I bought my FX3 yesterday! I'm pumped! These results weren't all that surprising. Sony killed it! So much that I'm moving from a Canon fanboy to full on Sony.
Thank you for the test. We had two A7SIII filming a nearly two hour long interview in Hawaii. No heat warnings so we thought all ok but it turned out that one of the A7SIIIs provided footage that was unreadable in FCP X. During a battery change break at about 1.5 hours in, we think we might have removed the battery too quickly on one of the cameras so the file perhaps had not finished writing onto the SD card. We used the proper approved ProGrade V90 sd cards that are still working properly and had no heat warnings so the temperature may not have been the issue. Next time we will remember wait a few seconds so the camera can finish writing a long file to the sd card before removing the battery.
you can easily get back the files if you removed the battery during filming. A number of times I accidentally removed my battery before stopping recording, and was able to get the files repaired. you just need to search "fix broken h264/h265 files ffmpeg". I can see if I can find a tutorial if anyone needs one
I got overheat warning when shooting in 4k 50fps after 80 minutes indoors in winter! so not sure how this guy its getting soo much running time, maybe he is recording on the lowest bit rate?, but still, under the sun? that long? not easy to replicate on my experience.
Yes, I wish the author added that test. I know not everyone will shoot at 120 FPS all the time, but I would have liked to know the limit myself, especially when the warning and the shutdown time would show up, if at all.
Weird that you didn't test them recording 4K60 or higher. Sort of like testing whether a race car will overheat when going 30 mph slower than its top speed.
@@mrnessss Sports, wildlife, documentary, long-form interviews, filming a movie, weddings, and a bunch of other things. Besides, the R8 overheats in 4K60 mode very quickly - you might get 3 hours, if it's 40 degrees outside, and windy. At room temp, maybe 40 minutes. On a hot day, maybe 15 minutes. I like high quality video that captures movement accurately. I'd prefer 8K120. The 24/30 fps norm is only there because people have low standards and/or bad eyes.
Spot on. I do wildlife and shooting at 100fps is a most, gives me a bigger chance to make great shots and people love slowmo clips. Definitively, most youtube videos are as trustable as the reviews of products on line. www.youtube.com/@CarloFerraro
Turning the heat warning to high mode is critical on the FX3. I was shooting an air show on the 4th of July and it overheated quickly just taking small clips at 4k 60p 10 bit 4:2:2. When I switched it over to high heat mode not a problem at all. The body felt pretty cool to the touch in both modes. So I don't feel concerned at all about having the camera set to the higher heat warning. I'm just glad I figured it out prior to shooting any paid work. I felt so dumb for missing shots of the Blue Angels due to a camera setting...but that's why you test out new gear in situations like that instead of at a wedding. 😂 I was smart for once.
Great Video! Cool test on these cameras (no pun intended). I too have the Sony A7C and I'm currently doing my own test (hence the reason why I watched your video), but I went into the: Menu > Setup2 > Auto Power OFF Temp. > High. In the "Auto Power OFF Temp." section, it was set to "Standard." I found out that keeping it one "Standard" will usually shut down the camera at around 90 min (even in a 72˚F room). I was puzzled, because I touched the camera was only warm to the touch on the battery/handle side. Switching it from "Standard" to "High" allowed me to keep my camera on for hours (only indoors). So far I'm at 3+ hours and it's still going strong and the camera is just (again) warm to the touch. I'm wondering if you set up the A7C to "High" in the Setup2 Menu? If you did let me know. If not, you may want to retry that test, but this time only do it with the A7C. Let me know if you decide to do it. Thanks again for taking the time to do this type of outdoor heat test on the cams and again, GREAT VID!!!
