A Sony FX9 Shopping List
Introduction
In 2020 I sold my FS7 Mk2 and moved over to the new Sony FX9. With a new camera comes a new list of accessories to share. Fortunately, almost all the accessories from the FS7 moved over seamlessly to the FX9. So don’t be fooled by all the new products that say they are FX9 specific. I had to purchase very little to outfit this camera. With that said I’ve made a list with some parts that I find more economical for the FX9 than the ones I originally purchased for the FS7 in case you are starting from scratch. So the photos of my rig above are going to be slightly different to what I’m suggesting below. My shopping list for the FS7 MK1/2 is here if you’d like to compare.
Sony FX9 Full Frame Cinema Camera
Price: $11,000
I purchased the FS7 Mk1 in January of 2015. In the fall of 2017 I upgraded to the MK2. In the Winter of 2019 I purchased the FX9. Why? My top 3 reasons were:
Better color science
Able to control 4 channels of audio via physical dials
Better camera functionality (customs buttons, dials, etc)
I’ve grown to really love the full frame sensor and the auto focus features are very impressive but realistically I would have purchased a FS7 Mk3 if it came out with this sensor in Super35. The camera’s image is better and is easier to use in documentary situations than the FS7 Mk2, especially while running audio. I’ll let you scour YouTube for debates of the merits of the Canon C500 or Sony FX6 vs the FX9.
Camera rigging
Small Rig FX9 Top Plate
Price: $60.00
I just moved my Wooden Camera FS7 plate over to my FX9. But if you are starting from scratch save your money and buy this one from Small Rig. Hard to justify spending $200+ when you can get this one for $60.
Prototypes of the Rush Design plate. They now ship in Black.
RushDesign Lightweight VCT Baseplate
Price: $600.00
This light weight baseplate from Rush Design is the lightest base plate I’ve ever used and I really love its minimalist design. I’ve written about this in more detail in article for NewsShooter.com, so I’ll leave it this section short. I’m currently using a Shape replacement shoulder pad part ($30.00) as my shoulder pad. It comes out of the box with velcro attached and ready to be stuck on the bottom of the Rush Design plate.
SmallRig SONY FX9 Rear Insert Plate 2841
Price: $29.00
If you are using the FX9 on any universal baseplate I would suggest picking up the Small Rig It replaces the rubber shoulder pad on the camera and makes the FX9 base flat - and creates an additional place to attach the rear of the camera to your base plate. Helps when using heavy lenses/battery combos.
Small Rig cold shoe bolted on a Wooden Camera top plate.
Auray DUSM-1 Universal Shock Mount
Price: $40.00
When using any top plate, its a good idea to relocate and re-mount your shotgun mic. Why? Depending on the length of your shotgun mic you may catch a bit of your deadcat/foam wind guard when you are at your lens’ widest focal length. Additionally the stock mount that comes with the camera is not very solid and sits very high on the camera. Use this universal shock mount in combination with a bolt on cold shoe to mount your microphone further back and lower on your rig via a top plate of your choice. If you look at the photos at the top of the page you will see a larger Sennheiser 416 and a shorter 8060 on the two different setups. So you can mount it at a different positions based on the length of the shotgun mic.
I suggest this shock mount over Wooden Cameras or Small Rig’s shotgun mic mount as the rubber is thicker and more durable - and since you mount it with a bolt-on cold shoe, can be mounted on a variety of FS7/FX9 top plates.
This cold shoe from Small Rig is cheap, allows for 2 bolts holes to securely mount to the top plate prevent cold shoe twist.
Wood & Smart Grip Accesories
KinoGrip Wood Handgrip / Sphere
Price: $300
In the fall of 2015 I removed the FS7 smart grip assembly from my rig entirely and replaced it with a wood sphere and handgrip from Kinogrip. It’s been like that since.
Ray Thomas hand carves these grips in Arizona in a variety of shapes, wood types, and with the option to add trigger buttons. They’re impeccably made and I’ve grown really attached to them as they have worn over the years. The grips are my major point of contact with the camera and wood provides something incomparable.
“Its just a piece of wood, why is it so expensive?”. The quality of other wood grips on the market (Small Rig, Tilta) are pretty bad and lose their finish quickly. While companies like Shape and Wooden Camera also make grips, I find their designs too far of a departure from the Aaton grips that inspired KinoGrips designs. Vocas makes some very similar and nice grips and would be a good alternative if you prefer it. Buy once, cry once. Don’t cheap out on your grips. This is a lifetime buy.
