it suits steadicam and wireless systems.
Regarding colour, its high dynamic range achieves 2020 broadcast standard wide colour space, and supports Sony’s SR Live workflow for simultaneous HDR/SDR production. With a Low-key Saturation function, the camera records rich colours in low-light areas, and has gamma functions to give control over fine-tuning tonal values, contrast and detail.
Archiving History
The Vatican's choice to use Sony's HDC-5500 aligns with its ongoing concern for storytelling, communication and transparency. Its team also needs to keep up with technological innovation as it archives the evolving history of the Catholic Church. Sony's system cameras have been a part of the Vatican's media infrastructure for more than 10 years, and this same model has been deployed earlier on for live broadcasts such as Easter Mass, Christmas celebrations and similar events.
Francesco Masci, Chief Technology Officer, Dicastery for Communication said, "We have a long-standing relationship with Sony. Due to this partnership – and in particular to our Technology Directorate’s adoption of 4K HDR – we have been able to capture the depth and emotion of extraordinary events, such as the first public appearance of Pope Leo XIV, with excellent visual fidelity.” pro.sony
