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Sony FX5

Everything we know about the FX5, widely reported as the FX5 and occasionally as the mini VENICE. One reconciled view, updated as the picture sharpens.

Status
Announced
Just announced20 / 21 specs confirmedLast verified Sep 17, 2026
In short

Sony announced the FX5 on July 22, 2026: a full-frame, fully stacked Exmor RS sensor with three base ISOs of 800, 4000 and 12800, 5K open gate at up to 60fps, and internal 16-bit X-OCN RAW. It is priced at US$4,899.99 for the body, or $5,499.99 with the XLR handle, and it has not shipped: Sony postponed it on August 18, citing production issues, and its European stores now list October 16. We had tracked it as the FX5 since June, when SonyAlphaRumors named it and ruled out a separate FX3 II. Twenty of the claims we scored are now confirmed against Sony's own figures, two were wrong (a global shutter and 16 stops of dynamic range), and one, the IBIS removal option, is still open. Every settled call is recorded in the public ledger, with each source credited or debited for what it said.

Deciding now or later? Read FX3 vs FX5: buy now or wait.

Rumored features

Every claim is tied to the sources behind it. Likelihood reflects how many independent, trusted sources agree, graded T1 verified filing, T2 established track record, T3 single source.

1 tracked spec
IBIS removal option
IBIS removable by Sony for a fee, with no way back rumoredSonyAlphaRumors' July 21 report says every body ships with IBIS as standard and that it can be removed by Sony for a fee, with no way to reverse it. CineD's hands-on review corroborates it independently, describing a paid service to lock the IBIS permanently, an irreversible action Sony performs on request after the camera is sent in. The July 22 announcement did not settle it: Sony's specification lists 5-axis IBIS but says nothing about a paid removal service. We are watching Sony's spec pages, firmware notes, and service options for a resolution. On August 10, 2026 Sony told CineD that a service to permanently lock the IBIS exists and that it is targeting an announcement, and possibly a start, by December 2026, with the date, the regions and the price still undecided. Held open until Sony publishes the terms, since the tracked claim is a paid removal and that is the part Sony has not stated. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, CineD independent
Plausible 50%
T2

Confirmed

Resolved, shipping facts, each tied to the sources that reported it.

