Sony FX3 Professional camera!?
The much-leaked Sony FX3 has finally been publicly announced. As expected, it's an E-mount full-frame video camera that sits at the bottom of Sony's 'Cinema Line' and bridges the gap between the portability of the a7S III and the capability of the FX6.
To a large extent, it can be seen as an a7S III in a more filmmaker-friendly form. So let's have a look at what that really means.
Sensor
Like the FX6, Sony says the FX3 has a 10.2MP BSI-CMOS sensor. Which is true if you only shoot video with it. However, the FX3 can also shoot 3:2 aspect ratio stills using a taller region of the sensor because, as you might have guessed, it's actually the same 12MP sensor used in the a7S III. It also has a mechanical focal plane shutter if you do want to shoot stills.
The use of the same sensor no bad thing, given it has very good readout rates (essential for a video camera) and excellent performance in terms of noise and dynamic range. The FX3 uses the same Bionz XR processors as the a7S III and gets its much improved menus, too. The only major difference is that the on-screen display of AF tracking match the rest of the Cinema Line cameras, rather than those of the Alpha cameras (it's only a subtle difference).
The FX3 also comes with the S-Cinetone color response, which the a7S III currently lacks, in addition to the S-Log and HLG options they both share. But all the signs point to this difference only lasting until the next a7S III firmware update.
Body
The big differences between the a7S III and the FX3 are in the body design. The FX3 looks more like a beefed-up a6x00 series camera, rather than the SLR-shaped a7S III. But look round the back and you'll see the FX3 doesn't have a viewfinder, for reasons that will become clearer on the next slide.
But the most significant difference between the two cameras is, perhaps, what you'll see as you turn the camera round: the ventilation ducts that carry heat away from the back of the camera, thanks to a fan built in behind the tilt-out touchscreen. This fan cooling extends the camera's recording duration compared with the a7S III, but also provides a greater degree of dependability/predictability that's essential for expensive shoots. The fan unit sits outside the camera's weather-sealed body, to avoid providing a path for dust or moisture ingress.
The other fundamental distinction between the camera bodies you need to dig a little deeper. Rather than simply being harder metal inserts embedded in the camera's magnesium alloy shell, the five 1/4-20 UNC threaded mounting points on the body of the camera are all part of a stainless steel under-structure that wraps around the core of the camera. This allows it to be rigged up with all manner of accessories without the need for an external cage.
The other distinction is that the FX3 has front and rear tally lamps, so it's more obvious when the camera is recording.
Controls
The FX3's controls are also different from those of the a7S III or, at least, differently positioned. Whereas the a7S III is primarily designed to be shot held up to your eye, the FX3 has had its control points rejigged to allow easier control when shooting in something more like a waist-level stance.
The camera's joystick is on its top plate, as is a larger, more easily reached [REC] button. Many of the rest of the camera's controls resemble those of the a7S III, with dials at the front and back of the top plate, as well as one placed vertically on the back of the camera. These control iris (aperture), ISO and shutter speed, respectively. But, like the FX6, each has a corresponding button that cycles between the dial between being active, being locked and that parameter being controlled automatically. According to Sony there's logic to the arrangement of some of these buttons to make things easy for a solo shooter. ISO and iris together on top, since they are settings a camera operator changes frequently, and shutter relegated to the back since it's not changed very often.
The final distinction is that the rocker switch on the top of the FX3 is used to control power-zoom lenses: a function the a7S III doesn't have a physical control for.
XLR handle
In keeping with the FX3's low-level/underslung shooting design is the included screw-on handle, allowing the camera to be held steadily during a wider range of movements.
Significantly, the handle includes a built-in XLR audio adapter. This is very similar in spec to the XLR-K3M adapter that can be fitted to the hotshoe/multi-interface shoe of existing Sony cameras, but the multi-interface connection is at the base of the handle.
Like the XLR-K3M, the XLR handle includes a pair of XLR/6.3mm (1/4") TRS connectors with separate volume controls for each. There's also a 3.5mm stereo connector, in addition to the one already on the camera's body. Any audio delivered through the XLR handle is digitized and sent to the camera via the hotshoe. When used together, the XLRs and 3.5mm jack support 4-channel audio recording.
The handle also adds three further 1/4-20 UNC connectors.
When considering the cost of the FX3, relative to the a7S III, it's worth considering that adding a XLR-K3M adaptor to the 'S III costs around $600 (though you also get a shotgun mic for that money, not included with the FX3).
Video capabilities
At its core, the FX3's video capabilities are an exact match for those of the a7S III. It can shoot UHD 4K at up to 60p from the full 4.2K pixel width of its sensor. It can also shoot UHD 4K at up to 120p from the native 3840 x 2160 region (which imposes a slight crop).
