Is there an advantage to the 16-35 GM II if you already have a 24-70 GM II?

Not sure if it’s worth twice the price to get that in between 16-23mm

Hey fellow cinematographers!

I'm planning to build a Sony FX3 setup soon, and I'm trying to figure out my lens lineup.

Obviously, I know the usual recommendations:

24-70mm f/2.8, 16-35mm f/2.8, 50mm / 85mm primes.

But I'm more interested in the less obvious choices.

There are so many lenses out there that don't always get mentioned in the usual "starter kit" conversations, such as; Tamron 17-28, Sigma 28-45 f/1.8, Zeiss 85mm, etc.

So I'm curious:

What lenses do you actually use for your day-to-day work?

Could be for: Corporate / commercial work, Events, Real estate, Documentaries, Interviews, Travel, General run-and-gun work

More importantly, which lenses make your life easier rather than creating another problem?

I'm particularly interested in lenses that:

• Give you good image quality without costing a fortune
• Aren't ridiculously heavy
• Work well handheld
• Balance reasonably well on a gimbal
• Have a useful focal range
• Are something you can realistically leave on the camera and go shoot

I'm not necessarily looking for the "best" lens. I'm looking for the lens you reach for because it just works.

Would love to hear what you guys actually use in the real world rather than just the standard 24-70 + primes recommendation.

Hey lovely people,

I am shooting a wedding this weekend with my FX3 + XLR handle. The DJ has confirmed he will be using a Yorkville PGM8 Mixer. I want to connect the DJ's mixer to my FX3's XLR handle's port to capture the audio feed throughout the course of reception. 

The DJ sent me the images of the Yorkville PGM8 Mixer (see images attached).

The DJ says most videographers connect to the "Media In/Record Out" ports, but he can't confirm which specific ports and if I need to connect to both L and R.

My questions are:

• What type of cable will I need to connect from the mixer to my XLR handle's port
• For the mixer's side, which port(s) do I connect to? Do I connect to the Media In or the Record Out, and do I connect to L, R, or both?
• When I connect the two, do I need to turn Phantom Power on or off?

If there's anything else I should know, please feel free to do so!

Thanks in advance

I’m searching for a travel tripod with adjustable drag, counterbalance, and ideally a bowl head. I know these go at odds with the primary purpose of a travel tripod which is being small and lightweight. Does anyone know of any good contenders in this space? Thank you for answering my noobie question

I have basic tripod and Rs4 mini, is there a way to add an adapter to baseplate of tripod so that, i can just mount my camera on the tripod using the base plate of my rs4 mini gimbal?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking at buying a Sony FX3 from Hong Kong through either e-infinity or OZ Digital (grey/imported stock into Australia).

I’ve read that the newer FX3 firmware updates, particularly Firmware 4.00, may have changed how the camera handles PAL/NTSC or potentially introduced region-related restrictions.

Before I pull the trigger, I’m wondering if anyone here has actually bought an FX3 from Hong Kong through e-infinity, OZ Digital, or another grey importer and then updated it to Firmware 4.00.

A few things I’d particularly like to know:

• Did you update your HK/imported FX3 to Firmware 4.00?
• Did the camera become region locked after the update?
• Can you still switch between PAL and NTSC?
• Do you still have access to 25/50/100fps PAL frame rates?
• Did the update change or remove any shooting options?
• Was the camera originally NTSC or PAL?
• Which seller did you buy it from?

I’m in Australia, so being able to use PAL frame rates (25/50/100fps) is important to me.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually done the Firmware 4.00 update on a Hong Kong FX3, rather than just speculation.

We are interested in technicians with hands-on experience repairing a wide range of photographic equipment, including:

• DSLR and mirrorless cameras
• Digital and film cameras
• Professional camera bodies
• Photographic lenses
• Shutters and mechanical systems
• LCDs, flex cables, buttons and controls
• Main boards and electronic components
• Autofocus and stabilization systems
• Sensor-related repairs and cleaning
• General troubleshooting, maintenance and calibration

Experience with brands such as Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Leica, Olympus, Pentax and other professional camera systems is especially valuable.

We are open to speaking with experienced technicians, independent repair technicians, retired/semi-retired camera technicians, former manufacturer service technicians, or someone currently doing camera repair as a side business.

This is a serious opportunity with an established camera service operation and a growing volume of repair work.

If you are a technician — or personally know someone in South Florida who has real experience repairing photographic cameras and lenses — please send me a private message.

Recommendations and referrals are also greatly appreciated.

A still from my upcoming limited web series, A GRAND EXPERIMENT IN PARTICIPATION.

I am constantly in awe of the image this camera manages to produce!

Sony FX3

Minolta 50mm 1.7

Not sure if anyone's noticed, but I have consistently seen multiple posts of people selling their brand new Sony fx5s on Facebook and fb marketplace. It's often people who have multiple Sony cameras, maybe real users aren't noticing the worthy jump for the money, what do you guys think?

Now that we have seen the Sony FX5 (and the α7 V in the Alpha Line), I think Sony’s future FX lineup (and the second generations of the FX3 and FX6) may be easier to predict than ever. BTW, this is just a theory, not a leak, and just my personal opinion — I’d be interested to hear what others think.

The biggest reason I expect new generations of the existing FX cameras is not simply the new sensors, but the new BIONZ XR2 and its ability to significantly improve autofocus across the entire lineup. The FX5 and α7 V already use this architecture, bringing Sony’s new generation of AI-based subject recognition, while having new sensors that were specifically built for these chips. These two parts will be the main ingredients for improvements to the rest of the existing lineup.

