FX6: The Sony ILME-FX6V Owners Club

[NorBro]

I know A7's were the question so that's probably why it was left out. But the Alpha 1 has 10-bit 4:2:2 internal as well. In my opinion it is the best mirrorless Sony has made, but the $6500 price is eye-watering. Especially when the FX6 with internal e-ND is $6000.

Definitely eye-watering but only questionable now because great cinema cameras cost that much...but Canon's flagship DSLRs were always around $6000 (still are) and everyone bought them year after year.

The 1DC once MSRP'd for $15K. lol

If they had fair competition, the A1 wouldn't have to cost that much but it's no coincidence it's the same price as the 1DX Mark III, and the FX9 is the same price as the C300 Mark III, etc.

 

[Teddy_Dem]

Definitely eye-watering but only questionable now because great cinema cameras cost that much...but Canon's flagship DSLRs were always around $6000 (still are) and everyone bought them year after year.

The 1DC once MSRP'd for $15K. lol

If they had fair competition, the A1 wouldn't have to cost that much but it's no coincidence it's the same price as the 1DX Mark III, and the FX9 is the same price as the C300 Mark III, etc.

Lol, true. I talk myself into and out of the Sony Alpha 1 every few days... but I do that with cameras just in general, lol.

 

[NorBro]

It's calling your name...it wants you to grade its 8K and RAW output... :grin:

 

[Teddy_Dem]

It's calling your name...it wants you to grade its 8K and RAW output... :grin:

Don't forget the internal 5.8K Super 35 crop! Lol. I will eventually get one of these newer Sony/Canon cameras with their very good autofocus. Finally get to see what I have been missing.

 

[ahalpert]

Am I correct that all of the A7 series cameras are still only 8-bit 4:2:0 in 4K with an XAVC-S codec? If so, then they are all non-starters for me.
You should check out the Panasonic S1H. I love that camera and it is a very good alternative to the FX6. Heck, it even comes with an OLED viewfinder!

The A7SIII has the S-I intraframe codec 10-bit 4:2:2 which is 240Mbps in 24p and 600Mbps in 60p. I think the top bitrate of the camera is 1.2Gbps in some S&Q modes. Not sure about the A1 but I think it has the same codecs

 

[Doug Jensen]

By the way, DJ --> that Z450 4 min+ footage is awesome.
If you ever do that again, you must try it at least once with an ARRI camera.
It's not every day people do that...at least I think.

Thanks for the compliment. I think you are talking about the Z450 video I shot on my drive back home after NAB 2017, right? That was a really great trip and the footage I shot has done very well as stock. But mostly it was just for the fun of it. I love being on the road and shooting whatever I want.

Sorry, no time to shoot with an ARRI this year! I'm headed to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Zion with my Z750 (and probably FX6) in September on my way to NAB in October. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to that road trip.

 

[NorBro]

Yeah, that one.

That's the kind of stuff I'd love to be paid to do (like continuously).

Just exist and breathe, move around in places like that with a camera.

 

[ahalpert]

! I'm headed to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Zion with my Z750 (and probably FX6) in September on my way to NAB in October.

I'm tremendously jealous

 

[Doug Jensen]

That's the kind of stuff I'd love to be paid to do (like continuously).

Yes, that is the dream. I enjoy shooting the way other people enjoy golfing, fishing, hunting, climbing, or whatever else they do for leisure.
And that's where stock footage comes to the rescue. I can get paid for doing what I'd be doing anyway just for fun. Nobody is going to hire me upfront to shoot that stuff, but I've found that I can make a very good side-income (over $30K per year) shooting whatever I want and then selling it as stock footage. Stock pays for and justifies a lot of my travel and equipment purchases. It also allows me to say NO to a lot of stuff I don't want to work on anymore, which is equally important to my peace of mind.

 

[Tom Roper]

After many trips there, I've taken Zion off my list of stops due to the noise and overcrowding. Bryce too. It's a spectacular place, but no longer the tranquil experience as before geocaching and google maps made it a thing. Utah is beautiful and expansive however.

 

[Tom Roper]

I have to add one quick story about Zion, it was 2019 and I was on a motorcycle. At the Zion Mt. Carmel Tunnel, park staff were holding up travel at each end for one way travel. They were very decent to me and waved me to the front of the line and held traffic behind so I was unpressured. It was bright/hot as hell outside and I had my sunglasses on under my helmet before plunging into the total darkness of that long cave illuminated only by my headlight, the transition from bright to black so immediate I was nearly 100% blinded by darkness, could scarcely see any of the road in front of me, panicked and forgetting of my sunglasses being on. It's about a mile long tunnel with several picture windows to the outside along the way, truly ethereal and all to myself.

 

[ahalpert]

After many trips there, I've taken Zion off my list of stops due to the noise and overcrowding. Bryce too. It's a spectacular place, but no longer the tranquil experience as before geocaching and google maps made it a thing. Utah is beautiful and expansive however.

Spending an overcrowded day at Zion unencumbered sounds very relaxing compared to the epic struggle to get my wee ones to the local park, which is much less magnificent and probably just as crowded. But Ben Scott is gonna kill me for going so far off topic

 

[Doug Jensen]

It's about a mile long tunnel with several picture windows to the outside along the way, truly ethereal and all to myself.

