Sony has announced two devices that answer a question its FX cameras have quietly been posing for a while: if the camera’s key controls now live on a single home screen, why not put that screen where the operator actually stands? The RM-DP7 and RM-DP5 are external monitors that also control the camera, and they turn Sony’s BIG6 interface into a proper control surface. Details are on the official Sony RM-DP5 and RM-DP7 page.

A monitor that controls the camera

The idea at the centre of both units is straightforward. Instead of an external monitor that only shows you the image, these let you operate the camera from the monitor side — adjusting focus with compatible autofocus lenses, zoom with compatible power-zoom lenses, and exposure and other key settings, all without walking back to the body.

That is built around Sony’s BIG6 home screen, the six-parameter layout that began on the VENICE and BURANO cinema cameras and has since spread across the FX line by firmware. The FX5 shipped with it, and the FX6 gained it earlier this year. On the DP7 and DP5, that familiar screen becomes the thing you drive the camera with, backed by a physical control knob, multi-function dials and assignable buttons alongside touch operation.

For anyone shooting solo or in a small crew, that is the meaningful part. Rigging a camera low, high, or somewhere awkward has always meant either contorting to reach the body or hiring someone to pull focus. A control monitor at eye level, in your hands, removes that.

The display is properly specified

These are not repurposed field monitors. Both use a Full HD panel reaching up to 2,000 nits — bright enough to judge an image in daylight, where most monitors wash out — and each is individually factory-calibrated using technology from Sony’s professional monitoring line, with continuous compensation for colour-temperature drift during use.

That calibration matters more than the brightness. A monitor that shifts colour as it warms up is worse than useless for judging a grade on set, and factory calibration with active drift compensation is a professional-grade answer. Both support six preset looks and up to 16 user LUTs in 17- and 33-point CUBE format, so anyone shooting S-Log3 can monitor something close to the intended final image.

DP7 or DP5

The split is sensible. The RM-DP7 is the 7-inch unit and the only one with 12G-SDI, including bidirectional SDI-to-HDMI conversion and 4K transmission, plus DC input. The RM-DP5 is the compact 5-inch model, better suited to on-camera operation, with HDMI in and out. Both share the aluminium, dust- and moisture-resistant body, BP-U battery or USB-PD power, a detachable control knob, side handgrip and corner strap holes.

There is also a neat wireless angle: both can go cordless using a compatible third-party transmitter over HDMI — Sony specifically notes the Hollyland Pyro Ultra — which turns the DP7 or DP5 into a wireless director’s or focus puller’s monitor without additional receiver hardware.

Our take

This is a genuinely clever piece of thinking, and it is the logical endpoint of Sony putting the BIG6 interface across the FX range. It brings capability that used to require a wireless follow focus and a dedicated operator within reach of a much smaller production.

The obvious catch is price. At £2,800 for the DP7 and £2,100 for the DP5, these cost as much as — or more than — the cameras many people will pair them with. An FX30 body is around a fifth of the DP7’s price. So this is professional kit for productions where an integrated control monitor earns its keep, not an accessory for an enthusiast FX30 owner.

Two things to weigh before committing: they do not ship until January 2027, and FX6 and BURANO support is not coming until the second half of that year — so FX6 owners in particular are waiting a while. At launch it is FX5, FX3, FX2 and FX30 only.

Sony RM-DP7 and RM-DP5: Specifications

Type: external monitor and camera controller for Sony Cinema Line.
Compatibility at launch: FX5, FX3, FX2, FX30; FX6 and BURANO planned via firmware in H2 2027.
Control: BIG6 home screen, focus (with compatible AF lenses), zoom (with compatible power-zoom lenses) and exposure from the monitor; control knob, multi-function dials, assignable buttons and touch.
Display: Full HD 1920 x 1080, up to 2,000 nits; individual factory calibration with continuous colour-temperature drift compensation.
Looks: six presets, up to 16 user LUTs (17- and 33-point CUBE).
Body: aluminium, dust and moisture resistant; detachable control knob, side handgrip, four corner strap holes, 1/4in-20 threads.
Power: BP-U battery, USB Power Delivery; DC input on DP7 only.
RM-DP7: 7-inch; adds 12G-SDI in/out with cross-conversion and 4K transmission.
RM-DP5: 5-inch; HDMI in/out.
Wireless: supported via compatible third-party transmitters over HDMI.

Sony RM-DP7 and RM-DP5: Price and availability

Both were announced on 8 September 2026, shipping January 2027. The RM-DP7 is £2,800 (€3,300 / $3,099) and the RM-DP5 is £2,100 (€2,500 / $2,299).