FX6: The Sony ILME-FX6V Owners Club

scorsesefan said:
I tried downloading the firmware update on the SD card page and all I got was a line of code :cry: I'm assuming the driver is different on this page than the one for the computer updater?
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I tried today, the server seemed to be busy.
It worked the second time. It's the .DAT file
https://www.sony.com/electronics/su...rders-ilme-series/ilme-fx6v/software/00259043

The SD method is more secure. The Sony updater is tricky sometimes. I cannot make it work on Mac for the A7R4
 
Doug Jensen said:
I have a serious question, why is anyone using proxy clips in 2022? I'd really like to hear from someone who uses them.
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Haven't needed them in 2022 because I haven't dealt with a shoot with 9 cameras, not all using the same codec, continuously rolling for an event since 2021. And it's been even longer since I had to take a 5+ camera multicam performance (where cameras would roll continuously for a minimum of 60-75 minutes for each act) and then edit it on the airplane the next day. But those are some times that I've found proxies very useful in the past. And hoping conditions will make it right for these types of shoots to start again before too long.
 
OnSet and Alaska, thanks for taking the time to reply, That is what I was looking for.
BTW, sometimes I think 90% of our job is just being good problem solvers.
 
Doug Jensen said:
OnSet and Alaska, thanks for taking the time to reply, That is what I was looking for.
BTW, sometimes I think 90% of our job is just being good problem solvers.
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Yes, different people/productions have different needs. As I recall you were a big fan of having a 'delete last take' feature for the XD-Disc recorders -- which is something I've never once used. And one of my clients keeps all their cameras on 'clip continuous record' -- a feature I never thought I'd ever see used (and which makes it a PITA to find a section of a clip to play back from the camera) - but that's something they want for their post workflow.
But getting back to proxies -- they can also be really convenient when you've just shot a multicamera show and the director wants to immediately run to their hotel room and review the footage -- the fast transfers for the proxies can get them out the door in no time! And I'm certainly not letting them walk out the door with the camera cards...
 
Last Clip Delete is the best.

People say every camera should have NDs.

I say every camera should have LCD.
 
OnSet said:
Yes, different people/productions have different needs. As I recall you were a big fan of having a 'delete last take' feature for the XD-Disc recorders .
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You've got that right. My Z750 has Last Clip Delete and I use it all the time. I just tap an assign button on the handle, click the SET button, wait 1 second, hit the SET button again. Gone. I don't even have to look at the viewfinder or LCD while I do it. One of the most under appreciated features ever, especially for wildlife when nothing interesting happens, or when I lose focus in the middle of tracking a bird, or when the CEO keeps blowing his lines. Why keep the garbage?

They'll never put it on the FX6, though, for the same reason they stripped off almost all the paint menus.
 
Speaking of proxies, I have my Z750 setup so that I can press an assign button and only record a 9Mbps 1080p proxy file without the full-res file. It has come in handy a few times when I want to roll on something "just in case" something happens. For documentary or reality shooting it is a great feature to have. The quality of the proxies are very good -- as they should be, because the bit rate is about the same as Netflix streaming. And even better, proxies on the Z750 are stored on a dedicated SD card all of their own so it is super easy to pop it out and hand it over if anyone ever asks for it. Which they have not, so I just keep the same SD card in the camera all the time. I'll bet there must be 30 - 40 hours of footage on the card going back months. The only thing I wish the camera could do is record proxies while shooting with S&Q Motion.
 
