- Today, we are testing out the brand new Sony FX6,
which is in this case right here.
Super excited about it because it seems like
that perfect middle ground camera to a mirrorless camera,
like the A7S III that I'm filming on right now
and a bigger cinema camera like the Sony FX9,
which I love, but it's just a little bit too big
for the type of stuff we do.
We like to take our cameras, take it to random places,
maybe hike with it.
Having a more compact camera works better for us.
So here it is,
and at first glance it looks a lot like the FX9,
but just smaller across the board.
It's definitely much shorter,
and it's also surprisingly lightweight.
Now let's go ahead and start building this up
with the top handle,
really cool to see that these are thumbscrews
the FX9 required tools to take the handle on and off.
So it made it a little bit trickier to break down.
Now this side handle is actually pretty cool.
It seems like the way you mount it
is very similar to a lens.
So you take that white dot, line it up right here,
and rotate it on, clicks in and feels pretty good.
And then to remove it, you press that release,
rotate it off, almost exactly like a lens.
So that's pretty cool and it's very fast,
so love that.
Now here's the monitor, check this out.
You got a little hood right there.
I'm gonna start off by mounting it
to the side of the top handle,
but looks like there's a couple different spots
you can mount it, like right here and right here.
So already I'm liking what I'm seeing,
it seems like it's gonna be more modular,
it's gonna be easier to break down
into a backpack.
Time to attach the lens!
Is this still on the van?
- Still on the van.
- Oh great.
Alright, so we're gonna have to go hike back up
to get the lens.
We picked a difficult spot to film this intro.
- And it didn't even look that good.
- On top of this compact camera,
Sony is also putting out this big old cine lens.
This is a 16 to 35 T/3.1.
Now what's interesting about this lens
is that it does have its proper 0.8 pitch gearing
for its focus, zoom and Iris,
but it also has auto-focus and a servo.
So I could go ahead, switch this over to servo
and I can actually use the zoom rocker up here
to actually move that zoom on the Cine Lens.
So pretty exciting stuff here
where it's a proper Cinema Lens
but you also have the auto features incorporated into here.
So I'm gonna go ahead and start recording my very first clip
on this camera and oh man, this is looking pretty good.
We got Sam over there
and I'm just using the zoom rocker right here.
And to be honest, my biggest draw from wanting to use this
over this A7S is right here,
the variable electronic ND, this thing is magical.
So check this out, I can pop on my ND filter
with a press of a button,
and then I could dial in exactly how strong I want
that variable ND to be.
There's no stops,
and also, most variable NDs utilize polarizers.
So that's why you have to kind of rotate them
in different ways to get different densities.
But this is an electronic ND
and the beauty of an electronic ND
is that it's gonna have less issues with polarized light.
So let's say this was a polarized filter,
then you might point it at some parts of the sky
with a lot of polarized lights and it will appear
much darker, and also displays,
check it out, I could look at the screen right here
and it still looks pretty clean, right?
A lot of polarizers will make displays like this or TV's
or monitors, look all crazy.
So electronic variable ND is the way to go
but they're just not that common.
We have it here though,
so that is very, very cool.
If we strip off the top handle,
it's pretty similar to the size of the C3 100 MKIII
in terms of length.
But if we bring it around to the back here,
you could definitely see that the C300 is much wider
and you can also see that it's quite a bit taller
and there's a lot more weight in this as well.
(gentle music)
- So let's check out the split-screen footage
and they both look solid.
I guess I slightly lean towards the Canon colors
just by a little bit, but they're both very flexible.
So whatever look you're going for it
you could probably get it out of either of these cameras.
Now, the reason I'm comparing these two cameras
is because the Canon C70 is supposed to be coming out
which is supposed to have the same Dual Gain Output sensor
as the C300 MKIII.
And if there's any other camera
that's gonna sit right there
in between the pro camera and the mirrorless camera,
it's gonna be this Canon C70
which is gonna be right around the same price range.
I also wanna compare it to the Sony A7S III
because looking at the spec sheet,
the sensor and processor, it looks pretty much the same.
So are we just gonna get the same exact image
as we did on the A7S III?