All these options can be captured as 10-bit 4:2:2 video, with a choice of the XAVC HS (H.265), XAVC S (H.264) or XAVC S-I (All-I H.264). As with the a7S III, most of these combinations can be written to comparatively modest V60 SD cards, with only V90 rated cards able to shoot almost everything and only All-I 120p, shot via the cameras quick and slow mode, demanding a CFexpress card.
XAVC HS footage can be captured as either 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 10-bit files, whereas XAVC S gives a less-efficient 10-bit 4:2:2 option or 8-bit 4:2:0 capture. All-I capture is always 10-bit 4:2:2.
In addition to the 4K capabilities, the FX3 can shoot 1080p at up to 120p, either from the full sensor region or a Super35/APS-C crop. 1080 footage is captured as either XAVC S or XAVC S-I.
Like the a7S III, the FX3 can output 16-bit Raw video data over its full-size HDMI port, if you have an external recorder that can encode it as something useful.
The key area where the claims about the camera diverge is, of course, endurance and dependability, with the FX3's fan providing extended capture times.
Stabilization
The FX3's stabilization is much like that of the a7S III (which won't come as a surprise if you've followed the 'a7S III in a different body' narrative this far).
At its most basic, you can use the camera's in-body stabilization which can help compensate for a little of the jitter of handheld shooting. There's also an Active SteadyShot mode. This crops in the image a little, using a 4K chunk that can be moved around within the bounds of the 4.2K sensor to provide additional correction. This is only possible at up to 60p, because the 120p mode is only available using the central 4K area, so it can't crop-in further to provide additional stabilization without using a sub-4K region.
The camera also writes data from its gyro sensors as metadata to the file, this lets you apply digital correction in post, using Sony's Catalyst Browse or Catalyst Prepare software, which lets you decide the balance between the extent of the crop and the degree of stabilization applied.
What's missing
In pointing out how many of the FX3's features are shared with the a7S III, it's also worth pointing out that they also share many of the same omissions.
Given its ability to shoot 24, 30 and 60p footage without changing the angle of view, and even 120p without a significant change in the appearance of the footage, it's a real disappointment that the FX3 doesn't let you control exposure time in terms of shutter angle. This is hugely useful because it means you can change frame rate without having to change exposure time; instead you just need to adjust iris or ISO.
The other obviously lacking feature is the ability to shoot DCI 4K. The sensor has enough pixels to capture the wider 1.89:1 format, despite this being a feature offered by the FX6, with which is also shares many of its internals.
Another feature reserved for the FX6 is the ability to shoot exactly 24p footage. Although it has several modes called 24p, the FX3 only shoots the NTSC-derived 23.97p.
The final oversight is the lack of waveform display, a popular method in the video world for setting and checking exposure. Most external displays and recorders can generate a waveform display, but adding one to this camera immediately chips away at the portability for which it's been designed.
Of course it would also be nice to have built-in ND filters, but there's no room in a body this small, and it's one of the things that helps distinguish the FX3 from the larger FX6.
So what's the big deal?
It would be easy to look at the FX3 and wonder why it exists, given how similar it is to the a7S III. From a pure hardware perspective, you lose a viewfinder and gain both a fan and an XLR adapter box in a camera with a list price that's $400 higher.
But for productions that need to be able to depend completely on their camera being able to keep shooting, the difference that fan makes is significant. I wrote in the a7S III review that it made a credible competitor to Panasonic's S1H, but the FX3 is an even close match for its compact-but-dependable feature set.
If anything, the FX3 invites the opposite question: who is the a7S III for, once this camera exists? Coming just seven months after its SLR-shaped sibling, we suspect there'll be a number of independent videographers and small production houses who've bought a7S IIIs, wondering why Sony couldn't have just offered them this, instead.
It seems reasonable that some people can forego the FX6's button-for-everything layout, its use of larger batteries and the convenience of its built-in ND filters, in return for compactness, but how many a7S III users wouldn't rather have the FX3's more video-centric ergonomics and added reliability?
With a compact design for solo shooters, travel applications, and to serve as an ideal B cam, the Sony FX3 borrows from both the Cinema Line and Alpha series of cameras to create an optimized portable cinema camera. The FX3 features all of the imaging attributes you'd expect from this class but sports a newly designed body that's hand-holdable, with a streamlined and minimal profile, and has a "cage-free" design, indicating the ability to secure various accessories directly to the camera body.