After running the FX6 for over a year (Dec 2020), this is (FWIW) my take on what I like ... and would like:

Likes
  • Electronic Variable ND & Dual Base ISO: What I great combination. I’m not sure I’d buy a camera without these features again. The flexibility to have constant exposure across such a wide range of lighting conditions is fantastic.
  • Size, Weight, and Strong Lens Mount: I was worried if I could adapt to a FX6 style system from my prior camcorder formfactor (Canon XF). The great thing about the camcorders is their included super zooms, but I have found the 28-135 works for 95% of what I need. Swapping to a 16-35 for small rooms or the 100-400 (and 2x tele) is fine as the change in location gives plenty of time to change the lens as appropriate. I also have found no issue of using these lenses without support on the FX6.
  • Battery Life: I find it excellent. I’ve never had an issue of running out of juice at a critical point and while I carry extra batteries, I rarely need to swap it during the day.
  • 360 Degree Shutter @ 50fps: Also love this combination. As a PAL shooting, I get twice the temporal resolution from 25fp @ 180 degree but with the same amount of motion blur. The result looks great and halves the judder on pans and movement as there is twice the number of frames. For you NTSC types, give 59.94fps @ 360 and see what you think.
Wish List
  • IBIS / Lens Selection: I know that Sony says they have not worked out (yet) on how to have both IBIS and eV-ND but it is something they need to think about as their recent lens announcements all seems to be lacking OSS. Even the ridiculously priced PZ C 16-35 does not have OSS. For me I’m after PZ OSS lens in the trinity and so far, there is just the 28-135. I’d also like to see a PZ version of the OSS 24-240 for a lightweight travel option.
  • Use Clear Image Zoom to give a S35 Crop: Give an option to enable a “Set a Fixed Clear Image Zoom amount” in the menu. This way you could use a lens like the S35 PZ OSS 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 where the zoom rockers would still work.
  • 3.5mm Mic Plug On Body: Just should have been from the start. An MI style adapter that fits on the top body connector (for the handle) would be a welcome option.
  • MI Shoe: For some reason, there is something about the OS in the FX6 that is “different” to mirrorless for MI shoe compatibility. As an example, the Sony ECM-W2BT wireless audio receiver will only work in analogue mode and the FX6 will complain that it is “not compatible” in digital mode (and analogue is noisy).
  • Mic Holder: Nasty floppy mess. Rather see some form of modular plate system where you attach 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] party plates as well.
  • Electronic Variable ND: I’d love it to start from 0 (or as close to 0 as possible) to get a much wider range of coverage. The initial ¼ is a big initial reduction.
  • USB Recording Support: Plug a USB SSD into the FX6 for a recording option. Opens a whole set of recording media options that many other mfrs are already doing.
  • Redesign the Touch Screen holder: I don’t find it too bad but, in some orientations, I do get the flop.
 
I'll follow the last post with my experience using the FX6 for over a year as well (Feb 2021).

The camera is fantastic to work with. It's been a great upgrade from my FS7II in virtually every way. Even things I didn't think I would like, like the lack of a locking E-mount, I've grown to be ok with. There's a lot to like about having so many features in such a small package. It really is hard to explain how great it is to work with until you own one yourself.