I have them mounted on 15mm rods coming off the Rush Design base plate with the Tilted Vocas Rosette bracket ($110.00 - get a tilted bracket, it creates a more comfortable angle for your wrist). This is the lightest and best designed. If you need one on a budget try this one from Small Rig for $45.00
While the handgrip is self-explanatory the wood sphere may not be. Adding a sphere to the left side of your camera creates another point of contact placed in a very handy position near the focus ring of your lens. Since it is not a “grip” you can easily change the way your hand rests on the sphere - you can grip is with your whole hand, support it with your palm, and often maintain contact with it while adjusting focus. With the sphere being mounted directly next to your lens - your focusing hand has less distance to travel to reach the lens - making it easier maintain stability when needing to make focus adjustments.
I also find it handy to be able to set your camera down flat on the ground and the sphere balances out the grip to create a flat base for the camera to be set down on to rest.
my first attempt of putting the smart grip on the rosette bracket back in 2015.
SHAPE FX9 Remote Extension
Price: $250
If you can’t fathom giving up your smart grip for that added functionality, I understand. Then go with this push-button grip extension from Shape. Since the FS7 they have had one of the best designs on the market for the existing smart grip assembly more flexible and nimble. Additionally you can use this in conjunction with the wood sphere and rosette bracket above.
Smart Grip to Rosette Bracket Adapters
I have attempted to relocate the smart grip onto the my rosette bracket in the past to have the best of both worlds but the adapters (Small Rigs version here) I find push the handle out too far to the right, causing my right arm to not be in its natural alignment as it is with my wood grip. But I haven’t tested a set up in a few years and the adapters may have gotten better. It is a good solution to cut some weight as the stock and Shape assemblies are both heavy.
Power and Batteries
Wooden Camera FX9 Battery Plate
Price: $500.00
The FX9 is a power glutton. When the camera was said to come with a time code output on the body I was elated. I had planned to order a fleet of BPU style batteries and finally ditch V mount batteries in favor of a smaller rig. Well, my hopes were dashed after I saw the run time on BP-U batteries, not to mention plugging in a Small HD 503 and a Teradek into them.
I begrudgingly started looking at V-Mount battery plates for the FX9 and settled on the one from Wooden Camera. It was one of the first to market and It allows easy access to the battery bay of the camera so that you can run a BP-U30/60 in the camera that then enables you to hot swap V-Mount batteries on the fly.
There are other models that don’t allow easy access to the battery bay (Movcam) and make the camera longer than it needs to be (the CORE SWX model specifically). The Tilta model looks interesting, but I haven’t had my hands on it. I tend to shy away from Small Rig and CAME TV and other brands when electronics are involved. This model was built with Anton Bauer which has a long and storied history in electronics/battery technology.
This plate is available in 3-pin Gold Mount.
Core SWX 190wh Prime V-Mount Batteries
Price: $675.00
With the FX9 being a power hungry camera I decided to double down on the V-Mount batteries I have been using for awhile. The Core SWX Prime 190wh batteries. They have a special design that splits into two 98wh batteries that allows you to fly with an unlimited amount of them. Airlines restrict you to hand carry only 2 batteries over over 150wh. If you don’t fly often (who does with COVID-19) it doesn’t matter as much.
These batteries are heavy and big. Yet they allow me to not be concerned with power while running the camera, a monitor and a Teradek. Additionally their weight really helps balance the camera on my shoulder by putting a large amount of weight toward the rear. I own 4 of them and I find that to be adequate for most 12 hours days. I also often use them to power my LED 1x1 panels in a pinch.
There are other interesting options from Hawkwoods with their mini v-mount batteries and plates that allow you to run two 98wh’s at once. Bebob has taken this a step further with their V-mount backs that natively support hot swapping their mini v-mount batteries.
If had infinite money, I’d go this direction. But i’ve been using the 190wh Prime’s from core for about 3 years now and they have served me well. Not worth it financially for me to retool.
IDX 14.4V Li-Ion 96wh BP-U Battery
Pricer: $190.00
IDX came out with some really well designed batteries in 2019 for any camera that takes a BP-U style battery (FX9, FS5, FS7 and lots of other Sony Cameras). What makes them great are the two D-tap/power taps and a USB port on the back of the battery. Sony, Core SWX, SWIT and other companies batteries either had no power ports, or just one D-tap and one USB. With these batteries you are able to power multiple accessories at once (say a Small HD 503 monitors and a Teradek transmitter). If you’re ordering a Sony FS5/FS7/FX9, skip Sony’s stock batteries and pick up 3-4 of these. They will future proof your setup in a sense - allowing you to add more powered accessories down the line. These batteries can also be charged by a d-tap wall charger that IDX sells as well. Be aware that the FX9 uses a bit more power than the FS7 so these batteries won’t last as long as they did on a FS7/FS5 but are a good choice if yo don’t want to go to V-Mount batteries.
