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Sony FX5 Lab Test: New Full-Frame Benchmark | DJI & Insta360 Outship Mirrorless Cameras – Focus Check ep136

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DJI shipped more than 10 million handheld cameras in 2025 – more than every CIPA member company combined – mirrorless, DSLR and compact included. Add Insta360 and the two Chinese companies ship more than twice as many cameras as the entire mirrorless industry together. And while the traditional camera makers slip, our Sony FX5 Lab Test shows a camera that costs a fraction of a BURANO now matching the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF for dynamic range.

This week, Johnnie and Nino work through our long-awaited Sony FX5 Lab Test, the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max as the first globally released phone with ARRI LogC3, what IDC’s and CIPA’s numbers really say about the pocket camera boom, Nikon’s viewfinder-less Z5IIC, Meta’s 100g VR Glasses taking aim at the Vision Pro, a community hack that finally gives the SIGMA fp open gate, the Chronos Q12 high-speed camera, a big 4K update for the RØDECaster Video, the After Effects AI Assistant, the crowdfunding launch of our own OrBrella light with SmallRig – and a quick round of gear, software and industry news to close.

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Sony FX5 Lab Test: Rolling Shutter, Dynamic Range and Exposure Latitude

(03:25 in the episode)

The production FX5 (firmware 1.00, on loan from Sony) sets a new benchmark for full-frame cameras in our standardised lab test. With dual gain on at ISO 800 in S-Log3, rolling shutter measures 13.3ms – 2.4 times the excellent 5.6ms with dual gain off, but still less than half of the 27.5ms we measured on the LUMIX S1II in its dual-gain mode. In 5K X-OCN LT the FX5 reaches 13.4 stops at SNR 2 and 14.4 stops at SNR 1, level with the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF and 2.6 stops ahead of the BURANO 8K, and it holds 11 stops of exposure latitude, with only the ALEXA 35 ahead at 12. Internal XAVC S-I lands two stops below X-OCN LT on latitude.

Nino’s takeaway is that the dual-gain rolling shutter is finally good enough to simply leave on. Johnnie, who reviewed the FX5 in Japan in the summer, says the numbers confirm what he saw in the field – if he had to buy one Sony today, this would be it. Nino would still like built-in NDs in an FX6-style body, and Johnnie wishes we had also tested the lighter X-OCN variants.

HONOR Magic9 Pro Max Launches – ARRI Co-Branding, Native LogC3 Recording, Dual 200MP Cameras

(14:49 in the episode)

After the China-only Robot Phone, HONOR’s second ARRI co-branded phone will be released globally. The Magic9 Pro Max comes in a conventional three-camera form factor with dual 200MP cameras, native 10-bit ARRI LogC3 with ARRI Wide Gamut 3 and ARRI Looks, and a telephoto lens accessory with a matching case. HONOR has also teased APV, Android’s answer to ProRes.

Nino points out that ARRI confirmed to him at IBC that it certifies the image pipeline itself – it is not just a licensed logo – and that the phone uses LogC3, not the LogC4 of the ALEXA 35. Johnnie will have the phone in his hands at the end of the month, with field footage and a lab test to follow, and sees it as proof that smartphone makers now take video seriously. Nino’s open question: will consumers who know Leica or ZEISS know what ARRI stands for?

DJI and Insta360 Now Ship More Than Twice as Many Cameras as the Mirrorless Industry – What the Numbers Can (and Can’t) Tell Us

(21:41 in the episode)

According to IDC, handheld smart cameras – gimbal, action and 360 cameras – grew by more than half year over year to almost 5.9 million units in Q2 2026, with DJI shipping about three in four and Insta360 one in five. For the full year 2025, IDC puts DJI at more than 10 million cameras, against roughly 9.4 million for all CIPA members combined and about 6.3 million mirrorless bodies. GoPro’s own Q2 report shows camera sales down 38% and revenue down 31%. The caveats are real: DJI’s figures are analyst estimates, and there is no public data at all for Blackmagic Design, ARRI, RED or the rest of the cinema market.

