Sony has announced a new high-end portable video camera in its Cinema Line, the Sony FX5. Despite looking very much like the venerable FX3 that was launched back in 2021, it’s not a replacement. Instead, it’s a higher-end model that’s designed for professional filmmakers and production houses. It can almost be seen as a smaller alternative (or complement) to the Venice 2 cinema camera, with a much more accessible price.
Sony FX5 at a glance:
- £4700 body only
- £5200 with XLR-H2 handle
- 16.6MP full-frame fully-stacked BSI-CMOS sensor
- Open Gate recording
- Internal 16-bit raw recording
- In-body image stabilisation
- Optional electronic viewfinder
- New optional XLR handle for 96kHz, 32-bit float audio recording
Headline specs include 5K 60p internal raw recording, including Open Gate, plus 4K at 120fps. Sony is promising 5K 120p and 4K 240p via a future firmware update, although the latter will come with a significant crop. It’s worth noting that the FX5 does not shoot still images.
Sony says the new 16.6MP full-frame fully-stacked BSI-CMOS sensor combines low noise and high dynamic range. It includes Dual Gain shooting to deliver cleaner shadows, plus Three Base ISO technology (800, 4000 and 12,800) for shooting in different light levels. Raw recording employs Sony’s 16-bit X-OCN format, which now comes with two new higher-compression variants, X-OCN C1 and X-OCN C2.
Meanwhile, the Bionz XR2 processor includes an integrated AI unit that brings subject recognition for people and animals (but curiously, not vehicles). Sony has included support for a wide range of anamorphic lenses, with 1.3x, 1.5x, 1.6x, 1.8x and 2.0x desqueeze available. The camera is powered by the new NP-SA100 battery that was introduced with the Sony A7R VI, and it includes dual card slots that support both CFexpress Type A and UHS-II SD.
Design-wise, the Sony FX5 looks very much like the FX3. But operationally it’s rather different, with a control setup, onscreen displays and menu system that are much more like the Venice 2. It also has a wider, 3.5in, 16:9 aspect ratio LCD screen that uses the firm’s now-standard 4-axis articulation mechanism. This provides a broad range of monitoring displays that weren’t on the FX3, including False color, Waveform, Vectorscope and Focus Map.
There are a couple of interesting new accessories, too. First is a detachable viewfinder, which offers 90° tilt. It boasts an impressive 7.07m-dot resolution, 10-bit colour, and 2500-nit brightness, and will cost £650. There’s also a new XLR-H2 audio handle (£780), which supports 96kHz, 32-bit float recording. Both attach to the same point on the camera, though, so you can’t get this high-quality sound while also using the EVF.
All these high-end aspirations mean that the Sony FX5 isn’t destined to replace the FX3 as a favourite of Youtubers and content creators. Instead, it very much leaves open the possibility of a Sony FX3 Mark II appearing at a later date, perhaps using the same sensor. The Sony FX5 is due to go on sale in August 2026 for £4700 body only, or £5200 in a kit with the XLR handle.
Product images:
Related reading:
- Canon EOS C50 review – a strong entry to pro video
- Nikon ZR review – this small bodied cinema camera is astonishing value
- New Sony FX2 cinema camera with tilting viewfinder and A7C II tech
- Sony FX30 review: APS-C cinema camera
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