Sony Cameras
Many Sony cameras are supported. Check out the compatibility section to check if your camera model is supported and which settings / features can be controlled. Sony camera support is available in Middle Control for macOS.
Connecting the camera to Middle Control
Sony cameras connect directly to your local network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. They do not require additional hardware like the APC-R or APC-R Mini. There are several ways to connect your camera to your network:
Method 1: Through the Network via Wi-Fi
Most Sony cameras can connect to your network via Wi-Fi — the exceptions are the FR7, BRC-AM7 and the SRG / BRC PTZ heads, which are wired-Ethernet only. We recommend connecting to a 5 GHz network for better performance.
Method 2: Through the Network via Ethernet with a USB-Ethernet adapter
Some Sony cameras can be controlled over the network via Ethernet. As of today, the cameras that support this are:
- Sony FX3 / FX3A
- Sony FX30
- Sony FX6
- Sony FX9
- Sony Burano
- Sony Alpha 9 Mark III
- Sony Alpha 1 Mark I
- Sony Alpha 1 Mark II
- Sony FR7
- Sony BRC-AM7
- Sony PXW-Z200
- Sony PXW-Z300
- Sony PXW-Z380
- Sony PXW-Z280
- Sony PXW-Z190
- Sony HXR-NX800
Be sure to use a compatible USB-to-Ethernet adapter — an unsupported adapter can cause the camera to malfunction. Supported chipsets include the Realtek RTL8153 and the AX88179. We have successfully tested the following adapters:
Sony FX6
- Belkin USB-C to Ethernet Gigabit Adapter
Other Sony cameras (FX3, etc)
- Belkin USB-C to Ethernet Gigabit Adapter
- Anker PowerExpand USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet
- TP-Link USB-C to Ethernet Adapter (UE300C)
Note that only 1Gbps adapters are supported. 2.5G and 10G adapters are not supported.
How to Connect your Camera
Follow the steps below:
- Go to Middle Control Preferences ➜ Middle Control Pro
- Click the + Add Camera button.
- Select your Camera type.
- Choose Wi-Fi or LAN connection method.
- Set your camera in Video and Manual (M) Mode.
Follow the on-screen wizard to complete the pairing process. The steps may vary slightly depending on whether you’re connecting via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and whether you’re using an FX6, Burano, or another Sony camera model.
Before clicking the blue Pair button in Middle Control, ensure that your Sony camera is on the pairing screen. Once pairing is complete, press OK on the camera to confirm the connection.
Access Authentication — the recommended method
Sony Alpha cameras and the FX2 / FX3 / FX30 can connect in either of two mutually exclusive modes. The wizard asks which one you use, with an Auth / No auth step:
- Access Authentication (recommended) — on the camera, go to MENU → Network → Access Authentication and set a user name and password. Enter the same credentials in the wizard and Middle Control connects straight away. There is nothing to confirm on the camera screen, and the connection is remembered immediately.
- Pairing — the classic flow: arm Remote Shoot Function → Pairing on the camera, then press OK on its screen when Middle Control asks.
The FX6, Burano, Z200 / Z300 / Z380 and NX800 always connect with the camera's Access Authentication user name and password — there is no pairing option, and the A7 V is the same. On the FR7 and BRC-AM7 you are asked for credentials only when Access Authentication is switched on.
The two modes cannot be used at the same time — turning Access Authentication on disables pairing, and vice versa. If you change the setting on the camera, remove the camera from Middle Control and pair it again.
Once the camera is paired, it will show up on the left sidebar under IP Cameras. Click it to set its Camera ID:
Controlling your Camera
In the Middle Control Camera Page, select the Camera ID you assigned to your camera (in our example: 4). You can now control your camera remotely. You'll notice the experience differs slightly from the default page.
Here is a walkthrough of the different features:
Camera Settings
Control Focus, Iris, White Balance, Shutter, ISO, and Tint on the camera. Middle Control displays the current values from the camera — unless Sony / ATEM Link is enabled, in which case it displays the ATEM Camera Control values.
Shutter modes and base ISO
On the cinema and camcorder bodies the shutter picker in Live View carries a mode column: SPEED, ANGLE and VAR (variable / ECS shutter). Pick the mode, then the value; Middle Control only offers the modes the camera reports it accepts — for example the FX9, Z280 and Z190 offer SPEED and VAR only, with the shutter angle set on the body.
The ISO picker has the same treatment. It exposes the camera's base ISO sensitivity (Low / High) and follows the body's sensitivity mode — Cine EI or ISO — so the ladder you see is the one the camera is actually on.
Start / Stop Record
Remotely start or stop recording on your camera. Set the Rec button to All to start and stop recording on every camera at once. The gear next to the Recording card opens the Advanced Recording Controls — media slots, remaining time, recording format and media formatting.
Snapshot
Grab a high resolution snapshot on your laptop.
Auto Focus
Toggles Continuous Autofocus . This feature automatically turns off whenever you adjust focus manually.
