Sony FX2 review: cine ergonomics at a price to tempt hybrid creators

Sony’s FX2 was not the next camera most people expected from Sony’s Cinema Line. With the Sony FX3 and FX30 both looking a bit long in the tooth, there was more anticipation for next-generation updates chasing speed and resolution.

Instead, the ILME-FX2 is a bit of a curveball, taking the proven 33MP sensor from the A7IV and building a compact cine body around it – complete with a brand new tilting EVF, active cooling, and video-first controls. The result is Sony’s most hybrid cine camera, an A7IV for those who put video first and stills second.

The Sony FX2 sits just below the FX3 in Sony's lineup, as an affordable entry point into full-frame cine cameras. But with so many compelling hybrid cameras out there, often for less money, is the draw of cinema economics enough to convince content creators to jump over to Sony's cinema line?

Sony FX2: Specifications

Sony FX2: Price

The Sony FX2 is available now, priced at $2,699 / £2,699 body-only, or $3,099 / £3,099 with the XLR-H1 handle unit, which adds 4-channel audio via twin full-size XLR inputs. This makes it the most affordable full-frame model in Sony’s Cinema Line, sitting below the FX3 (around $4,099 / £3,799) while offering a tilting EVF and hybrid stills features that the FX3 lacks, but without the speeds allowed by the FX3’s lower-resolution sensor.

Outside of cinema-style bodies, at this price, the FX2 goes head-to-head with hybrid rivals like the Nikon Z6 III ($2,699), which has partially stacked sensors for faster readout speeds, or Panasonic’s Lumix S1 IIE ($3,199) with open-gate recording and internal RAW codecs. If you are in the market for more of a hybrid camera, these offer a much better stills shooting experience.

Sony FX2: Design & Handling

The FX2 chassis follows the exact same FX3/FX30 blueprint – a flat-top box design ideal for a cage or rig, but also with built-in threaded points perfect for mounting accessories if you want to go cage-free. If it ain’t broke, don't fix it, and I think the FX2 is still a great looking camera. It clearly means business and definitely isn’t going to be mistaken for a casual vlogging camera – plus it also slots in nicely with the designs of Sony’s more professional (and premium-priced) models.

The FX2’s party trick is the 3.68-million-dot OLED EVF that tilts up to 90°. It’s the first time an EVF has appeared on a compact FX body, and I hope it's a feature that’s here to stay, as it immediately improves focus checking, bright-sun operation, and makes the FX2 a viable hybrid camera. Once you’ve used the EVF on the FX2, it is hard to go back to screen-only cinema models.

The caveat: depending on what you mount atop the FX2, you can foul up the EVF’s articulation. I struggled both with the EVF butting up against the receiver of my Rode Wireless Go, and my third-party handle screwed into the threaded screw on the top plate. The EVF can also obstruct storing the camera. As the EVF doesn’t tilt into the body nor can you lock the EVF to the body, this meant that first off, the protruding EVF blocked the camera from fitting neatly into my usual carry case, and made me feel a bit wary when placing the camera in my bag that the EVF wouldn’t get damaged. None of this is a real dealbreaker, but you might want to think about your current accessories before buying.

As well as the EVF, the FX2 has a rear LCD that is fully articulating. The screen is good – viewing angles are solid, and brightness is good outdoors – but the LCD is lower in resolution compared with some rivals. Controls are streamlined and video-centric, and Sony’s BIG6 home screen mirrors the Venice UX for quicker access to essentials. The FX2 also splits its settings for both video and photo into separate menus depending on which mode you’re in, which makes life a lot easier when switching back and forth while preserving specific options.

The FX2 is made of magnesium alloy and steel and feels very robust, and is backed up with weather seals to keep out moisture and dust. The size and weight are very manageable for a long day of handheld shooting (the FX2 weighs 679g/1.50lbs body-only), and I found the handgrip is deep and comfortable, which made a meaningful difference when I was attempting to wield heavier lenses.

The FX2 has a good complement of ports to support most filmmakers at this level – a full-size HDMI port in particular is welcome at this price. Media is handled by dual card slots, with Slot 1 supporting CFexpress Type A (or SD), and Slot 2 for SD. The optional XLR-H1 handle adds 4-channel audio and locks in via screws and the Sony MI interface.

Sony FX2: Performance

Image quality in full-frame 4K at 30p is outstanding with the camera oversampling from 7K. Footage is detailed, with smooth tonal transitions that give footage a very polished look straight out of camera.