But looking at these images side by side
I actually way prefer the FX6
because of the more natural colors,
especially in the skin tones.
I've been pretty happy with the colors out of the A7S III
but I do notice the skin tones tend to be a little bit
of this flat yellow color,
that I have to usually tweak to try to get rid of.
I feel like the FX6 looks more natural.
By the way these are both S-Log 3,
in S-Gamut3.Cine
and they're both processed the same way.
And we also tried swapping the lenses between the cameras
to see if it was the lenses
that were making these improvements in the image quality,
but the results seem to be pretty consistent,
so definitely something going on in the camera
to make the picture look more natural.
A bonus for the FX 6 is that it does have S-Cinetone
which isn't something that I really use
because I use S-Log 3
and S-Cinetone just doesn't maximize that dynamic range.
But overall, the differences are subtle
but I definitely lean towards that FX6
Slow motion is pretty much identical to the A7S III.
We have 4K, up to 120 frames per second,
and we have HD, up to 240 frames per second
and we do maintain autofocus through all these frame rates,
so that is awesome.
Now if you remember the Sony A7S,
did have a slight crop at some of the higher frame rates,
same goes for this, but again it's not major,
so sometimes I don't even notice it.
So here's how the camera looks without a crop,
and here's the crop you get at a 120 frames per second.
So nothing major, it's there, but it doesn't really
bug me too much.
We also have two XLR inputs,
that is definitely a big deal if you're using
some professional microphones.
We also do have internal audio,
so I believe that's coming from this mic right here.
So let's switch to this microphone
and here's how the audio sounds.
But also I feel like there's audio
even if I pull this off.
So there must be another microphone somewhere in here.
I don't see one but I'm sure it's hidden somewhere in there.
This is not how you're gonna get the best audio ever.
But as a scratch track, definitely useful,
we're gonna be utilizing this to get sync
between these cameras, so definitely handy.
Now one feature that the FX6 doesn't have
that the A7S III does is the IBIS.
And I kinda actually wish there was an IBIS option
on here, that I could turn on and off
but you're gonna be relying on the optical stabilization,
if you're trying to get stabilization out of the camera.
Now, let's say you're running a combo like this,
where you're not getting any stabilization
in the lens or camera then it does to record that metadata,
which is cool because then you can actually stabilize
everything in post.
Now it is gonna be an extra step,
but it is cool that you get to control exactly
how much stabilization you want to add to it.
And if you wanna add a lot to it,
then you definitely want to crank up
that shutter speed on here.
So you're getting less motion blur in each frame.
And since it is stabilizing off the gyro data on the camera
that actually makes the stabilization very accurate
and relatively fast as well.
It's nothing like Warp stabilizer
where it has to analyze the image and it takes forever.
This thing is much quicker, but again, it is an extra step
and you can't have stabilization on in the lens or the body.
Now we are starting to lose the lights,
so we're definitely going to need to bump up the ISO.
Now the FX9 had a Dual Native ISO at 804,000
but the FX6 is like the A7S III
where the Dual Native ISO is 812,800,
which is way up there.
Now, one thing I did notice about the A7S III
is that if you don't go all the way up to 12,800,
it doesn't look so good.
So it's weak points are right around the 6,000 8,000 range,
doesn't look that good.
You have to push it all the way
to 12,800 to get that real clean image.
So check this out,
on the A7S III, am at 10,000 and see how grainy it is.
I'm gonna go up to 12,800 and oh yeah,
everything just cleans right off.
So that's actually going to come into play
if it gets real dark.
At 12,800, you can see everything
especially when you pair it with a fairly fast lens.
Oh, it looks so good.
Even when you have very little light.
One question I have about this
is will it fit on the gimbal,
this is the DJI RS 2.
For a while we have the pre-production unit
but this is the official production finalized unit.
So this should be pretty much exactly the version
that you guys get if you buy one.
Oh, this is new, they give you a little diagram right there
letting you know how to store it.
(upbeat music)
Alright, So with this lenses, it sticks out
a little bit too far back to cut out,
not enough clearance there.
I mean, I guess you could operate it like this.
Probably a smaller lens though maybe, what do you think?