Digital Zoom
Toggles Digital Zoom function on your camera.
Info Display
Shows the info display / status view overlay of your camera. Support of this feature varies by model. Some cameras will toggle the info display on the HDMI output, some within the Middle Control Live View and some cameras do not support it at all. Check the compatibility section for detailed info on supported features & settings.
Remote Menu Control
You can remotely access your Sony camera's menus by clicking the Menu button next to the Sony / ATEM Link button. To display the menus on the camera's Live View or HDMI output, enable Info Display.
You can also choose whether to control the camera’s control wheel or the AF joystick, which allows you to adjust the Focus Zone.
Custom Buttons (C1-C6)
You can trigger the camera's custom function buttons 1 to 6 from the menu pop-up (see Remote Menu Control).
If you activate any of these buttons while saving a Preset, they will also be stored as part of that Preset.
Sony FR7 and BRC-AM7
These two PTZ bodies get a few extras the other Sony cameras don't have:
- Presets store the full shot. Pan, tilt, zoom and focus are saved in the camera's own PTZF preset, and Middle Control adds the look — iris, ISO, white balance and tint — on top. See Presets.
- Tally lamps on the camera body follow your ATEM: red for Program, green for Preview. Set Tally Control Mode to External in the camera's own web interface first — on Internal the camera accepts the commands but keeps driving the lamp itself.
Sony PTZ & POV cameras (VISCA over IP)
Sony's networked PTZ and POV heads — the SRG-X series (SRG-X120, SRG-X400), the SRG-A series (SRG-A12, SRG-A40), the BRC-X series, and the SRG-XP / SRG-XB POV and box cameras (for example SRG-XP1 and SRG-XB25, plus the SRG-XS10 and SRG-AS10) — are driven over VISCA over IP, not the Wi-Fi / Access Authentication flow the Alpha, Cinema and FR7 / BRC-AM7 bodies use above.
Connect them like any other VISCA camera — wired Ethernet, with VISCA over IP enabled on the camera. Follow the walkthrough on the VISCA PTZ Cameras page, then drive pan / tilt / zoom from the Motion Page and exposure and presets from the Camera Page. See the compatibility page for the settings supported per model.
On the models that support it, these heads also expose Auto Tracking and Sleep / Wake from the Motion Page, and Digital Zoom from the Camera Page.
Legacy BRC heads (BRC-H900, H700, Z700, Z330)
The earlier BRC generation — BRC-H900, BRC-H700, BRC-Z700 and BRC-Z330 — is also driven over VISCA over IP, for control only. You get pan, tilt, zoom, focus, exposure, OSD Menu Navigation, presets and tally. Two limits set them apart from the SRG line:
- No in-app Live View. These cameras output HD-SDI or component video, not a network (RTSP) stream, so Middle Control controls them without showing their picture.
- Raw exposure readout on all but the BRC-H900. Only the BRC-H900 shows iris, ISO and shutter as f-stops, dB and speeds; on the H700, Z700 and Z330 those values display as a raw index for now.
Most of these bodies need Sony's BRBK-IP10 control card for IP. Enable VISCA over IP on the camera, then connect it like any other VISCA head.
PTZ / POV control, Auto Tracking, Sleep / Wake, Digital Zoom and legacy BRC control require Middle Control 4.0 or later.
More, with Sony / ATEM Link
If you have an ATEM, you can press the Sony/ATEM link button to enable control of your camera through Blackmagic ATEM Software and Blackmagic ATEM Camera Control Panels.
Linking Middle Control to your ATEM will offer an enhanced control experience.
Refer to the ATEM Link section for details on connecting your ATEM to Middle Control.
Quick Troubleshooting
Here are a few quick troubleshooting tips:
My IRIS control does not seem to work
If the Iris doesn't change on the camera but all other settings work:
- Make sure your lens is set to Auto IRIS and not Manual.
My focus control does not seem to work
If the Focus doesn't change on the camera but all other settings work:
- If your lens focus ring has a clutch system, make sure it is not set to the Manual Focusing position
- Try triggering an autofocus on the camera LCD itself to confirm the issue isn't the lens control.
My Live View video feed is very slow / poor performance
- You can try to connect your camera to a 5 GHz network if you are on a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network
- If your computer is on Wi-Fi, try and connecting it to your network router / switch using wired ethernet instead.
- Double check your Wi-Fi access point & networking equipment. Some Wi-Fi consumer grade devices do not offer great performance. We tend to recommend Ubiquiti and GL-iNet devices for their reliable performance.
- Due to different Wi-Fi chip versions, some Sony Cameras can behave better than others. The FX series cameras are known to perform very well. But the first check should be the Wi-Fi access point equipment and networking.
Middle Control Pro
Unlock exclusive features.
- Multi View (4 or 9 cameras)
- ATEM Link
- Automations
- Multi-operator control
- Replicate Settings
- Video Output
- VISCA Controllers
Middle Control Pro features are currently available for macOS only.