GEAR REVIEW. SONY FX30
but again not as rock solid as rivals from Fujifilm or Panasonic. Across the board, Sony has decent IBIS but never seems to outperform rivals. The FX30 does offer active stabilisation to make things less wobbly, but there’s a crop and you can’t use it in 4K/120p. This camera is fully compatible with Sony Catalyst Browse software and Catalyst Prepare plug-in for Adobe Premiere Pro. With metadata stored in the video files, stabilisation can be improved significantly, although there is a slight crop. Whether you can put up with yet another step in your workflow is up to you. When it comes to class-leading AF, the FX30 delivers with performance that feels every bit as good as the A7S III and FX3. It’s a hybrid system with 495 phase- detection points and includes eye AF for humans, animals and birds, plus focus tracking. It’s predictable and very quick, and can be customised in terms of response. There are also decent tools for manual focusing, such as the customisable focus magnification. One new feature is the focus map that debuted on the A7 IV. It’s similar to false colour, except anything in focus is shown normally and whatever’s in front coloured orange/red, with anything behind in blue. It’s a good idea, but not perfected, as you can’t adjust settings to make it more effective. Also new on the FX30, but absent from the FX3 and A1, is focus breathing compensation, which automatically adjusts for changes in viewpoint as you rack focus. Certain E-mount lenses do breathe significantly, so it’s good to “This could tempt filmmakers away from conventional mirrorless cameras”
quality options, is easier to set up and you can stream up to 4K. With a built-in fan, you can shoot for ages before overheating problems arise. It can be turned down or off for silent shoots, and the thermal cut-off changed, too. We only used the camera in UK October weather though – results may differ in Death Valley. Another great feature is the screen, as it shows settings around the outside of the image rather than on top. A variable shutter function lets you tweak shutter speeds to avoid the dreaded flicker. And the custom white-balance setting is very accurate and easy to use.
turn this on when needed. There is a small crop, though. SOUND SENSE For audio, the XLR top handle screws into two quarter-inch sockets on top of the FX30 and connects via the Multi Interface Shoe. This provides communication and power, and is compatible with all of Sony’s MI-fit audio accessories. The handle has two XLR ports and tons of controls, offering line and mic level inputs with 48v phantom, three-stage adjustable gain and low-cut filters. There’s also an input for standard 3.5mm jacks. The camera can record four channels and the built- in preamps are great. You can use timecode via USB-C input, but there’s no genlock. This also powers the camera, which runs off Sony’s regular NP-FZ100 cells. They provide great shooting time, but you’ll want a couple of spares for all-day jobs. The USB socket also allows the camera to be used to livestream while simultaneously recording a high-res version to its memory cards. The streaming capability now has more frame rate and
SLIDER WAY The lightweight FX30 is ideal for mounting on compact sliders or using in tight shoots
SPOILT FOR CHOICE Masses of options for codecs and frame rates
make this a highly versatile camera
Conclusion The cheapest member of Sony’s Cinema Line – of course, it’s not a ‘real’ cine camera in the traditional sense – the FX30 packs plenty of mirrorless technology into a chunky body. A smaller APS-C sensor allows use of E- or FE-mount lenses for extra reach. That makes it ideal for sports and wildlife shooters. This is a hybrid squarely aimed at users seeking a huge choice of codecs and frame rates. It delivers as a camera for shooting movies in bucketloads. This could be the model that tempts filmmakers away from more conventional mirrorless cameras and towards something more in line with shooting high-quality films.
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