GEAR SONY FX9 TEST
“If you’re a traditional filmmaker who never uses AF, then the newSonymight be the camera to change your mind”
back tomanual focus only. Of course, there is a learning curve and the skill will be knowing when the AF will work and when it’s best to switch to manual. It takes time and experience to know which works best, and an understanding of the menus. This isn’t a simple AF system, but one that’s advanced and needs to be understood to get the best out of it. If you’re coming from an A7 series Sony mirrorless, it’s very similar. You can set AF transition speed, typically fast for sport and slow for slower-moving subjects. Then there’s AF subject shot sensitivity – which is how long it locks on to a subject before finding something else to focus on. Then there’s the focus area, from a wide area to a tighter zone, and even flexible spot for the most precision. You move these areas around using a toggle switch, which is OK but not perfect. Unfortunately there is no touch-to- focus touchscreen. There is also Face Detection with Face Only, which only focuses when it sees a face. Face Priority focuses all the time, but gives priority to any face it detects. Up to eight faces can bedetected, andyoucanselectwhich one tostaywithvia the toggleswitch. Sony promises its Intelligent Auto Focus feature is coming soon, too.
anamorphic lenses and see results with the right external monitor. Like the Sony FS7Mark II, there is an Electronic Variable ND filter and you can switch between stepped ND stops or variable ND. You can also use auto ND, too, which uses the camera’s autoexposure to tweak the ND amount, allowing you to keep your shutter speed and aperture constant for a consistent look. This can work pretty well in some situations, but is not always 100% smooth – as you’d expect from any autoexposure system. On the FS7 Mark II, the clear ND setting left the sensor totally exposed, but on the FX9 there is a clear filter. So there is no change in backfocus when changing fromclear to any other ND filter. One of the camera’s biggest selling points is the advanced AF system, which uses 561 points, virtually across almost the whole frame - 94% of the width and 96% height of the imaging area. If you’re a traditional filmmaker who never uses AF, then the new Sonymight be the camera to change your mind. It’s very advanced and works incredibly well in many shooting scenes. Once you’ve used fast lenses wide open while shooting 4K tracking a person perfectly, then you’d be brave to go
If all that sounds complicated, especially for filmers who have never used AF, then it is. But get it right and itworkswonders. Shooting a talking head with a fast lens wide open? Use Face Detection and watch it chase the subject around the screen and keep them sharp, even if they lean forward or back. It’s like magic, and is better than most manual focusing experts can do. Once you learn to trust it, it’s amazing. And you can always switch to manual focus, where the FX9 has improved focus tools such as a 3x and 6x punch-in focus magnifier and focus peaking, which is fully customisable. However, all this AF technology works best with native Sony E-mount lenses. Many shooters use Canon EF glass with adapters, which isn’t optimal. Some adapters don’t allow AF, and other work but not to the same extent as Sony glass. If you want to get the best out of the camera, invest in some native Sony lenses. And there are plenty of them on themarket nowadays, many with built-in image stabilisation. The FX9 does offer in-camera image stabilisation, but it does this using a built-in gyroscope that records metadata for every shot, then post-production takes out the shakes. You can set howmuch image stabilisation you want and the
IMAGES The 35mm sensor is at the heart of the Sony FX9, which can be used handheld or on a tripod
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PRO MOVIEMAKER SUMMER 2020
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