My A7siii overheated on a cloudy 79 degree day (pretty humid, about 80%) in 23 minutes right before the bride/groom first kiss.... 4k 60p 10 bit. Sprinted over to my GH5 and managed to get it from a side angle. The following week it was 95 degree direct sunlight, but i switched it to 8 bit, and it did fine. I will never shoot 10 bit anymore for the ceremony. edit: when it overheated i was on the standard shutoff mode (didn't know that option existed until afterwards), but even after switching that, I don't trust it outdoors. I cannot describe the level of panic of having your main camera shut off seconds before a marriage pronouncement.
the issue was likely only partly due to 10 bit. there are 2 reasons your camera overheated. number 1 is shooting 4k60p (rather than 30p). number 2 is the higher data rate (memory cards get hot when writing a lot of data). I suspect it was likely the memory card overheating and not the camera (as in if you switched memory cards every 10 mins it would not be an issue). I use to combat overheating on my 2015 a7sii by switching batteries and memory cardds every 20 mins (and keeping the screen pulled out). was able to shoot an 8 hour reality shoot on the 2015 a7sii in 4k without overheating using those techniques
Scott, I do 100% outside video recording for multiple hours at a time. I am also in Louisiana, and the camera is in direct sunlight most of the time. Would you still recommend the A7S3 or the FX3? Or is there something better out now?
It would be an interesting test, but I personally don’t think that most people would ever shoot long enough in 120fps to make the test matter much. I’ve never shot in 4k120 for more than about 10 seconds tops.
what mode did you have them all in. Overheating seems to be mod dependent. The A7SIII benefits from having a low mp sensor when it comes to heat. the processor does less work than an r5 or A1 at their highest modes
Frame rate matters, ive over heated in the sun at 4k 60fps multiple times on a7siii under 2-3 hours. I am curious if vmount w/ dummy battery would effect this at all?
I love that I replied to your insta story wondering about this, and today I open youtube to this video. Stay cool brother. Maybe get a nice hit of that power washer?
That is huge. A7III I have had shut off a few times during weddings. It is super stressful knowing it can happen. If a camera can go an hour and won’t shut off I am happy. I have yet to have any warnings with my A7SIII and I just have it on the standard warning.
@@scottmckenna Thanks to you! Gave me full confidence on both although in 3 years filming in the wild never seen overheating sign (set to high) on A7SIII, and even filmed 45min intermitted from a football (soccer) match in 4K@120fps 4:2:2 10bit (real time not Q&S) under the sun with no issues.
This was a great video and just helped me decide to buy either the A7Siii or FX3 rather than the A7C. Do you think the A7Siii and FX3 would perform equally well in terms of overheating if they were powered by a large powerbank and allowed to run for many hours or would external power change the outcome of this test ?
My Sony A1 overheated in about 15-20 minutes, 85 degrees in direct light on black asphalt, 4K 24fps, heat setting was at normal, back screen in closed position. Changed heat setting to high for another shoot this time in the 90s with a battery extension, screen pulled away from body, 4K 24fps, overheated in 25-30. Frustrating. Surprised the A7Siii survived that long, I was wondering if the grass helped keep overall conditions cooler…??
The furry cat on the mic held that heat in on the A7C for sure. I just shot a wedding here in PA in direct sunlight 100+ degrees over an hour no issues on the A7C
Great job! Thanks for doing that. You don't know hot till you are a camera man outside and having to shoot for 8 straight hours in the sun. Over 120 degrees in the shadow in the summer. I will try the A7siii
Nooooo way!!! my Sony a7siii over heated while recording a wedding. I was not even recording outside much. After recording for for couple of hours in 4K which was not even continues shoot, It showed me over heat signal.
I tested this myself. Interestingly, if you don’t set the temperature sensitivity to high Fx3 overheated for me in only 40 mins of recording at 4K 30. In comparison my A7siii has never overheated on me.
What was the temp outside, were you shooting in XAVC Si, and what was your heat tolerance setting set to? Sorry for all the questions but I’m on my second fx3 that has overheated and shut off on me after less than 15 minutes of shooting. Granted I was in warm environments, but it shouldn’t do that.
Interesting. I'm a sports videographer shooting plenty of sporting events in the summer of 95 degrees+ for several hours and my Sony A1 has got the over heat symbol several times. I was filming in HS 4k 200m 4:2:0 10 bit. Had to resort back to HD in order to continue filming without worrying about overheating. I wonder if the overheating could be due to the fact I'm constantly clicking the record button over 200 times to record the plays/drills?
I've overheated my FX3 3-5 times now. Settings, 4k 10bit ALL I, fan mode was on the auto mode. I live in Bakersfield, CA. it's roughly been 106-110 when it did overheat.
@@RayValdezPhotography again, with the fan on in auto mode, at 106° F it overheated shooting in all-i 4k 24fps but it took roughly 45 minutes to overheat.
