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Sony FX6 is here


Andrew Reid
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No IBIS is a deal breaker for people used to already have it in 2020 for less than 6000 bucks.

That electronic ND filter also going along the a7SIII might be the extra plus against the most direct competitors today for growing their E-mount adopters basis indeed. Lack of future sales perspective from their side if you ask me :- )

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I want to be positive but I can't.

Doesn't look like there are intermediary codecs. for 4K, 10-bit, so basically if you want to use 4K, you NEED to buy new cards, what fun.

No real increased functionality except for the XLR inputs and ND filters, for 2x the price. Negatives include new media, still annoying to gimbal mount.

Marketing in some places say "like" s-cinetone color... like s-cinetone "like"... so not even the real s-cinetone, but presumably close enough.

Interest went from 5/10 to 2/10. 

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I know its a shitty release but it would definitely interest me. 

Boxes it checks. Internal ND, Full frame, 4k 120p, great low light performance, decent form factor, amazing auto focus. 

If it doesn't have the overbearing Noise reduction that plagues the A7S3, its definitely tempting. Would be nice if it dropped 1k in price though. The main competitor would be the Canon C70 which isn't full frame and low light performance isn't as good. Not that it isn't also tempting. 

The biggest downside is no downsampled 6k, but I shoot a lot in HD still....

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36 minutes ago, currensheldon said:

the no intermediate 10-bit 422 codecs and audio on the handle are both pretty big dealbreakers. Also not convinced Sony has fixed their IQ enough to go up against Canon and Panasonic. 

The FX9 IQ is great. If its like that except with a A7S3 sensor, that would be nice. 

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Outside of my two minor whines above, I don't get the complaining. I think both Canon and Sony have done a great job with C70 and FX6 (and R5 and A7sIII). Sony has gone with two, very solid 4k cameras. Not getting caught up in the resolution race, but giving the people strong 10-bit 422 codecs all the way up to 120fps in 4k. Add in a great size for the FX6, variable ND, timecode, SDI, full-frame, etc. All great. Their biggest blunder is having basically NO AUDIO without the handle. Making its biggest selling point (small size for versatility and gimbals) sort of moot if you need any audio.

Canon has done very well with the C70  - solid codecs with timecode, XLRs, NDs, speedbooster, all in an interesting package and form factor that will be great for gimbals and a variety of situations.

Both the FX6 or C70 will be all that you need for the next 3-5 years. The FS5 aged quick due to 8-bit 4k and the C300 II was way over-priced and also aged quick due to max 30fps in 4k (when the FS7 already has 60fps). The FX9 was a tiny update compared to the FS7, but th FX6 is a HUGE update compared to the FS5. 

 

 

 

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The design leaves me scratching my head.

  • No audio input on the body at all. Not even a 3.5mm jack. They couldn’t fit that on their somewhere?
  • XLR only through top handle. Limits use on gimbals. Makes footprint larger when its doesn’t have to be.
  • No S35 mode.
  • CFExpress Type A is really annoying. The industry seems to be converging on CFExpress Type B. Can’t share cards.
  • Weird quirks with AF in S&Q mode. Annoying.
  • Terrible menu’s. They already have better menus in A7SIII why didn’t they use that and adapt it? Annoying.

Good things

  • Image looks good with not much fuss in post.
  • Internal e-ND amazingly useful.
  • Amazing dynamic range.
  • RAW output to SDI

I’m not in the market for this camera but the cons sure do add up if I was. C70 with speedbooster looks overall, more attractive and practical. 

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Looked at some review tests. The FX6 can turn off noise reduction completely and also has a low, mid and high setting. At 12,800 iso with high noise reduction their is still less noise reduction than the A7S3 at its lowest settings. Very interesting. The reason I'd want this over the FX9 is for better low light performance(more important to me than 6k) as well as 4k 120p. The color also looks on par with the FX9. Aside from very funky menus Sony really delivers very usable products. 

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2 minutes ago, TomTheDP said:

Looked at some review tests. The FX6 can turn off noise reduction completely and also has a low, mid and high setting. At 12,800 iso with high noise reduction their is still less noise reduction than the A7S3 at its lowest settings. Very interesting. The reason I'd want this over the FX9 is for better low light performance(more important to me than 6k) as well as 4k 120p. The color also looks on par with the FX9. Aside from very funky menus Sony really delivers very usable products. 

The thing I see this camera being really good at is slow motion in lower light conditions negating the need to auxiliary light. That is very useful for smaller productions on a budget.

The AF continues to impress. I think Sony may have surpassed Canon. They are neck and neck on the Mirrorless side, but on cinema Sony performs better.

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3 minutes ago, Video Hummus said:

The thing I see this camera being really good at is slow motion in lower light conditions negating the need to auxiliary light. That is very useful for smaller productions on a budget.

The AF continues to impress. I think Sony may have surpassed Canon. They are neck and neck on the Mirrorless side, but on cinema Sony performs better.

Yeah those two things in combination with the E-ND are pretty amazing. Sounds like the menu design and interface is outdated which is a bummer. They should have just gave it a better LCD with a touchscreen. 

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1 hour ago, Andrew Reid said:

Enjoyed your review and the humour, where all other reviews seem the same. 

My own opinion is if you’re steadily working on productions and you fancy a step up, this camera would do very nicely. Certainly the market I provide. Not everyone is out of work. It would make a good companion to the A7SIII. 

As an A7SIII owner, it certainly has appeal. The Alpha is an absolutely exceptional piece of kit so I have no doubt the FX6 produces great images. 

I also have a C70 - and this is where I have reservations. The C70 body just makes sense, it’s a new kind of form factor that works very well and can easily get on a gimbal. I would have liked to see the same direction for this FX6. 

Will I get an FX6? Depends how I do with the C70. The A7SIII has already “qualified” as a workhorse I’ll keep for a long time. Even if I end up favouring the Canon. 

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The FX6 looks interesting, but yeah, it's very hard to justify the purchase when there is still not enough jobs. 

May rent it occasionally though. I really like the electronic ND, one of the things I really miss since I switched. I wonder if the internal microphone is still in the handle. If so, it will be impossible to use it on a gimbal if all audio inputs are also in the handle.  

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Downgrades compared to a7S III
No audio input on a gimbal (without top handle)
No IBIS
No EVF
No HDMI raw (Ninja V is two times cheaper than Shogun 7 and fits camera size better)
No audio in 100/120p mode (a7S III has that option in addition to S&Q)
No 10bit 4K Long GOP (a7S III has that codec option in addition to ALL-I)
Worse menu and touch AF
Worse AWB tools

Half-upgrades compared to a7S III
Looks like DCI 4K (4096 × 2160px) is ~10% cropped for 1:1 readout instead of being slightly oversampled like UHD
Better cooling at the cost of weather sealing

Upgrades compared to a7S III
Electronic ND
Waveform
SDI and SDI raw
Arguably better form-factor for handheld work
More professionally looking camera for a client that likes ... looking ... at your tools ...

Did I miss anything?
 

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Yes! I love jerking off to "proper video cameras" and pretending it makes me better than other people! That's why I 'm going to love this camera! Sony and Canon are the best! Ditch those inferior Blackmagic 4k/6ks with better color science and better workflow... you need something PROPER!

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