Sony FX6

Camera wiring

FX6 is controlled over IP. Works over Ethernet (with USB-C to Ethernet adapter) or Wi-Fi (embedded Wi-Fi module).

tip

Ensure to update your kit to the latest version, at least 23.8.1rc11 using a SWU file to have the latest FX6 support.

note

Sony recommends a specific USB dongle but it's not listed on their website. Contact your Sony reseller for more information. See troubleshooting section for more details.

To check if your dongle is compatible:

• Plug the dongle in your FX6
• Setup a fixed IP in your FX6 (through the menus)
• Ping the FX6 from your computer

Camera control

Control	FX6
White balance (R/B and Color temp)	✔
Exposure (Iris, Gain, Shutter, Variable, ND filter)	✔
REC (toggle + status)	✔
Scene file : save/recall	✔

note

If using a RCP-J, you can map the T-bar to the Iris, Gain or variable ND.

Camera configuration

Tested on latest FX6 firmware (V4).

Camera in shutter mode

In menu > Shooting > Shutter, ensure Mode is in Speed

Camera in dB mode

In menu > Shooting > ISO/Gain/El, ensure Mode is in dB

Camera network

LAN/Ethernet

In menu > Network > Wired LAN:

• Setting is set to On
• Cam. Remote Ctrl is set to Enable
• And that you have a valid static IP in Detail Settings:

In Detail, it is mandatory to setup:

• DHCP to Off
• IP Address
• Subnet Mask
• Gateway (should be compatible with the ip/mask, but the IP doesn't really matter)

note

At this step, ensure you can ping the camera from your computer to validate that the dongle is working and that the IP is correct.

LAN/Wi-Fi

In this example, I connect my FX6 to my RIO acting as an Wi-Fi AP. More information can be found here

In menu > Network > Wireless LAN, set Setting to Station Mode

In menu > Network > ST Mode Settings:

• Cam. Remote Ctrl is set to Enable
• Scan Networks, select your Wi-Fi AP in the list, enter the password
• Once connected, your AP is displayed in Connected Network:

note

In this example, the Wi-Fi AP is my RIO (using a USB dongle). You could also use your studio Wi-Fi AP. The FX6 is connected to the RIO and the RIO acts as a DHCP server so I can let my FX6 in DHCP mode. You can indeed setup a static IP in the FX6 if you want. Pay attention that if you bridge Wi-Fi AP and ethernet on RIO, then there is no DHCP server anymore and you need to setup a static IP in the FX6.

RCP configuration

Set up a new camera via the RCP Configuration UI:

• Enter a custom number, name, etc.
• Select Sony brand
• Select Sony FX6 for the model
• Enter the IP of your camera
• Enter your login/password

note

If your camera is in a different range than your RCP (i.e. not 10.192.0.0/16), follow this guide to add a new IP to the RCP.

This should look like this:

And once correctly connected, it should be green:

Troubleshooting

Camera doesn't turn green

Check the following:

• setup:
  • ensure the camera remote control is active
  • ensure you have a valid IP/mask in the camera (gateway is not important, but it needs to be setup and compatible with the IP/mask, doesn't need to "exist". If no valid gateway setup, then the IP/Mask is not applied)
  • ensure your RIO/RCP have a compatible IP/mask with the camera
• wiring:
  • in Wi-Fi, ensure RCP/RIO are connected to the same Wi-Fi router
  • in Ethernet:
    • ensure the dongle (usb-c) is compatible with the camera
    • ensure the Ethernet cable is working

You can check the dongle and IP setup in one simple step:

• connect your computer instead of RIO/RCP
• setup the same IP/mask as the RIO/RCP
• ping the camera If that works, it means the dongle is OK and IP/Mask setup on camera is good

If the camera stays red and everything above is OK:

• disable/enable the remote control (sometime the camera is stuck)
• power cycle the camera (remove battery or PSU)

Camera setup

Check the following:

• Prefer using a wired connection when possible.
• Ensure the camera IP is static and in the range of the RCP (see guide)
• Check wiring, cables, etc.
• Check from your computer if you can ping the camera IP

If you can't ping the camera, the RCP can't control it.

FX6 is compatible with some USB Ethernet dongles. Some clients have reported success with USB Ethernet dongles with USB-C adaptors. But not all of them are compatible. Check with Sony to see if your dongle is compatible. Try another one.

If you can ping the camera, but the RCP can't control it, check the following:

• Ensure the RCP IP is in the same range as the camera (see guide)
• Ensure your camera is in shutter speed mode (not angle)
• Ensure your camera is not in Automatic mode

USB-Ethernet compatibility

If you plug an incompatible USB-Ethernet dongle, the FX6 could:

• have the power button not working anymore
• be unresponsive, not answering to ping, etc.
• fixed image displayed on viewfinder

So between each test, ensure to remove USB-Ethernet, power cycle camera (by removing battery or PSU) before trying a new one.

Non exhaustive list of Ethernet modules compatibility:

• working : RTL8153, AX88179
• not working (crashing FX6) : AX88179A

We observed that identical dongles externally, bought together on amazon where not exactly the same inside. To test the dongles (on mac and Linux), plug the dongle, then run lsusb in a terminal. You should see something like this:

RTL8153:

Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0bda:8153 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. USB 10/100/1000 LAN  Serial: 0031C7
Bus 000 Device 000: ID 0bda:8153 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. USB 3.1 Bus

AX88179:

Bus 000 Device 001: ID 0b95:1790 ASIX Electronics Corporation AX88179  Serial: 00000000000179
Bus 000 Device 000: ID 0b95:1790 ASIX Electronics Corporation USB 3.1 Bus

While if you have a dongle that is not working, you should see something like this:

Bus 000 Device 001: ID 0b95:1790 ASIX Electronics Corporation AX88179A  Serial: 00204630
Bus 000 Device 000: ID 0b95:1790 ASIX Electronics Corporation USB 3.1 Bus

Pay attention that this list is not exhaustive, you could have a working dongle that is not listed here. Or have a non compatible dongle that is listed here.

Always test the FX6 ping before connecting the RCP to avoid any confusion.