FX3 cooling is just Sony marketing spiel. It has the same thermal properties as the A7SIII. Only when you move up to the proper cine cams FX6/FX9 will the cooling make a real difference.
Funny you just did this test: my SIII overheated at a wedding on Saturday. It was 107 degrees. (This was at 4K 60. After I got the warning light I switched to 24. Then it turned off.) Took about 20 minutes to overheat. (It ended up OK with a B cam that didn’t overheat). And then my FX3 came four days later!
I also had my a7siii overheat in about 20 minutes at 4K 60 slog3 at a wedding here in Texas two weeks ago. I’m buying the fx3 next week and would love to see a 4K 60 slog3 test against both of these at it would really show a comparison on what that can is doing.
@@scottmckenna He had a massive brain aneurysm. He was at work and was feeling sick and he collapsed. He had ahead ache for two weeks. We were told. He got flown to vancouver by air ambulance. He passed away January 9 2020. He was 52.Thanks so much. Its still hard. He is buried beside my grandma and great grandma in Ontario. He wanted to donate his organs. We got a letter from the person that received his lungs. We are writing a letterback to that person that got his lungs. Happy Canada Day to you. Thanks for replying back
![ARE THEY BASICALLY THE SAME?! Sony FX3 vs A7s iii Breakdown [and why I'm buying an FX3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VKU9Sf8EhkI/mqdefault.jpg)
![ARE THEY BASICALLY THE SAME?! Sony FX3 vs A7s iii Breakdown [and why I'm buying an FX3]](/img/tr.png)
*It need to be tested at 4K 60fps*
I bought my FX3 yesterday! I'm pumped! These results weren't all that surprising. Sony killed it! So much that I'm moving from a Canon fanboy to full on Sony.
Hahah. Good man.
what are you talking about? Could you explain why you didn't like it?
Thank you for the test. We had two A7SIII filming a nearly two hour long interview in Hawaii. No heat warnings so we thought all ok but it turned out that one of the A7SIIIs provided footage that was unreadable in FCP X. During a battery change break at about 1.5 hours in, we think we might have removed the battery too quickly on one of the cameras so the file perhaps had not finished writing onto the SD card. We used the proper approved ProGrade V90 sd cards that are still working properly and had no heat warnings so the temperature may not have been the issue. Next time we will remember wait a few seconds so the camera can finish writing a long file to the sd card before removing the battery.
Same goes for photos too, if you hit the buffer
you can easily get back the files if you removed the battery during filming. A number of times I accidentally removed my battery before stopping recording, and was able to get the files repaired. you just need to search "fix broken h264/h265 files ffmpeg". I can see if I can find a tutorial if anyone needs one
Or stop recording and wait for the sound and light to go off
can you please make a 4k60 and 4k120 overheating test?
I got overheat warning when shooting in 4k 50fps after 80 minutes indoors in winter! so not sure how this guy its getting soo much running time, maybe he is recording on the lowest bit rate?, but still, under the sun? that long? not easy to replicate on my experience.
Yes, I wish the author added that test. I know not everyone will shoot at 120 FPS all the time, but I would have liked to know the limit myself, especially when the warning and the shutdown time would show up, if at all.
Witch framerate?
Weird that you didn't test them recording 4K60 or higher.
Sort of like testing whether a race car will overheat when going 30 mph slower than its top speed.
Why would anyone need to shoot for 3 hours continuously at 4K60? It just seems extremely rare.
@@mrnessss Sports, wildlife, documentary, long-form interviews, filming a movie, weddings, and a bunch of other things.
Besides, the R8 overheats in 4K60 mode very quickly - you might get 3 hours, if it's 40 degrees outside, and windy. At room temp, maybe 40 minutes. On a hot day, maybe 15 minutes.
I like high quality video that captures movement accurately. I'd prefer 8K120. The 24/30 fps norm is only there because people have low standards and/or bad eyes.
Spot on. I do wildlife and shooting at 100fps is a most, gives me a bigger chance to make great shots and people love slowmo clips. Definitively, most youtube videos are as trustable as the reviews of products on line. www.youtube.com/@CarloFerraro
This man has been going hard… video after video! Keep up the awesome content, sir.
Thanks man.