- [Sam] Yeah, let's try the smaller ones.
- The Tamron 17 to 28.
Is that gonna push us forward enough?
Come on baby, come on baby, oh yeah!
Okay, so now the plate is not quite long enough.
I do like how easy it is to get it into this mode,
taking off that top handle, only takes a second,
also the side handle as well.
This monitor can be mounted in a couple of different spots.
And I do like that,
you can pretty much swivel it in any way you want.
And when you have that level, it just snaps in right there.
And I feel like the FX9, it wasn't perfectly level.
And I've seen a few other FX9
where they are all a little bit crooked
but this little monitor mount, I dig it.
See the problem is the center of balances, like back here.
So I need the plate to be further back.
Tricky part is that the quarter inch is up here,
what I could do is put in
a quarter inch to three eighth adapter
and just scoot this back.
But another option is to just make this camera front heavy.
So if I attach a few more things up here,
it should bring that center of gravity
a little bit more towards around here,
and then we should be able to get a balance on this plate.
So check it out,
I attached this focus unit all the way up here,
not because I need it, but I'm just trying to offset
that weight.
Yeah, perfect!
You're gonna give me some clearance as well, thank you.
Look at that clearance right there,
check out this new menu by the way.
I really liked this new touchscreen menu,
it's been very intuitive.
If you wanna go into the deeper menu settings
you just press and hold the menu button
and you're back here to access the more in-depth stuff.
And we have all that clearance too,
so this is cool.
I like how you can break it down to this size
and use it as a compact gimbal cap.
I'm gonna go ahead and start recording you right now,
looks pretty good.
We got the flare in the back.
- Whoa!
- You look like a spy with a camera.
So quick update, SmallRig is releasing this plate
for the RS 2, I just pre-ordered it.
And this should make the balancing process way easier
on a larger camera like this FX6.
Now one of the unique things about having a variable ND
in here, is that you could get this pretty unique shot
where you turn on the ND variable to auto,
so it's going to maintain your exposure.
And all you do is open up your lens or close down your lens.
And the exposure itself doesn't change
because that variable ND is keeping it right there
in the middle.
But what you'll notice is the background getting
either blurry or back into focus.
So you can kind of do that in camera,
which is something that you typically can't
unless you have a variable ND.
We're still trying to contemplate like,
do we want this FX6 or the C70 for these videos?
So here's how I'm kind of comparing the two cameras.
Both, no doubt gonna be great.
And I think a lot of people are gonna choose
based on what kind of lenses they have
because if you already have a bunch of E-mount lenses
you're probably just gonna wanna go into the FX6.
Or if you've invested a lot in RF lenses,
then definitely worth looking at the C70,
and not just the RF lenses, but EF lenses as well.
And they do have a speed booster
which is gonna make the sensors seem more
like a full frame sensor
because that is a Super 35 mil Sensor.
Which I don't really have a problem with,
but that is one advantage that this FX6 has
is that if you liked that full frame look,
then you have it just right here in the FX6.
And speaking of the Canon sensor,
you get that Dual Gain Output,
giving you, what is it?
Supposedly 16 and a half stops of dynamic range.
So there's definitely benefits to both,
you've got full frame or Dual Gain Output Super 35.
Now built-in ND filters,
the advantage the Canon has
is that it goes two, four, six, eight, or 10 stops.
The Sony I believe, has two to seven stop
with that electronic ND.
So you have every stop in between,
which gives the Sony that capability
of that very gradual transition in between densities.
But with the Canon, you have a higher reach,
you could go to 10 stops of ND.
So again, both kinda have their advantages there.
We also have full-size XLRs on the FX6.
So that's an advantage over the C70,
which has those mini XLRs,
but the mini XLRs are on the body,
a post at the top handle.
So if you're trying to run really light,
you can't just pull off this top handle and get XLR inputs.
Stabilization, let's talk about that.
Now we haven't tested out the C70,
but I imagine the Image Stabilization
is gonna be pretty similar to the C300 MKIII,
or actually a majority of Canon cameras
where it's a Digital Image Stabilization.
