Sony FX6 Full Frame Cinema Camera

After sony released line ilme I was able to get my hands on the Sony FX6 for a few days and wow what a little cinematic beast.

So, the FX6 is going to replace the Sony A7S III because the iso performance is good and can do a lot of things really well for someone who is the creator of a youtube video.

So, if you’re doing a whole bunch of work the FX6 is going to allow you to get anything that you could do a really good job at it.

As I said I was able to get a look at an exciting new camera from sony and I put it as one of the best camcorders for making videos.

at first glance, it looks a lot like the FX9, but just smaller across the board.

It’s definitely much shorter, and it’s also surprisingly lightweight. So, this is the fec 35 t 3.1 uh g which I’ will talk about in a little bit.

The FX6 follows the fx9 in this new cinema line of cameras from Sony that uses full-frame sensors.

The FX6 is considerably smaller and lighter than the Sony FX9, which is reminiscent of the FS5 and the FS5II, and the sensor.

Camera Specs

• 28-105mm F/4 G OSS
• E-mount zoom lens
• 4K Full-Frame
• 10.2MP CMOS Exmor R Sensor
• DCI 4K60p / UHD 4K120p / 1080p240
• 15+ Stops of Dynamic Range in S-Log 3 EI

Camera Body

So anyway here is a lot to talk about the camera body inherits a lot of its DNA from the FS5 and the FS5 II as well as the FX9 and provides a nice complement of professional audio and video inputs and outputs.

There are two full-size three-pin XLRS on the top handle as well as the standard multi-interface shoe which can also bring in two channels of audio for up to four total channels that can be fed into the camera.

the FX6 also comes with a fantastic side handle that can be attached to the right-hand side of the camera or removed and repositioned as you want to use it using certain accessories you can control a bunch from the grip and it feels great in the hand.

Ports

I have also got a 12 g sdi port for 4k video out over one cable.

It can be set to 6g and 3g as well and it can also be used to output a raw signal to compatible external recorders.

And then there is also a dedicated BNC terminal for time code input and output that is switchable on the camera.

Menu

when it comes to menu features everything on the FX6 is done on the left side of the camera so any adjustment like ND or something can be made pretty easily. If I compare it with Red Komodo all controls are done on the top via that small touchscreen.

Camera Autofocus

the FX6 continuous autofocus performs very well with a lot of options for fine-tuning amazing face and eye detection and it has a large auto-focus area.

this camera supports real-time eye autofocus and face detection so that you can get an accurate table-focusing experience throughout your whole videography.

The FX6 has excellent phase detection autofocus including face tracking and real-time eye autofocus when used with native sony lenses.

When you shoot DCI 4K on the fx6 there is a five percent crop which doesn’t happen when you’re in the UHD modes.

And if you want to shoot above 60fps in your HD or your HD raw at any frame rate the image will be cropped by10 to achieve similar field reviews.

Just keep in mind with the FX6 you need to externally record to get 12 bit as otherwise the camera can only shoot 10-bit internally

Camera Sensor

the FX6 is a full-frame camera that features 10.2-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS imager with a very fast scan rate that can record 4k at 120 frames per second.

the full-frame sensor in this camera seems to have a lot in common with the A7S III in terms of its low-light capability and large photo sight size and resolution.

the FX6 sensor gives a much faster readout speed than the FX9 and it supports some very impressive high frame rates as well as very high sensitivity.

In s-log 3 the low bass is 800 and the high bass is 12800 similar to the FX9 unlike the FS5 and the FS5II.

It has full CINE-EI Mode on the FX6 and over 15 stops of dynamic range with s-log 3.

In custom mode the s sinetone look is available and the FX6 uses full scene files in custom mode rather than picture profiles.

It can also use a long got version of xavc which is 8bit 420 in UHD but 10bit 422 in full HD.

the SDI terminal can output a raw signal in either DCI 4k or UHD for use with an external recorder such as an atomos.

When scaling the full-frame image down to HD resolution there is a super 35 crop mode available that supports up to 120 fps.

In full HD I should note that the full-frame imager is actually a little bit over 4k which provides a small amount of oversampling but should also be perfect for performing post-capture stabilization.

In tools like sony’s catalyst browse which uses data that was recorded during shooting to post stabilize and now onto the lens the FEC 16 to 35-millimeter t 3.1 is the first in a series of hybrid full-frame cinema lenses.

From sony for e-mount, it has a removable mini servo which gives really nice control over zoom speed using either the rocker on the FX6 grip.

There’s also a rocker on the top handle and also since all three axes focus iris and zoom can be controlled electronically.

Sony FX6 features a unique built-in electronic variable neutral density filter so you can control the natural density manually or you can set it auto.

If you set it to auto it automatically changes based on the environment that frees you from the frequent filter-changing hassle with a light and modular body the sony FX6 seamlessly adapts your style of shooting without compromising on video quality and provides you a cinematic expression for professional filmmakers.

Frame Rates

when it comes to frame rates and resolutions the FX6 can capture 4k up to120p and 1080p up to 240fps with no crop while the FX9 can capture depending on the scan mode you can go up to 30p in 5k full-frame and both of these are recorded in either DCI or UHD 4k when recording in 1080 you can use the 6k scan up to 180 fps in the camera.

Some other quick specs when shooting in DCI 4k and using the full-frame imager mode the camera supports up to 60 fps and up to 120 fps.

In UHD full-frame HD 1920 by 1080 can go all the way to 240 fps and there’s no pixel binning or line skipping.

ISO Performance

The ISO goes to a staggering 409 600 and has a dual ISO capability with a low base and a high bass in terms of sensitivity.

The FX6 has a higher base ISO and has one of the best low-light performance and ultimately it’s better than the FX9.

Audio Features

the FX6 has two full-size XLRS on the removable handle as well as a headphone out on the body, there are two full-size XLR ports and it doesn’t have any audio inputs on the body itself.

Battery

Sony FX6 Price

Sony FX6 is priced around $6,000 in comparison with the FX9 is coming around $11,000 its double of the price of the FX6 I think it’s worth paying the extra for the FX9.

Wrapping Up

the FX6 is designed for people who have used sony’s previous fs or fx cameras, the top and side handles are also awesome on this camera.

The FX6 is just great to operate physically and it’s tiny when you take the top handle off which does make it a versatile camera as well.

so when you are running the FX6 without the top handle such as when on a gimbal you can’t feed any audio sources into the camera which can be frustrating, also integrates nicely with sony’s uwp system which you can use with the mi shoe on the top handle.

Advantages

• ability to capture gyro meta data

Disadvantages

• XLR inputs are only options for recording audio

Conclusion

So why you will get FX6 instead of FX9 and Sony A7S III because the fx6 is a killer video camera that will fit into plenty of production scenarios for professionals, offers a lot of camera parts and features.

The sony FX6 is a great camera in comparison with Red Komodo they both feature the same lighting conditions both exposed correctly they are so good at autofocus they’re both running very good modern lenses.

If I need to choose between Red Komodo and the FX6 the image that comes from Red Komodo has a really pleasing look but I think the FX6 is the better gimbal camera out there.

the FX6 is more designed to be shot handheld and is better for that than the FX9 even its more expensive camera it will also be much easier to fit on gimbals than the FX9.

So, both cameras have some benefits the FX6 win on one side both cameras can output raw but the FX6 can output raw virus 12g SDI port on its body whereas the FX9 requires sony’s large xtca so the xcca does the ability to use drop-in mics.