Turning the heat warning to high mode is critical on the FX3. I was shooting an air show on the 4th of July and it overheated quickly just taking small clips at 4k 60p 10 bit 4:2:2. When I switched it over to high heat mode not a problem at all. The body felt pretty cool to the touch in both modes. So I don't feel concerned at all about having the camera set to the higher heat warning. I'm just glad I figured it out prior to shooting any paid work. I felt so dumb for missing shots of the Blue Angels due to a camera setting...but that's why you test out new gear in situations like that instead of at a wedding. 😂 I was smart for once.
need help. i updated my sony a7iv to version 2.0 and now it shuts down in 15 minutes on heating. would it be possible to downgrade?
Great Video! Cool test on these cameras (no pun intended). I too have the Sony A7C and I'm currently doing my own test (hence the reason why I watched your video), but I went into the: Menu > Setup2 > Auto Power OFF Temp. > High. In the "Auto Power OFF Temp." section, it was set to "Standard." I found out that keeping it one "Standard" will usually shut down the camera at around 90 min (even in a 72˚F room). I was puzzled, because I touched the camera was only warm to the touch on the battery/handle side. Switching it from "Standard" to "High" allowed me to keep my camera on for hours (only indoors). So far I'm at 3+ hours and it's still going strong and the camera is just (again) warm to the touch. I'm wondering if you set up the A7C to "High" in the Setup2 Menu? If you did let me know. If not, you may want to retry that test, but this time only do it with the A7C. Let me know if you decide to do it. Thanks again for taking the time to do this type of outdoor heat test on the cams and again, GREAT VID!!!
My A7siii overheated on a cloudy 79 degree day (pretty humid, about 80%) in 23 minutes right before the bride/groom first kiss.... 4k 60p 10 bit. Sprinted over to my GH5 and managed to get it from a side angle. The following week it was 95 degree direct sunlight, but i switched it to 8 bit, and it did fine. I will never shoot 10 bit anymore for the ceremony.
edit: when it overheated i was on the standard shutoff mode (didn't know that option existed until afterwards), but even after switching that, I don't trust it outdoors. I cannot describe the level of panic of having your main camera shut off seconds before a marriage pronouncement.
I don’t think you have anything to worry about it you change the setting to high temp
Yeah I’ve had the a7siii give me a warning but not shut off, it had me worrying in my boots on the ceremony but it lasted!
Mine did that two weddings in a row. How do I change the settings?
the issue was likely only partly due to 10 bit. there are 2 reasons your camera overheated. number 1 is shooting 4k60p (rather than 30p). number 2 is the higher data rate (memory cards get hot when writing a lot of data). I suspect it was likely the memory card overheating and not the camera (as in if you switched memory cards every 10 mins it would not be an issue). I use to combat overheating on my 2015 a7sii by switching batteries and memory cardds every 20 mins (and keeping the screen pulled out). was able to shoot an 8 hour reality shoot on the 2015 a7sii in 4k without overheating using those techniques
Scott, I do 100% outside video recording for multiple hours at a time. I am also in Louisiana, and the camera is in direct sunlight most of the time. Would you still recommend the A7S3 or the FX3? Or is there something better out now?
I would recommend the FX3 since it has a fan.
Thank you. THANK you. I’ve been desperate for this exact video. For this exact purpose. Well done!
Glad to help.
Not surprised that neither overheated at 24fps. Wish you would tested them at 120fps to see if the fan on the FX3 made a difference.
It would be an interesting test, but I personally don’t think that most people would ever shoot long enough in 120fps to make the test matter much. I’ve never shot in 4k120 for more than about 10 seconds tops.
@@scottmckenna Yeah, same here. Most footage looks sluggish at 120p unless it's fast movement (usually choreographed)
The video I've been trying to look for ...for 2 months now!
Glad it was what you were looking for.
what mode did you have them all in. Overheating seems to be mod dependent. The A7SIII benefits from having a low mp sensor when it comes to heat. the processor does less work than an r5 or A1 at their highest modes
Frame rate matters, ive over heated in the sun at 4k 60fps multiple times on a7siii under 2-3 hours. I am curious if vmount w/ dummy battery would effect this at all?
found M1 Max for 4tb 64gb ram 10 core for $3300 vs M2 Max 2tb 64gb 12 core for $4,200. is the $900 and 2tb less ram worth it?
That direct sunlight test is brutal!!!