As usual, there is no such thing as a perfect camera and if I we lived in a world where I got to design an FX6 MK II, these are the improvements I would make:
  • Better LCD design: Let's face it, the design of the LCD sucks on this camera. It's so incredibly weak. I like how flexible it is and how it can be mounted all over the camera, but it needs to be stronger. Bright Tangerine fortunately has made this workable, but I shouldn't have had to go that route to begin with.
  • Better mic holder: As with virtually all Sony cameras, the stock mic mount is also very weak, not to mention it doesn't do a lot to reduce handling noise. I replaced mine with Alister Chapman's FX6 mic holder and that has been amazing for strength and handling noise. I would make something similar for the FX6II as part of the stock build.
  • 4 audio dials: The FX9 has four audio dials on the side of the body and since the FX6 can also record four channels of audio, I think it too should have four dials on the body.
  • 3.5mm mic jack: Speaking of audio, as was referenced above not having audio inputs when the handle is removed wasn't the best design. If we could simply have a 3.5mm mic jack somewhere on the side or back of the camera for when the handle is removed, that would be perfect.
  • Higher resolution sensor: The FX6 was built with the A7SIII's sensor which creates beautiful video and is fantastic in lowlight. But if Sony were to give this camera a 6K sensor that was also respectable in lowlight, that would be even better. Most people agree that the FX9 does have a slightly more detailed, more organic image, not to mention it can record 4K in Super35 crop mode. Just imagine if we could have something similar in the FX6's small form factor.
  • Improved AF functionality: The AF in the FX6 is great, but it's not very intuitive to use. Sony's mirrorless line is way more intuitive to use and doesn't feel clunky like the FX6 does. Even just giving us the ability to select objects to track with the joystick as opposed to being forced to use the LCD screen would be a major improvement.
  • Updated WB tool: The white balance tool on the Sony mirrorless line is fantastic. You get a little small box that you can move around with a joystick to place on whatever white balance card or object you want to WB to. The FX6 by contrast uses an old school large box that's static and therefore forces you to use a really big WB card, or at least to have the card right in front of the camera. I would love to see the FX6 get an updated WB tool similar to what the mirrorless cameras have.
  • Internal raw: Raw isn't everything, but having raw as an option is great. With Canon, Nikon and Blackmagic all finding ways to work with or around RED's patents, I think it's time Sony does too. It would be great to have a solid 12-bit internal raw file for those times when you simply need a little thicker of an image to work with.
  • Increased ND range: The built-in electronic variable ND is incredible. It's one of the camera's best features. But as jmone said in a previous comment, the ND starts a little high. I also think it stops a little low. Instead of 2-7 stops, I would love to see 1-8 stops of ND so that you didn't start so dark when you simply need a little bit of ND and so that you can shoot at f/1.4 in bright lighting conditions.
  • Gyro sensor data update: The gyro sensor data is really cool and has been very helpful when handheld shooting. I really like this feature. The only issue is that we are still forced to use Catalyst Browse in order to use it. I would love to see Sony work with Premiere, Final Cut and the Resolve team to get this functionality into native editing software. That would make this feature way more useful and feasible to use on a day to day basis.
And that's it! 10 bullet points may seem like a lot, but I think the fact that I only have 10 attributes I would change on the FX6 actually says a lot about the camera and how good it is. Seriously, the FX6 is an incredible tool and is one of the most feature rich cameras I've ever owned. If we had a MK II with these 10 characteristics, it would be dang near perfect (for me at least).
 
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Most of those bullets are valid complaints/suggestions but my number one problem with the camera (besides not having a VF) is the utter lack of paint menus. You either have to shoot with LOG or make do with S-Cinetone, which I find highly over rated for anything other than human faces indoors. As recently as December I was planning on selling my FX6 as soon as I finish a project I've been working on, but the release of firmware 2.0 changed my plans and now I'll be keeping my FX6 for the foreseeable future. There's simply no other camera that can match its specifications and capabilities -- not to mention Sony's great lineup of e-mount lenses that compliment the FX6 perfectly. I shot this footage over the last couple of weeks of some owls near my house. I shot some it with the equivalent of a 1800mm lens. 200-600mm + 2.0 teleconverter + 1.5x Clear Image Zoom. I didn't need AF for this kind of shooting, but it works great even with the combination. No other camera can touch that.
 
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Great footage. Love how the chick is looking down the lens checking you out in some of the clips. 1800mm and it looks great!

I must say, I like LOG + Davinci Resolve Colour Mgt vs LUTS. No need to technical grade, just some creative adjustments. Also easy to mix and match footage from other sources. Lets you then pump out but HDR and SDR. Simple.
 
jmone said:
Great footage. Love how the chick is looking down the lens checking you out in some of the clips. 1800mm and it looks great!.
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Thanks.
One of the best things about a really long focal length is that I could move pretty far away from tree and still zoom in for a tight shot. And the farther I can back away from the nest, the less it feels like I'm looking up at it. In some of these shots it almost feels like I'm shooting from the same height as the nest, but it is 30-35 feet above the ground.
 
