Sony announces FX9 4K camcorder with 6K fullframe sensor
- Thread starter indiawilds
- Start date
chris f
Veteran
I guess if anything else it makes me feel better about any camera purchase right now. In years past it really felt like you were making a mistake spending money on a new camera when a new camera with new features was bound to come out the week after you purchased, but now it seems like most of the main players are really slowing down and just making incremental improvements.
I feel like you could buy any of these new cams, or even buy an FS-7 or C200 for cheap and be able to feel like you're not missing out (and probably still get your cam onto a FX9 or C500 show)
I feel like you could buy any of these new cams, or even buy an FS-7 or C200 for cheap and be able to feel like you're not missing out (and probably still get your cam onto a FX9 or C500 show)
JPNola
Veteran
For all the boxes the C500 MkII ticks, the fact that it doesn't come with a loupe is a bummer. It wouldn't be that big of a deal if the loupe was an additional $1500 or thereabouts. But the loupe is $6000. That hefty price is going to mean a lot of C500 MKII's being used without a loupe, or with some 3rd party loupe.
To build out the C500MkII properly with the optional accessories you're looking at $23,600.00. Make that $25,200.00 if you include the PL lens mount. You'll need a shoulder-plate as well. If you go with the Canon one that's another $1500, using the pricing of Canon's C700 shoulder-plate.
Total price to do it right? Roughly $27,000.00
Suddenly the Fx9's shortcomings and quibbles become easier to swallow considering it is roughly $12,000 less than the C500 MkII. That's right, for the price of a fully spec'd C500MkII you could get a fully spec'd Fx9 and a fully spec'd Fs7 MkII. Both with electronic ND while your $27K investment in the C500MkII still doesn't get you electronic ND.
To build out the C500MkII properly with the optional accessories you're looking at $23,600.00. Make that $25,200.00 if you include the PL lens mount. You'll need a shoulder-plate as well. If you go with the Canon one that's another $1500, using the pricing of Canon's C700 shoulder-plate.
Total price to do it right? Roughly $27,000.00
Suddenly the Fx9's shortcomings and quibbles become easier to swallow considering it is roughly $12,000 less than the C500 MkII. That's right, for the price of a fully spec'd C500MkII you could get a fully spec'd Fx9 and a fully spec'd Fs7 MkII. Both with electronic ND while your $27K investment in the C500MkII still doesn't get you electronic ND.
NorBro
Major Contributor
IMO, Dual-ISO is a gimmick.
The second tier/base is 4000...what's so special about that?
Modern mirrorless cameras are clean up to 20,000. The C200 is clean up to 10,000. I understand no color or DR shifting, but it's not noticeable in the above examples at the reasonable numbers either.
When Dual-ISO is 800 and 40,000 then it should be a feature.
NorBro
Major Contributor
No one under 45 years old is doing that, lol.
The C500 Mark II is perfectly usable out of the box.
Something is better than nothing.
chris f
Veteran
Agreed. Slap your monitor, z-finder, or other accessories you already own and you’re ready to roll.
This cures a problem no one sees.
JPNola
Veteran
The body is also huge. That is a peculiar choice on the part of Sony. They know people want to fly these cameras on gimbals. The Venice is almost twice the weight of the Fx9, but it appears that the Fx9 body is longer than that of the Venice? The Venice is 5.24" in length while the Fx9 is 9.02" in length? Do I have that correct? Why is the Fx9 so much longer?
Gimbals will be an FX-6 job.
Weight-wise, however, FX-9 ain't too bad. As in the promo video, you'll need support vests for a full day work.
cpreston
Veteran
It is a big step up from the FS-7, but Canon has always let you control ISO and kelvin in all of its modes. It has the very useful DPAF manual focus assist, and it has the lenses. Coming from Canon's cameras, I found the Sony to be a much harder camera to use. The FX-9 appears to fix most of the shortcomings I found with the FS-7, so at least now I won't feel quite as frustrated when I am forced to use them.
Grug
Veteran
Hardly.
6k gets you a properly debayered 4k image. Just as the 3k sensor in the Alexa gets you a properly debayered 2k image. It's a difference you can easily see by eye in a controlled test. It also gives you twice as much blue and red chroma information to form your 4k image, as you'd get from a native 4k sensor. These are significant advantages.
It's why the 4k output from the F5(5) looks good (on a per pixel level), but the 1080p SR444 images look outstanding. One is fully resolved (in all three colour channels), the other is about a third guesswork.
alaskacameradude
Veteran
I was wondering if the decision to not include 'in camera' raw recording had anything
to do with RED and Sony's previous legal settlement with them? I seem to recall some
sort of legal battle which was quietly 'settled' out of court. Wasn't RED asserting some
sort of patient over 'in camera' raw recording? Don't even the F5/55 only record RAW
with the external recorder?
As far has the camera itself, I personally find it interesting. The main things
most people seemed to be asking for were the autofocus from the mirrorless series,
and better color science which were the two areas Canon seemed to have an advantage.
Which are both there, so yeah.....I dunno. Canon does have 10 stops of ND instead of
7 which can actually be a big deal outside. But Sony has the really handy 'variable' ND.
I honestly think both the new Canon and Sony will be a hit. They are both just a
tad outside my price range though....plus I'm not a still photographer so I don't
have any investment in FF lenses, all my lenses are super 35 so the whole FF thing
is kind of a disadvantage to me.
to do with RED and Sony's previous legal settlement with them? I seem to recall some
sort of legal battle which was quietly 'settled' out of court. Wasn't RED asserting some
sort of patient over 'in camera' raw recording? Don't even the F5/55 only record RAW
with the external recorder?
As far has the camera itself, I personally find it interesting. The main things
most people seemed to be asking for were the autofocus from the mirrorless series,
and better color science which were the two areas Canon seemed to have an advantage.
Which are both there, so yeah.....I dunno. Canon does have 10 stops of ND instead of
7 which can actually be a big deal outside. But Sony has the really handy 'variable' ND.
I honestly think both the new Canon and Sony will be a hit. They are both just a
tad outside my price range though....plus I'm not a still photographer so I don't
have any investment in FF lenses, all my lenses are super 35 so the whole FF thing
is kind of a disadvantage to me.
Canon should now try to match Sony with power zooms with the AF beside the T4.4 CN-E duo.
If that was the case, they could have just done a GH-5/S1 SDI/HDMI out to an external recorder. Their setup is a lot more convoluted with an extension unit and an unknown recorder.
Liam Hall
Veteran
Because they want it to look like an Arri Amira.
traviswears
Well-known member
Look like a nice lil' upgrade to me. Nothing revolutionary but that's OK. My FS7 v1 still works all the time and 90% of my client don't need anything over 4k.
FF, electronic ND, dual-ISO and the AF are all good reasons to upgrade, though I'd likely keep my FS7 as a B-Unit. The review video that I'd really like to see is the FX9 v C55II v FS7 when it comes to skin tones. Same exact image and framing and see what this color upgrade actually looks like.
As someone who went from Canon over to Sony when the FS7 came out, I will admit the C500II looks pretty interesting...
FF, electronic ND, dual-ISO and the AF are all good reasons to upgrade, though I'd likely keep my FS7 as a B-Unit. The review video that I'd really like to see is the FX9 v C55II v FS7 when it comes to skin tones. Same exact image and framing and see what this color upgrade actually looks like.
As someone who went from Canon over to Sony when the FS7 came out, I will admit the C500II looks pretty interesting...