The newly announced Sony FX30 Cinema Camera contains all the great cinematic features ambitious filmmakers on a budget are looking for. The FX30 is the perfect first cinema camera, and entry into Sony’s Cinema Line (if you’re looking to upgrade down the line.) The FX30 is aimed at Indy shooters, documentary makers, videographers, future filmmakers, as well as regular content creators who want the full cine experience. Its compact size means you can take it anywhere, and as Sony says, ‘lets you concentrate on composition, not the complexity of crews and rigging.’
The FX30 has most of the features of the FX3 aside from sensor size. It sports an all-new back-illuminated 20.1 megapixels APS-C Exmor R™ CMOS sensor (Super 35 format) with a dual base ISO (800/2500), and 14+ stops of latitude. It also features 5-axis in-body image stabilisation, Eye AF and Object Tracking AF, outputs 16-bit raw out the HDMI and has an optional grip with XLR input built in.
The FX30 supports a variety of video recording codecs. It can shoot 4K Super 35 (16:9) by oversampling from 6K at up to 60fps. It also features the ability to shoot in high frame rates, including 4K at 120fps and full HD at 240fps. Both16:9 recording modes can shoot at 10-bit 4:2:2 while an HDMI Type-A connector can be used to output 4K, 16-bit RAW to an external recorder.
- UHD 4K at up to 120p
- 10-bit internal recording
- S-Log3/S-Gamut3
- 16-bit raw output
- Standard ISO Range of 100-32000
- Dual Base ISO (800 / 2500)
The FX30 features the same format options as the FX3. You can also adjust between Cine El, Cine El Quick, and Flexible ISO Log shooting modes for recording with the S-Log3 gamma curve, giving you flexibility when colour grading. You can shoot in these modes while monitoring with an appropriate LUT to preview the final image. In addition, the FX30 includes a selection of built-in cinematic looks, such as Sony’s S-Cinetone™ and uses advanced capabilities of the BIONZ XR processing engine for realistic colour reproduction and natural gradations.
The FX30 includes Sony’s legendary fast and reliable hybrid autofocus, with options for Real-time Eye AF (human, animal, or bird), Real-time Tracking, and AF Assist. It also lets you have more control when using the Focus Map, offering a stable angle of view when focusing thus making it easier to visualise depth of field, and Breathing Compensation.
The camera also has optical in-body 5-axis image stabilisation and time code sync, which is beneficial for run and gun shooting in Active Mode.
The FX30 is equipped with two memory card slots that are compatible with both CFexpress Type A cards and SDXC/SDHC cards. It is also compatible with the newly announced large capacity CFexpress Type A memory cards. The camera is dust and moisture resistant and uses a NP-FZ100 battery. You also have a 16-bit RAW output via HDMI and audio port. You can also use the FX30 to shoot still images with 26MP resolution.