Over a week ago Sony launched a highly-anticipated firmware update for its FX3 and FX30 compact cinema cameras, but then it had to pull it.
The update, labeled version 6.00 for the FX3 and version 5.00 for the FX30, offered a much-needed fix that gave shutter angle/frame rate calibration for the two cameras.
Since this is becoming increasingly common and important for modern cine cameras and high-end hybrid cameras, many owners of these two compact Sony cine cameras wanted it.
Previously, back in January, Sony had published that the update was pending as a future delivery for users, but it didn’t go live for free download until early September.
Aside from including shutter angle, the new update for the FX3 and FX30 also delivered the following improvements (via Sony’s notes for v.600):
“Allows you to choose the exposure time (from either shutter speed or shutter angle) when shooting movies
Allows you to add OK/NG/KEEP flags to clips during or after movie recording
Improves the image quality when using 3D LUT software
Adds the 709tone color mode to Picture Profile. Please set one of the Picture Profiles (PP1-PP11) to the 709tone color mode
Allows notifications to be displayed when the latest software is available for your camera
You can now continue shooting while transferring captured photos and videos to a smartphone or tabletNote: Ver. 2.5.0 or later of the Creators’ App is necessary. The Creators’ App may not be available in some countries or regions. For more information, please visit the Creators’ Cloud support website.
Transfer to smartphones and tablets can now be resumed even if interrupted in the middle of a transferNote: Ver. 2.5.0 or later of the Creators’ App is necessary. The Creators’ App may not be available in some countries or regions. For more information, please visit the Creators’ Cloud support website.
You can now transfer only the differences that have not yet been transferred to your smartphone or tablet, or add videos to be transferred during the transfer processNote: Ver. 2.5.0 or later of the Creators’ App is necessary. The Creators’ App may not be available in some countries or regions. For more information, please visit the Creators’ Cloud support website.
Adds support for the Network Streaming functionNotes:
Settings must be adjusted in the Creators’ App in advance. For more information, please visit the Creators’ App support website.
Ver. 2.5.0 or later of the Creators’ App is necessary. The Creators’ App may not be available in some countries or regions. For more information, please visit the Creators’ Cloud support website.
Confirmation has been made that input is possible in M2 Live using SRT.M2 Live is an All-in-One cloud switcher service that allows real-time switching of video and audio, overlaying of graphics, and playback of video files on the cloud.A contract is required to use M2 Live. This service may not be available in some countries or regions.
Supports the following Monitor & Control app functionsNote: Ver. 2.1.0 or later of the Monitor & Control app is necessary. The Monitor & Control app may not be available in some countries or regions.
Wired connection via a USB cable
Clip review during camera playback mode
Focus map display
IRIS operation bar display
Selection from shutter speed or shutter angle for exposure time
Improves the functionality and operational stability of the camera”
Most important of all though was the shutter angle component of the firmware. This links shutter speed to frame rate, letting videographers shoot smooth videos with consistent motion blur.
Thus, for example, if the shutter angle is set to 180°, the camera uses a shutter speed that’s half that of the frame rate. This means that with the camera shooting at 24fps, the shutter speed will be set to 1/48 second, or if shooting at 120fps create a shutter speed of 1/240 s and so forth.
As a result, exposure changes, but the frame rate/shutter speed ratio stays the same for a certain desirable motion blur quality.
With hybrid cameras becoming increasingly popular, shutter angle and its linking of shutter speed to frame rate became increasingly mainstream.
Now, instead of being an exotic feature in digital cameras, it has arrived even in very low-cost hybrid cameras, sometimes with prices below $2,000, like the Sony FX30, which costs $1,798.
Sony was lagging on implementing it for its affordable compact cine cameras, but with the FX3 and FX30 firmware update, that was supposed to change
With all that in the balance, Sony released its two versions of the firmware update around September 13, only to pull one of them just days later.
The reason why is that both firmware updates ended up being unstable and caused some users of the FX3 and the FX30 to have problems with their cameras afterward.
This wasn’t the case for all users, and the FX3 update, v.6.00, remains available, but v.5.00 for the FX30 was pulled and remains gone for now. Clicking to it only gets you a blank page with an “Oh no!” warning.
Sony is working on a new, stable version of this update and will release it soon, but for now, some owners of the FX30 are out of luck.
For owners of the FX3, they can still download v.6.00 if they want to, but it might be a good idea to hold off on that for a bit longer.
So far, that’s how things stand, and it’s an embarrassing little facepalm by Sony, a company otherwise known for the quality of its cameras, their hardware and their software.