Johnnie urges the Japanese makers to wake up – he shot his recent China factory tour on an Osmo Pocket 3 and never looked back. Nino thinks they have already missed the boat, but would still like to see something between a Ronin 4D and an Osmo Pocket, perhaps with a Micro Four Thirds sensor. The two disagree on Blackmagic: Johnnie hears from industry contacts that sales have slowed and reads the price cuts that way, while Nino points to the large installed base and the lack of data. Unconfirmed reports say Oppo and Vivo are working on gimbal cameras of their own.

The Nikon Z5IIC full-frame mirrorless camera is small, targets people using this as an everyday camera, probably moving up from smartphones. Image credit: Nikon

Nikon Z5IIC Announced – 24.5MP Full-Frame, N-RAW to SD Card, EXPEED 7, No EVF for $1,399

(36:21 in the episode)

Nikon’s Z5IIC is a 24.5MP full-frame body without an EVF for $1,399. It uses the flagship EXPEED 7 processor and records 4K UHD up to 60p, Full HD up to 120p, 10-bit H.265 with N-Log, and 12-bit N-RAW to a single SD UHS-II card, with 5-axis IBIS. According to Nino, the Z5II with a viewfinder costs around $300 more.

Nino compares it to the a7C II, Johnnie to the LUMIX S9 (the Nikon is slightly more expensive) – and Johnnie would have liked an optional clip-on EVF. Nino’s bigger point: the camera is marketed at people upgrading from phones, and raw video at this price shows how fast it is becoming the norm. He still wonders why nobody builds in an eSIM for direct uploads.

Meta VR Glasses Announced – 100g Form Factor, 5K Micro-OLED Display, and a Cinema Push Aimed Straight at Apple’s Vision Pro

(40:42 in the episode)

Meta’s VR Glasses put about 100g on your face and move the processing and battery into a tethered puck rated for around three hours. At $1,299.99 they cost well under half of a Vision Pro, which starts at $3,499. The trade-off is a horizontal field of view of around 70° versus roughly 100° on Apple’s headset, with about 2.4K per eye at 120Hz and 37 pixels per degree. Control is by look and pinch with no controllers, and the device runs the Quest library, supports Dolby Vision, is IMAX Enhanced certified, plays 3D films and will stream ESPN sports in 8K 180°.

Nino, who regularly flies with his Vision Pro, is sticking with Apple for now but would love to compare the two. His reservations are about Meta’s approach to data rather than the hardware, which he sees as real progress on weight and price – and he hopes it pushes Apple to move faster.

SIGMA fp Open-Gate Hack – 3K 3:2 CinemaDNG, 12-Bit RAW, Full Sensor Readout

(46:04 in the episode)

A community-made hack by developer Vitaly Li gives the SIGMA fp open-gate recording for the first time: 3K 3:2 CinemaDNG in 12-bit from the full sensor, at 24p and to an external SSD. Like Magic Lantern on Canon DSLRs, it runs from the SD card rather than replacing the firmware, and the fp L is not supported.

Johnnie, who reviewed the fp back in 2019, likes that it gives an overlooked camera a second life – and stresses that anyone trying it does so at their own risk. He suspects AI-assisted coding and the off-the-shelf Sony IMX410 sensor made the hack feasible. Nino’s verdict: somebody is doing SIGMA’s work for them. We will try it in the office.

Kron Technologies Chronos Q12 Launched – 2,313 fps at 2560 × 2016, APS-C Global Shutter, 12-Bit CinemaDNG

(52:50 in the episode)

Kron Technologies’ Chronos Q12 records up to 2,313 fps at 2560 × 2016 from an APS-C global shutter sensor in 12-bit CinemaDNG, up to 5,000 fps in Full HD and up to 29,500 fps at its smallest window. It has passive, interchangeable mounts (C, E, F, EF, MFT and PL), a 5-inch touchscreen with a jog wheel, and runs on mains power. As discussed on air, pricing is around $20,000 with 64GB and $22,000 with 128GB.

