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One of the reasons I don't blog as frequently or review stuff any more is that I have literally zero interest in spending $3k on a new camera every few months, and there's this strange urge by camera companies to inflate prices at the same time as going backwards in specs from the Sony a1 which is now nearly 4 years old. I fear it will be the same with the FX2, where I pick one up to try it once and then feel absolutely zero creative need for it. Same with the new Panasonics too. And at the same time, my interest in plain old photography is probably stronger than in video now, and what the Xiaomi 14 Ultra was able to do on that side had me thinking that even enthusiast level cameras for photography are on the way out. When are we going to see some real innovation from Japan?

I believe that is its primary purpose? For the solo hybrid ‘creator’. Pretty sure it would be a better ‘cinema’ camera. The guts of the S1ii in the FX3 body…but then I thought that was what the recent Lumix launch was going to be…but wasn’t. Personally, I’m going to pick around fewer bodies based on available and suitable lenses over video spec. I’d rather have both and as above, maybe that rumored Nikon might just have it all. Or be the closest so far…

Nope. About as relevant to me as rolling shutter! I’m a locked off kind of guy and I do not pan, tilt, or practice the wobbling jelly approach AKA ‘The Handheld Look’. My super lightweight freestanding monopod is one of the best and essential pieces of kit I own. If only I had not left it at a chateau 750km away a couple of weeks back 🙈 Fortunately I am back there in a few weeks and it’s slightly older, bigger and heavier sibling is pulling mono duty until then!

I don't hate it. I'm not sure how I feel about the EVF. Can it be locked? I feel like it will move when I press it against my face. I refuse to call it a cinema or video camera though. This form factor sucks for video. But as a primarily photo hybrid, yeah, it looks like a decent value. I'd rather pay extra for an S1II, to be honest, if I was going to buy a brand new camera.

Love the tilting EVF, everything else is pretty meh. The EVF is something the FX3/30 should have had from the beginning, not just ergonomically but simply as a value calculation- the FX3 always seemed priced way too high against the A7Siii considering it lost the EVF. It gained a fan, sure, but I don't think a fan out-costs an EVF by $500. And I bet they've sold nearly as many FX3s as A7Siiis, more probably if you include the FX30. So the high cost wasn't an economy-of-scale thing. Just Sony being greedy. Now the FX2 has the EVF again, so $2700 seems much more appropriate vs. the A7iv, considering the tariff thing. I hope they keep the EVF on this body style moving forward. Chin down, eye in EVF, right hand on grip, left hand cradling lens/bottom of body, elbows in against the torso is just such an efficient, stable shooting position. Basically the small-camera equivalent of shoulder-mounting a big camera. C100/200, FS5 are perfect examples of this. This body with a better sensor would be a big hit, hopefully that's what the FX3 replacement is.

What about focus breathing compensation? I've heard only a few high-end new lenses do that. Is it not an issue for you?

Are you talking about internet reviewers? Because here, it seems like the reception has been pretty similar to those other cameras - extremely lukewarm feelings for an extremely lukewarm product. (And RS is really a spectrum - 32ms RS is pretty bad and you will see it in a lot of footage, RS under 20ms is fine unless you're whipping the camera around, 20-32ms depends more on what you're doing - 27-28ms for this camera is definitely more on the "you will notice it" side) The R5 and R5c are great values. Other than someone having a pile of Sony lenses and a big investment in that ecosystem, I don't personally see any real reason that somebody would choose an FX2 over a used R5c or Z8. Even less in the latter case since I'm told the Nikon Z to Sony FE adapter is quite good. Really, I'm not even totally certain why somebody would buy the FX2 over a Z6 III, unless "has a flippy EVF" is their main criteria for buying a camera. 😉

Funny when it comes to Sony it seems a lot more forgiving spec wise. Suddenly rolling shutter is not an issue while on S1RII it was blast to oblivion 4k60k crop = not an issue anymore? Really? I have super sampled 4k60p FF from R8 years ago which blast this 4k60p crop from other manufacturers anytime of the day as you get noise and DR penalty vs non crop 4k25p full sensor readout. At least Panasonic was trying to squeeze more juice by having cinemascope 4k60p from the same sensor, but Sony still have no Opengate with this release. It could have but choose not to cause they know people will give it a pass because it is Sony. 4k120p should be mandatory in year 2025 now at this price point, not giving another 4k60p crop. Well this release does make the R5c I bought used feel a lot more value, got it for few hundred less than this FX2 and totally kill it spec wise. (Plannig to shoot VR content which Canon is the only way for interchangeable lens system. The only good news is at least the new price is alot lower than rumored so much more accessible, but Z6III feel so much better for cheaper.. wait that what people said about S1II release as well. (same sensor but $1000 less)

Sony seems to have better pricing strategy, but I'd say the S1II is still worth a premium over the FX2.

