{"id":539653,"date":"2026-07-23T02:41:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T02:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/539653\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T02:41:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T02:41:16","slug":"with-the-sony-fx5-gareth-edwards-takes-guerrilla-filmmaking-to-the-next-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/539653\/","title":{"rendered":"With the Sony FX5, Gareth Edwards takes guerrilla filmmaking to the next level"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sony has launched a new compact full-frame Cinema Line camera with 5K Open Gate acquisition, internal 16-bit X-OCN, and thus offered a new level of distinctly stripped-down approach to production.<\/p>\n

Gareth Edwards, director of The Creator, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Jurassic World: Rebirth, took the new FX5 to Cambodia, Thailand and Nepal, to film his own camera test.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuerrilla filmmaking just went to the next level,\u201d Edwards says, speaking to Yaroslav Altunin. \u201cThe FX5 is the run-and-gun cinema camera to beat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shoot returned Edwards to territory he knows well. In 2022, he travelled to more than 80 locations across Southeast Asia while making The Creator, capturing the film almost entirely with Sony\u2019s compact FX3. That camera helped Edwards and cinematographers Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS, and Oren Soffer operate with an unusually small footprint, scouting and shooting simultaneously rather than locking every image into a traditional production structure.<\/p>\n

With the FX5, Edwards brought the same exploratory approach back to locations in Cambodia, Thailand and Nepal. but this time with internal RAW, Open Gate recording, higher low light sensitivity and a more self-contained camera system.<\/p>\n

For one week, Edwards and a small team moved between modern cities, ancient temples and Himalayan villages in temperatures ranging from approximately 35\u00b0C down to \u20135\u00b0C. The equipment was reduced to three bags: one for the FX5, another for a compact dolly and slider, and a third for camera accessories.<\/p>\n

Anything that was not essential stayed behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got [the FX5] in my hands about a week before we were shooting, so we had to turn it around really fast,\u201d Edwards says. \u201cI knew from The Creator, \u2013 because we had looked around the whole of Southeast Asia for that movie, \u2013 if I had a gun to my head and someone said, \u2018You\u2019ve got a day or so to shoot loads of great images, where would you go?\u2019 I\u2019d immediately say Kathmandu in Nepal, and then a close second, Cambodia.\u201d<\/p>\n

The iPhone as a wireless viewfinder<\/p>\n

Edwards configured the FX5 around a 2x vintage Japanese anamorphic lens and a lightweight gimbal. Internal X-OCN recording eliminated the need for an external RAW recorder he\u2019d used on previous productions, while the camera\u2019s wireless monitoring allowed him to remove a conventional onboard display and video transmitter.<\/p>\n

Instead, Edwards used an iPhone as his monitor. The iPhone\u2019s MagSafe let him move the phone between magnets attached to the gimbal and his wrist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe iPhone is so bright and the battery is so good, it\u2019s better than any five-inch field monitor you could get,\u201d Edwards says. \u201cAnd because of the magnets, I could use it on the gimbal and quickly pull it off and put it on. I also had a little magnet on my wrist, and I could wear it like a watch if I was holding the gimbal low or doing something awkward.\u201d<\/p>\n

The image was transmitted over Wi-Fi from the camera. \u201cYou don\u2019t need a transmitter, necessarily,\u201d Edwards adds.<\/p>\n

It proved to be a wonderfully pragmatic monitoring arrangement. When the camera is carried high, low or close to the body, Edwards could relocate the image without rebuilding the rig. More importantly, it preserved the small silhouette that defines his way of working and filming.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s great about the FX5 versus the FX3 and some of the other cameras is that I was powering the camera from the handle of the gimbal,\u201d he says. \u201cI didn\u2019t need an extra V-mount battery somewhere. I didn\u2019t need a crazy rig like I had last time. I could hold it in one arm like a classic gimbal. I didn\u2019t need an extra big recording device, and so it all became a lot more tiny.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A stacked full-frame sensor and internal X-OCN<\/p>\n

At the centre of the FX5 is a newly developed full-frame fully stacked Exmor RS CMOS image sensor and the latest high-speed BIONZ XR2 image processing engine, paired with a dedicated AI processing unit.<\/p>\n

