Sony FX30 Review: The Cheapest Way Into Sony's Cinema Line

The Sony FX30 is a cinema camera that costs about the same as a good stills body. Sony announced it in September 2022 at $1,799, or $2,199 with a top handle that adds XLR audio inputs. It’s the entry point to Sony’s Cinema Line, sitting below the full-frame FX3, and it’s been a favorite of small production crews, wedding filmmakers and YouTubers ever since.

It has no viewfinder. It barely pretends to be a stills camera. Everything about it is built for video.

The sensor is a 26MP back-side illuminated Super 35 chip, the same size as APS-C. Sony gave it dual base ISO, which keeps noise down in dim light once you’re shooting in S-Log3.

Video review: Gerald Undone

Built like a cinema camera

There’s a cooling fan inside, so it records for as long as your cards and battery last. Tally lamps on the front and back show when you’re recording. The body has 1/4-20 threaded holes for mounting cages, arms and monitors without a cage at all. Two card slots take CFexpress Type A or SD UHS-II.

Sony also gave it Cine EI, the exposure workflow from its pro cinema cameras, so you can shoot at base ISO and judge exposure the way cinematographers do. User LUTs can be loaded for monitoring.

The footage

4K at up to 60p is oversampled from 6K with almost no crop, and it looks clean and detailed. 4K at 120p is available with about a 1.6x crop. You get 10-bit 4:2:2 in Long GOP or All-Intra, S-Log3 and S-Cinetone, the same color science as Sony’s FX6 and Venice. Raw output to an external recorder over HDMI is there for those who want it.

In-body stabilization and Sony’s Active mode keep handheld shots steady, and the camera records gyro data so stabilization software can smooth footage further in post.

Autofocus is Sony’s real-time tracking, which is a big reason solo shooters pick this over cheaper cinema cameras from other brands.

The limits

No viewfinder. You’ll use the flip-out rear screen or an external monitor, and in bright sun that can be hard.

It’s a poor stills camera. It can take photos, but the controls and features are set up for video.

The Super 35 sensor gives a 1.5x crop on your lenses and more noise than the full-frame FX3 in very low light.

Who should buy it

Solo filmmakers, wedding videographers, documentary crews and YouTubers who want a real cinema workflow without spending FX3 money. It’s also an excellent B-camera next to an FX3 or FX6, since the color matches.

Pair it with Sony’s E 15mm f/1.4 G, the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 or Tamron’s 17-70mm f/2.8 for a compact, capable rig.

If you also need proper stills, the Sony A6700 shares much of the video quality and adds a viewfinder. If video is the job, the FX30 is the better tool for the money.