The new Sony FX5 cinema camera is one of Sony’s most exciting video products in years. It is also extremely well-designed, with one notable exception. PetaPixel hoped a third-party would step in and address the issue, and sure enough, it has happened.

The Sony FX5’s optional EVF, the DVF-EL1, is excellent. It has a 0.58-inch OLED with 7.08 million dots and 0.9x magnification. It also includes a clever tilting design, which makes it even more useful.

However, it is designed to mount directly on top of the FX5, which unfortunately covers the camera’s MI shoe, required for the XLR attachment that enables 32-bit float audio recording. Out of the box, FX5 users must choose one feature or the other, the EVF or 32-bit float.

Having to choose between the two straight out of the box is “a little bit frustrating,” PetaPixel‘s Jordan Drake says in his hands-on video above. Drake said he hoped a company would “make a little adapter to snake a cable out to the side so you can still use 32-bit float.”

Mid49, a camera accessory company dedicated to crafting solutions for high-end video professionals, has stepped up to the plate. The company has an array of accessories designed explicitly for the Sony FX5, including an FX5 EVF Cable and Mounting Kit.

This $595 kit includes Mid49’s FX5 EVF Cable Handle Riser, Twist Mount EVF Kit with Knuckle, and FX5 XLR-H2 15mm Rod Clamp. The EVF Cable Handle Riser “allows both the FX5 EVF (DVF-EL1) and the FX5 XLR Handle (XLR-H2) to be attached simultaneously.” Fantastic!

The extension cable base screws directly into the FX5 body using captive 1/4-20 screws, and then an MI-Shoe adapter slides in from the back and attaches a cable with a pair of M4 screws. All 21 MI pins pass through. Users can then attach the DVF-EL1 using a pair of 1/4-20 holes, which then runs via a connected 18-inch flexible cable. This means users can mount the EVF in many different ways, including on a shoulder mount or above the XLR handle.

As CineD reports, Tilta may have a similar solution on its hands. Tilta already announced its full Sony FX5 camera cage last month, and has now just shown off a dedicated EVF extension cable and multi-directional bracket. This lets users mount the DVF-EL1 in various locations beyond the top of the FX5.

In theory, this could free up the MI shoe for XLR audio or other accessories, although Tilta hasn’t explicitly listed that as a feature yet. Tilta also hasn’t announced pricing or availability for the cable and bracket. So there are still some open questions about precisely what it does. Tilta’s FX5 cage itself comes in black and titanium gray and starts at $99.

Nonetheless, one of the FX5’s few design flaws is absolutely solvable, which is great news. Now if only the camera could actually arrive. Retailers still say the FX5 is coming soon, and Sony has not announced a new release date following an unfortunate delay. The FX5 was originally supposed to launch in mid-August.

---

Image creditsSony FX5 product photos by Erin Thomson for PetaPixel. Additional images by Mid49 and Tilta.