There are only two products worth mentioning this week, but they are both very interesting: the Sony FX30 cinema camera and the Tamron 20-40mm F2.8.
Sony FX30
The FX3 that arrived last year was a revamped A7S III with more video-oriented features, including the body design. Sony added it at the bottom of its cinema line which includes professional camcorders such as the FX6 and FX9.
Now, Sony has unveiled a cheaper model, the FX30. It features the same design as the FX3, but with a 26.1MP BSI APS-C sensor. It has a dual gain ISO (800 and 2500 with S-Log3) and the maximum value is 32,000 ISO.
It can record 4K up 60p with oversampling and a small 1.04x sensor crop. If you want 4K 120p however, there is a severe 1.62x crop, which is a bit disappointing.
You have the option of recording 10-bit 4:2:2 internally (H.265 and H.264, LongGOP, and ALL-Intra up to 600Mbps), or outputting 16-bit RAW via the full sized HDMI port. There is S-Log3 and S-Cinetone, as well as the Cine EI mode with which the camera only records at the optimal ISO level (800 or 2500 to give you the best dynamic range).
The FX30 has in-body image stabilisation (5.5 stops of compensation) and is compatible with the post-stabilisation option on the Catalyst software (it uses the gyro sensor data for better results).
Other features include the possiblity of loading custom LUts and the breathing compensation mode introduced with the A7 IV. The body design is dust and moisture resistant and includes various 1/4-20 screw holes to attach accessories. There are no fewer than three tally lamps. The battery is the NP-FZ100, the same as the latest A7/A9/A1 models.
A clear hint that this is a video camera rather than a stills camera is the removal the mechanical curtains, although you can still take 26MP stills with the electronic shutter of course.
The FX30 costs $1800 for the body only, or $2200 with the camera and handle/XLR adapter.
Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 Di II VXD
Tamron continues to introduce interesting lenses to the market that dare to be a bit different concerning the zoom range. This time we have a 20 to 40mm zoom with a constant aperture of F2.8, which sounds good for events and weddings among other things.
The lens is weather sealed and the focus ring can be customized with Tamron’s Focus Ring Function Setting. It will come at the attractive price of $700, and should be available at the end of October.
- 12 elements in 11 groups
- 4 low dispersion, 2 Glass Molded Aspherical and 1 Hybrid Aspherical elements
- 9-blade circular diaphragm
- VXD linear AF motor
- Min. focus: 17cm (at 20mm, 1:3.8 magnification ratio)
- Filter size: 67mm
- 365g
