For a while it looked like Sony’s next-generation digital cameras were on a collision course with its Alpha mirrorless cameras, as these snipers became more capable of capturing video. Today the inevitable has been confirmed: Sony officially unveiled its FX3 with features from the company’s digital cinema and Alpha lines, giving creators a more affordable way to capture Hollywood-caliber content.
An image of FX3 leaked a few weeks ago, it led to speculation that Sony’s compact cinematography tool would be able to capture video at 8K resolutions, but the full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor the camera is using is limited to resolutions up to 4K or QFHD 16 : 9 at up to 120 frames per second. Although even with a cooling fan and a ventilation design that encourages natural heat dissipation, the FX3 can only record without interruption in 4K, 60P. Higher frame rate shooting is limited so that the camera does not overheat. Ignoring 8K is a choice Sony made to keep the FX3 price low or to ensure it doesn’t compete with the company’s most expensive digital cinema cameras-or both.
When recording a video, the FX3’s ISO settings can be increased to an impressive 409,600, which can be useful the next time you’re shooting on the dark side of the moon and can’t see the sun. TThe camera’s 627-point autofocus system includes features like AF transition speed, which ensures that automatic changes of focus happen smoothly so as not to disturb the audience, and Touch Tracking, which allows operators simply tap an object on the FX3’s flip-out touch screen to tell the camera what to keep in focus on the frame, even when the subject is moving.
With the battery and memory cards installed (both CFexpress Type A dual and SDXC cards are compatible), the FX3 weighs just 1.58 pounds and includes a shoe-mounted handle, making it easier to hold, operate and maneuver the camera at low angles. Keeping a lightweight camera steady while shooting with the camera in hand is a real challenge, so the FX3 employs five-axis body image stabilization for smooth videos, even when shooting with a lens without its own stabilization. The applied stabilization is also captured as metadata during shooting, allowing it to be adjusted during post-production.
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Most filmmakers will want to keep the optional wrist connected, because not only offers quick access to various controls, including ISO, iris, white balance and zoom, it also has 15 custom buttons that can be programmed as shortcuts to 140 different functions normally buried in a software menu. The grip also has a microphone mount, a pair of balanced XLR / TRS audio inputs and a 3.5mm two-channel stereo connector, while the camera can capture four-channel, 24-bit audio when multiple microphones are connected.
The FX3 will be officially available starting in March at a price of around $ 3,900. This is not money, but it is also $ 2,600 cheaper than the new $ 6,500 Sony Alpha 1, that many people will consider their next video recorder. It is, however, $ 1,400 more expensive than the recently announced $ 2,500 Blackmagic Design BMPCC 6K Pro, which offers 6K recording and a rear HDR display, although 120 fps high-speed recording is limited to 2K. But for video content creators who already have a bag full of Sony E-mount lenses, or already have a workflow involving Sony’s cutting-edge digital cinema cameras, the FX3 seems like an easy choice.