I'd just it to be riggable for on the shoulder use in a way that doesn't put all the weight on your forearms. Everything else I can live with.

This photo, which is an honest to goodness advert is everything that is bad about the camera for me in a nutshell.

g95tLNP.jpg
 
Jeez, what a mess. There are so many things wrong with this setup. A perfect example of pimping out a camera so it looks cool without any regard to usability. Unless he's got a focus-puller and/or is shooting rehearsed shots so he just has to point the camera, this is completely useless. First of all, instead of having his eyeball looking into a proper viewfinder, he's using the camer's flip-out LCD panel which is too small, too dim, and totally useless outdoors and in bright light. Not to mention making it nearly impossible to see peaking, zebras, or other critical settings because of how far back his head is positioned. To get the LCD at a comfortable viewing distance, it forces him to push the entire camera forward so that the center of gravity is no longer over his shoulder. Whereas, if he had a proper viewfinder, the weight and balance would put the camera body over his shoulder and right next to his ear. This was all worked out decades ago with ENG cameras.

Next, he's also supporting the camera with two hands, which makes it virtually impossible for him to turn the variable ND wheel, adjust the iris, focus the lens, or make any camera adjustments whatsoever without removing a hand from one of the grips and having the camera drift or droop. There's no reason in hell he shouldn't be able to fully support the camera with his right hand and keep his left hand totally free 100% of the time to make camera/lens adjustments. Once again, ENG cameras had this figured out decades ago.

He's got a heavy matte box with no filter(s) in the tray, which means there no need for that extra weight at the very front of the camera, which throws the whole rig even more out of balance. He's a got a follow-focus attached when it would be just as easy to turn the focus ring on the lens itself. Or, in the case of the FX6, just use the camera's excellent auto-focus system. It's a bizarre setup that was clealy put together by a manufacturer that is more interested in selling accessories to the gullible, rather than helping a shooter actually do his job and get the shot. I've got my own FX6 rigged up for super-comfortable handheld shooting, much like an ENG camera, and it would allow me to shoot handheld for hours longer than this guy -- even though I'm not nearly as buff. I'd love to see this guy try use this rig on a run & gun documentary outdoors in daytime. He'd be flying blind. What a joke.
 
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It looks to be perfect for shooting the ground about 8-10 feet in front of you..... when you are in a dark room and the light is out in front lighting the ground - oh, and a subject that only turns in place or rolls over endlessly without moving outside the FOV.

It kind of hurts just looking at it and I do not do run_N_gun or documentary style projects. Ouch.

B
 
Doug Jensen said:
. It's a bizarre setup that was clealy put together by a manufacturer that is more interested in selling accessories to the gullible, rather than helping a shooter actually do his job and get the shot. I've got my own FX6 rigged up for super-comfortable handheld shooting, much like an ENG camera, and it would allow me to shoot handheld for hours longer than this guy -- even though I'm not nearly as buff. I'd love to see this guy try use this rig on a run & gun documentary outdoors in daytime. He'd be flying blind. What a joke.
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Yep it is nothing to do with having a working camera setup and 100% to have an advert with a camera that looks like a movie camera setup with zero practical applications.
 
scorsesefan said:
Defeats the whole purpose of a lightweight grab n go camera...
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There's something to be said for adding weight strategically to balance the camera for and aft on the shoulder - I shot with an FX9 with the ARRI PCS plates, v-locks and a Fuji Cabrio last week and it was about 5 times the weight of my FX6 setup but balanced perfectly and was a lot easier to use.

But in that pic ALL of the weight is over the front of the shoulder so on the forearms which is horrific after about 5mins.

I've toyed with a V-lock plate on sliding rails with the FX6 to balance it out a bit but it is still a pain to wrangle and to have the LCD somewhere useful. In the end that goes on the back of the cam and a monitor on an arm takes the place of an EVF but it is all a bodge job.
 
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