![]() Those who want to push what the camera can do can take advantage of the camera’s full-size HDMI output to record 16-bit raw footage to an external recorder such as the Atomos Ninja V. Perhaps more important is the quality that can be achieved for more standard frame rates, with 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording. This is ideal for those who want to shoot slow motion, as is currently the trend with many ‘Cinematic’ style YouTube videos. The highest resolution that FX30 can shoot is 4K footage at up to 120fps or Full HD footage at 240fps. There is nowhere near enough room here to go into the entirety of the cinema specifications of the FX30, so we’ll tackle the headline features and the ones that I feel make it an exciting camera for first-time filmmakers. There is no doubt that the camera is part of Sony’s Cinema rather than its Alpha line-up. It also has no mechanical shutter, which may not be ideal for shooting fast subjects, and as a result, it has no flash options. However, when it comes to continuous shooting rate, there is none. The camera is powered by Sony’s familiar NP-FW100 battery. There are all the autofocus features you could want, including Animal and Bird AF. You can shoot in raw and JPEG using the full 26.1MP resolution. The sensor has a sensitivity range of ISO 125 to 32,000, extending to ISO 102,400 when shooting still images. In photographic terms, in some ways the camera is everything you would expect, and yet in others it’s lacking. There is an abundance of lenses that can be used with the FX30, and the camera may in fact give a new lease of life to Sony’s APS-C E mount lenses. Sony has recently updated its APS-C lens line-up with the addition of the E 11mm F1.8, E 15mm F1.8 G and E PZ 10-20mm F4 G lenses, and I used the latter two during my time with the FX30. Both these cameras had APS-C sensors, and it has now been 12 years that Sony has been producing lenses for this mount for both full-frame and APS-C sensors. Sony introduced its E mount with the NEX-3 and NEX-5 in 2010. Like recent Sony Alpha cameras, the FX30 has dual card slots which can each take either CFexpress Type A, or UHS-II SD cards However, it is not stacked, where the processing circuit is attached directly to the sensor to improve data read speed. The sensor is backside illuminated (BSI), meaning the circuitry is on the back of the sensor. It’s interesting that it should first see use in the FX30 ahead of a A6000 series camera. At 26.1MP, it’s the highest resolution APS-C sensor in Sony’s line-up. The key feature is, of course, the sensor. Based on price alone, the FX30 should also be a very appealing prospect to existing Sony Cinema users.īut what attraction does it hold at the more entry point of the market? We’re going to look at the camera from the perspective of a photographer who now finds themselves shooting more video and is looking for their first cine camera. Its bigger brother, the FX3, is £3999 and includes the audio interface handle. Image: Andy WestlakeĬosting £2100 body-only, or £2500 with the audio interface handle, the Sony FX30 is a reasonably affordable entry-point in the world of filmmaking. The biggest difference between the FX30 and the FX3 is, obviously, the sensor size. It’s likely a to be similar sensor to that used by Fujifilm in many of its X-series cameras, just with a conventional Bayer colour filter array, rather than Fujifilm’s X-Trans. After all, in terms of resolution, this surpasses the 24MP sensors used in Sony’s Alpha APS-C cameras. It is also intriguing, as the 26.1MP sensor makes it an exciting option for filmmakers who may also want to use the camera for photography. It’s an intriguing addition to the Cinema range, which has been moving away from the APS-C or Super35 size sensors for the last few years to full frame versions. This new sensor and its BIONZ XR processor can shoot at the exact same 4K 120fps resolution as the FX3 and A7S III and match its 4K 60fps 10-bit 4:2:2 capture too. Sony has now added another camera to its Cinema line-up, the FX30, this time borrowing the body of the FX3 but fitting it with a new 26.1-million-pixel BSI APS-C CMOS sensor. This difference in form factor made it relatively easy for filmmakers and photographers to choose their preferred body style. Externally, though, there are very significant differences, with the FX3 losing the electronic viewfinder, gaining a chunkier body and becoming adorned with 3/4 inch sockets for adding filmmaking accessories. Arriving six months after the Sony Alpha A7S III, it uses the same sensor and processor and is virtually identical in terms of its shooting features. In February 2021, Sony released the FX3 Cinema camera with a 12.1-million-pixel full-frame BSI CMOS sensor. The Sony FX30 (left) is essentially an APS-C/Super 35mm version of the full-frame FX3. ![]()
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