FX3 vs FX6 vs FX9 Comparison. Who Reigns Supreme? 

In November, I shot during one month a documentary for Vice News aboard a rescue boat that saves people in the Mediterranean Sea. I was the sole shooter and I used a7sIII 95% of the time. I also had a Canon 200 but I only used it for sit down interviews. The a7sIII was really better than the c200 (for me at least) for this kind of run and gun situations (extreme low light, fast rubber boats with big waves, chaotic rescue situations...). The AF was even usable despite the Metabones and Canon glass. That all said, I wish the a7sIII was more video oriented, and I am now therefore considering buying the FX3 for myself. I like the design better and of course the included XLR module, although I can't explain why they did not make it detachable to give the option to use directly on the camera without the handle. Also, something you did not mention Mark, is that the FX3 has a mini jack input in case you want to strip down the camera to it's bare minimum. ( This mini jack, is strangely not available on the FX6 if I'm not wrong.... ) When I was on the speed rescue boat for example, I used the Seinnheiser MK-400 which could eventually be considered as "not professional".. (whatever that means) but hey, this was almost a war situation, with people in distress, drowning etc,... This hasn't hindered me to make a film that has now almost 900K views on the Vice News RU-vid channel. Lack of ND's is indeed always drawback, but because of the harsh conditions aboard the ship, I valued more the form factor of the a7sIII and the image stabilisation over the commodity of the ND's on the c200. I became a master of adjusting the circular VND with the top of my finger while shooting and I ended up missing more waveforms or false color than internal ND's. Ironically, much older and cheaper cameras like the GH5 or the more recent S5 have better ergonomics for video. Why no waveform / vectorscope displays nor shutter angle on the FX3?? Something already implemented on the GH4! It's so frustrating to see a 2021 camera marketed as "cine line" without these basic features that only depends from software… False color would also be super handy. Hopefully, it will come in a firmware upgrade. Long story short, this camera is definitely not only about image quality but mainly about ergonomics. I love your channel and content, but just now, as potential FX3 buyer, I wish you had focused a bit on the usability of the camera as it's been quite clear for everyone that the image quality is basically equal to the a7sIII. Would love to know more about your set up / rig with the SmallHD monitor attached to the top handle, as this is a definitely another differentiating point of this camera (lack of EVF, but handle included and build in mounting points.). It looks really handy with the screen is centered / in line with the lens, and doesn't seem to hinder the use of the handle itself. Would be great to see how the camera feels when you shoot with it, with this form factor.. how you can quickly switch to slo mo compared to the -apparently awkward- experience of the FX9,… How do you compensate the absence of C1, c2 c3 buttons of the a7sIII. Anyway... I thought I could share my experience here after a long and harsh shoot on a a7sIII and as potential buyer of the FX3. Because, yes, despite my feeling of being ripped off by Sony that did not include Waveform / True color / Shutter angle and 24p.. I still consider buying it over the a7siii... :) Keep up the great content as always.

Mark, I have to say that you are, without a doubt, my favourite YT follow when it comes to cinematography/camera stuff. "Specs don't matter, what you're shooting matters." 100% bang on! This goes right in line with one of my other favourite quotes from you; "don't shoot to find stuff, find stuff to shoot". Keep up the great work!

Honestly one of the most unbiased and packed with knowledge cinema camera reviews I've ever saw, thank you very much. I'm a designer crossing over to content creation.

A Good Ol' Quality test, I love it! Thank you for putting all of this footage together. You're work is insanely good!

Exactly! The FX3 is an absolute beast of a camera for indie filmmakers. XLR inputs, active cooling system, mounting points, top handle included, 10-bit internal and 16-bit RAW video output. Much more suitable and reliable for professional video work than the a7S III that’s for sure. Great review Mark, always a pleasure! 👌🏽 Greetings

Mark. I’m a massive fan. I’ve been doing video Production for companies for 6 years now, but it only became a passion in the last year. I’ve watched every video of yours (on this channel). I love your work and I learn everything I can from your videos. Legit. Thank you.

It’s a truly brilliant camera! It’s incredible how much of a package it is in such a compact form factor. Powerful and reliable for professional video work, Sony really nailed it on this one! Great review Mark, best one on RU-vid by far as usual. Your short film really shows how good the FX3 is, outstanding job! Cheers

It's also worth mentioning that the FX9 can still shoot in s35 in 4K, so your lens choices are much more abundant than the FX6/3

Depends on what camera the LUT is based on. If the LUT was created from the Fx-9 then the fx-6 and fx-3 will look magenta as the fx-9 has a noticeable green tint to it’s original image out of the box. I suspect this is what has happened in this example. If you create the LUT from the image output of the fx-3 then the other two cameras would both look green with the fx-9 the worst.