The camera records 5K at up to 60 fps, 4K at up to 120 fps and Full HD at up to 240 fps. In S-Log3, Sony rates the FX5 at more than 15 stops of dynamic range. The broad latitude and low-noise performance enable seamless roll-off from highlights to shadows and natural texture reproduction, even in high-contrast scenes. Three Base ISOs of ISO 800, ISO 4000, and ISO 12800 enable low-noise image expression under a wide range of conditions.<\/p>\n

For the first time in an FX-series camera, the FX5 can record Sony\u2019s 16-bit scene-linear X-OCN format internally. Alongside X-OCN LT are two more data-efficient variants, X-OCN C1 and C2, intended to reduce storage and transfer requirements while retaining the benefits of a RAW workflow.<\/p>\n

The FX5 is also the first FX camera to provide 3:2 full-sensor Open Gate recording. Additional scan modes include 17:9, 16:9 and Super 35mm, giving productions greater freedom to frame for multiple deliverables or use the extra sensor area with anamorphic lenses.<\/p>\n

Sony has included in-camera de-squeeze for 1.3x, 1.5x, 1.6x, 1.8x and 2x optics. This was particularly relevant to Edwards, whose vintage 2x anamorphic was selected as much for its size as its optical character.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got this beautiful character about it, and it does all those things I love about Panavision lenses,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s like a classical painting where it\u2019s just suggestive in a lot of places.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut then what\u2019s great is when you finally get the focus, you get that person\u2019s face; it\u2019s in 5K. It\u2019s really crisp, but the rest of it has a much more painterly feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards has traditionally been more concerned with controlling what an audience sees than simply capturing more information. Working with the FX5\u2019s 5K X-OCN files nevertheless changed his view of what additional image data could provide.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was super interesting is, when I came back, I started to appreciate having a lot of information and what it can do,\u201d he says. \u201cFirstly, my exposures didn\u2019t need to be that great. You can be quite out and, in post, slide it back to what you want\u2026and the same with the colour science. There\u2019s enough colour in there that we could get really nice skin tones. When I did the grade, I didn\u2019t do any power windows. What you see is exactly what came out of the camera. We didn\u2019t skew anything, we didn\u2019t key anything. It\u2019s all as it comes to you with this LUT on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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ISO 800, 4000 and 12,800<\/p>\n

The FX5 offers three base ISO settings: 800, 4000 and 12,800. It also introduces Dual Gain Shooting to the FX series, designed to extend latitude and control noise while maintaining shadow detail.<\/p>\n

For Edwards, the new ISO 4000 base became the setting for much of the day. Combined with a variable ND filter, it allowed him to move quickly between bright exteriors and darker interiors without removing filters or rebuilding the lens.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat it meant is I could have a variable ND on the camera, go out in bright sunlight, get a perfect exposure in the middle of the day, and then go inside a house, just change the variable ND and keep filming without having to unscrew and take everything off,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI basically ended up at ISO 4000 throughout the whole day. Then, just as magic hour was happening, I would put it to ISO 12,800 because I knew this was going to be our little moment of all these beautiful images.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards used available light for most of the project, carrying a single INKEE Gold Crow Air 30C to provide a soft accent when necessary. At ISO 12,800, even that small fixture was frequently dimmed to around 2%.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best light in the day starts happening as the sun is going down,\u201d he says. \u201cEssentially, if I could see it with my eye, I knew the camera could see it. It was pretty much doing what your natural eye does in dark conditions\u2026You can just keep going and going and get all these magical, happy accidents that, without it, you just can\u2019t. I can\u2019t go back from ISO 12,800. I\u2019m just not interested in cameras that can\u2019t do it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards considers the high-sensitivity performance a significant step beyond his previous FX3 workflow. \u201cThe 12,800 is a big improvement on this camera over the FX3,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I put it to 12,800 on this, it\u2019d be hard to know sometimes because it wasn\u2019t that grainy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hiding in plain sight<\/p>\n

