Sony PXW-FX9 User manual

Quick Reference Guide
PXW-FX9
pro.sony/FX9
This guide has been optimised for
mobile viewing and is fully interactive

2
Contents
A. Introduction to this guide
B. Initial Camera setup
C. Choosing the right operating mode
D. Scan Modes, frame rates and codecs
E. Shutter, Shutter Speed and Shutter Angle
F. ISO, Gain and Dual ISO
G. White Balance and Tint
H. Exposure, Zebras, Waveform and Histogram
I. Aperture/Iris and Auto Exposure
J. The ND Filter System
K. Auto Focus and Focus Aids

3
Contents
L. Gamma Settings In Custom Mode
M. The MATRIX: How to change the colour ranges
N. Custom Mode Other Settings (use with caution)
O. Using the Cine EI Mode (in detail)
P. Slow and Quick Motion, Interval Record and
Picture Cache Record
Q. SteadyShot and Post Production Image Stabilization
R. Audio Options
S. Recording, Recording Media and Backups
T. Networking and Wi-Fi Overview
U. Error messages and common problems

Contents
4
A. Introduction to this guide
This guide does not replace the user manual. It is intended
to be used in conjunction with the user manual and it is
recommended that you read both this guide and the user
manual to get the very best from the camera.
Where you see text in bold it indicates a menu setting,
button or switch setting. For example:
(MENU: Project – Base Setting – Shooting Mode).
Indicates: refer to the camera menu, Project page, Base
Setting page, Shooting mode sub page.
Where there are multiple menu choices a suggested or
recommended setting will be given as an initial starting
point to get you going. These settings should give good
results in the majority of cases.

Contents
5
B. Initial camera setup
B1. APR and bright pixels
B2. Multi-function Dial
B3. Assignable Buttons
B4. User Menu
B5. Direct Menu
B6. Saving your preferred camera settings
B7. Status Pages
Section Index

Contents
6
Section Index
B. Initial camera setup
B1. APR and Bright Pixels
After switching the camera on you may see a message
saying “Please Execute APR”. This is not an error or
malfunction. The APR (Automatic Pixel Restoration)
function minimizes the appearance of bright or dark
sensor pixels and minimizes sensor noise.
Cover/cap the lens so that all light is excluded and press
the Multi-function Dial, the handgrip thumbstick or the set
button to execute the APR function.
If you do not perform APR you will be reminded to
perform APR the next time the camera is turned on.
You should perform APR regularly to maintain the best
possible image quality or if you notice tiny bright dots
(bright pixels) within in the cameras output.

Contents
7
Section Index
B. Initial camera setup
B2. Multi-Function Dial
The multi-function dial at the front of the camera is very
useful for navigating through the camera’s menus. In
addition, it can be used in conjunction with the push
buttons for ISO/Gain, White Balance, shutter, iris etc. to
quickly change these settings.
You can also set the Multi-Function dial to control some
of these functions directly without having to first press a
button.
If you go to (MENU: Project – Multi Function Dial –
Default Function) you can add a default function for the
dial for when the camera menu is not activated or when
a function button has not been previously pressed. My
personal preference is to set this to “Iris”. Do note however
that control of the iris via the Multi-Function Dial is in 1/3rd
of a stop steps. Iris control is possible via the Assignable
Dial on the handgrip.

Contents
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Section Index
B. Initial camera setup
B3. Assignable Buttons
The FX9 has 10 assignable buttons plus the ability to
assign an alternate function to the focus hold button that
is found on certain Sony lenses. By default, nothing is
assigned to buttons 2, 3, 6. 7, 8, 9 and 10. So there is plenty
of scope to add new functions to these buttons.
Functions are assigned to the buttons via
(MENU: Project – Assignable Button).
A suggestion is to assign the “Base ISO /Sensitivity”
and “Video Signal Monitor” options to two of the
buttons as these will likely be commonly used
functions. In addition, if you shoot using S-Log3 you
may want to assign “Gamma Display Assist” to another
of the assignable buttons (see section 6 for more
details on this).

Contents
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Section Index
B. Initial camera setup
B4. User Menu
The FX9 has a user menu that can be customized to
include the menu items that you use most often. This
allows you to go directly to the items in the user menu
with no need to scroll through the menu systems dierent
sub sections.
Up to 20 items can be included in the user menu. The
factory settings include 20 pre-installed items. In order to
add or change an item you must first delete at least 1 item
from the user menu before the new item can be added.
The user menu can be edited by going to (MENU: User
Menu – Edit User Menu). As well as adding and removing
items from the User Menu you can also change the
display order by using the “Move” option to move each
item up or down the item list.
In addition, it is also possible set the camera so that only
the User Menu is active. This is done via (MENU: User
Menu – Menu Settings –User Menu Only). When set
to “ON” you can only access and scroll through the user
menu. To restore the ability to scroll down to other the
other menu sections you can return this back to “OFF” at
any time.

Contents
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Section Index
B. Initial camera setup
There is an additional password protected method for
locking out all menu pages other than the User Menu. To
enable this normally hidden option in the menu system
you must press and hold the Multi-Function Dial, then
while still pressing the Multifunction Dial press the Menu
button to enter the cameras menu system. Now you will
find the following menu item (MENU: Technical – Menu
settings– User Menu With Lock). When you select “ON”
you will be prompted to enter a 4 digit security code to
enable the User Menu only locked function.
WARNING: Be sure to make a record of this security
code as it is required to unlock the full menu system.
You cannot unlock the menu system if you lose this
code number and will need to contact your local Sony
oce for assistance.
To unlock the full menu system, press and hold the Multi-
Function Dial, then while still pressing the Multifunction
Dial press the Menu button to enter the cameras menu
system. Then go to (MENU: Technical – Menu settings–
User Menu With Lock). Select OFF and enter the
passcode.