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Sony is blasting it big today, and along with their Burano Compact CineAlto, they also released a new control app. But it’s not only for the Burano; this app is also for the Sony FX3 and Sony FX30. Its best feature: it turns your “I already have one” phone into a high-end on-camera monitor.
The app is creatively named “Monitor & Control”, but don’t let the unimaginative name fool you. This app packs a punch.
Sony has announced new firmware updates for both the Sony FX3 and Sony FX30 cinema cameras. The new updates bring together what Sony describes as “unified operability and common workflow to the Cinema Line”. Sony FX3 firmware v3.0 and Sony FX30 firmware v2.0 both bring the same set of features to each camera, including some that have been highly requested.
First up, both cameras can now shoot true 24.00 fps in 4K DCI resolution using a new video format, XAVC S-I DCI 4K (17:9), allowing them to seamlessly slot into high-end workflows using Sony Venice cameras. Both cameras also see 1.3x and 2.0x anamorphic desqueeze options available. The FX3 also gains a notably missing feature that the FX30 also contained. Focus Breathing Compensation.
Well, this post was going to be about the newly released firmware update for the Sony FX3 and Sony FX30 digital cinema cameras Sony announced yesterday. This post is still about the new firmware release, but not just that they released them. It seems there are bugs and Sony has since pulled both the FX3 and FX30 firmware updates from their websites while they figure out the problem.
For Sony FX3 users, the news looks like the new v2.01 firmware is probably ok, but a number of FX30 owners who have updated their cameras to the newest v1.01 firmware have reported a bug that keeps their camera in a constant boot loop, where it simply powers up, shuts down, rinse and repeat. Several users have posted video of the phenomenon and talked about their experiences on social media.
Sony has released a new Version 2.00 firmware update for the Sony FX3 mirrorless cinema camera. The new update adds some of Sony’s professional cinema line features into the camera, including additional LOG shooting modes, the ability to import your own LUTs as well as timecode sync for when you’re shooting multiple cameras.
The new LOG shooting modes with LUT monitoring, Sony says, “create a smoother post production workflow by enabling Cine El, Cine El Quick and Flexible ISO modes for recording with the S-Log3 gamma curve”, letting you get a more useful preview of your shot while maximising the dynamic range of the recording itself.
This announcement is probably a big surprise to absolutely nobody, but Atomos is bringing ProRes RAW support to the Atomos Ninja V when used in conjunction with the new Sony A7S III FX3 cinema camera. Atomos says this combo should allow users “the ability to record the camera’s 16-bit RAW output at up to 4K60p”.
Atomos has worded that bit very carefully because while the Sony FX3 does indeed put out 16-Bit RAW over the HDMI port, ProRes RAW on the Atomos Ninja V records “only” 12-Bit. But, it’s producing those 12-Bits from the best possible starting point, thanks to the 16-Bit feed out of the camera. And 12’s still plenty.
The Sony FX3 hasn’t even begun shipping yet, and Sony’s already giving more reasons for folks not to get one. Sony has released A7S III Firmware Version 2.00 which adds Sony’s S-Cinetone colour profile, first seen in the FX6, coming with the FX3, and included with the recently released Sony A1, to the Sony A7S III.
Sony says that the colour profile “delivers natural mid-tines that are essential to healthy-looking skin colour, plus soft colours and gorgeous highlights”. This can either be applied while monitoring or you can bake it into the footage to make your life go a little quicker when grading.
Sony has now officially announced the new full-frame Sony FX3 cinema camera. As expected, it’s pretty much an A7S III in a new body, but there are some notable differences, geared towards dedicated video creators and filmmakers rather than hybrid shooters. It loses the EVF but gains a (removable) top handle to improve its audio options.
A slew of new Sony FX3 images has been leaked by Nokishita ahead of the official Sony announcement expected tomorrow. There isn’t much in the way of specs, except for reports that it’s basically a Sony A7S III in a slightly different body, but we do now know its dimensions, 4K frame rate and weight, as well as what it looks like all over.
Sony has posted a video to YouTube with w premiere set for February 23rd at 10am Eastern, (3pm UK time). While they haven’t officially named the camera, the “New Alpha” kind of gives it away, given the Alpha logo on the leaked photos of the video-oriented FX3.
By all reports right now, the FX3 is basically looking to be an A7S III in a slightly different body, possibly geared more towards Sony’s new Airpeak drone platform. But exactly what advantages it may offer over the A7S III, and what it may lack, remains to be seen.
YouTuber Gaston Shutters has shared several videos of the Sony FX3 along with some of the specs. His source, he says, tells him that this is basically the exact same camera as the Sony A7S III but in a slightly different body. It’s supposedly lighter than the A7S III in order to help those who want to take advantage of filming from Sony’s new Airpeak drone platform.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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