I love that I replied to your insta story wondering about this, and today I open youtube to this video. Stay cool brother. Maybe get a nice hit of that power washer?
Always good hearing from you brother. Come visit soon
That is huge. A7III I have had shut off a few times during weddings. It is super stressful knowing it can happen. If a camera can go an hour and won’t shut off I am happy. I have yet to have any warnings with my A7SIII and I just have it on the standard warning.
Yes it’s definitely stressful having to worry about it. I’m glad the problems seem solved.
4K/60 10-bit test?
I should huh?
@@scottmckenna yes please sir
Impressive! I have the A7SIII and planning to get FX30 as B/C cams. Hope it's as good with the fans.
Great choice.
@@scottmckenna Thanks to you! Gave me full confidence on both although in 3 years filming in the wild never seen overheating sign (set to high) on A7SIII, and even filmed 45min intermitted from a football (soccer) match in 4K@120fps 4:2:2 10bit (real time not Q&S) under the sun with no issues.
This was a great video and just helped me decide to buy either the A7Siii or FX3 rather than the A7C. Do you think the A7Siii and FX3 would perform equally well in terms of overheating if they were powered by a large powerbank and allowed to run for many hours or would external power change the outcome of this test ?
Brilliant Idea 👍🏻
My Sony A1 overheated in about 15-20 minutes, 85 degrees in direct light on black asphalt, 4K 24fps, heat setting was at normal, back screen in closed position. Changed heat setting to high for another shoot this time in the 90s with a battery extension, screen pulled away from body, 4K 24fps, overheated in 25-30. Frustrating. Surprised the A7Siii survived that long, I was wondering if the grass helped keep overall conditions cooler…??
The furry cat on the mic held that heat in on the A7C for sure. I just shot a wedding here in PA in direct sunlight 100+ degrees over an hour no issues on the A7C
How hot was it outside?
Great job! Thanks for doing that. You don't know hot till you are a camera man outside and having to shoot for 8 straight hours in the sun. Over 120 degrees in the shadow in the summer. I will try the A7siii
Try that in 4k 60p. I got FX30 shutting me down. In direct sun in Italy
Nooooo way!!! my Sony a7siii over heated while recording a wedding. I was not even recording outside much. After recording for for couple of hours in 4K which was not even continues shoot, It showed me over heat signal.
Interesting. Make sure you have your setting for auto off temp on HIGH
@@scottmckenna IKR, That was off too. am glad you did the test tho,
Keep you good work!
Was the siii really hot for touching ? How about the fx3
They were both hot yes. Not so hot I couldn't touch them, but definitely warm.
@@scottmckenna thanks for replien, my siii always get so hot im afraid it will shut down mid work and u dont want that to happen on a gig :/
I tested this myself. Interestingly, if you don’t set the temperature sensitivity to high Fx3 overheated for me in only 40 mins of recording at 4K 30. In comparison my A7siii has never overheated on me.
Can you tell the tempeture of location too pls?
What was the temp outside, were you shooting in XAVC Si, and what was your heat tolerance setting set to?
Sorry for all the questions but I’m on my second fx3 that has overheated and shut off on me after less than 15 minutes of shooting. Granted I was in warm environments, but it shouldn’t do that.
I discussed most of this in the video. It was 95 degrees. Heat tolerance to high always.
YESSSS YOU LOVE TO HEAR IT!!!
Such a good camera.
Thank you for all the testing! Could you shoot a new version of this test including the a7iv?
Unfortunately no. I don’t have that camera so it’s not one I will be reviewing.
@@scottmckenna Thanks for the response!
Do you remember how hot The A7SIII got (body temp)?
Interesting. I'm a sports videographer shooting plenty of sporting events in the summer of 95 degrees+ for several hours and my Sony A1 has got the over heat symbol several times. I was filming in HS 4k 200m 4:2:0 10 bit. Had to resort back to HD in order to continue filming without worrying about overheating. I wonder if the overheating could be due to the fact I'm constantly clicking the record button over 200 times to record the plays/drills?
I would imagine the a1 would overheat way faster than the rest. A very high megapixel camera makes the camera work much harder. Ask the canon r5?!
I’ve found that I could switch to 24 fps 4k S and have no issues on the A1 but switch to 30 fps and it will overheat after well less than an hour
This is great guys!
