Sony FX5 Cinema Camera Launched With 5K Open Gate and Internal RAW Recording

Sony has introduced the FX5, a new full-frame Cinema Line camera designed to bring professional filmmaking tools into a relatively compact and portable body. Its headline feature is 5K Open Gate recording, a first for Sony’s Cinema Line FX series, which allows the camera to capture the full 3:2 area of its sensor instead of recording only a traditional widescreen crop. This gives filmmakers greater freedom to reframe the same footage for cinema, television, YouTube, vertical social-media videos and other aspect ratios during post-production. The FX5 uses a newly developed 16.6-megapixel fully stacked full-frame Exmor RS CMOS sensor paired with Sony’s BIONZ XR2 processor and an integrated artificial-intelligence unit. It can record 16-bit scene-linear X-OCN compressed RAW footage internally, removing the need for a separate external RAW recorder and giving production teams greater control over colour grading, highlights and shadow detail. Sony claims more than 15 stops of latitude and has included three base ISO settings—800, 4000 and 12800—to support shooting in daylight, mixed lighting and darker environments. At launch, the camera supports 5K Open Gate recording at up to 60 frames per second, while higher-speed 5K 120fps and cropped 4K 240fps recording are expected through a future firmware update. The FX5 also offers AI-powered recognition and tracking for people, animals and birds, up to 759 phase-detection autofocus points, five-axis in-body image stabilisation and built-in anamorphic de-squeeze options. Filmmakers get professional monitoring tools such as waveform display, histogram, false colour and focus mapping, along with a 3.5-inch multi-angle touchscreen, dual CFexpress Type A and SD card slots, active cooling and a high-capacity battery rated for up to 170 minutes of recording under specified conditions. An optional XLR handle provides professional audio inputs and supports four-channel recording with up to 96kHz, 32-bit float audio, while an optional high-resolution electronic viewfinder is available for outdoor and studio monitoring. The camera is expected to go on sale in August 2026, with international pricing reportedly beginning at $4,999 for the body and $5,499 for a package containing the XLR handle. With the FX5, Sony is targeting documentary filmmakers, commercial production teams, independent creators and solo camera operators who need cinema-focused features without carrying a much larger production camera.