What's nice about that is that it can be convenient
because you have a pretty stable image
just coming right out of the body
and you don't have to process it or anything,
you can just go ahead, throw it in your edit,
and it's already pretty smooth.
Downside of Canon Digital Image Stabilization,
is that it can track the subject sometimes.
It's not really referencing gyro data,
so if you have a closeup on something and it's moving around
then your camera might feel like it's shaking,
even though it's not.
That's kind of a big downside
of that digital and the stabilization on Canon.
Now on the FX6, kind of like other Sony cameras
we have that gyro information saved in the metadata
of this camera, which is pretty awesome.
So using Catalyst Browse,
you can go in and stabilize your image.
And what's great about that, is you have so much control
and it's actually really easy to do.
It's also gonna be a lot more accurate
than something like Warp Stabilizer II.
You're not gonna get that warpy effect
that you might sometimes get off that
because the camera actually knows
exactly how the camera moves.
It's not trying to analyze the image,
it knows how the camera moves,
it knows how to correct for it.
But the downside of it is that you have to make sure
that all stabilization is turned off.
If you have stabilization on the lens,
you cannot use that in combination with Catalyst Browse.
Also to get the best results,
you want that shutter speed to be up high.
So for some of the test shots,
you might've noticed that the shutter speed
is very high up there.
I think I had it at one, 250th of a second
or one, one thousandth of a second,
but that stabilization is awesome.
So I guess it depends.
I think you could overall get better results
out of the stabilization out of the Sony
but the Canon C70 Image Stabilization
is gonna be a little bit more convenient.
So again, it's kind of like,
what are you looking for?
Are you looking for a convenient stabilization
that comes out of Canon,
that isn't perfect, but it's simple, it's there?
Or do you want better stabilization capabilities
and options out of this FX6
and you're dealing with a little bit more extra steps?
I mean, the FX6 does sound like slightly
the more professional camera, right?
'Cause that C70 kinda leans right there
in the middle of Professional Cinema Camera
and Mirrorless Camera.
I still feel like this FX6
feels more like a professional camera.
I mean we have SDI,
that's a big deal for a lot of professionals,
you don't get SDI out of C70.
So that alone could be a deciding factor
for certain types of workflows and crews.
And then of course there's all kinds of other things
we would have to consider,
like the C70 is going to be more compact
but the FX6 has better slow-mo capabilities.
I don't know which camera to choose Sam.
Now, as of the time of filming this
the camera isn't really announced officially
but it's been teased.
I reposted one of Sony's photos on Instagram,
asked you guys some thoughts on it.
So let's see what you guys are asking about.
Matt 222 says, "Looks nice and compact,
"but what are the compromises?"
You know honestly, there's no too many compromises.
"Do I switch from Canon to Sony is the question."
Well I've kind of switched to Sony
for these mirrorless cameras.
So I think it kind of depends on your situation,
things are starting to shift around
like the decisions used to be a little bit easier
I feel like.
But now they're getting harder and harder
'cause everyone's coming out with such good cameras.
"Small and versatile?"
Yeah, I'd say so.
"So excited, It kept me from buying the FX9 for now."
Yeah, I mean like, especially for the type of stuff we do
if I had to choose between FX9 or FX6.
Yeah, I'd probably go for FX6.
- It's easier. - It's lot smaller.
And easier to take part and everything in its--
- Half the price. - Design.
Yeah, oh man, are you freezing to death?
- Yeah. - Yeah, Okay.
Two more comments, "Big brother to the A7S III."
It definitely does seem like right there
in that middle ground, where if you have an FX9,
then you might look at it and be like,
this would be an awesome big camera for me
and the button layout and everything's all the same.
And then from like an A7S,
if you wanna take it that next step up
into the pro cinema cameras, then it's right there.
"Finally an FX5 worth buying."
Yeah, I think so.
I mean, like this is way more exciting than the FX5
in my opinion.
Oh, and also does 4K DCI,
so you get those extra pixels on the side
where the A7S III, you only have ultra HD
where it's 16 by nine,
but overall it's a really solid camera.
We're about to freeze to death,
so we'll see you guys on the next one.
- Bye. - Bye.
(gentle music)