Some FX30 thoughts

I videoed my first paid gig yesterday with the FX30 and have some more thoughts on it.

The actual recording wasn't challenging- a person talking against a blue backdrop so it was pretty much just pointing the camera at the subject and occasionally panning if the speaker drifted a bit to the right or left.

What was interesting is that it was practically 4 and a half hours of continuous footage. So the camera not limiting recordings to 29 minutes was essential, and also the silent fans in the camera body to prevent over-heating.

Maintaining power supply was easy- I used a Smallrig dummy battery and attached it to a charging plate I could screw on the battery-side of the camera. (It has 5 tripod-style holes on the frame). Then slot a Sony NPF-750 battery into the charging plate. After 5 hours of the camera on, mostly recording video, I was still on 37% power.

One incredibly useful feature is 3 lights on the body illuminate when its recording. So if you pause, and the speaker resumes, you can spot whether you have started recording again. This happened once when I hadn't, so we could go back to the start without wasting too much time.

The footage, in S-Cinetone (also captured by my Zeiss Loxia 25/2 ) looks great. The focusing and aperture rings (declicked) in the Loxia are so good for video. You get a very smooth action with no jerking.

The external monitor worked well, but its battery did die about 3/4 through, so I switched to the camera's screen. Which because it can be positioned to the side and rotated, isn't that bad. I'd still prefer an external monitor for a lengthy job though.

For the sound, I used a Sennheiser MKE600 shotgun microphone, which I attached to a Zoom H5 fieldrecorder, and fed that into the camera. It also meant I had a backup audio source if necessary... So I don't know how good the amps in the camera really are.

I liked the convenience of not having to use a camera cage. Here's what it looks like before mounting the extras.

The charging plate for the camera is to the side, the cold shoe is to mount the shotgun microphone and the last part is to mount a smallrig handle, to which I'd attach the monitor and H5 field recorder.

All in all a very positive experience with the FX30. I'm glad I didn't try it with the a7Riii...

Edited by Wētāpunga - 18 February 2023 at 02:39

Thanks Paul, yes I agree, you need accessories to get the footage needed.

The monitor uses a Sony L-series battery (just as the LED lights I used do, and the external battery for the camera). I just used the smallest size to save weight, so if I'd been prepared I could have used a larger battery, or had a replacement on hand. Or even power it through a power bank into the USB input. The monitor gives a lot more feedback on what you're recording than the simple Play Memory app.

It wasn't really an interview, just a couple of dozen short presentations for viewing online. But filmed mostly continuously. So I was conscious I couldn't call for a break if the camera overheated. We went over time as it was...

I was really pleased that the camera operated flawlessly. I think it's a good option for someone wanting to branch out into some serious videography but still maintain stills photography as their main field. It's much cheaper than the a7Riii or FX3 and the footage is good enough for commercial work.

Hi @gazbel.

That is a puzzle, and it sounds like the problem is with the Neewer Battery. I use a third-party L-battery also- Wasabi. After 4 hours and a half hours of recording, it was still at 37%. Which is better than what the NPFZV100 can do.
I did notice that the FX-30 only likes Sony Z100 batteries as well, as the Wasabi I have as backup, displayed no battery percentage and I got a warning message from the camera. It was odd, because the same battery works with no problem in my a9 and a7Riii.

I'm not familiar with your Dummy Battery either- it looks like a brand that isn't available in NZ.

@Hezu

My experience of the Wasabi batteries in the a9 and a7Riii is they work just as the Sony NP-FZ100sand I get no warnings.
In the FX-30 the Wasabi battery won't show the battery charge symbol or percentage left, and the camera shows a serious warning.

I also have no problem using the Smallrig Dummy Battery connected to the Smallrig charging plate, and a Wasabi battery.