SWIT S-3602U Dual Charger/Adapter for Sony BP-U Batteries
Price: $170.00
Having a dual bay charger for your batteries is a really nice convenience. This one from SWIT is well built and I haven’t had any problems with it over the last 5 years I’ve been using it. Other companies make similar chargers (Watson, etc) for cheaper, but I’ve had some durability problems with Watson in the past (for my A7sii batteries) and would rather pay a bit more for something that I think is built better.
Stock EVF/monitor Accessories
Vocas Viewfinder Bracket Kit for Sony FX9 / FS7 / FS7 II
Price: $220.00
If you use the stock FX9 monitor, do yourself a favor and replace the stock mounting brackets. They’re garbage. Wooden Camera sells are placement kit which I believe was the first on the market, but to be honest, it has an inherent design flaw that allows for horizontal drift on the monitor. I constantly found myself trying to reposition it and tighten it to get it level.
This brings me to the Vocas replacement bracket. It is designed slightly differently to avoid horizontal drift. There can be some play (front/back) but that is easily adjustable on the fly and won’t have you constantly wondering if your viewfinder if level.
Additionally the NATO rail in the Vocas viewfinder bracket its the perfect length vis-a-vis the length of the FX9’s monitor cord. While the Wooden Camera NATO UVF may be able to extend longer, you can only go so far out due to the length of the monitors cable - so the feature is sort of a moot point.
It attaches to the camera via 15mm rod into the stock Sony handle’s rod port, a top handle like the one listed above, or a 15mm rod tube clamp like this from Wooden Camera bolted on to the front of the top plate. It has 2 mounting holes which prevents horizontal drift, I don’t believe the Small Rig version does. Its robust and better built than the Small Rig version.
Note: While its possible to use the stock FS7 handle’s 15mm rod clamp to attache theses brackets, the screw is really hard to get to and is prone to stripping. Please see below “Special Screw” from Small Rig that solves this problem.
Zacuto Z-Finder v2
Price: $522.00
The stock loupe shipped with the FX9 is not fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, It’s fully functional, but its length can cause some neck strain if it is not located far enough forward. Additionally is notoriously poorly made - drop it a few times and it will be in several pieces before you know it. Zacuto’s replacement is built better, has solid attachments and most importantly is shorter in length. Allowing it be be positioned in a way that does’t require you to move your head to an uncomfortable at an angle to see through it.
If you love using a loupe - check out BlueStar’s eye cushions pads ($10.00) that attach to the loops rubber eyepiece. Makes it softer, more comfortable and helps with moisture build up.
Stock photo of Hoodman350 on a DV cam. It ships in black, not grey)
Using the Vocas EVF Bracket and Hoodman Sunhood
Hoodman HD 350 Sunhood
Price: $25.00
Loupes are not without their problems. While they effectively block light and magnify the viewfinder image for critical focus I always found myself fighting the a foggy optical element and having to lift it up to see the screen when shooting from the hip.
Prior to switching to an a 5” HD monitor at my primary tool, I slapped a sunhood on the monitor and just taught myself to feel comfortable judging focus off the peaking and using the focus mag tool. It kept the rig light and was easy to go from the hip to shoulder in a flash.
I still keep one in my kit incase a shoot requires me to go ultra light and make the camera a smaller more nimble package (no external monitors, v-locks, etc)
SmallRigs FS7/FX9 Top Handle Special Screw
Price: $12.00
You just bought an $11,000 camera. Don’t buy a top handle and just modify the original handle with this screw (and the viewfinder assembly parts listed below).
SmallRig has come out with a dirt cheap fix for what has been an inherent problem in Sony’s top handle design since the original FS7 came out in 2014. The stock screw is very difficult to access with the top handle mounted to the camera and strips easily. This special screw from Small Rig helps makes the stock handle more functional by allowing you to tighten the rod clamp by hand. It also makes disassembling the viewfinder bracket easier for storage and travel.
Additionally with the stock handle you can run the Sony Dual Channel Wireless Receiver straight into the camera and leave your 2 XLR ports open for a shotgun mic and a third wireless lavalier mic when necessary.
5” Monitor Rigging and Accessories
While many operators choose to add a 5-7” monitor on their camera when needed and utilize both the stock EVF/Loupe and their monitor I have chose to utilize just a 5” monitor in the position of the stock EVF. It allows me to have all the advanced features and size of a monitor with out the extra weight of the stock EVF. This set up allows me to shoot from different camera positions (shoulder to hip) on the fly while still having a daylight a large daylight viewable monitor.