Nino compares it with the Pixboom Spark – cheaper, with continuous recording to card, electronic mounts, 12G-SDI and up to 670 fps at 4.6K open gate – and with the Freefly Ember S5K. If you need very high frame rates at lower resolutions, often in scientific work, the Q12 has the edge.

Full disclosure: we have a commercial relationship with Pixboom and are currently producing a free course on high-speed filmmaking with them, planned for release by the end of this year.

RØDECaster Video 1.4 Firmware Released – 4K Capture Mode, Individual NDI Outputs, RØDECaster Sync for the Whole Range

(56:25 in the episode)

Firmware 1.4 adds a separate 4K Capture Mode to the RØDECaster Video: up to four 4K HDMI inputs at up to 30p (three on the Video S and Video Core), ISO recording of every input to SSD in H.264 or H.265, and individual NDI HX outputs. In this mode overlays, scenes, keying and media playback are disabled. The update also adds a Premiere Pro timeline export alongside DaVinci Resolve.

Our own studio runs a Blackmagic ATEM Mini ISO for video and a RØDECaster Pro II for audio, and the ATEM’s Resolve project export is what lets our podcast producer Felix edit each episode within hours. A quick test before recording found that an EDL exported in capture mode contained no cuts – so for now Nino sees 4K mode as a compact multicam ISO recorder rather than a switcher, and hopes RØDE adds cut recording, not least because Blackmagic still has no small 4K ISO switcher.

Adobe After Effects AI Assistant Enters Public Beta – Whole-Project Scope, Expression Rigs, and Project Cleanup

(01:04:20 in the episode)

The After Effects AI Assistant, now in public beta, received our Best of Show award in the AI category at IBC 2026. Unlike a generic chatbot, it works on the whole project: it can clean up and organise a messy project file, and it can build animations from a text prompt – in Adobe’s demo, bouncing a 3D sphere off a plane – as real, editable keyframes.

Nino sees that as the point: an editable starting point inside the application rather than external generated media, and a big help for editors who find After Effects’ steep learning curve intimidating. For now it is text-only; he hopes to be able to select an area and ask for changes in future.

SmallRig x CineD OrBrella Crowdfunding Now Live – 60W Bi-Color Soft Light, Foldable, 15-Second Setup

(01:08:02 in the episode)

The crowdfunding campaign for our own OrBrella light, developed with SmallRig, is live until 8 November. During the campaign the 60W bi-color umbrella light costs $169.99 / €178.90, about 15% below the later retail price of $199.99 / €209.90, and 123 people had backed it at the time of recording. The first batch is expected to ship in January 2027.

Johnnie explains the idea again: cameras have shrunk, but the accessories around them haven’t. The OrBrella unfolds in about five seconds – around 15 with the stand – and delivers soft light without the usual COB, softbox and extra stands. The campaign page includes a short interview with Johnnie about how the idea came about. The SmallRig team is currently on its mid-autumn holiday and will continue refining the prototype with the feedback from IBC when it returns.

Blazar Remus II 50mm T2.4 1.5X Full-Frame Anamorphic Lens Introduced – Improved Sharpness, Oval Iris, and More

(01:13:32 in the episode)

Blazar has started its second-generation Remus line with a single lens: the Remus II 50mm T2.4 1.5x full-frame anamorphic. Blazar claims improved sharpness, the oval iris comes from its Mantis series, the lens gets a gold finish and interchangeable PL and EF mounts. At T2.4 it is slower than the original T2.0. On a 3:2 open-gate sensor like the hacked SIGMA fp, the 1.5x squeeze gives a 2.25:1 image.

Nino liked the original Remus but noticed the drop in sharpness wide open. Johnnie thinks Blazar is underrated next to DZOFILM and Sirui, and strikes the right balance between price and look. Nino finds it odd to launch just one focal length – you cannot really start a set with one lens.

