Sony FX3 is better than the FX6 - here’s why.

Do you have a Sony FX3 and have been looking at a Sony FX6? You may find the FX3 is a better camera for you for a number of reasons which we discuss in today's video.

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[seantheawesome]

This might be a long post but I've used both cameras and feel like I want to make a few counter arguments. For anyone trying to decide between the two cameras here are my thoughts:

As someone (a professional videographer) who has used both the fx3 and the fx6 in a multitude of professional settings, including events, corporate, fitness and so on, in all kinds of setups too from handheld to tripod, I personally found that I enjoyed shooting on the fx6 way more! The ergonomics of my camera is something I have overlooked so much in my career so far and using the fx6 showed me just how big of a difference it makes. Switching back to using the fx3 after the fx6 really made me realise although its a much better design than other mirrorless cameras, it's still a mirrorless camera, that really doesn't have appropriate ergonomics for shooting video comfortably for long periods. The lack of shutter angle in the fx3 is something that I find infuriating, everything just feels slower and clunky when using the fx3, changing basic settings on the fly feels like an effort, whereas with the fx6 everything is accessible on the side of the camera. 

I used to always look for ibis in my cameras but when I moved from the gh5 to the bmpcc 4k that soon became less of an issue. I've learned how to tuck my arms in, push the back of the camera into my chest and get stable shots, and with my experience using the fx6, the lack of ibis has never been a problem. Yes, with a light setup you will get some micro jitters but that's nothing a simple bit of stabilisation in DaVinci can't fix. The internal nd filters have become an integral part of shooting video for me, I hated having to screw filters on and off when changing lenses and in my opinion the internal nd is one of the most if not the most useful features for run and gun shooting. 

The size of the fx6 has also never been a negative, in fact more of a positive thing. Firstly, as much as we don't want to accept it, it looks way more professional and makes a much bigger impact on the client. This is something we're all used to hearing online but I've now experienced it for myself. I recently did a fitness shoot and a relatively famous personal trainer was there (1 million followers on instagram famous) he took a liking to my rig, commented about how professional it looked and asked lots of questions about it, he then followed me on instagram and said he would be in touch when he needs a videographer. All because of the size of my camera rig! Secondly, as we also all know building a rig helps to get those stable shots but also is supposed to make our cameras more comfortable to shoot with, that's why you see people rig out mirrorless cameras with side handles etc but the fx6 is ready to go out of the box, I love the side grip and the top handle is way better than the top handle on the fx3. I don't know about you but I simply cannot do professional work using the small lcd screen on any camera, especially the fx3, so using an external monitor is essential. Trying to find a place to mount a monitor on the fx3 while using the xlr handle is the biggest challenge, you can't do it without it being extremely imbalanced or very uncomfortable to hold. 

External power is my next problem with the fx3, I hate using the small batteries on long shoots, I always get range anxiety and since switching to v mounts I just can't go back. Now, where is the most suitable place for a v mount? At the back, but where are most of the controls and the screen for the fx3 placed? At the back. The battery baseplate Chris uses seems like a good option but for me looks uncomfortable to hold and makes the camera bottom heavy. I love being able to use BPU 60 or 90 batteries natively on the fx6 for pretty much all day battery. These sony batteries can, as Chris mentioned be expensive and hard to find but core swx make a great one with d-tap and usb a out, which is great so you can power your monitor as well and are significantly cheaper than the sony ones. One more thing to add is the fx6 can be powered via mains, something I love for those long interview / studio setups.

To summarise I think Chris made some good points and if you are like him and predominately shoot either weddings or real estate the fx3 probably is the better option. But, if you are like myself and you shoot across a wide variety of video genres I personally would say the fx6 is the better way to go. I also think that the fx6 is a far better long term investment, just look at the recent fx30 release, basically an aps-c fx3 with just as many features and for half the price. But how many cameras are on the market with internal nd's and a professional body design with sdi and timecode? not many, cinema cameras don't change anywhere near as quick as mirrorless do. It also gives you more longevity in your career to progress to higher places, working on bigger sets with bigger crews, I know in the UK the fx6 is slowly becoming one of the most commonly used cameras in the low-mid range commercial space, and are used all the time by major sports media teams alongside the fx9.

If I could only by one to fulfil all my needs as a video shooter, to help me tackle whatever a client may throw at me that day, I would pick the fx6 in a heartbeat.

[mondobytes]

I really wanted to love the FX6 and I ended up returning it and getting 3 FX3's instead. Aside from the lack of built in ND Filters I can do everything much faster on FX3 at half the cost and weight. Time = Money and FX6 slows me down.

[JKPOrigins]

Respectful disagree. These are two completely different cameras. One is almost double the price of the other.

People who buy an FX6 are not looking into buying something like an FX3.
Interesting video but I’ll take an FX6 over an FX3 any day but I respect your perspective.

[JonathanPalfrey]

Wow some really great points about the FX6 such as the lack of codecs that I didn't know about! A lot of these reasons are why we went for the FX3 over the FX6,  

I love the FX6 form factor, as we also used to have an FS5 however I remember with that camera that even though its larger, its still hard to have a stable shot above 50mm due to lack of IBIS. 

The other issue I've had in the past with the FS7 was the monitor port breaking, because its hard to pack down I've also been a bit worried about the monitor cable or port breaking in transport.


