Hi i'm Jakob MPB's in-house videographer
and i'm here to find an answer to a really important question is Sony A7S III and
Sony FX3 the same camera? Why would you buy one and not the other? let's find out
In 2020 Sony announced a much anticipated camera Sony A7S III the next year Sony announced another
camera Sony FX3 but this time it was part of Sony's cinema line as it turned out both of
these cameras are basically the same camera inside they both feature 12 megapixel back illuminated
sensor with amazing low-light capabilities and 15 plus stop dynamic range in S-log 3 mode they both
feature Sony's great in-body image stabilisation then they both can record in 4k up to 120 frames
per second in 10-bit 4-2 chroma subsampling but if it's still not enough for you in terms of data
you can output a 16 bit uncompressed raw signal through full size HDMI ports on both
of these cameras and recorded externally on a for example Atomos Ninja 5 recorder
in terms of similarities they also both have a flip out screen they take either
express type a cards or at the same time they can record on SD cards you may think
that FX3 inherited menu system from Sony professional video cameras but it's not true
it has the exact same menu system as Sony A7S III which is much improved over previous Aony A7S
II so what is the difference between those two cameras like i said before internally
they are basically the same camera with the same capabilities frame rates codecs etc...
what is different is on the outside and also what comes in the package if you buy
Sony A7S III you buy the body of course it comes with battery charger strap and so on
but if you buy Sony FX3 you get Sony's top handle with XLR inputs in the package so
if we compare those two I should attach it to make the comparison if you need this top handle with
XLR inputs on your A7S III you need to buy it for additional £500 or £600 or so if I had to point
one feature that makes FX3 a better purchase for video it would be this top handle not only you get
access to professional XLR inputs with controls on the side and phantom power outputs but also
you can hold the camera like that which is so much more comfortable when you're shooting from waist
level or if you just want to carry it around with you I think you can summarise the main differences
between those two cameras in one sentence for each one of them so i'd say Sony A7S III is
a hybrid camera with photography focus and FX3 is a hybrid camera but with video focus and not
only it comes from the top handle XLR inputs etc... but also the builds of the body itself
just says it's a video camera there are also multiple mounting points there are one quarter
of an inch threads three on top of the camera and one on each side two of those threads are taken
by the screws from the top handle if you're using it so you're left with one on top then
also the layout of the buttons and their design is a little bit different on both of these cameras
first of all there is a power switch button at the back on the FX3 and it resembles power switch that
you find on other Sony video cameras whereas on the Sony A7S III it's the traditional mirrorless
or DSLR switch near the shutter release button on FX3 there is also a big dedicated record button
on top just where you expect it to be and there is additional record button at the front
so if you're filming anything while holding the top handle you can press it with your other hands
on Sony A7S III there is a dedicated record button on top it's much smaller and not as convenient as
on the FX3 I put the top handle aside to make the buttons layout more visible let's look at the top
side of the camera so as you can see on top of FX3 there is no mode dial button there
is no exposure compensation dial there is no additional dial that you usually use to change
shutter speed or aperture depends on in which mode you are instead you can change modes using this
additional mode button on the FX3 there are more buttons that are like pre-set up for you to make
it more convenient to use it for video so there is iris button on top there is white balance
ISO and also at the back you can see that on the false focus A7S III on the dial you can
press it for ISO or drive modes on the FX3 they are pre-set up so there is peaking on one side
zebra and shutter speed when it comes to major differences between those two cameras as you can
probably see there is no electronic viewfinder in the FX3 camera and it's still on A7S III so
if you're filming outside and the lcd is not bright enough in FX3 you might need to buy some
external monitor which is bright enough to film outside one feature that says I am video camera
loud and clear on the FX3 is the presence of tally lights there is one let me start recording
and as you can see there is one up here which is visible on the front and on the top there is one
rounds record buttons and there is one for you at the back and also in the menu you can turn
on this big red frame rounds LCD screen so you will always know if you are recording or not
the other feature that will probably make the FX3 more reliable camera if you're filming in
high resolution or in higher frame rates is that it has active cooling but don't worry
there are enough options in the menu uh responsible for adjusting fun noise so it will
never cause any problem when it comes to filming what makes FX3 a better video camera for my taste
are those little design usability differences for example like little protruding edges around some
of the buttons for example next to the joystick or next to the power switch button or next to
the front record button there are those protruding edges that help me with finding the buttons if i'm
not looking at the camera looking at lcd or external monitor and i'm looking for for example
the front record button i can feel it is here I really love it and I also really like compared
to previous models from the A7S series how now you can feel that you're pressing those buttons there
is some resistance here so you know if you're pressing a button or not to summarise when I
first heard about Sony releasing the FX3 camera while there was A7S III already on the market
I didn't think that there will be many people willing to buy it but now that I got to test it
for myself i'm convinced that it is a better video camera than A7S III and all of those
minor but really important design differences make all the difference for example how lcd screen is
designed on FX3 it's so easy to open it up if the camera is mounted on a tripod because you put your
finger here and open up the LCD screen while on A7S III the most convenient way to open up lcd
screen is to hold it with two fingers and open it but if your camera isn't a tripod you don't
have access to the bottom edge and all of those little tiny design differences and top handle
of course make the FX3 better video camera for me what do you think about those cameras which one is
a better choice for you and why let me know in the comments and don't forget to click the subscribe
button as there are loads of videos to come to the channel. Thank you and see you next time you