Oh and another Sony con and that is fit a higher res rear LCD would ya, ya cheapskates!

That is about where I am at with this one… I am looking to almost certainly go fully Sony or Nikon for bodies next year for one single overriding factor and that is lenses. Less bodies and less lenses than I currently have without sacrificing any of my needs and actually making my (working) life easier/better. My thought process so far was: A7RV stills plus ZV-E1 roaming video plus 2x FX30 static video. I can see a potential option here to run with a pair of FX2’s as hybrid units using one with a wider zoom and one with a longer zoom, plus the FX30’s, but will need to look at this further. It would reduce my lens needs down even further than anticipated… Currently 5 bodies + 9 lenses. First option with A7RV 4 bodies + 5 lenses. Second option 4 bodies + 4 lenses. Pros = less kit and zero lens swaps = 👍 I like the form factor. Cons = doesn’t have the 6k 30p open gate I currently use 😏 Not watched a single review yet but will get around to that and still waiting to see what Nikon do with this ‘ZR’ that might be more interesting…

Somehow all this camera does is make my A74 feel more valuable…

£2700 in the UK versus £2150 (£2000 with current cashback promotion) for A7 IV

That doesn't match the usual style (FX3 is more expensive than A7S III, FX30 is more expensive than A6700) - and if $2,500 is MSRP for A7 IV, selling the cine version for around $200 more is right in line with those other models. If I were choosing between A7 IV and FX2, FX2 would win hands-down. I'd definitely spend $200 for the flippy EVF. But then I might have my head checked because the Z6 III + Sony FE adapter would still cost less, use any Sony lenses, and record 6K full sensor width video internally with decent RS (and with a raw option!) - and going from 24 to 33 megapixels for still photos is... 🤷‍♂️ (Looking for a B Cam to FX6 that can also take some nice still photos, it's totally fine and people aren't crazy for buying it - but it's just not the choice that I would make right now) ----- The other thing that seems interesting with this release is that it seems to suggest that Sony don't have a lot of other new bodies in the pipeline. If they do, this release would seem to be an attempt to grab cash from people who are still willing to buy the older sensor and will be annoyed when cameras with the new sensor are released. Otherwise, if Sony have a bunch of shiny new mirrorless cameras coming soon and supporting better-than-4k recording, etc, why release this one now? The competition is releasing cool mirrorless bodies with superior capabilities and Sony is re-releasing a camera from 2022, but stuffed into a different body. If they keep sitting on these models for another year, we might see the production pendulum swing back to Canon (or Nikon, if they write "RED" on some upcoming mirrorless model and make no other changes from one of their existing cameras).

It's 3200 EUR here in Germany compared to the A7 IV for 2100. This could have been an amazing camera if it came out a few years ago, now it's just kinda 'whatever' with the hardware limitations. Personally I couldn't life with the rolling shutter, the PetaPixel video has shown well in some shots the kinda crazy wobble/jelly you can get shooting 24p handheld (same reason I hated my A6300 back in the day). But the real disrespectful part is the resolution of the display, that's like tech from 10 years ago with not even half the pixels of the FX30 screen. I find the form factor great and if this would have had a sensor more like the Z6III / S1II it would have been an amazing option.

The GH2 is pixel binning to produce the 1080p, so the digital-edge comes more from that than the built-in sharpening algorithm. When you view the image at a longer viewing distance on a larger screen, it looks a lot better than up-close on a laptop.

Maybe they quietly imported thousands of them back in February, before the tariffs. I find it strange that the price isn't a lot higher, maybe B&H plan to show the taxes and tariffs on a separate line when you get to the checkout.

How dare the client journalists disobey their masters.

I guess their original intention was matching A7iv price but had to release it with baked in tariff inflation.

$2698 at B&H for the Sony FX2 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1899230-REG/sony_fx2_digital_cinema_camera.html Interesting price especially considering the Trump Tariff mess. And cheaper than the S1 II by $600.

Nice. Out of curiosity, could you unsharpen the included profiles in the GH2 in video mode?

I was wrong about this. I guess it's $2,700 in the US or $3,100 with the XLR handle. That's a lot better. Question withdrawn! (Though I'd still be far more apt to get the R5C or Z8 than the FX2, but at least now it's not more expensive than they are)

Jumping the gun makes a lot more sense than Chris/Jordan being actually critical of Sony. 😅

They released the video 1.5 hours sooner than Sony's own scheduled video.

I assume it was released too early, before the official announcement in a few minutes time...