Canon C50 for Low Light vs. Sony FX3

Low Light Capability

So on the surface it seems like Sony wins this battle with the FX3’s dual base ISO of 800 and 12,800 ISO. Canon on the other hand has a dual base ISO of 800 and 6400. The difference of 6400 and 12,800 ISO is one stop, and while that could make a big difference 1 stop is probably not that big of a deal…until it is.

Where Sony’s FX3 really excels is in its low light capability. You can more or less shoot in the dark with an f2.8 lens even, and it also allows the possibility of greater depth of field in darker situations when that might be required.

Since both cameras lack an internal ND, the additional boost in ISO on the Sony FX3 is also useful when transitioning from bright exterior filming to interior filming allowing you to leave the ND filter on, and just crank up the ISO.

For those who are not aware, a Dual Base ISO means the camera effectively has two starting point ISO’s. Generally a lower ISO number means a cleaner image, but it is also less sensitive to light and therefore requires more light to get a properly exposed image. In the sunshine it’s not a big deal, but in darker interior situations or exterior night shots this can be a big challenge. The second base ISO on the Sony FX3 allows a cleaner image at 4 stops more sensitivity than at the first base ISO of 800, while the Canon is 3 stops. Comparatively the Sony FX2 has a second base ISO of 4000 which is 1 1/3 stop less than the Canon C50, and 2 1/3 stop less than the Sony FX3.

Ultimately all are great cameras, but the Sony still wins the low light filming game.

Pricing
Sony FX3
Amazon | B&H Photo Video

Canon C50
Amazon | B&H Photo Video