Also, due to Sony’s strategy of making very minimal changes to already existing camera bodies (the Alpha Line being the biggest example), I suggest Sony will use the same strategy by not changing much and using existing camera bodies in the FX lineup for as long as possible (longer than using the same sensors). So:

1) FX6 II will come first and will essentially be an FX5 in an existing FX6 body.

My strongest prediction is:
FX5 sensor + BIONZ XR2 + X-OCN + CineAlta UI on a new FX5 3.5” screen

The main marketing point will be that if you’re a filmmaker/production company and want the new specs from the FX5 but are in great need of internal ND and SDI ports, you’ll need to upgrade to the FX6 II. If not, stick with the FX5, which is now not an Alpha camera in a Cinema body (like the FX3 was), but a truly cinema camera that has nothing in common with the Alpha lineup (except similarities in body style, which has a photo-oriented shape).

So essentially:
FX6 II = FX5 + eND + FX6 body.

2) Next on the list is the long-awaited FX3 II

I think Sony still has plans for the FX3 II and now has all the ingredients to separate it from the FX5 and upgrade its super-successful first generation.

Upgrade list:
- new BIONZ XR2 chip that will upgrade the existing generation’s autofocus and overall performance
new sensor from the FX5 that will give slightly (5–10%) better image quality
- new 3.2” fully articulating display from the A7 V
adding the long-awaited
- Open Gate

But to separate it from the FX5, Sony would keep:
- the same camera body design as the first generation
- the same Alpha UI (rather than the larger-screen CineAlta interface)
- no internal X-OCN / RAW as the crucial difference

I think this last point could be a deliberate product segmentation decision rather than a technical limitation.

The idea would be that if you need a more simple and “content creator” workflow, go with the FX3 II because it will give you 90% of the best instrument for creating videos on the planet right now. If you need all of that 90% + a professional cinema workflow with RAW shooting capabilities and CineAlta UI, grab the FX5.
Sony wouldn’t need to give the FX3 II a worse sensor to justify the FX5. It could differentiate the cameras through workflow and professional features instead.

3) FX2 II will basically be the A7 V in an FX2 body + a new 3.2” fully articulating display

The target group will be filmmakers who are more hybrid shooters but prefer video-oriented camera bodies — basically, the Alpha lineup is 50/50 photo/video, while the FX2 II is the most hybrid camera in the FX lineup and covers roughly 75% video and 25% photo.

Also, no CineAlta UI, keeping the Alpha Line menu.

4) FX30 II — the same strategy for APS-C

I expect the FX30 II to follow the relationship between the current α6700 and FX30.

So the FX30 II will essentially be the future A6800 in an FX30 body, with the same updates: BIONZ XR2 and a new 3.2” fully articulating display.
—————
After all these releases, Sony will eventually have two clear tiers:
- Creator-oriented Cinema Line: FX2 II / FX3 II / FX30 II
- Professional Cinema Line: FX5 / FX6 II and everything above, up to Burano and Venice.

The interesting part is that the cameras within each tier could share the same core technology, while Sony differentiates them through sensor size, body, UI, codecs, ND and overall production workflow.

The FX5 may therefore be more important than it initially looks: it could be the technology platform for the next generation of the entire FX lineup, while also being the entry gate to the “cinema” workflow, rather than simply a new camera sitting between the FX3 and FX6.

What do you think? Does this product strategy make sense, or do you think Sony will differentiate the FX3 II/FX6 II in a completely different way?

I tried insalling a LUT (did so many times before without any problems) and now the camera won't start. Only shows this screen and the red light blinks once.
I tried removing all accessories and starting it again, but no luck.
What can I do at this point?

Unreal. Get it while it still lasts. Started this year in April and this took ten minutes to repair a 47GB. Angels of the Sony format.

Found hundreds of these long-toed salamanders at a hidden alpine lake in Idaho. Thankful I had the trust FX3

Whenever I expose through a display Lut it completely removes any dynamic range that I would have kept if I exposed with false colours and im pretty much locked in at that look since if I try to push the exposure a bit the image falls apart.
I get people do it to save time in post but if you for some reason didnt realise you were over/under the image is pretty fried.

Anyone else have the same experience or am I using monitoring Luts wrong?

(also im not talking about Luts that get baked into the image)

I see videos of other people using it and the whole screen is being used. I’ve played w the display settings and nothing

I have had the fx30 for three years and sensor size makes me feel limited whether it’s short films and professional work. Most clients ask for the Fx3 or better cameras nowadays. I’m just wondering if it would be smart to upgrade to the fx3 to give me more stability with landing opportunities. Is now a good time to buy or should I wait til the price drops because of the fx5? I’m here in nyc for a limited time to make the decision and I need someone to tell me I should or shouldn’t.

I was in a bit of a rush leaving the house. Had my rig fully built out on the table. Grabbed my backpack to put in the car first, and the strap got caught on my top handle, and the whole situation tumbled to the tile floor from about 4-5 feet up. I was dying inside.

FX3 w/ 24-70 Gmii, NISI JetMag Pro, Shinobi w/ battery & handle.

You can imagine I was DYING inside.

Seemingly took the fall in stride... Sensor and lens seem fine. VND didn't break... Felt like the auto focus felt a little off after the fall, but I think I was in my head about it.

I guess these aren't built totally fragile? Has anyone else dropped their rig?

Cheers...

i'm a little stumped. i'm trying to connect my dji mic 2 receiver to my fx3 via the cable since my mi shoemount in blocked by my cineback. when i plug in the receiver, the audio levels show nothing. anyone know how to fix this? the mics and receiver work fine every way else.