PXW-FX9 User Guide Now Available for FREE Download.

FX9-quick-ref-guide PXW-FX9 User Guide Now Available for FREE Download.
The PXW-FX9 user guide.

 

Sony have released the PXW-FX9 user guide that I wrote for them. The guide is in the form of a searchable PDF designed for reading on a mobile device. The idea being that you can keep it on your phone in case you need to reference it on a shoot. It’s not meant to replace the manual but to compliment it and answer questions such as – what is S-Cinetone?

To download the guide go to the main Sony PXW-FX9 landing page and scroll down towards the bottom. There you should find a link that will take you to the guide download page as well as other resources for the FX9.

https://pro.sony/en_GB/products/handheld-camcorders/pxw-fx9

460x150_xdcam_150dpi PXW-FX9 User Guide Now Available for FREE Download.

9 thoughts on “PXW-FX9 User Guide Now Available for FREE Download.”

  1. This is a fantastic resource for the FX9. It answers lots of questions, puts things in plain English, and helps avoid many pitfalls. If it were sound as a book on Amazon, I would gladly pay $50 for it. The format is perfect for use in the field, or just to sit down with and review. I find the Sony manual for the FX9 to be hyper-technical and not useful in many areas. This book fills in the gaps and adds lots of value to the camera.

    Thanks Alister and Sony!

  2. Hi Alister, I´m your biggest fan! Congratulations for your work and for your patience.
    I’ve a question of the middle grey of the s-log 3 In the FX -9. With DUAL ISO, is this posible that at the two differents BASE (800 & 4000) but at same IE or ISO ( for example 2000) has different IRE levels for the same log curve?? Let me explain better… I always check with my Sekonic photometer the key light and the contrast ratio. In Alexa and in other Sony cameras, the reading of the Sekonic always match with the IRE recommended, but in the FX9, with the same ISO but with different BASE I don´t have the same IRE levels, how is this posible?? Is the middle grey of slog 3 in this camera different for both BASE´s?
    Thank you for your time Allison.

    1. This is normal. When using CineEI if you change the exposure index you are NOT changing the ISO of the camera, you are changing the Exposure Index or brightness of the LUT. You recordings continue to take place at 800 or 4000 ISO. So at 800 ISO base, with 2000 EI selected the LUT is 1.3 stops brighter than normal, so if you expose so that the LUT looks correct your recordings will be 1.3 stops darker than “normal” so middle grey will be lower, somewhere around 30 IRE. If the base ISO is 4000 and you set the exposure index to 2000 EI the LUT will be 1 stop darker than normal. Expose so the LUT looks correct ad the recording will be 1 stop brighter than base so middle grey will be around 49 IRE.

      This is the whole point of the Exposure Index system, it allows you to choose where you put your exposure mid point depending on the type of scene you are shooting.

      All cameras that shoot log work this same way. All Sony cameras with a CineEI mode work this way. Arri change the log-C gamma curve for each EI to keep middle grey constant but this then leads to big differences in highlight and shadow ranges for each EI used and a reduction in recording range at some EI’s.

      1. Sorry If I send you for a second time, I´m not sure about previous sending…

        Thank you for your answer Alister.
        I would like to show you two frames of FX9. I´ll share with you a google drive link, I don´t know another way to show you this.

        https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o1PeqeueflQjIkq0n8UbqwZWfNliwO-O/view?usp=sharing

        In this frames I have a perfect example of my confusion. I think I understand the problem with your explanation, but I would like to be sure,.
        The same log curve, T-stop, frame rate & shutter speed and same ISO but different BASE. There´re not LUT´s applied but the brighter (or IRE levels) of the image are different, so, if I´m a DOP that enjoys working with a photometer (I´m an old school man) I have two different exposures with the same t-stop and ISO. Witch is the correct?? If I understand your explanation, If I have for example a correct exposure for 4000BASE of T5.6, then the 2000ISO for 4000BASE corresponds at T5.6 -6db, and T5.6+9db (aprox) for 800BASE, and this is the reason for that 800BASE frame are darker than the other.
        Am I in the right way?? Is this example posible??

        Thank you Alister, sorry for my “Indian” english…

        1. If you expose 800 ISO at T5.6 then to get the same exposure at 4000 ISO you would need to stop down by 2.3 stops to T13.

          2000 ISO does not exist in the Cine EI mode. Only 800 ISO and 4000 ISO, the camera only has two sensitivities. So if you set a light meter to 2000 ISO and apply that to the cameras 800 ISO base then the recordings will be 1.3 stops darker than “normal”. If you apply a light meter set to 2000 ISO to the cameras 4000 ISO base then the exposure will be 1 stop brighter than “normal”.

          The EI ratings are just changes to the brightness of any LUT’s used and have no effect on the recordings. This is why these are called EI and not ISO.

          Just like film you may choose to rate the camera at different ISO to the actual ISO of the film stock or the camera depending on how you want your highlights or shadows to be recorded and how much noise or garin you want. Then in post production you compensate for the different exposure. Altering the exposure relative to the actual sensitivity is called “Exposure Index” and film stocks normally have both an ISO rating (which is the actual sensitivity) and an Exposure Index rating which is a suggested setting for a light meter for optimum results. It’s then up to the DP to decide how to expose based on the look that is desired.

  3. I was shooting in 6K Full Format, when I change to S35 4K it’s shows white warning logo beside the letter of “S35 4K”. anybody had a similar issue like me?

    1. This caution appears when the lens being used is not optimum for the scan mode, for example using a Full Frame lens with s35 scan or using an APSC lens with full frame scan. It is only a caution and can be ignored assuming your pictures look OK.

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