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My little Sony The FX2 is the entry level to Sony’s thoroughbred full-frame Cinema Line
S ony’s FX2 is the new entry point to the full-frame Cinema Line, but is the first in the range specifically designed for hybrid shooters who want a top-spec video-first camera that also shoots high-resolution stills. While its FX3 and FX30 siblings share a very similar body with a flat-top design and built-in mounting points, the FX2 has a high-resolution 3.68-million-dot tiltable EVF as well as a vari-angle 3.0- type touchscreen LCD. That makes the body slightly thicker. It uses the 33-megapixel back-side illuminated Exmor R sensor from the Sony A7 IV mirrorless offering 10fps continuous shooting of stills and most of the stills and video spec from that camera. But a new function allows photos to be taken while recording video, as well as capture of still images in Log mode. So the camera can be used as a high-res stills camera, a capable video camera or both, rather than just offering a basic stills mode to capture thumbnails for example. The sensor is claimed to record more than 15 stops of latitude using S-Log3 in video. It also has Dual Base ISO in S-Log3 of 800 and 4000, but ISO sensitivity for video can be expanded up to 102,400, making it good for low light. The camera also supports multiple recording formats and records in 4:2:2 10-bit All-Intra plus XAVC S-I DCI 4K at 24p, among others. Shoot video for up to 13 hours in 4K/60p, thanks to an internal cooling fan and body designed for effective heat dissipation; that’s just as long as you have enough power and memory space. It takes one CFexpress Type A card and one SD. Like the other FX line cameras, it can also be used with the optional Sony XLR handle for improved audio. The FX2 offers variable frame rates, allowing up to 60fps in 4K – that’s for a
There are also tally lamps and a customisable ‘Big6’ home screen, which displays frequently used parameters such as fps, ISO, shutter speed or angle, Look presets, white-balance or iris. And for vertical content shot 16:9 for social media, the FX2 also has vertical information displayed while shooting. An HDMI Type A terminal is capable of outputting up to 4K/60p 4:2:2 10-bit video, but the only way of recording 4.7K 16-bit Raw files is to plug in an external monitor-recorder. For data transfer and remote control, the FX2 supports dual- band Wi-Fi in 2.4GHz and 5GHz, as well as wired LAN via an adapter. A USB-C port enables 10Gbps data transfers and supports USB Power Delivery (PD), while built-in USB and network streaming support enables live broadcasting and remote production workflows. pro.sony/cinemaline
maximum 2.5x slow motion – but this is from a cropped APS-C slice of the sensor. In full-frame 4K, you are limited to 30p. In Full HD, it will manage as high as 120fps for up to 5x slow motion. The camera supports Log shooting in Cine EI, Cine EI Quick and Flexible ISO modes, and users can import up to 16 user LUTs for an on- camera preview in video. S-Cinetone gamma is the default, along with a range of Picture Profile and Creative Look presets, as well as anamorphic de- squeeze in 1.3x and 2x. The FX2 comes with Active Mode and Dynamic Active Mode image stabilisation, a first for Cinema Line cameras. An AI processor is for autofocus only, bringing real-time subject recognition AF with improved accuracy for human subjects, although its intelligent recognition extends to animals, birds, vehicles and insects, plus an auto mode.
WHICH IS BEST FOR YOU: FX2, FX3 OR FX30?
The £2699/$2698 FX2 sits between the full- frame £3579/$3898 FX3 and crop-sensor £1599/$1798 FX30 in terms of price and spec, with a similar cine-style body and controls, although the FX2 has a separate Movie/Still mode selector and some elements from Sony’s Venice cameras. While the FX30 has a 26-megapixel APS-C sensor, the full-frame FX2 has a 33-megapixel version and the FX3 just 12 megapixels as it is produced to be a 4K camera. The FX3 oversamples its 7K sensor to produce 4K in full-frame or from a 4.6K crop of the sensor in 60fps, as it has to use APS-C mode. In comparison, the FX3 and FX30 can record in 4K/120p with a slight crop and up to 240fps in HD for super slow-motion. Of course,
the FX3 is full-frame but the FX30 APS-C crop. As the FX3 is designed with a low pixel count, it excels in low light and its ISO goes as high as 409,600 with Dual Base ISO at 800/12,800. Where the FX3 excels in low light and high frame rates, the FX2 is more pedestrian for video but far better for stills, with a tilting EVF and improved IBIS. Content creators love this.
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