Thanks for this comparison, Mark! Super helpful as always! Love your work.

This is the best review so far out there. Thank you!

Thank you!!!! For pointing out the difference between the cine line and the DSLR line.

The fact that the FX3 looked practically identical to the FX9 once you color graded and matched them up is crazy to me. This should go to show that “cheap” cameras aren’t much more different compared to the higher-end ones when you put them in the right hands. If someone wants to solve the sharpness issue, you can simply slap on a diffusion filter and you’ve got a softer look similar to the FX9. If I had the budget, I would get the FX6 just because it’s not too big and not too small and I like how “big budget” the body feels + ND filters. However, I have the FX3 and I LOVE this thing. This has an image quality way above its league and the size + features are just icing on the cake. It’s a cinematic, tiny masterpiece with really great photography capabilities that I use for professional, paid work.

Thank You Mark for your in-depth review. I was looking at either the FX-3 or the FX-6; however, since I shoot more video than stills (I need the SDI connection), the size, ND filters, and Timecode option, makes the FX-6 the camera I will purchase in the near future.😃

Great honest review Mark... thanks!!

Good to see a side by side comparison .

Hey Mark. Thank you so much for this video I was already waiting for from you ;-) Hope to see you in the new round of the Art of documentary.

That was entertaining and educational and showed some nice craft. I appreciate the detailed info as I am still learning.

Great video. Am considering an upgrade from the 6600 to either an Fx3 or an Fx6 and this is so helpful. Thanks man!

ur comedy bits and pieces are just the best :) haha love it..and offcourse thx for the review man :D

Thanks Mark! Great review!

I'm a New Culinary Filmmaker and this was very helpful can't wait to get our FX3. We appreciate you. Aloha

Mark! You are amazing knowledgeable and fun! Thank you!

This is the test I was looking for.

Always good as pale in the winter 😅 with valuable insight. Great effort Mark! 👍

Never have truer words been spoken than "Specs don't matter, what you're shooting matters." AMEN

thank you for sharing! love our fx9+a7s3 combo.

Great film Mark 👍🏻 since two weeks i have the fx6 and i am still testing & training with it 😉 best cinematic greetings from germany

Dude I love your video. Great review super entertaining.

Right and on point on every topic!

Hi Mark Love your films… I use the FX3 with a tentacle sync box plugged into one of the 4 audio inputs which means ingesting files through the tentacle studio software but given the size advantages over other 10bit cameras I am loving it… VariND and black 1/8th promist rounds off my setup … I mostly shoot veritè so I pretty much use the G 24-105 F4 and sometimes a 35 50 or 85 prime for setup interviews etc….

Nice video mate

just bought an fx3 and loving it. paired it up with the 24-105mm sony lens.

in this video i learned its the subtleties that makes the FX9's color beautiful.

I feel like a kid entering a candy shop! form the 3 images at the beginning I prefer the fx9 one! Amazing camera. My favourite tough is the fx6, the more time passes the more I love it even though I just got the bmpcc 6k pro cause I couldn't afford the fx6, but they, one day in the new future! Thanks Mark and I will definitely check your IG thing! Cheers

Venice and Venice2 has been getting a lot of love in the film world. My experience with it has been positive , studios love the color science of the Sony CineAlta line

Hey Mark, you footage is stunning. Great stuff. Do you think the Canon C70 can compete with these three Sony beasts?

loved the set Gahdaamn

Won't be getting any of these cameras more than likely anytime soon but enjoyed seeing all the comparisons! Eventually by the time I upgrade my a7iii, i'll either go with a7siii or maybe the fx3 if I see myself making more proper "cinema" films to use all the extra features.

It's becoming more evident to me that Sony positioned the FX9 as a broadcast workhorse with a bunch of features that I'll most likely never use like genlock and the ability to shoot interlaced. It's also the only of the three which can shoot s35. From the side-by-side comparisons (love those) it looks like saturation decreases left to right from the FX3 having the most to the FX9. I still think the FX9 looks the best 😊

Hey man, great video. What lenses are you shooting on to get some of these shots? And what shooting codec are you using? Mainly asking about the fx6.

I'm loving everything on this update, except for if you shoot in any of the log formats (flexible, cine ie, cine quick) you can't do 4k hdmi output, only 1080. So if you want to shoot in a quality higher than 4KAVC-I externally on a Ninja recorder, you have to disable log, and just choose slog 3 in the picture profiles.