I think we all want an FX6 because it looks more 'pro' and has dials and form factor we think we need however after using an FS7 and FS5 for years I can tell you the FX3 is such a joy to use and pretty much the perfect camera (minus ND filters).

[KevinFedde]

Dude, I totally agree on this. I have an FX6 and 2 FX3s but mostly do weddings at this point and the FX3 is SO much better for that purpose. Yeah, if I were doing more on-set jobs at this point maybe the FX6 would be better, but I'm really considering getting rid of it and getting 2 FX30s as extra cameras. Great video!

[critterfilmsjax]

As someone who was on the fence between these two, this was very helpful thank you!

[adam_franklin]

I just directed a Netflix series that used both FX6 and FX3, each camera used for their strengths. The FX6 as our A & B Cams, FX3 as our C & D cams. They all look great. The FX6 had larger lenses and naturally the footage looked more high end than the FX3. But both great! Frustrating as a bmpc6k pro owner. I love that cam, but no image stabilization.

[MateoToro]

as an fx6 and fx3 owner the fx3 is not better lol

[LARENT]

Bought the FX3 last year to compliment the fx6. You just hit the nail on it's head. I didn't expect it but it turns out I grab the FX3 much more often than the FX6. Although I love operating the FX6 it's just not worth the hassle in most situations. Really funny how this works 😛

[Jeesh]

Had absolutely 0 issues balancing an FX6 on the RS2 with a sennheiser wireless mic reciever, monitor and BPU-35 battery. Only needed one 100g counter weight. So would have thought the RS3 would be better! I have 2x35 and 2x60 batteries and that keeps me going through long filming days. I used a friends FX3 for a while waiting for my FX6 and I am so much happier with the FX6. Hated using the FX3.

[DarrenMcPhee]

I have an FX6 and FX3 and never use IBIS on the FX3. I know a lot of people love the Sony IBIS but for me there’s something off about the motion cadence. In my experience, it’s better to take out the micro jitters naturally using a good shoulder rig or EasyRig, or just building the camera up so it’s heavier. Then you still have the option to use Catalyst Browse or throw a 1% warp stabilizer on to clean up any little imperfections. The end result is much more pleasing and natural than using IBIS. Although I recently learned that the unpaid version of Catalyst Browse can only export 8-bit footage so that’s a deal breaker.

[BilletMedia]

My production partner and I bought one of the first FX6s in Canada. At the same time, we both had A7Siiis. After 4 years of ownership, our FX6 has about 100 hours of use on it, and we shot a whole feature film on the A7Siiis. I know this video is a year old, but Chris, your observations are right on the money.

[ABUSDON]

After testing and experiencing FX 6 for hand-held and run&gun style; I would say thanks for your advice, I was quiet not sure for switching to FX 3, however now I'm convinced to give it a try. Thanks

[Josh_Sattin]

I went through a lot of the same stuff when I had my FX6 last year. I totally get it. Thanks for breaking it down for everyone who might be thinking about this upgrade.

[checkeredflagfilms]

FX-6 first choice. (would never give up the EVND) FX30 B-cam for hh or stable rigs.

[clausschuessler]

I absolute don't agree! The FX6 not only has the build in ND filter with the bokeh control, but the better looking picture, the way better handling and the much more professional look. For the benefits of the FX3 I use an A7IV instead which has the sharper picture because of its 7k to 4k downsampling, a great photo quality with its 33mp sensor and even a better look than the FX3 which matches perfectly to the FX6. Just look at all of the comparison videos on YouTube! And it is cheaper than the FX3. With the combination of the FX6 and the A7IV you can leave the A7IV mounted on a gimbal with wideangle lenses and use the FX6 on a tripod or handheld wit telephoto lenses.

[danielstassen]

Hi Chris, I appreciate your videos and your great work. I must agree to disagree on this one though. I rented both for a couple of days and ended up with WAY more amazing shots using the FX6 rather than the FX3. The ease of use of the FX6 makes taking amazing footage so easy. To me the FX6 is a much better tool and is a different league compared to the fx3. Comparing these two cameras may actually be misleading to people who haven’t tried them. My advice for anyone considering either one is to rent both for a couple of days and then decide which one you prefer. One cannot base a purchase decision by watching reviews. Try them then decide. I tried both and ended up buying an FX6. I mostly use my FX6 on a tripod and don’t shot handheld. For that use the FX6 is better than the FX3. If handheld shooting is your thing then the FX3 is probably better. Anyway stop reading comments and watching review and rent both of them to make a better informed decision.

[chrisjohnsonfilms]

I bought fx6 in July as it popped up as in stock.. sold it few weeks later after realizing my fx3 is more than good enough and more convenient for me. Great video.

[philippscheithauer]

Well, for the main target audience of the FX6 (which is broadcast or bigger productions), the IBIS is pretty much unwanted. FX3 is more for the youtuber crowd or run&gun solo operators like weddings. But anything bigger budget, show up with an FX3 and you'll be laughed at since you are missing basics like SDI. Don't know why nobody addresses this, but HDMI is nothing more than a prosumer standard and will not got far on set.

[bleucitron]

Chris, thanks so much for this down to earth comparison that helped me to reconsider my "yearning" for the fx6's NDs and "pro look". Small is beautiful.... All the best ! Mike