Sony FX9 Masterclass With Neil Thompson

Last week we hosted our Sony FX9 master class with Neil Thompson here at Top-Teks. With Neil being an Independent Certified Expert for Sony, he has a vast knowledge of their cameras and kit. We took him aside on the day to answer a few questions about the FX9 and tell us which features he is looking forward to most.

Interview with Neil Thompson

What is your favourite feature?

I guess you are supposed to say full frame, but I don’t know if it really is. It is kind of related, but it is the sensor itself that is my favourite feature. The sensor offers you so much more than just full frame, it offers you high dynamic range and low-noise capability, from which you can get the dual ISO base sensitivity. So yes, the sensor is my favourite part.

What lenses would work best with the Sony FX9?

Without AF, anything with an E-mount really. Now, certain lenses will only cover super 35 image, and some lenses will cover the whole full frame size. Between those two, pretty much anything with an E-mount works. But you need to choose your lenses more carefully working in full frame than in Super 35 to make sure to have full coverage for the frame. With AF, if you want auto focus to work on the Sony FX9 it’s best to use a Sony lens. You have the kit lens, the SELP28135G, or any of the stills lenses with auto focus would work correctly. There are several E-mount lenses from other manufacturers that will work but we haven’t tested many of them. Some of them will work really well, some of them not so much. It’s a try before you buy kind of think at the moment.

Is ‘Centre Crop’ available?

As for ‘Centre Crop’ there is no official word on it. You will have to put it down as a ‘no’. It may possibly change as it has in the past with other cameras. I can see the need for it, but you can still crop in post into HD from Super 35 4K or indeed the full frame.

How does FX9’s 4 channels of Audio work?

4 channels of audio are a bit of a strong point for the camera. You always had 4 channels on the FS7, but you only had 2 manual level controls. With the FX9 you got 4 channels, but you got individual level controls for all 4!

Does it have it have Raw output?

Raw output will come by the XDCA FX9 camera adapter that goes on the back of the camera. That will be a 16bit Raw output. But there are no devices that will handle that output yet. So, we are waiting for products from most likely Atomos who have said that they will provide something that can handle that 16bit Raw.

Find out more about Sony FX9 by speaking to our team or clicking on our website

Sony FX9