Make Your Films Great: Canon C80 vs Sony FX6 vs Red Komodo-X. Which is the Best Camera for Filmmakers?

In this article I’ll compare three power-packed cinema cameras in roughly similar price brackets. There will be only one winner.

Here are the cameras compared:

1. Sony FX6 (Amazon, B&H)
2. Canon EOS C80 (Amazon, B&H)
3. Red Komodo-X

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The camera body

Here’s how much the base camera body costs:

It would be in your best interest to feel out the after sales and service in your country prior to committing to any camera. No point buying a camera and then having to tear your hair out when you realize you have to ship your camera overseas for repair.

The price of the camera body is misleading, because not every camera on this list is ready to shoot. Some need a few accessories to get even. We’re going to look at this, too.

Remember, only one winner!

Comparison of sensors and video features

Sensor performance

Here’s how the camera sensors compare:

The Red Komodo-X is a Super 35mm camera, while the others are full frame cameras.

The Canon EOS C80 (Amazon, B&H) has a definite advantage here, because you get all of these four options:

Let’s dig deeper:

The Sony FX6 (Amazon, B&H) is probably the best camera for low light. The USP of the Red Komodo-X is that it is the only camera with a global shutter, same as the Red Komodo which costs less. However, it is severely lacking without built-in ND filters.

Frame rates

Let’s look at frame rates:

The Red Komodo-X seems to be the most versatile camera for high frame rate recording. Even though the others shoot 120 fps in 4K, it’s in Long-GOP and not intraframe or RAW.

Codecs

The Red Komodo-X wins this one because of the popularity of Redcode RAW and the options that it gives for ProRes.

What you get externally:

One of the important distinctions of a cinema camera is the availability of additional SDI/HDMI ports for monitoring and recording.

In this regard the Sony FX6 (Amazon, B&H) wins because it has regular size XLR ports.

Lenses

I don’t think you’ll be restricted by the lens mount, if your goal is to end up with PL glass you need to understand how the pricing changes. Some cameras have separate mounts you need to purchase and swap as needed, others don’t. For the latter you need adapters instead.

If you don’t need PL, then maybe autofocus is something you’re considering. In that case the Canon EOS C80 (Amazon, B&H) is your best bet.

Autofocus performance

The Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus by Canon wins hands down giving this round to the Canon EOS C80 (Amazon, B&H).

Monitoring and ergonomics

Weight and size

Let’s look at the weight and size:

The Sony FX6 (Amazon, B&H) impresses with the number of features that it has packed in a relatively lighter body. The C80 is larger and heavier than the C70, and the FX6.

What about the LCD monitor? Some of the cameras have a monitor you can watch your footage on, and this is handy in a pinch. For serious monitoring, though, you need an external monitor that’s at least 5″, and none of the cameras have that.

All the cameras can be operated without a dedicated monitor or viewfinder.

The monitors on the Sony FX6 (Amazon, B&H) and Canon EOS C80 (Amazon, B&H) can swivel in any direction. The screen on the Komodo-X is fixed.

Media and Batteries

Media

Here’s a look at the media options:

The Canon EOS C80 (Amazon, B&H) is definitely the best option, though there’s nothing wrong with the single card on the Komodo-X.

Even though the Komodo-X uses cheaper media, the data rate is more than twice the other two cameras, and the final cost is higher.

What about battery life?

Batteries and Power

Now all we have to do is find the battery life and cost of operation for 6 hours of a day’s worth of work.

Here are the numbers:

I think the battery life is close enough, with Red having the edge due to the availability of Micro-V Lock batteries from many manufacturers.

Time to sum up everything.

Which is cheaper to own?

It’s important to add accessories to put all cameras on an even keel:

The use of CFExpress Type A continues to hurt Sony, as the prices haven’t gone down. If you take that out of the equation, the FX6 is really good value for money.

But money isn’t the only selection criterion. If the Komodo-X costs $1,673 more than the Canon C80, is that that much better? Let’s find out.

Verdict

First, a recap:

I interact with thousands of filmmakers every year, and I can tell you: practical cinematography in the real world doesn’t really warrant anything better than what any of these cameras are capable of producing.

The limitation will always be the cinematography and production values.

Before we take our final decision, we’ll let each camera tell us what it offers that the other doesn’t:

I promised one winner. The Red Komodo-X seems great, but really it loses out for these reasons:

• No built-in ND filters
• No XLR inputs
• Hard to buy and service in many places
• Too expensive for slightly higher frame rates and a global shutter
• Uncertain future under Nikon

The winner of this comparison is the Canon EOS C80 (Amazon, B&H).

Canon have provided incredible value and have priced it accordingly. It’s only true comparison is with the Canon C400, the sensor of which it shares. Read that comparison here:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.