Sony FX6 or FX3 for your shoot? Variable ND, SDI, timecode, size, media and power compared, with which camera suits docs, interviews, gimbals and car rigs.
The Sony FX6 and FX3 are the two cameras we hire most, and "which one should I book?" is the question we get asked most at the counter. They share Sony's Cinema Line colour, S-Log3 and a full-frame 4K sensor, so the picture is closely matched. Where they differ is everything around the sensor: ND, outputs, audio, power and size. Those differences decide which one suits your shoot.
Book the Sony FX6 if you'll be riding exposure all day, need SDI out or timecode, or want a camera that handles long documentary, interview and corporate days comfortably. Book the Sony FX3 if size and weight matter most: gimbals, car rigs, crash cams, underwater housings and tight spaces. If you can, take both. Because the colour matches, an FX6 as A camera with an FX3 as B camera is one of the most common packages we send out.
Specs are from Sony; kit details are from our own hire kits.
The single biggest practical difference is the FX6's electronic variable ND. You can roll exposure smoothly from 1/4 to 1/128 with a dial, so walking from a dark interior into daylight, or following a subject past a window, doesn't mean stopping to swap filters or close the iris and lose your depth of field. On documentary, observational and event work that saves time on every set-up.
On the FX3 you control exposure with the iris, shutter and ISO, or with screw-in or matte-box ND filters. That's fine on a planned shoot with a camera assistant; it's slower when you're run-and-gun on your own.
The FX3 is a full-frame cinema camera in a body not much bigger than a mirrorless stills camera. Sony quotes about 640g body only, against about 890g for the FX6 body. That's what makes it the go-to for:
Its in-body stabilisation also helps on handheld shots when you're not on a gimbal.
If the job has a director's monitor, a focus puller on wireless video, or a multi-camera timecode workflow, the FX6 is easier. Its 12G-SDI output takes a locking BNC connector, which is more secure than HDMI on a busy set, and the BNC timecode in and out ports make syncing to a sound recorder or other cameras straightforward.
The FX3 outputs over a full-size HDMI port. That works well with HDMI wireless kits and monitors, but there's no SDI and no BNC timecode port, so plan your monitoring and sync around that. For sound, many FX3 crews record to a separate recorder and sync in post.
If you like the FX6 but want a bigger sensor and shoulder-mount ergonomics, the Sony FX9 is the next step up in the same family. It matches FX6 and FX3 colour, so all three can work together on a multi-camera shoot.
The FX3 costs less per day than the FX6, and both get cheaper per day on longer hires: three days are charged as 2.5 days, four as 3 days and Monday to Friday as 3.5 days. The Sony FX6 and Sony FX3 product pages show the live day rate and what's in each kit, and your basket shows the exact total for your dates before you send the order.
Both cameras take Sony E-mount lenses directly, and EF or PL glass with an adapter. Our lens hire page lists the full range. For light, the Aputure range covers everything from small panels for interviews to 1200W lights. Not sure which Aputure to pick? See our guide to which Aputure light to hire.
Collect from Unit H1, 2 Leswin Place, Stoke Newington, London N16 7NJ, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. If it's your first hire, register a production account before you order. Still torn between the two? Call 020 7898 3322 or email rentals@weareyellowcactus.com and we'll give you an honest answer.
They're very closely matched. Both are full-frame 4K Cinema Line cameras with dual base ISO 800 and 12,800 and S-Log3, so the colour cuts together. The differences are in the body: ND, outputs, timecode, size and power.
No. The FX6 has an electronic variable ND from 1/4 to 1/128; on the FX3 you use screw-in or matte-box ND filters, or the iris, shutter and ISO.
The FX3. Sony quotes about 640g body only against about 890g for the FX6, so it balances on smaller gimbals and suits car rigs, crash cams and underwater housings.
Yes, and many crews do: an FX6 as A camera and an FX3 as B camera is one of our most common packages, because the colour matches.
Both can output 16-bit RAW to an external recorder: the FX6 over SDI and the FX3 over HDMI. Internally, both record Sony's 10-bit 4:2:2 XAVC formats.