Sometimes I find myself feeling quite depressed that the majority of the content that I watch online these days are weird vlog-style videos aimed at specific niches and geared toward earning ad views and product link click-throughs.
Then, other times, when the right video finds me, I’m quite grateful that we live in a time that I can watch some random film and video YouTubers strap a camera onto a rocket-powered dolly board with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle topped to it so that they can test the camera’s autofocus capabilities.
And thanks to the good dudes at Film Sandwich (a real YouTube account), we have the ultimate test to the Sony FX9’s autofocus that apparently I (and perhaps you) have wanted all along. Let’s check it out and dive into the results below.
The Sony FX9 Autofocus
Okay, before we explore all these super-scientific results of the test above, let’s take a moment to look at the Sony FX9 and its promised autofocus capabilities.
Designed for TV, reality, event, or any other run-and-gun needs, Sony’s FX9 has already proven to be a versatile and reliable documentary-style camera that is truly meant to be used anywhere and in any setting (often with little set-up or prep time).
With a full-frame oversampled 6K CMOS sensor, you should ideally be able to get cinematic 4K footage no matter where you are—and with some serious autofocus to boot with its Fast Hybrid AF system with 561 points of detection and some internal gyroscope technology.
You can watch a more proper AF explanation and test for the FX9 here below. Also, feel free to check out our Sony Focus Week coverage from last year.
A Rocket-Powered Test
However, that’s not quite the approach taken by our now-favorite YouTubers. Instead, the Film Sandwich guys tried to have some fun with it by attaching the FX9 to a dolly board equipped with some rockets to see how the camera could keep up with some wild speeds.
And, as you can see in the video, the results were actually quite… impressive.
It wasn’t fully scientific by any means, but even with the dolly rocketing forward at significant speed, the AF appeared to have no problem keeping up with the movement and focusing on their makeshift subject’s face.
That’s really the question here. Sure, this is a fun experiment and video to check out, but how much does it really show you about using the FX9 in the real world? Unless you’re looking to strap yourself to some rocket-propelled skateboards for an action shot (or you’re working on a slick snowboarding documentary), these exact tests might not be too relevant.
That being said, if the FX9 is meant to be one of the top choices for exotic documentaries and true on-the-run filmmakers, testing it in any wild circumstance should be helpful. The camera is indeed built for this type of stuff, and the fact that it handles not only the speed, but the awkward impacts in the video above, bode well for its reliability in the field.
So, peep the specs below, and consider the FX9 as a capable rocket-powered AF option for your films and videos.
- 6K Full-Frame Exmor R CMOS Sensor
- 15 Stops of Dynamic Range, Dynamic HDR
- DCI 4K and UHD 4K up to 59.94p
- HD Recording up to 150/180 fps
- Quad Full HD 120p Raw with XDCA-FX9 Unit
- Sony E-Mount
- 10-Bit 4:2:2 XAVC-I up to 600 Mb/s
- Auto-HD, AF, 7-Stop ND Filter, 3D LUTs
- Dual Base ISO up to 102,400, HLG Mode
- 12G/6G/3G-SDI & HDMI Output up to 4K
You can pick up this camera for $10,998.
Source: Film Sandwich