Announcement
July 22, 2026 confirmedSony announced the FX5 on July 22, 2026, on its Sony Camera Channel. SonyAlphaRumors had given the same date and hour (3pm London) in advance, and the April 2026 China registration independently put a launch on or before September, which is what lifted this above the specs. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, China registration independent, Sony official independent, NewCamera echo
Confirmed 100%
T1
Sensor
16.6MP full-frame stacked confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: a 35mm full-frame Exmor RS CMOS sensor with approximately 16.6 effective megapixels, described at launch as fully stacked. Before the announcement it was single-origin reporting from SonyAlphaRumors, which every other outlet credited, so it stood on one source. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, Imaging Resource echo, NewCamera echo
Confirmed 100%
T2
Triple-base ISO
ISO 800 / 4000 / 12800 confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: three base ISOs of 800, 4000 and 12800, a first for Sony's Cinema Line. Before the announcement it was reported only by SonyAlphaRumors, with the outlets repeating it citing SAR. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, Imaging Resource echo, Digital Camera World echo
Confirmed 100%
T2
5K open gate
5K open gate (3:2) confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: 3:2 full-pixel readout across the whole sensor, with 5K at up to 60 fps. Before the announcement SonyAlphaRumors said two of its own sources, who disagreed about the sensor, both described open gate; we counted SAR once, because we could not see its sources. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, Imaging Resource echo, RedShark News echo
Confirmed 100%
T2
Internal RAW
Internal X-OCN LT RAW confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: the FX5 records X-OCN internally, Sony's 16-bit scene-linear RAW format, including X-OCN LT. Before the announcement this was single-origin reporting from SonyAlphaRumors, which detailed internal X-OCN LT plus two newly developed compressed variants (C1 and C2) from a source. Sony's specification settled it. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, Imaging Resource echo, RedShark News echo
Confirmed 100%
T2
Power & connectivity
NP-SA100 battery, 30W USB-C, Wi-Fi 6 confirmedThe first Cinema Line body listed with the higher-capacity NP-SA100, per the April China registration. · China registration origin, NewCamera echo, SonyAlphaRumors echo
Confirmed 100%
T1
Body
Positioned between the FX3 and FX6 confirmedCorrected in place on July 22, 2026 before resolving. This was scored as “Modular ‘mini VENICE’”, which was SonyAlphaRumors’ framing and never Sony’s wording. A nickname cannot be scored right or wrong, so the claim was rewritten to the part that can be tested. Two elements were dropped rather than judged: “mini VENICE”, because Sony has never used it, and “slightly bigger than the FX3”, because we hold no sourced FX3 dimensions to measure it against. What remains is the positioning, and that is what was resolved. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, NewCamera echo, RedShark News echo
Confirmed 100%
T2
Viewfinder and screen
Removable tilting EVF, 3.5-inch articulating screen confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: a 3.5-type touch LCD on a 4-axis multi-angle arm, with the detachable DVF-EL1 OLED viewfinder offered as an option. Before the announcement it came from the origin's July 7 spec list. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, Y.M.Cinema echo
Confirmed 100%
T2
Processor
BIONZ XR2 with built-in AI autofocus confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: the BIONZ XR2 engine with a dedicated AI processing unit. Before the announcement the origin compared the autofocus unit to the one in the A7R VI. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, Imaging Resource echo
Confirmed 100%
T2
False color
False color exposure tool confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026, whose product page lists the monitoring tools as Waveform Monitor, Histogram, False Color, and Focus Map. Long requested by FX3 owners, it was listed by the origin before the announcement; it is a monitoring tool, not a capture spec. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, Y.M.Cinema echo
Confirmed 100%
T2
Identity
The awaited FX body, not a separate 'FX3 II' confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: the awaited body launched as the FX5, a Cinema Line camera, with no separate FX3 II. It had long been rumored as the 'FX3 II' or 'FX4'; on June 19 SonyAlphaRumors said no FX3 successor was coming but 'something better' was, and on June 23 it named the FX5. · SonyAlphaRumors origin, Y.M.Cinema echo
Confirmed 100%
T2
Price
Below the FX6, above the FX3 confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: the FX5 body is US$4,899.99, above the FX3 and below the FX6, as SonyAlphaRumors called it ahead of launch. SAR put it above the FX3 and a bit less than the FX6, which it linked without naming. · SonyAlphaRumors origin
Confirmed 100%
T2
No internal ND, photo mode, or SSD output
Sony FX5 has no internal ND filters, no photo mode, and no SSD output confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: Sony's full specification and feature list name no internal ND, no photo mode, and no SSD output. Internal ND is the decisive one, since Sony headlines electronic variable ND on the FX6 and FX9. Before the announcement it was stated as confirmed by trusted sources in the origin's item text. · SonyAlphaRumors origin
Confirmed 100%
T2
Weight
About 734g with battery and card confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: the ILME-FX5B weighs approximately 734g with battery and memory card, and approximately 643g body only. It was rumored beforehand at 'about 750g' by SonyAlphaRumors, a little over 2 percent out on the shooting weight, and counted as a hit. · SonyAlphaRumors origin
Confirmed 100%
T2
European pricing
€5,400 body only, €6,000 with the XLR handle confirmedConfirmed. Sony's European RRP is €5,400 for the body and €6,000 with the XLR Handle Unit (reported by Camera Jabber from Sony's pricing). SonyAlphaRumors had it at €5,399 / €5,999, within about a euro. · SonyAlphaRumors origin
Confirmed 100%
T2
Stabilization
Built-in IBIS (in-body stabilization) confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: 5-axis optical in-body stabilization, with roughly double the roll correction range of the previous system. Before the announcement SonyAlphaRumors reported that all its sources confirmed built-in IBIS. · SonyAlphaRumors origin
Confirmed 100%
T2
4K 240fps via firmware
4K 240p via a future firmware update confirmedConfirmed by Sony, whose US FX5 product page footnotes that 5K (3:2) X-OCN 120fps and 4K 240fps recording will require a future firmware update, planned to be available August 2027 or later. SonyAlphaRumors reported it ahead of launch. · SonyAlphaRumors origin
Confirmed 100%
T2
XLR handle with 32-bit float audio
New XLR handle records up to 96 kHz, 32-bit float audio confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: the FX5's XLR Handle Unit records in-camera at up to 96 kHz, 32-bit float. It was a single-source rumor before the announcement. · SonyAlphaRumors origin
Confirmed 100%
T2
Timecode over USB-C
Timecode over USB-C, with two USB Type-C ports confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: the FX5 has two USB Type-C ports, and an optional USB-C to BNC adapter cable feeds external timecode into the camera. SonyAlphaRumors had reported timecode over USB-C and dual Type-C ports ahead of the announcement, citing a source. · SonyAlphaRumors origin
Confirmed 100%
T2
Card slots
Dual SD / CFexpress Type A confirmedConfirmed by Sony on July 22, 2026: the ILME-FX5B has two multi-slots, each taking an SDXC (UHS-I/II) card or a CFexpress Type A card. SonyAlphaRumors had reported dual SD/CF Type A ahead of the announcement. · SonyAlphaRumors origin
Confirmed 100%
T2