I'm old enough to remember stopping at those windows to get out of the car and look out at the view and feed the squirrels when I was a kid. Fat chance of doing that now.

Yes you'e right, Zion is overcrowded, just as most of the national parks are these days. If you're going to do Angel's Landing in July, you're going to hate it. But if you avoid the summer months and choose the less traveled trails and there are still plenty of places to get away from the crowds. I actually really like the shuttle bus system at Zion and Grand Canyon because it saves a lot of stress and headaches trying to park at the trail heads.

We did a trip to Big Bend national park in April and there were very few people. In fact, I did some very long mountain bike rides just outside of the park near Lajitas and never saw another soul. Perfectly quiet. Other than shooting a little bit of drone footage over the Rio Grande I never even got any of my cameras out to shoot anything. Wasn't inspired. Sometimes it is good to get away from the cameras and enjoy the moment for a change. I hope everyone has the chance to get out in the great outdoors this summer and enjoy nature or do some shooting. It is good for your mental well-being.

Just to bring this thread back on track, I think the FX6 and Flowtech combo is small enough for me to transport them on the buses and try doing some shooting in the main canyon this year at Zion.

 

[jmone]

The 100-400mm has arrived and it is even bigger than the 28-135 but still manageable (I've not had a chance to try it our properly yet however). One thing I am working on is the bag to hold it all. The Peak Design Travel 45L Backpack will take the FX6, 128-135, 100-400, 16-35 (on the cam), DJ2S and an accessory bag (small cube). All fits, is pretty snug and is fine as a backpack with this load. But.... as it has no dividers, I'd was going to get some "Silicon Treated Lens Socks" to put over the lens to stop them rattling against each other, but to my surprise I'm not sure they are made for lens (so I've ordered some that should fit lens but are designed for another device).

 

[Newsguy]

Has anyone run the FX6 and 28-135 in its handheld form? I currently have the FX6 rigged for shoulder use, but was wondering if holding it from the body with that lens would be too heavy. I use the Zacuto mount so I could run that to the back and use it as a 3rd point of contact, but I wonder how front heavy it would be.

 

[jmone]

FYI - the Crane 3s will fly the FX6 + 100-400 just fine (even though it is a telescoping lens). At it's shortest it will clear all thee axis. The lens motor is also strong enough for the zoom as well (though I'm not sure how "smooth" it is.... I'll post a short clip once I don't look completely amateurish in controlling it). The OSS seems to work pretty well handheld at 400mm and really well when panning on the Gimbal.

 

[ahalpert]

FYI - the Crane 3s will fly the FX6 + 100-400 just fine (even though it is a telescoping lens). At it's shortest it will clear all thee axis. The lens motor is also strong enough for the zoom as well (though I'm not sure how "smooth" it is.... I'll post a short clip once I don't look completely amateurish in controlling it). The OSS seems to work pretty well handheld at 400mm and really well when panning on the Gimbal.

View attachment 143459

that's awesome

can you comment on how well the zoom control in the smartsling handle works? do you get variable zoom speeds with the rocker? I'd love to know how well that thing works and how useful it is in practice

 

[jmone]

Has anyone run the FX6 and 28-135 in its handheld form? I currently have the FX6 rigged for shoulder use, but was wondering if holding it from the body with that lens would be too heavy. I use the Zacuto mount so I could run that to the back and use it as a 3rd point of contact, but I wonder how front heavy it would be.

It's just a bit more awkward to get the ergonomics of being able to see the screen when trying to shoot from eye level and keep it stable. It is easier to shooting with the FX6 against the midriff but that angle is not for everyone.

 

[jmone]

that's awesome

can you comment on how well the zoom control in the smartsling handle works? do you get variable zoom speeds with the rocker? I'd love to know how well that thing works and how useful it is in practice

It has the choice of setting the motor to 3 linear speeds (High, Med, Low but no vari). It works best with light action zoom rings, so it is better with the 28-135, then the 100-400, but will not drive the 24-240. The "grabbier" the zoom ring the more noticeable it is in footage that the zoom is not smooth (but it is still better that what I can do manually). Unfortunately, none of these gimbals properly support a LANC or USB connection to the FX6 so you have to use the zoom/follow focus motors even with servo lens like the 28-135. The Crane 3's LANC connection (you need to contact support to buy the required cable) does support Stop/Start for recording but that is it (and it sometimes is laggy). Still, I paid well under US$1K for the full "Pro" kit so I can not complain too much.

 

[jmone]

Here you go - FWIW a quick sample of zooming in and out on the Crane 3s (handheld) with the 100-400 using the zoom motor. I don't know if the zoom ring will become smoother but I'd not bank on it (and it's already set to it's lightest).

https://behome.dyndns.info/index.php/s/FT78kmgiwbXbwJ8

...and who said you can't get DOF with a F4.5 lens!

Edit: And here is the same clip with some work in post : https://behome.dyndns.info/index.php/s/oRXHockFdFPcn39
- Stabilization (which removed shake and the zoom jerk, but introduced some blur)
- Sharpen (to remove the blur from above)
- Denoise (shot it at high base)
- Contrast bump