Shutter angle for all! Sony's game-changing FX30 firmware is available to download again

UPDATE: The latest firmware for the Sony FX30, adding long-awaited features such as shutter angle control, is now available for download once again.

Sony suspended the update last month, following fears that the day-and-date update for the Sony A7R V could brick cameras. (That update has also been un-suspended.)

"We suspended the Ver. 6.00 software release on 09-13-2024 due to some products failing to update," notes Sony.

"However, after taking the necessary measures, we resumed the release on 10-09-2024. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If your camera successfully updated to Ver. 6.00, you may continue using it without issue."

The new firmware update can be downloaded here, though I would definitely advise waiting a while in case other issues arise with it.

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UPDATE (Sep 16 2024): Just days after its release, Sony has suspended the new firmware for the Sony FX30. 

The new update added a host of features, including the eagerly anticipated addition of shutter angle control, to the cameras. However, after the day-and-date firmware update for the Sony A7R V was found to brick some cameras, the manufacturer decided to pull the FX30 update as well.

"An issue requiring investigation was found in the ILCE-7RM5 software released on the same day," states Sony in an Important Notice on its FX30 support page. "Just to be safe, we have also temporarily suspended distribution of this software."

As of now, the Sony FX3 update – which added the same features (listed below) as the FX30 firmware – is still available. However, I would strongly advise against installing it to your camera.

As noted in my report on the A7R V situation, this is another black eye for Sony in terms of quality control for its firmware. Not only did it have to suspend its Sony A1 update back in March, but a highly publicized instance of another firmware update bricking an FX30 began circulating last month, after Sony advised an owner that he would need to pay $700 to fix his camera after the update stopped it working.

ORIGINAL STORY (Sep 14 2024): One of the most requested features (among an avalanche of others) has finally come to the Sony FX3 and FX30 in the latest firmware update for each camera: shutter angle. 

If you're reading this article, you probably already know what shutter angle is. In short, it's a way to describe and set the shutter speed relative to the frame-rate – enabling you, for example, to adjust your frame-rate to shoot in slow-motion, without having to manually adjust the shutter speed accordingly (following the practice of doubling the frames to calculate the shutter). 

While this is by far the headline feature, the new firmware – Ver 6.00 for the FX3 and Ver 5.00 for the FX30 – contains a slew of other upgrades and improvements that every FX user will want. Here's Sony's firmware notes:

Firmware update Ver. 6.00

• Allows you to choose the exposure time (from either shutter speed or shutter angle) when shooting movies

• Allows you to add OK/NG/KEEP flags to clips during or after movie recording

• Improves the image quality when using 3D LUT software

• Updates the name of the color mode Pro in the Picture Profile to 709tone

• Allows notifications to be displayed when the latest software is available for your camera

• You can now continue shooting while transferring captured photos and videos to a smartphone or tablet

• Transfer to smartphones and tablets can now be resumed even if interrupted in the middle of a transfer

• You can now transfer only the differences that have not yet been transferred to your smartphone or tablet, or add videos to be transferred during the transfer process

• Adds support for the Network Streaming function
 ° Settings must be adjusted in the Creators' App in advance
 ° Confirmation has been made that input is possible in M2 Live using SRT
 ° M2 Live is an All-in-One cloud switcher service that allows real-time switching of video and audio, overlaying of graphics, and playback of video files on the cloud
 ° A contract is required to use M2 Live. This service may not be available in some countries or regions.

• Supports the following Monitor & Control app functions
 ° Ver. 2.1.0 or later of the Monitor & Control app is necessary
 ° Wired connection via a USB cable
 ° Clip review during camera playback mode
 ° Focus map display
 ° IRIS operation bar display
 ° Selection from shutter speed or shutter angle for exposure time
 ° Improves the functionality and operational stability of the camera

To download the latest firmware for each camera, along with instructions on how to install it (as well as important information to be aware of before you do – particularly for the FX30, which has two update paths), visit the Sony support page for the FX3 and for the FX30.

You might be interested in the best Sony cameras, along with the best cinema cameras on the market.