- The new Sony FX5 is the successor to the FX3 compact cinema camera
- A number of updates include a new sensor, processor, battery and door open recording.
- Pricing starts at £4,700 and availability is from August.
The industry’s most popular compact cinema camera, the 2021 Sony FX3, just got a big update. And having shot multiple productions with this same camera, I can now tell you that its successor, the new FX5, will be a huge success.
Last year I recruited a professional filmmaker who I’ve worked with on many shoots to share the 5 improvements he most wanted to see in an FX3 mark II, a camera we now know is actually called the FX5, and almost all of his wishes have been granted, and there are other improvements too.
Sony has finally included gated video recording for the first time, meaning users can take advantage of the full height and width of the 3:2 aspect ratio of the new 16.6MP stacked full-frame sensor, rather than being restricted to 16:9 or narrower as before.
That new sensor offers a welcome increase in resolution over the FX3’s 12MP, and the open gate increases video resolution from 4K to 5K. The frame rate has been increased to 120fps in 5K and also 240fps in 4K, so slow motion recording is well accommodated.
There’s now internal 16-bit RAW recording, meaning no external monitor is needed for this high-quality format, plus a triple base ISO and A7R VI grade internal image stabilization.
In fact, all major features have been updated from the FX3. We also get the same dual Bionz XR2 processor and AI chip as the new Sony A7R VI, offering improved subject tracking autofocus and what Sony says is better low-light performance.
The form factor of the FX5 is very similar to the FX3, and at 750g it is only 35g heavier. There are still multiple mounting points on the body and custom buttons, but there’s now a thicker grip that houses Sony’s newer, higher-capacity NP-SA100 battery, which was introduced in the A7R VI and increases battery life by about 30% for about 170 minutes of 5K recording.
The FX5 also inherits the same video-only user interface as Sony’s high-end Venice, Burano and FX6 cinema cameras, and receives several design tweaks, including a multi-function dial like on the Venice, as well as a multi-selector (joystick) and indicator lamp.
False color, waveform, vector and focus map video monitoring tools have been added, which is a first for a Sony camera at this level, in addition to the existing histogram, zebra and peaking tools.
It sounds amazing, so what’s the catch?
It’s not all good news, mind you. The FX5’s dual card slots are still designed to accept Sony’s exclusive SD and CFexpress Type A cards, rather than Type B. A word of caution here: If you don’t already own some Type A cards, they cost a bomb.
And as for cost, prices for the video-only FX5 start at £4,700. That’s the price for the body alone, while the package with the new top handle costs £5,200 (available separately for £780). I’ll update this page with US and Australian pricing once I have it.
I expect most people willing to spend money on the FX5 will opt for the mango package, which will get them 32-bit floating audio recording.
There’s also a new 7.07m-dot tilting OLED viewfinder, which looks particularly stylish, even if it costs £650 and can’t be used at the same time as the top handle, despite having its own port next to the hotshoe.
The camera and accessories will be available starting in August, with the option to (irreversibly) disable the built-in image stabilization before purchase.
Not all of the aforementioned FX5 features will be ready to go either. Sony says the following will only be available after a V2 firmware update: 4K240p, 5K120p, portrait UI, screenshot function, and Open Gate in XAVC codec. The timing of this firmware update is TBC.
Still, I hope the Sony FX5 becomes a mainstay in low-budget productions. It offers all the upgrades FX3 users wanted and more, and I can’t wait to try it out on set.
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