Didn’t pan out

2 calls we scored before the announcement turned out wrong. They stay here, with what settled each one and who reported it.

2 wrong
on the FX5
16 stops
Wrong. Sony publishes LATITUDE as 15+ stops (S-Log3) on its own full specification page, for both the ILME-FX5B and the ILME-FX5. It does not state 16. Strictly, 16 would satisfy “15 or more”, so this is a judgment rather than an arithmetic contradiction, and it is recorded as one: the claim asserted a precise figure that Sony has not published, and the only number Sony has published is a different one. Some launch coverage (PetaPixel, Newsshooter) attributed an up-to-16-stops figure to Sony via Dual Gain Shooting, but Sony's own product pages describe Dual Gain only qualitatively and publish no 16 figure. If an independent lab measurement later establishes 16 stops, this resolution should be revisited in place.
Reported bySonyAlphaRumors
Didn’t pan out
Jul 22, 2026
Global shutter
Wrong. Sony's full published specification names the sensor as a 35mm full-frame Exmor RS CMOS and lists no global shutter anywhere, in a document that itemizes the shutter, the sensor and the stabilization system. A global shutter is a headline feature a maker states plainly when it is present. SonyAlphaRumors raised this in June and walked it back within a week when its own sources disagreed, which is why we never scored it above unverified.
Didn’t pan out
Jul 22, 2026

Every settled call, right and wrong, is on the accuracy ledger, and each one moves the reporting source’s public record. How we score explains what each number meant before it resolved.

What the community thinks

Forecast whether each rumor pans out and vote on its likelihood. Community votes will sit beside our editorial score; they will never change it.

Reader accounts and the prediction game launch soon. You’ll be able to forecast whether each rumor here pans out, vote on its likelihood, and build a public accuracy record of your own.

Launch coverage

Independent hands-on videos from around the FX5’s announcement. We link these as coverage, not sources: none are scored, and we earn nothing from them.

17 videos
as of Jul 28, 2026

Published between July 22, 2026 and July 23, 2026, in the first days after the announcement: day-one first looks plus a few early reviews of a pre-release camera. 2 are marked “Paid promotion”, carrying YouTube’s paid-content label; the rest showed none when we checked. These outlets are not scored on our accuracy record; only the sources that reported the rumors are. Their video descriptions may carry their own affiliate links, which are theirs; we have no relationship with them and earn nothing from these.

How it compares

The FX5 against the current full-frame FX bodies.

SpecFX5FX3FX6
Sensor16.6MP stacked12.1MP10.2MP full-frame
FormatFull-frameFull-frameFull-frame
ReadoutFast (stacked)ModerateFast
Video5K open gate4K1204K120
Stabilization5-axis IBISIBISNone
Built-in NDNoNoElectronic
Price$4,899$4,298$6,998
ReleasedShips Aug 202620212020

Prices for announced, not-yet-shipping bodies are Sony's suggested retail prices. Shipping prices are US street prices, checked July 2026; other shipping specs approximate.

