Cinelux SIXTEEN hybrid Super 16 camera on track for 2027 launch

The Cinelux SIXTEEN prototype is a hybrid Super 16 camera that exposes film and captures a 3K digital image in a single shutter revolution. Shipping is targeted for 2027 at under the price of a used ARRI 416.

One of the more intriguing exhibits at Cine Gear this year is the Cinelux SIXTEEN, a hybrid Super 16 film camera currently in prototype that debuted at last year’s show. It's designed to expose film and capture digital simultaneously in a single shutter revolution, and does that by replacing a traditional optical viewfinder with a 3K digital cinema sensor at the gate. That means that each shutter rotation produces both a film frame and a digital capture from the same image path.

Dual delivery

Why would you do that? The core claim is dual delivery without compromise: a film negative for scanning and a digital output for on-set monitoring, proxy editing, and department reference. Cinelux has developed its own color science to match the digital feed as closely as possible to the film stock being used, replicating the way specific stocks handle highlights, shadows, and color. The current prototype uses manual LUTs, while the production version is intended to offer real-time film stock emulation.

Film speed and shutter angle (0-360°) operate independently of each other, which opens up creative shutter and movement techniques not easily achieved on older film cameras. A large jog wheel on the body can simulate a hand crank and move film in reverse.

Firmer specs

A year on and the specs are coming into clearer focus. The prototype records to CFExpress Type B media in Cinelux Raw, Cinema DNG, ProRes 444 HQ, and H.265. It outputs via 4× SDI and USB-C, and connects over WiFi, Bluetooth, or Ethernet. Power is via 12-26V 2-pin Lemo (2B) input.

Current prototype specs include a 3K digital sensor at 48 fps at 3K or 90 fps at 2K, matched to a 13.35 mm × 7.42 mm film gate. Film runs to 90 fps on the prototype. The production version is projected to hit 120 fps on both paths, add 1000' magazines alongside the current 400', introduce sound sync, and replace the manual LUT system with real-time film stock emulation.

Pricing and availability 

Shipping is projected for 2027. Cinelux says the camera will cost less than a used ARRI 416 package. That’s a fairly wide range covering anything from $15,000 to $40,000 from a quick look, so hopefully the company is talking about the bottom end of that spectrum.