Sony FX5 Review: Internal Raw and Open Gate in an FX3-Sized Cinema Camera

Sony announced the FX5 on July 22, 2026 at $4,899.99 for the body, or about $5,498 with the XLR-H2 handle. It’s a Cinema Line camera that sits between the FX3 and the FX6, and Sony is clear that it isn’t an FX3 Mark II. The FX3 stays on sale.

What the FX5 adds is the stuff FX3 owners have been asking for since 2021. It records 16-bit X-OCN raw internally, it shoots 3:2 Open Gate, and it has a new 16.6MP full-frame stacked sensor that reads out fast. The body weighs 734 grams, so it still fits on a small gimbal or a drone.

Small cinema cameras earn their keep in places where you can’t bring lights: night streets, festivals, concerts, documentary work. A crowded square after dark, lit only by shop signs and street lamps, is the kind of scene where base ISO and dynamic range matter more than resolution.

Large crowd filling a city street at night outside a lit café, with people walking toward the camera

Photo: Media Instances

Gerald Undone tested the sensor in detail, including readout speed and dynamic range in each gain mode.

Video review: Gerald Undone

Sensor and recording

The FX5 records 5K up to 60p, 4K up to 120p and Full HD up to 240p. Sony has promised 4K at 240p in a 2027 firmware update. Open Gate uses the full 3:2 sensor area at 4992 x 3328, which gives you room to crop vertical and horizontal versions from one take.

Internal X-OCN comes in the existing LT flavor plus two new ones, C1 and C2. XAVC is there for lighter files. The sensor has three base ISOs, 800, 4000 and 12800, and Sony claims more than 15 stops of dynamic range, or more than 16 in Dual Gain mode at ISO 800. Undone measured a readout of about 5.7 ms in 4K, which is very low for a full-frame sensor. It rises to about 18.4 ms when you combine Dual Gain and Open Gate, so pick your mode with pans in mind.

Stabilization gets an upgrade too. The new Dynamic Active mode crops about 1.3x and does a good job of smoothing handheld walking shots. The camera also records gyro data for stabilizing in post.

Body, monitoring and audio

The 3.5-inch 16:9 screen sits on a four-axis mount, and an optional OLED viewfinder clips on. You can’t fit the viewfinder and the XLR handle at the same time, which is an odd limitation. The handle records 32-bit float audio and doesn’t work on the FX3. There are 3.5mm mic and headphone jacks on the body.

Media goes to two CFexpress Type A slots, and the camera runs on the NP-SA100 battery. Ports include full-size HDMI, Ethernet and two USB-C. There’s no SDI, no internal ND filter and no built-in timecode; timecode needs an optional USB-C to BNC cable.

What it costs to run, and who it’s for

The top raw modes need VPG400 CFexpress Type A cards. ProVideo Coalition priced a 250GB card at about $250 for roughly 18 minutes of footage. Budget for several before you budget for lenses. Undone also found the new cinema-style menu less intuitive than the FX3’s, with some settings needing a reboot.

The FX5 is for solo shooters and small crews who want raw and Open Gate without moving up to an FX6-sized body. Its closest rival is the Canon EOS C50, which costs less with its handle and has a higher-resolution 7K sensor but no IBIS. The Nikon ZR is cheaper still and also records raw internally. If you don’t need raw, the Sony FX3A and FX30 do most event work for less. For rigging a body like this, see our guide to building a cinema camera rig.