The brand’s most compact and lightweight cinema line camera, the Sony FX3 promises to be a popular choice with travelers seeking cinematic freedom.
Sony has launched the new FX3 full-frame camera, which combines industry-leading digital cinema technology with advanced imaging features from Alpha mirrorless cameras to create the ultimate cinematic look.
Ideally suited for travelers looking for ways to express their creative vision on the road, the new FX3 delivers outstanding image quality and usability for small-scale and one-person shooting. The FX3 also boasts first-class focus performance, optical image stabilization, a design with handheld shooting in mind, and advanced heat dissipation for extended recording times. All this innovation is presented in a compact, lightweight body that provides the performance and mobility to meet the growing demands of today’s videographers.
The FX3 flaunts Sony’s industry-leading image sensor technology to achieve high processing speeds and outstanding image quality. The full-frame, back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor full-frame 10.2 megapixels (approx. effective) count for movie recording (and 12.1 effective megapixels for stills) and the BIONZ XR image processing engine team up to ensure high sensitivity with low noise. The standard ISO range is 80 to 102,400 (expandable to 409,600 when shooting a movie), and dynamic range is an impressively wide 15+ stops.
In response to a growing need for more expressive depth, the FX3, along with FX9 and FX6 Cinema Line cameras, allows users to create a cinematic look without post-production, using S-Cinetone. Based on the color science inspired by Sony’s flagship Venice camera, S-Cinetone delivers natural mid-tones, plus soft colors and smooth highlights that are essential to a cinematic look.
Travelers can create movies with in-camera 4K recording at up to 120 frames per second while extraordinarily smooth slow-motion imagery (up to 5x) at QFHD (3840 x 2160) resolution with autofocus provides a new expressive capability.
The most compact and lightweight Cinema Line camera to date, the FX3 is ideal for handheld shooting, as well as gimbal and drone-mounted work. It weighs just 715 grams, including the battery and memory cards, and the body is 77.8 mm high, 129.7 mm wide, and 84.5 mm deep – without protrusions. The camera grip has been carefully designed to provide optimum flexibility, stability, and comfort for long shoots.
Designed for mobility and efficiency, the FX3 body features five thread holes (1/4-20 UNC) to easily attach compatible accessories while remaining light enough for handheld shooting and making it easy to carry and set up. The supplied XLR handle unit securely attaches to the body via the Multi Interface Shoe without any special tools and provides three additional thread holes for accessories: two on the top and one on the end. External monitors, recorders, wireless microphone receivers, the accessory shoe kit (cold shoe plate), or other add-ons can be securely attached.
To enable high-quality audio, the XLR handle unit includes two XLR/TRS audio inputs to the FX3. With an optional XLR microphone, digital audio data can be directly transferred to the camera for outstanding audio quality. Camera settings provide audio recording formats, including 4-channel 24-bit recording, and because the XLR adaptor is integrated into the handle it does not require any additional cables or batteries, offering a stress-free setup.
The FX3 also offers Fast Hybrid autofocus (AF) by using the 627-point focal-plane phase-detection system during movie recording. The camera is further enhanced with Touch Tracking (Real-time Tracking) where simply touching the desired subject on the monitor screen initiates autofocus and tracking on that subject. Precise and smooth focus is maintained with Real-time Eye AF – technology that pinpoints the eye even when subjects are looking down or up at steep angles. Additionally, other AF features have been included and refined in response to feedback from professional users, including AF Transition Speed, AF Subject Shift Sensitivity, intuitive control, and AF support when focusing manually. These AF features have been implemented in the FX3 to ensure stable, flexible, and precise focusing in any situation and are easy to operate for solo shoots.
The FX3 features 5-axis optical in-body image stabilization – highly effective for handheld shooting. A high precision stabilization unit and gyro sensors have made it possible to provide an Active Mode that is dedicated to movie shooting in each format, including 4K. In-body image stabilization means that effective stabilization can be achieved with a wide range of lenses, including E-mount lenses that do not include stabilization of their own.
No compromises have been made when designing the FX3 in terms of professional control and operability. The buttons frequently used in movie shooting such as ISO, iris, and white balance adjustment are located on the grip and on the top of the body. The design allows solo creators to control the buttons with one hand. In addition, 140 functions assignable to 15 custom keys allow for ultimate efficiency.
The zoom lever located on the top of the grip not only controls compatible powered zoom lenses but also allows Clear Image Zoom to be also used with unpowered zoom and prime lenses with less image degradation – reducing the number of lenses required for many projects. This lever also enables smooth zooming that is difficult for manual zoom-ring control.
Recording lamps (tally) are provided on the upper front and rear of the camera, so that operator can easily distinguish when the camera is rolling, while a side-opening vari-angle touch-panel LCD monitor allows for easy operation and is suitable for gimbal-mounted shots, complicated angles, handheld operation and more. Flexible Exposure Mode allows the FX3 to have a similar Auto/Manual switch operation as other FX series cameras for aperture (iris), shutter speed, and ISO, which can be set independently, while a short press of the assigned custom buttons enables switching between locking the dial / Manual, and a long press on the custom buttons allows on-off switching of Auto setting.
The new camera also features a dust and moisture resistant design and durable magnesium alloy chassis, making it perfect for safaris or expeditions.
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