PMI Gear SmokeNINJA PRO V2 Explained – Aero Mesh Chamber, Residue-Free Vanishing Formula, Auto Bubble Snow Nozzle

(01:16:37 in the episode)

One of our last IBC videos covers PMI Gear’s updated handheld smoke machine: the SmokeNINJA PRO V2 adds an Aero Mesh chamber, a residue-free vanishing formula and a nozzle for bubbles and snow, and it comes with a remote. It is made for creators rather than stages – think product shoots, music videos or horror, probably not documentaries.

Nino’s practical tip from experience: keep any smoke machine a couple of metres away from fire alarms. Johnnie notes that it isn’t listed at B&H yet.

XLCS Designs STORMWARDEN Cage for the GoPro MISSION 1 PRO ILS Introduced – One-Piece Design, 100+ Mounting Points, Built-In ARCA Base

(01:20:16 in the episode)

Nino’s IBC interview with XLCS Designs covers the STORMWARDEN, a one-piece cage for the GoPro MISSION 1 PRO ILS with more than 100 mounting points and an Arca-Swiss base built into the bottom. We already gave XLCS an award for its cage for Marshall’s detachable-head cameras.

Johnnie likes the company and the built-in Arca base, with one caveat: the plate runs horizontally, so on a tripod you end up re-angling the head. Nino’s view is that a one-piece design that makes a crash cam nearly indestructible is worth that trade-off.

DigitalFoto IRON Damping Magic Arms Introduced – 5kg Vertical Payload, Swappable Heads, Sabertooth Clamp

(01:23:34 in the episode)

DigitalFoto’s IRON damping magic arms replace the usual toothed joint with constant damping, carry 5kg vertically, come in 7in and 11in lengths with swappable F22, NATO and thumbscrew heads, and ship with a new Sabertooth clamp. DigitalFoto quoted around €158 and €200 at IBC.

Johnnie was surprised by those prices on air, given how affordable DigitalFoto usually is – Nino checked, and they are the figures quoted at the show.

DriveShelf for Mac Released – Search Unplugged Drives, Cross-Drive Duplicate Finder, Free iPhone Companion

(01:25:01 in the episode)

DriveShelf for Mac builds an offline catalogue of your drives, so you can search what is on them while they sit unplugged on a shelf, find duplicates across drives, and check the catalogue on your iPhone with a free companion app.

Nino admits this is a problem he has lived with for years. Johnnie likes that it comes from an independent developer as a one-time purchase rather than a subscription.

CineVerse Roma Comes to Cinecittà Studios – Expo Floor, Hands-On Tech Room, AIC IMAGO Panels

(01:27:03 in the episode)

CineVerse Roma is a new trade show at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome, taking place in just over two weeks alongside the Rome Film Fest, with an expo floor, a hands-on tech room and AIC IMAGO panels. We won’t make it this year – but if you are in Italy, Johnnie recommends combining the show with the food.

Vimeo Short Film Grant Returns – $300,000 Prize Pool, Five $60,000 Awards, Panavision Camera Packages

(01:28:31 in the episode)

The Vimeo Short Film Grant has doubled to a $300,000 prize pool: five filmmakers each receive $60,000 in production funding, paid out in March 2027, for an original short film that has not yet started shooting. Panavision provides camera packages, OWC the storage, ShotDeck access to its reference library, with AJA as a supporting partner and a Vimeo Advanced subscription for every winner. Entrants must be based in the US or Canada and be at least 18.

After our critical coverage of Vimeo since its acquisition by Bending Spoons, Nino welcomes the move – and hopes the company will also make Vimeo’s video feed viewable in Europe again.

Calibrite ColorChecker Turns 50 – 1976 Macbeth Chart, 24 Patches, Virtual Museum and Challenge

(01:31:57 in the episode)

The ColorChecker – which we also use in our lab – turns 50. The original 24-patch Macbeth chart dates back to 1976, and Calibrite, which has owned the brand since 2021, marks the anniversary with a virtual museum, a patch-by-patch challenge, a quiz and merchandise that is given away rather than sold.

What surprised Johnnie is that the patches are made from special pigments rather than printed, which explains the price of a precision reference chart.

Full disclosure: this is a sponsored article.