Its 12.1MP Exmor R BSI CMOS sensor pairs with a BIONZ XR processor to achieve UHD 4K video capture with internal 10-bit 4:2:2 sampling or 16-bit raw output. The sensor's BSI design heightens clarity and sensitivity, with an expandable ISO 80-409600 range and greater-than 15-stop dynamic range for working in mixed lighting conditions. Benefitting color and tonal control, an S-Cinetone mode can be used for matching to VENICE, FX9, or FX6 sources and there is also S-Log3/2 gamut support and 10-bit HLG for simple HDR productions. The sensor and processor also work together to greatly reduce rolling shutter and the sensor's design incorporates a Fast Hybrid AF system for intelligent and quick focusing performance and subject tracking.
Beyond the physical design just being compact, it's also built to maximize efficiency and operability through the inclusion of an articulating 3.0" touchscreen LCD, a removable shoe-mounted top handle with dual XLR mic inputs, and 5-axis mechanical image stabilization for smoother handheld recording.
Most Compact Member of the Cinema Line Family
This compact addition to Sony's Cinema Line blends the full-frame, S-Cinetone capture of the FX6 with the UHD 4K capture, autofocus options, and body size of the a7S III camera. The video-forward design of the FX3 also shares several handling and audio features with the FX6 and the ISO range and battery of the a7S III.
Common FX3/FX6/a7S III Features
Full-frame, back-illuminated 12.1MP Exmor R CMOS sensor and BIONZ XR processor
High-speed rates of 120p in 4K and 240p in HD
Dynamic range of 15+ stops
Shared FX3/FX6 Attributes
S-Cinetone, S-Log3, HLG, and Rec. 709 gamma options
Tally lamps on the front, side, and rear
Internal fan to prevent overheating
Zoom lever
Shared FX3/A7S III Attributes
5-axis in-body image stabilization
16-bit raw output via HDMI
S-Log2 gamma choice
80 to 409,6000 ISO range (expanded)
Improved FX3 Features
Comfortable, cage-free, handheld operation
Greater than 1.6x battery runtime compared to a7S III
USB-PD power option for extended shooting times
4K Full-Frame CMOS Exmor R Sensor
The 12.1MP Exmor R sensor and BIONZ XR processor offer true cinematic expression with 10.2MP effective video and 12.1MP stills capture. The full-frame sensor provides shallow depth of field looks, impressive bokeh, and reduced rolling shutter artifacts.
S-Cinetone Color
Default S-Cinetone color setting provides a softer-toned look with beautiful skin tone reproduction
Complements your VENICE, FX9, or FX6 footage
S-Log-3, S-Gamut3, S-Gamut3.Cine, and 10-bit 4:2:2: support help to maintain rich gradation and color compatible with the range of Sony Cinema Line cameras
Cinematic Recording / Frame Rate Options
Up to 600 Mb/s XAVC S-I ALL-I H.264 codec recording
XAVC HS codec recording with H.265 encoding for lower bit rates in Long GOP
Internal 10-bit 4:2:2 recording to CFexpress Type A or SD memory cards
External, 16-bit raw,10-bit 4:2:2 output via HDMI type-A port
8-bit XAVC S or 10-bit XAVC HS proxy capture
10-bit, 4:2:2 color available in all formats including HLG
Full-frame UHD 4K high-speeds up to 120p
S35 HD high-speed rates up to 240p
Up to 5x slow-motion rates
Compact Design / Ergonomic Operation
3" LCD with 1,440,000-dot resolution tilts for optimal viewing
Can be used with or without a cage
Right-handed controls feature placement consistent with the rest of the Cinema Line
Five 1/4"-20 accessory threads on the FX3 body plus two on the top handle
Intuitive touchscreen menu
Customizable buttons for assigning 15 controls and up to 140 menu items
Tally (record) lights are easily viewable on the top, front, and rear of the camera
Dual CFexpress Type A/SD slots
Relay, simultaneous, and backup recording
Customizable zoom setting plus Clear Image Zoom
Detachable XLR Adapter Handle
Top handle with two XLR/3.5mm TRS combo audio inputs
Microphone holder and 3.5mm mic input
Digital audio with up to 4-channel, 24-bit recording
Contoured for comfortable low-angle shooting
Fast Hybrid / Phase Detection Autofocus
Multiple autofocusing modes are designed for solo shooting
Fast Hybrid AF uses 627 points to cover approximately 89% of the image frame
Real-Time Eye AF, Eye and Face Detection, and subject Touch Tracking
Durable Build / Enhanced Operating
An integrated cooling fan and a heat-dissipating design enable uninterrupted recording up to 4K60
Magnesium-alloy chassis and shell
Sealed against inclement weather and dust
Wireless Connectivity
Dual-band 2.4/5 GHz wireless connectivity
Wired LAN link using the USB Type-C port and a separate adapter
Post-Production Stabilization with E-Mount Lenses
Sony's Catalyst Prepare/Browse software uses shake metadata to stabilize your image
Adjustable balance between shake compensation and image area trimming
0 Comments