Sony has published the Cinema Line Chart. Excluding the VENICE, the chart demonstrates the main difference between Sony’s Cinema Line cameras, focusing on specifications. From FX30, to full-frame PTZ). Explore it below.

The Cinema Line

Sony Cinema Line can be defined as a list of cameras that are intended for cinema applications. For now, the Cinema Line contains six cameras. Each has its own special characteristics and differentiation, in order to allow filmmakers to choose their more precise tools for a specific job/production/budget, and so on. Basically, the Cinema Line cameras are grouped and characterized by two parameters: Look, and Operability. As Sony defines below:

• Look: The Cinema Line look is optimally designed to create luxurious film-like video expression, with color tones resembling those of film for skin textures and the like.
• Operability: Care has also been taken to make Cinema Line products easy to use, with movie shooting in mind. Careful attention has been paid to all areas including body design, durability, high functional extensibility, and battery life, so creators can produce impressive content for cinema film and movie production in comfort.

Here’re a few selected articles we wrote focusing on the Cinema Line:

• The Creator: An IMAX Movie Shot Entirely on the Sony FX3
• Do Full-Frame PTZ Cameras Have A Place in Filmmaking?
• Sony FX3 is Netflix Approved
• Sony FX9 Shoots 4K 120FPS ProRes RAW, But It Will Cost You $4,200
• Sony Sets the Stage for the FX3: The New ‘Cinema Line’ Camera
• Sony Announces the FX6: A Hybridization Between VENICE and Alpha

Cinema Line cameras

Here’re the Cinema Line cameras (as of August 2023):

1. VENICE: Next-generation motion-picture camera system with a forward-thinking full-frame sensor, phenomenal color science, and user-friendly operation. The VENICE is a flagship cinema camera that has been utilized in top productions, by top directors and cinematographers (Avatar, Top Gun: Maverick). In recent years VENICE paved its way to being one of the most dominant cameras in Hollywood.
2. FX9: Stunning full-frame cinematography, optimized for fast workflow
3. FR7: The FR7 provides smooth pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ) control coupled with a full-frame image sensor and a high-quality E-mount lens lineup. Furthermore, the FR7 is the first full-frame PTZ camera.
4. FX6: Inside a compact body that’s ready for grab-and-shoot action, the FX6 packs a highly sensitive, full-frame image sensor with the power to expand your moviemaking creativity.
5. FX3: With enhanced mobility for easy solo shooting, alongside pro operability, it’s the ideal creative tool to capture a cinematic vision anywhere. Recently, a very interesting debate has raised the fact that the FX3 is the ‘A’ camera that shot The Creator, which is intended to be screened in IMAX theaters.
6. FX30: Capture stunning images with a truly cinematic look with sophisticated AF and stabilization features.

The Cinema Line Chart

A few days ago, Sony published the Cinema Line Chart (but without the VENICE), demonstrating the main differences in the technical specifications between the Cinema Line cameras.  As stated by Sony: “From size, weight, and resolution to more complex specs like frame rates to gen lock, we’ve compiled the most important specs and differences between the Cinema Line. At SonyCine, we get so many questions about the differences between popular Cinema Line cameras, FX30 the FX9, so we created a handy chart to help you see the differences or similarities. For example, looking for Genlock, then choose the FR7 or the FX9. Explore the chart below (Click on the image for a full-resolution view):

The Cinema Line Chart can be downloaded here.

Where’s the VENICE…?