Sony Announces the FX3, Blending its Cinema Line Cameras with the a7S III

Sony has just announced a new compact cinema camera featuring a 10-megapixel full frame sensor and more than 15 stops of dynamic range, shooting 10-bit 4:2:2 internally at up to 4K 120p without overheating.

At just 25 oz (715 g) — with battery and memory cards —  this compact body seems to bring together Sony’s Cinema and Alpha line cameras. Shooting up to 4K 120p (albeit with a 10% crop), the body includes active cooling thanks to a built-in fan, and Sony claims that it will shoot 4K 60p without any interruption.

According to Sony, the FX3 “boasts first-class focus performance, optical image stabilization, handheld shooting design, and advanced heat dissipation for extended recording times.”

Sony has included its S-Cinetone profile — notably absent from the recently released a7S III but thought to be arriving in a firmware update very soon. At first glance, there’s not a huge amount else that differentiates the two models beyond the lack of the EVF on the FX3, and its five quarter-inch thread holes for attaching accessories and mounting the camera. Both feature a fully articulating LCD and dual CFexpress Type A and SD memory card slots. The handle supplied with the FX3 provides a pair of XLR/TRS inputs and a second 3.5mm headphone jack.

Offering a choice of XAVC S/H.264 or MPEG-H HEVC/H.265, the FX3 shoots 4:2:2 10-bit internally and will output 16-bit raw via HDMI.

For all of the specs, check out the press release from Sony. Pre-orders begin on February 24 at a price of $3,898.