Wait for shipping units, unless you were already buying an FX3.

Buy now if
you were already choosing an FX3 and can absorb the step up. The FX5 sits above it for a reason: a stacked full-frame sensor, triple base ISO and internal X-OCN RAW, none of which the FX3 has. Know that a pre-order today is a place in a queue with no date on it: Sony postponed shipping on August 18 and has not published a new US date.
Wait if
you would rather not order into an open-ended delay. Sony postponed the FX5 on August 18, citing production issues, has given no new US date, and its own European stores now list October 16; as of September 17 B&H publishes no date at all and Adorama says October 15. Wait too if you shoot run-and-gun outdoors, because the FX5 has no internal ND filters and the FX6 does. Wait as well if you are buying for the headline frame rates: at launch you get 5K 60p and uncropped 4K 120p, while 5K 120p open gate and cropped 4K 240p both need the version 2 firmware that Sony dates to August 2027 or later. And wait if you want a measured dynamic-range figure before spending this much. Sony's own release states 15+ stops in S-Log3 and puts no number on Dual Gain, while launch coverage widely reports 16+ with Dual Gain on, a mode that fixes base ISO at 800 and caps you at 60p. We cannot find the 16 in anything Sony published, and nobody has measured either figure yet.

Our call as of Sep 17, 2026, based on the FX5 claims we scored and resolved. Every one is on the accuracy ledger.

Before you pre-order

Every line is a FX5 claim we scored and published before Sony announced. See how each one resolved on the tracker.

Where to buy

Check current price and availability across retailers.

Buying used

It has not shipped yet, so there is no used market for it. If the price is the obstacle, a used current body covers much of the same work for less; the comparison table above shows what you would give up.

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Prices by market

Recommended retail price for the FX5. Body-only (ILME-FX5B) is the comparison figure; the with-handle kit (ILME-FX5) is shown where Sony has announced it.

as of Jul 23, 2026
MarketBody onlyWith handleSource
United States USD$4,899.99$5,499.99Sony press release
United Kingdom GBP · inc. tax£4,700£5,200Camera Jabber
Europe EUR · inc. tax€5,400€6,000Camera Jabber
Canada CAD$6,299.99$6,999.99Sony press release
Australia AUD · inc. tax$7,849$8,849Camera House
Japan JPY · inc. tax¥812,900¥900,900kunkoku.jp

Body-only is the like-for-like comparison across currencies. Australia, the UK, Europe and Japan include local sales tax (VAT/GST/consumption tax) in the figure; the US and Canada do not. Singapore pricing is not published yet. Checked Jul 23, 2026; retail prices move, so re-check before buying.

How the story developed

Jul 22, 2026
Sony announces the FX5: US$4,899.99 body, $5,499.99 with the XLR handle, shipping mid-August. Of the rumors we scored, 20 were confirmed against Sony's figures, two were wrong, and one, the paid IBIS removal option, remains open.
Jul 2026
Spec reporting firms up: a 16.6MP stacked sensor, BIONZ XR2 with a dedicated AI unit, triple-base ISO and 5K open gate, ahead of the July 22 announcement. Leaked images followed, and Y.M.Cinema read the FX5 as an FX3-to-VENICE bridge.
Jun 2026
SonyAlphaRumors reports there is no separate FX3 II coming and names the awaited body the FX5: a compact 'mini VENICE' a step above the FX3. Its first sensor claim, a global shutter, is walked back within a week as its own sources disagree.
Apr 2026
A China registration (April 24) lists an ILME-FX body with the NP-SA100 battery, 30W USB-C PD and Wi-Fi 6, pointing to a launch on or before September 2026. Early reports read it as an 'FX3 II'.
Late 2025
Speculation about an 'FX3 II' begins as the FX3 passes its typical refresh cycle.

Sources we monitor

The outlets we watch, graded by tier. Track records build as rumors resolve.

Sony has announced the FX5. We are resolving each tracked claim in place against Sony’s published specification and updating each source’s public record.