Sony FX2: Video camera with moving viewfinder
28.5.2025
Translation: machine translated
The new professional video camera looks like the FX3, but has a viewfinder - and a sensor that is not particularly optimised for video.
Sony presents a new video camera. The Japanese company's camera range is already vast. This does not prevent them from constantly identifying new product niches in order to bring further models onto the market.
The FX2 is part of the Cinema Line and has a full-frame sensor. This is aimed at professional video producers. Within this line, the FX2 is the second most affordable. It is therefore mainly aimed at people who work alone and have a limited budget.
The closest relatives are the FX3 and the FX30. The FX2 is clearly positioned above the FX30, which only has an APS-C sensor. And below the FX3, which is now available in a slightly updated version FX3 A. However, it also has advantages over the FX3.
With movable viewfinder
The most important advantage is the viewfinder. This is missing on the FX3 and FX30. The viewfinder can be tilted upwards by up to 90 degrees so that the camera can also be operated from above through the viewfinder. Its resolution is a mediocre 1280×960 pixels (marketing-speak: 3.69 million «pixels»). A removable eyecup is also included.
Source: Sony
The resolution of the flip-up display is a real disappointment. It is only 480×720 pixels (1.04 million pixels). This is half the resolution of other modern Sony cameras such as the Alpha 7RV - and therefore surprisingly low for a «professional» run-and-gun video camera, where the LCD is needed almost constantly to judge the focus.
Except for the viewfinder, the housing is very similar to that of the FX3. The operation is therefore fully designed for video. However, the FX2 has a switch to quickly switch from video to photo mode. Thanks to the viewfinder and the much higher resolution of 33 instead of 12 megapixels, the FX2 is somewhat better suited for photos. With the FX2, all video logs are also available for photos (JPEG or HEIF). This makes it possible to create stills with exactly the same look as the moving images.
Crop for 4K with 60 FPS
The camera naturally supports 4K and calculates this with oversampling, meaning that 4K videos are crisp and sharp. With 50 or 60 frames per second, however, there is a crop: the image section narrows to the APS-C range. This is despite the fact that the camera has a built-in fan to prevent overheating.
Sony uses the sensor from the Sony Alpha 7 IV in the FX2. This sensor is presumably the reason for the crop. The Alpha 7 IV is almost four years old, not a high-end device and not specifically designed for video. I can't understand Sony's decision to use this sensor for a new professional video camera.
Versatile equipment
Since the camera leaves little else to be desired. The Sony FX2 offers 16 importable user LUTs for preview, a fully-fledged HDMI connection, threads for mounting in a rig, 16-bit RAW output and the same handle as the FX3 - to name just a few things. From the ZV-E1 - another video camera for one-person projects - the FX2 inherits AI functions in autofocus as well as dynamic active image stabilisation and frame stabilisation.
The info display shows the six most important parameters: FPS, ISO, shutter, aperture, look and white balance. Operation should be the same as in the high-end Burano, Venice and Venice 2 video cameras. If the camera is rotated to portrait format, the display adapts accordingly.
The FX2 is expected to be available from July 2025 and will cost 3199 francs at market launch.
Header image: Sony
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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