The appeal of a small cinema camera for Edwards is not merely physical. A reduced production footprint changes how people behave around the camera and can provide access to moments that would disappear in the presence of a conventional crew.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I do my best work when I\u2019m left alone a lot more, and I can fail,\u201d he says. \u201cI really enjoy just picking up the camera and going somewhere and trying things. That freedom and the excitement of when something you didn\u2019t plan starts to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a Himalayan mountain village, the crew heard a bell and followed it to a monastery. They were invited inside as a Buddhist ceremony began. \u201cBecause it was just me and a tiny camera, nobody cared,\u201d Edwards recalls. \u201cI took my shoes off, and I went inside, and this Buddhist ceremony started taking place. They were just in the midst of this thing, and I shot loads of different shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attempting to organise the same sequence as a formal production, Edwards believes, would have introduced considerable cost, permission requirements and disruption. \u201cBecause we looked so non-intrusive, it didn\u2019t cause a problem,\u201d he says. \u201cI really don\u2019t want to look like I\u2019m making a movie. I want to look like I\u2019m just passing through, -like, carry on with what you\u2019re doing. That\u2019s when you get the really naturalistic behaviour, and you get permission to walk into places and do things that you wouldn\u2019t otherwise have got so easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, as Edwards puts it more succinctly: \u201cYou hide in plain sight. You can be shooting for a movie that gets a theatrical release, but you just look like a tourist. I think it\u2019s going to open up lots of opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Designed to stay small<\/p>\n

The flat-top FX5 body is designed for handheld, gimbal and confined-space operation. It incorporates five-axis optical in-body stabilisation, with Sony claiming approximately twice the roll-correction range of its previous stabilisation system. Active and Dynamic Active electronic stabilisation modes are also available.<\/p>\n

The body provides multiple mounting points so that accessories can be attached without necessarily adding a cage. An active cooling system places the fan in a separate air chamber, while dust- and moisture-resistant construction is intended to support sustained recording in demanding locations.<\/p>\n

The rear display is a 3.5-inch, approximately 2.76-million-dot, 16:9 touchscreen. It can tilt approximately 98 degrees upward and 40 degrees downward, as well as opening 180 degrees to the side. Shooting information can be placed around the edges rather than over the image.<\/p>\n

Sony has also brought its CineAlta-influenced BIG6 operability home screen to the FX5. The interface groups frame rate, exposure, LUT and other principal settings on one display, while a new menu system is designed to provide greater consistency with the FX6 and Sony\u2019s larger CineAlta cameras.<\/p>\n

AI-assisted autofocus uses human pose estimation to recognise a subject\u2019s eyes, head and body, including in dark scenes. Real-time Tracking is supported, while Auto Tracing White Balance combines visible-light and infrared sensor data with deep-learning-based light-source estimation.<\/p>\n

The camera includes two USB-C ports, USB Power Delivery, a wired LAN connection and timecode input through Sony\u2019s optional USB-C-to-BNC VMC-BNCU1 cable. It is compatible with the 2670 mAh NP-SA100 battery, which has approximately 1.3 times the capacity of the NP-FZ100.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, I\u2019ve felt like there are little moments in the middle of a shot where you\u2019re holding the camera, and you think to yourself, a year from now, this is going to get a major theatrical release around the whole world,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cAnd you could argue that hundreds of thousands or millions of people are going to see this. And it creates this really strange feeling where you go, \u2018I am carrying millions of people right now. In this shot, I\u2019m holding them.\u2019 It gives you such a buzz\u2026And to feel like, in such a small camera, to have that same feeling, where there\u2019s no weight to it, it feels like a TARDIS.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monitoring, Catalyst and a future firmware update<\/p>\n

Sony\u2019s Monitor & Control 3.0 application supports wired and wireless monitoring and camera operation from iPhones, tablets and Mac computers. Version 3.0 expands multicamera and vertical-video functions and adds EL Zone exposure monitoring.<\/p>\n

Catalyst Prepare 3.0, scheduled for August 2026 or later, will combine the previous Catalyst Prepare and Catalyst Browse workflows. It will support playback and stabilisation of the FX5\u2019s X-OCN C1 and C2 material, together with access to shooting metadata.<\/p>\n

Sony is already flagging a major version 2.0 camera update for August 2027 or later. Planned additions include X-OCN high-frame-rate recording at up to 240 fps, 3:2 Open Gate recording in XAVC S-I, a vertical-shooting interface and frame grabs. These are future features and will not form part of the initial camera release.<\/p>\n

Price & shipping<\/p>\n

We only have A$ pricing, but in Australia, the Cinema Line FX5 will be available from early August 2026. Cinema Line FX5 (body only) A$7,849.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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