Gear
Sony FX3, FX30 or A7 IV: which one to rent for your shoot
They share a mount and a menu, and they still suit very different days. How to choose between the three Sony bodies we rent out most.
· 3 min read
The three cameras take the same E-mount lenses, the same batteries and a similar menu, so a crew can move between them without relearning anything. What separates them is the sensor, the cooling, and whether you will also be taking stills.
The short answer
- Video only, low light, long takes: the Sony FX3, from AED 635 a day.
- Video only, a tighter budget, plenty of light: the Sony FX30, from AED 495 a day.
- Stills and video on the same day: the Sony A7 IV, from AED 415 a day.
Sony FX3: the low-light video body
The FX3 has a full-frame, 12-megapixel sensor. That is a low count for a photograph and an advantage for video: big pixels and a second base ISO of 12,800 in S-Log3 keep a candlelit hall or a dusk exterior clean where other bodies fill with noise.
It has a built-in fan, so it keeps recording through a long ceremony or a forty-minute interview, and its top handle takes two XLR microphones directly. There is no viewfinder; plan on the rear screen or an external monitor.
Sony FX30: the same body, a smaller sensor
The FX30 looks almost identical to the FX3 and has the same fan, but its sensor is Super 35 (APS-C) at 26 megapixels. In good light the 4K it records, oversampled from 6K, is very sharp. In the dark it is noticeably noisier than the FX3.
The smaller sensor changes your lenses too. A 24 mm frames like a 36 mm would on the FX3, so for wide interiors pair it with an APS-C wide zoom like the Sony E PZ 10-20mm F4 G. It is the sensible second or third angle beside an FX3, and a good main camera for daylight work.
Sony A7 IV: when you also need photographs
The A7 IV is a hybrid. Its 33-megapixel sensor makes real photographs, it has a viewfinder, and its 4K at up to 30 frames a second is oversampled from 7K across the full width of the sensor. For 60 frames a second it crops to Super 35.
It has no fan. Indoors that rarely matters; on a long take outside in an Abu Dhabi summer, it can stop to cool down. If one person is covering the photos and the film of the same event, it is still the right choice. If the day is video only, rent an FX body.
The three bodies, at today’s rates
By the kind of shoot
- Wedding film: an FX3 as the main camera for the ceremony and the evening, with an FX30 as the wide or second angle. See our wedding packages if you would rather we film it.
- Interview or podcast: an FX3 or FX30 per angle, on tripods, for takes that run long. Or hire the Podcast & Interview Room, which comes with three cameras and the sound already set up.
- Corporate event with photos: an A7 IV for the photographer, and an FX3 for the film.
- Product or brand film in a studio: any of the three. The light is yours to control, so the sensor matters less than the lens.
What to add to the order
All three run on the same NP-FZ100 battery. Rent spares, because video drains them faster than the shot count suggests. A half cage for the FX3 or FX30 gives you somewhere to mount a monitor and a microphone.
Worth adding
Not sure which fits your day? Tell us the brief on WhatsApp or by email and we will suggest a kit. Every camera is checked on the bench before it goes out.
Questions people ask
- Is the Sony FX3 better than the A7 IV for video?
- For video only, usually yes. The FX3 has a fan for long takes, a cleaner high ISO and XLR inputs on its handle. The A7 IV wins when you also need high-resolution photographs.
- Can I use full-frame lenses on the FX30?
- Yes. Every Sony E-mount lens fits, full-frame ones included. Expect each focal length to frame about 1.5 times tighter than it would on the FX3.
- Do the cameras come with batteries?
- Each camera listing says what is included. Spare Sony NP-FZ100 batteries and chargers can be added to the same order.