Really enjoy ur channel. Do all of them have low pass filter or just 6 and 9?

Hi thanks for the great video. Have just found out the same results as you that FX3 squeezes more in black than FX6 with the same lut (why?). Tried to adjust the s-log 3 settings in FX3 where we adjust Black gamma to medium +4 then the curves on the two cameras look more similar. Has anyone else done such tests? And you say that FX3 and FX6 have the same sensor but I have heard that it is not true, and it’s seems strange when one lut behaves different… so what is it that is correct?

luv your luts mark. hey maybe you can update your lut for it to work with fx3 and a7siii. tweaked down the saturation or shifting the colours a little bit

Thanks for your thoughts! I'm looking to get a few for my church. Any suggestions on what would be the best option? I'm guessing the FX6?

Using your own LUT adds a variable to this that kinda defeats the purpose of the initial comparison. If ANYTHING, not including the initial conversion to a normal gamma curve and colour space, is being adjusted on a curve than anything that is different from the camera you designed the LUT for will then be pushed even farther away from the "baseline". The best way to compare is shooting SLog-3 in all of them and using a colour space transform in Resolve, ACES, or the official LUTs from Sony.

Did you do anything to minimize flickering from the fluorescent lights in the slowmo footage in the boxing video? Cause it looks so much better then when I’ve tried filming slowmo with my a7iii.

FX9 has the most "natural" look in my opinion. It is more nuanced colour separation, it looks like they've worked on that colour science quite a bit. The FX3 is flashy, exaggerated, in-your-face (no pun intended), and FX6 is like an in-between. I really like FX9 and the way how smooth everything looks and very subtle tone distinctions. Great camera, I wish I had it.

Thanks bro 👍👍👍

Mark do you know or does anyone know if the Fx3 internal footage works well in Premiere Pro? I watched the whole video and at around 12 minutues you talk about the Fx3 video files needed to be transcoded. Any input on this would be great. Thank you. - Paul

Is that song at 1:20 The Get Back by Ruslan and Paul Russell?

Hi Mark, could you explain how to properly use the CINE EI mode of Sony cinema cameras? Tks

Hello Mark, Nowadays every camera can shoot good images now with these Sonys there is no question. How about the CODECS among these three cameras? Are they the same or any of it is easy on editing or all the same? I went for Z-cam for its prores and it is good and now its time to get sony again so looking for easy to edit codec. Any suggestion or feedback on your experience?

@Mark Bone, is there a difference between the FX3's XAVC- S i and the FX6 XAVC-i? Both seem to be 600Mbs Have you tested RAW on either the FX3 or FX6 and compared the two?

I can't wait till I can get my first cinema camera

Hi Mark what shotgun mic are you using with the FX3? Thanks

Really appreciate these vids.. but man.. that light flickering at 10:08 is super distracting. I know there are a number of ways to remove it. Wondering why u didn’t try and remove?

For value for money it's hard to look past... the A7Siii. It's literally the same as the FX3 plus an EVF for less than the FX3. Love Mark's reviews; even though he's a little snobby about mirrorless cameras. I'm beginning to think Sony created the FX3 just to trick him into using a mirrorless camera ;) Good work Sony; he lapped it up. (Joking aside-love Mark's work)

This makes my choice no easier! 😭 BMD vs. Canon vs. Sony.....

I see this video is older but I used it in deciding between fx3 and fx6 I went with 3 just for cost and other reasons. My question though is you say fx3 doesn’t have time code but as I was going through my menu I saw options for it. Is this updated or is it different then timecode on fx6

Hey mark, Is it possible to get the same look in the fx3 to the fx6 by just lowering the detail to -7 and saturation like -3?

Great review! Really beautiful shots man! I had a couple thoughts. 1:37 That looks like in camera sharpening which can be turned down 2:30 Applying the same lut to different cameras will always make some look good and others look bad. Use a better lut made specifically for the fx3's color rendering and I'm sure the color difference would be negligible

Just discovered your channel… Never saw you before… You pushed me over to buying the FX3… I’d still rather have the Komodo X… But that’s above my price range. What cage and what monitor would you recommend for the FX 3. And I like how you get right to the point… We don’t have to watch you get coffee and we don’t have to listen to rock music in the background. Thanks

Can the FX3 sync to a timecode generator plugged into the 3.5mm connector?

Do you think it would make a smart decision as an all-be-all content creation camera and gateway drug into the cinema camera system? I've got an a7 III and was waiting for the a7s III for so long... now this comes along and throws a spanner in the works...