However, the FX2’s biggest compromise comes from the sensor’s readout speed. That 33MP sensor does a lot of heavy lifting, and with that many megapixels to push, it means 4K/60p is only available with a Super 35 crop, and unfortunately, you can forget all about 4K/120p.

Even at standard 4K, the oversampled readout can produce noticeable rolling shutter when you whip the camera around or track fast side-to-side motion (see sample video). If your work leans heavily on action sequences, fast handheld pans, or sports, the FX3 still has the edge here, with its faster readout, full-width 4K/60p, and even 4K/120p in crop mode. But for any videographers whose work is slower paced – perhaps interviews, corporate work, or documentaries – the FX2 is still a capable option.

If you want to push the FX2 further, there are no internal RAW capabilities, which seems odd for 2025, with most other brands pushing this on their video-focused cameras. However, external RAW recording is supported, but with the caveat that over HDMI, you’ll only get around 4.7K from the Super 35 (APS-C portion) of the sensor.

That said, internally you have a very robust codec selection, including 10-bit 4:2:2 All-Intra options at up to DCI 4K/24 as well as S-Log3 and S-Cinetone. I think for most productions, the FX2 would be used for; these internal files are more than strong enough.

Continuous recording is a major strength of the FX2 and Sony’s cine bodies. Thanks to the active cooling system, the camera is rated by Sony for up to 13 hours of extended continuous 4K/60p recording in controlled conditions. In real-world use, I found it basically impossible to make the camera overheat, even during long takes on a particularly warm, sunny, and humid day of shooting – my SD card had enough before the camera did.

Autofocus is an area where the FX2 (and Sony in general) really shines. The latest generation of Sony’s subject recognition autofocus feels really confident – I found the FX2 locked onto people, animals, and vehicles with the sort of reliability that allowed me to just focus entirely on my composition without worrying. The FX2 also has Sony’s latest ‘Auto Subject’ recognition, so you don’t even have to worry about dipping out to change the focus mode. It’s the kind of autofocus that you can genuinely trust to just do its job, and that makes the shooting experience far less stressful.

Another plus point is image stabilization. I found the stabilization in the FX2 to be excellent, with Sony’s Active mode making a huge difference in keeping things steady for handheld shooting. The FX2 also offers a Dynamic Active mode, which goes further with in-camera electronic stabilization for almost gimbal-like footage – although with a fairly hefty crop cutting into the field of view. However, the trade-off can be worth it if you’re after smoother footage handheld – and I was really pleased with both my handheld panning and walking shots, and I didn’t have to lug around my heavy gimbal.

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As the camera shares a sensor and lens selection with the Sony A7 IV, the quality from the FX2's still images is every bit as outstanding as its Alpha brother. Although, while this is the most hybrid cine camera you're likely to see, ergonomically, it's not the ideal stills camera experience, with it just feeling a little clunky and unnatural. If you are someone who cares as much about photos as video, then you might find a hybrid with an SLR-style body, like the Sony A7 III, is much more suited to you.

Battery life, while not groundbreaking, is solid on the NP-FZ100 pack. For normal shooting, I managed to get through a couple of hours of stop-start 4K recording. But for longer gigs, USB power delivery support means you can run the FX2 continuously from a power bank or wall supply.

Sony FX2: Verdict

The FX2 is a really interesting proposition for those first getting into cinema photography. The FX2 is a compact cine body with a real EVF, dependable AF, long-record stamina, and credible stills – at a price that opens the Cinema Line to more hybrid creators. You do need to accept its limits. Fast-readout video isn’t its strength; 4K/60p is cropped, rolling shutter is clearly visible, the LCD is merely okay, and there’s no internal RAW. But if your work leans on interviews, documentary, branded content, or corporate work, then the FX2 is a great step into the world of cine cameras.

Alternatives

Sony FX3: A lower resolution but faster sensor means less rolling shutter and also 4K60P with no crop, and 4K120P in Super 35. However, despite being a few years old now, the FX3 is still much more expensive.

Read our full Sony FX3 review

Sony ZV-E1: Not a cine camera, the ZV-E1 is aimed at content creators, but it shares the same sensor as the FX3, meaning it can shoot up to 4K120P. However, the smaller body and lack of cooling mean it can't shoot for as long as Sony's cine bodies.

Read our full Sony ZV-E1 review