SmallHD 503 UltraBright On-Camera Monitor
Price: $2000.00
The SmallHD 503 Ultrabright has quickly become one of the go to field monitors for documentary shooters. Its size is compact and it has the ability to increase its brightness to be viewable outside in bright sun. Comes with a pleathora of exposure and focus tools. As illustrated in the first image on the page, I use it basically the same way I would use the stock monitor. Mounted at the correct distance out in front of me using the XL NATO rail and often combine it with this Hoodman Sunhood to cut down on reflections when out doors.
The hood is not perfect as it was designed for a DJI Phantom 4 controller screen, but I haven’t been able to find a better fit, and Hoodman refuses to make one for the 503 (I’ve sent lots of emails…).
I use this 30” SDI/Lemo cable from Zactuo to power and transmit the image out of SDI 2 with the camera overlays being sent to the monitor.
SmallRig Swivel & Tilt Monitor Mount with NATO Clamp
Price: $59.00 // For use with aftermarket 5” HD Monitors***
This is a nifty little accessory manufactured by Small Rig. While it was intended to mount monitors on the top of mirror-less camera cages, its works perfectly with 5” HD monitors with 1/4-20 mount points on their sides (Small HD 503, etc). It allows for quick tilting of the monitor for different viewing angles, and allows you to fold the monitor flush with the camera when not in use (perfect for when you need to travel between locations in the van or car). Easy on/off from the XL Nato Rail listed above. Only thing I wish Small Rig would do is put anti-twist bolts on either side of the mounting screw. I don’t believe any other company makes a product like this.
Video of how this functions here: https://youtu.be/_zSb0LS2HHk
Wooden Camera XL NATO Rail
Price: $135.00 // For use with aftermarket 5” HD Monitors***
This NATO rail is the longest I have found on the market. When using a 5” monitor as a viewfinder, you really need to have it located quite a bit in front of your eyes in order to be able to use it without going cross eyed. Any rail shorter than this I find to be very difficult to use, which rules out alternative products from other companies. It attaches to the camera via 15mm rod into the stock Sony handle’s rod port, a top handle like the one listed above, or a 15mm rod tube clamp like this from Wooden Camera bolted on to the front portion of your top plate.
other accessories
Portabrace HB-15 C-Cam
Portabrace HB-40 C-Cam
PortaBrace HB-15 C-Cam Strap
Price: $75
PortaBrace has been making cameras bags and accessories from their Vermont headquarters for decades. This high quality strap has a perfect wide body and quick release compatible with strap pins (sold separatley).
This model isn’t has hefty in padding as their HB-40 but gets in the way a bit less.
Buy Vocas’s strap pins ($35) to screw into your top plate and attached the strap too. Use a little loctite when installing to make sure they stay put.
This strap is perfect for those long days shooting solo where you need to give you hands a break while walking back to the production vehicle.
Tiltaing Mini Matte-Box
Price: $100
I’ve owned more functional matteboxes than this one, but it really is a great light weight accessory that functions less as a full matte box for filtration/polarizers and more as a great sunhood with a top flag for use with stills lenses. It is well built and cheap enough to buy two for your A and B cam.
While the mattebox does come with its own step-up rings they do not standardize the filters thread of the adapters to 77mm like ones from Cordvision or Simmod. So if you have a set of lenses with different filter threads you won’t be able to use your 77mm filter across all lenses with the provided step up adapters form Tilta.
Petroff Branded Follow Focus
Zacuto Branded Follow Focus
Zacuto/Petroff Reversible Follow Focus
Price: $150
There are many follow focuses on the market from budget to super expensive. The cheapest ones offer poor build quality and no option to reverse the focus direction for use with Nikon lenses. This follow focus lands sort of in the middle of the spectrum but at a fantastic price. Petroff’s follow focus was originally marketed as a Zacuto product with a hefty $500+ price tag. Zacuto has moved on to other designs and Petroff continues to manufacture a solid well build reversible follow focus with a pretty small footprint out of Bulgaria.
Zacuto still sells used stock of the model through its Ebay store as a $400 asking price, while Petroff offers it for around $150. You will just have to wait a little longer as it is shipped from Europe.
I have had both a Zacuto and Petroff version of this follow focus in my hands. They are the same product.
Folding Teradek Bolt Mount (Small Rig Monitor Mount)
Price: $40 USD
When I began doing shoots that required wireless monitoring for directors I had a difficult time mounting a Teradek wireless video transmitter in the way that made sense. After several failed attempts I found this part from Small Rig that has been very helpful. It mounts via 2 screw to the side of the camera’s top plate, just above where the stock monitor plugs in. It then screws into the bottom of the Teradek transmitter. Since its is able to fold, you can easily tuck the Teradek transmitter down along side the camera and then bring it back up when needed.
Video of how this functions here: https://youtu.be/At0AGVQt5q0
Did you find this list helpful and wish you could “buy me a beer” for the time it saved you in building out your camera? Now you can!
