Including the already popular FX9, FX6 and FX3 cameras, the Sony Cinema Line has been out and about for almost a year now. Among other amazing features, these cameras can output a 16-Bit Linear RAW signal, which is absolutely revolutionary for cameras in this price range. But is it really like that? Let’s see what we found out so far. When the Sony Cinema Line was first announced, I was extremely surprised to see a 16-Bit Linear RAW output on these cameras. In fact, a true 16-Bit sensor readout only belongs to high-end cinema cameras. Yes, that’s one of the things you’re paying for! Furthermore, a true 16-Bit sensor readout, paired with backside illumination technology, also meant that this new generation of Sony cameras would provide a huge dynamic range and image quality improvement over the old FS7 and FS5 models. Or at least, that’s what we were all expecting. However, when Gunther ran the Sony FX6 and FX9 through our Lab Test procedure, he found that these cameras aren’t so great after all. In fact, they perform pretty much like the good old FS7 and FS5, in terms of dynamic range. Sony PXW-FX9. Source: Sony These results rang a bell. Is the sensor readout actually 16-bit? Or is this 16-bit data output only a “marketing” thing? If you want to know what Sony had to say on this matter, keep on reading. Before we go on: what does “16-Bit Linear RAW” mean? If you are not familiar with RAW,...
Published By: CineD - Wednesday, 11 August, 2021