The FX3 isn't the obvious choice over the A7SIII if you're a filmmaker. That's a bit lazy of you to say that. With the A7SIII, you can buy the K3M module and have the same audio as the FX3. A7SIII has a viewfinder and some Filmmakers use it. It's a great way to get stable shots as well i.e. putting the camera up to your face. FX3 has tally lights, that might be significant if you're in front of the camera. The holes in the body of the FX3 is no substitute for a cage, which gives you far more versatility. In summary, it depends on what features you value more as a filmmaker and offcourse there's price.

I am looking at the Alpha 7S III BUT neither the FX3 / Alpha 7S III are Netflix accepted. Where do I port my completed (low budget) films? I love filmmaking but I need to make money to buy more, more gear.

@11:20 Just a little FYI. Sony`s image stabilization will not work when you are using a lens with stabilization. You have to turn the IS on the lens off for it to work... At least thats how it is with the FX9.

I will say you can use time code if you’re syncing it using trans/receivers I’ve used the dietys to sync it with time code.

left an abo. gonna get the fx3

where can I find the lots you used on yourself for the comparison test?

7:23 “Cinnamon line” 😂

pleas put up a link with your fx3 camera settings for Download. I'll go rent one to try it out

FX3 with internal ND + Prores = perfect camera

So… If I was ever on the fence, you moved the needle. The FX3 is for me. At least until I can afford the FX6. The n that will take over as my A-Camera.

The fx3 has detail shapening applied which cannot be turned off, that's why it looks sharper.

(if I recall well) Patato Jet said using lens stabilization exclude recording gyro data. Can someone clarify please

You can add timecode with the Ninja V + Connect or SDI module.

Sony is on fire with all the new camera!

for film making what's your suggestion FX3. RED KOMODO. URSA 12K. THANKS FOR VIDEO

Bro Which is new camera Fx3 or fx 6 or fx 9 And We can use both still and video.. Please gave clarity

Would anyone have any comment on a collection of the fx6 as your main cam and And A7SIII and FX3 as your two b CAMS? Thoughts?

When you mentioned Lens stabilization with gyro meta data stabilization at 11:25 from my understanding you can’t use both. It’s one of the other. I at least know this is true on the FX9 paired with the Sony 28-135. But, I’m not sure if it’s true for the FX3 and FX6. I would assume it’s the same.

FEWER pixels! I do like the idea of the Cinnamon line, though. ;-)

The FX9 was slightly more punched in on those side by side comparisons, too

question, so it looks like right now the FX6 is about $6,000. can you tell me about the estimate cost of the other needed gear - mics, mounts, lenses that one would need to buy in addition to operate this camera? not the extra things, but just the other things that is necessary. would it be an additional $3K - $5K? Thanks

Thank you

For a more baseline test, why didn't you just use the slog3 to rec.709 lut in DaVinci Resolve or downloaded that lut from Sony?🤔

I use timecode with the fx3. You have to change a USB setting. as long as you don't power the camera down it will keep it.

4:30 Time Code was added to the FX3 in firmware update 2.00 a year ago 😅 now I guess it doesn't matter to get the others 😅

Hey Mark. Ive got the FX3, and Ive had trouble using the top handle with a ninja v. What is that ballhead piece you're using?

8:40. Hey Mark, quick question: Are you sure? A7S III and FX3 are the same camera with same sensor, with same low-light and ISO Performance. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you!

By the way, can you lower the sharpness or detail in the FX3 so it will match the FX6 better??

You talked about the X3 full frame sensor acting like it was the obvious choice over the A7Siii because it is full frame. Um..the A7Sii is also full frame. It uses the very same sensor as the FX3 and FX6. The FX3 gains you a slightly more rugged housing, The A&Siii gains you an eyecup, so you can use your camera in the bright light of day, with an eyepiece. Honestly, I think that's biggest difference.

Your Lut have a serious issues, never got red skintone like that with my sony camera

Dang it, I was so close to winning the IG contest!

Any help much appreciated. Would the FX6 be a suitable for sports. I live in Australia and I’m looking at a camera to film amateur Aussie Rules. It’s played on a massive field and at a fast pace Dom I’m thinking something with real good AF and the ability to be able to zoom in considerably. I’m only starting out but happier to spend a few extra dollars on something I’ll be happy with for many years over looking for an upgrade in only a season or two. Would love at some point to incorporate fixed cameras (perhaps like a GoPro) to cut in different shots in an edit. Like I said any help will be much appreciated.

Fx9 looks great!

please if you have to give an ideal short answer what would it be ?! which is best for filmmaking and documentaries fx6 or fx9 ?