I've overheated my FX3 3-5 times now. Settings, 4k 10bit ALL I, fan mode was on the auto mode. I live in Bakersfield, CA. it's roughly been 106-110 when it did overheat.
the fx3 shouldnt overheat it has a fan but if you say so.
@@RayValdezPhotography again, with the fan on in auto mode, at 106° F it overheated shooting in all-i 4k 24fps but it took roughly 45 minutes to overheat.
Surely you didn't set the Auto Power Temperature Off to High.
@@angwk I did. But again, 110°F in direct sunlight. On a tripod.
FX3 cooling is just Sony marketing spiel. It has the same thermal properties as the A7SIII. Only when you move up to the proper cine cams FX6/FX9 will the cooling make a real difference.
Not sure about he A7siii but th FX3 overheats within 15-20 minutes if you shot 60fps or 4k 120fps in even slightly warm conditions...
You should have filmed 4k60
Keep up the great content. **Question please**: How are the RAV Batteries compared to OEM please.
Thanks Walter. I’ve actually been pretty pleased with the batteries. I have a lot of them. Never noticed a massive difference.
4K 60 test next!
I knew someone would ask 😄.
@@scottmckenna 120!!!
@@scottmckenna live broadcast 1080
My Sony A7Siii warning sign came up recording at 4K 60fps in 100 degree weather.
what SD card were you using with the Sony a7siii?
All Sandisk 256gb
@@scottmckenna Thanks! We have 4 Sony a7iii’s and bought battery packs to fix the few and far between overheatings we’ve encounter
Funny you just did this test: my SIII overheated at a wedding on Saturday. It was 107 degrees. (This was at 4K 60. After I got the warning light I switched to 24. Then it turned off.) Took about 20 minutes to overheat. (It ended up OK with a B cam that didn’t overheat). And then my FX3 came four days later!
Hahah. FX3 for the win. We don’t shoot long periods of time in 4K 60 so we never tested that much but I imagined it would overheat faster for sure
I also had my a7siii overheat in about 20 minutes at 4K 60 slog3 at a wedding here in Texas two weeks ago. I’m buying the fx3 next week and would love to see a 4K 60 slog3 test against both of these at it would really show a comparison on what that can is doing.
@@danielwpawlowski I think we’ll be good to go. The only question is do I sell my SIII and buy a second FX3?
@@wildwoodweddingfilms has the FX3 overheated?
@@wildwoodweddingfilms yes JD. found your comment!- it's Isara
Superb bro exlent explain thank you so much
I think real test would be for 4k60fps. 24fps doesn’t overheat as fast as 60fps and even 120fps.
great test thank you
Great video. The furry cat will substantially affect the heat loss and keep the camera hotter.
I been shooting photo in this weather. Started my Photographer job Monday. Hot as hell. Canon m50 mark II
Yes. Very hot.
Sony should definitely watch this video!!!
Yes. I’d like some free cameras if possible.
Thanks bro
Palm Springs be 120° ! My A6300 taps out faster than my dad left me
Haha
Another reason to not get the A7 IV if you’re serious about video.
Probably could have been a shorter video, but thank you!
Come to Qatar and test that again, put eggs on the camera and wait for 4-5 minutes.
test 4K 60 fps and 120 fps)
why not 4k60, push it further
When I'm shooting 4K 60, it's for small bursts because I don't shoot things in 60 fps unless I need to.
Did you know my brother Dean died??? He did your 30 day challenge a few years ago.
Im so sorry to hear that. I didn’t know that. What happened?
@@scottmckenna He had a massive brain aneurysm. He was at work and was feeling sick and he collapsed. He had ahead ache for two weeks. We were told. He got flown to vancouver by air ambulance. He passed away January 9 2020. He was 52.Thanks so much. Its still hard. He is buried beside my grandma and great grandma in Ontario. He wanted to donate his organs. We got a letter from the person that received his lungs. We are writing a letterback to that person that got his lungs. Happy Canada Day to you. Thanks for replying back
I’m very sorry to hear that Leaann. He seemed like a very nice guy in our small interactions. Stay strong.
Ok but now test it at 120fps.
Now do this test with the A7IV 😅 you will be suprised. It would overheat even in the fridge
24fps…. Meh. Not much of a test.
Let’s get S-I at 60fps for more of a professional test.