1^st October 2026, Weybridge UK: The Esports World Cup 2026 brought together more than 2,000 players competing across 24 games over seven weeks, with a prize pool of more than $75 million. Behind the competition was a vast content operation, tasked with capturing everything from live gaming action and team promos to event highlights, meet-and-greets and celebrity appearances.

To meet the demands of this fast-paced production environment, the Esports World Cup production team selected Sony Cinema Line cameras as the foundation of its workflow, combining image quality, reliability and operational flexibility across the event.

At its peak, 50 Sony FX3 and FX2 cameras were recording across the event, supported by ECM-778 shotgun mics. Alongside this, four FX6s and two BURANOs captured the highest quality team promo content in a purpose-built. “We decided to go with Sony as our main platform for reliability and future-proofing. Everyone thinks of the equipment as reliable and a great choice for quality,” said Adam Kędzierski, Post Production Lead.

Capturing content at speed

With a constant stream of content required throughout the event, the production team needed a camera system capable of adapting to different shooting environments and tight schedules.

During EWC26 media days, teams often had just 20 minutes to complete their promotional content from start to finish. Multiple cameras were therefore positioned in advance, allowing talent to move through the studio quickly while the production team captured multiple angles with minimal disruption.

Sony’s BURANO and FX6 cameras were used for this studio work, with their full-frame sensors, dual base ISO, autofocus capabilities and electronic variable ND filters helping operators maintain control in changing conditions while working against demanding production schedules.

“The BURANO was a perfect choice for us,” said Charles Dalton, Senior Creative Producer. “It gives us that cinematic image quality in a smaller, lighter and more power-efficient package, which is ideal when you’re working with lean, agile crews.”

The FX6 was also used for run-and-gun and documentary-style filming, with its compact form factor, internal ND filters and dual-native ISO supporting fast-moving production.

Bringing cameras closer to the action

Away from the studio, the production team needed to capture players during competition without distracting them from the action. The compact form factor of Sony’s FX3 and FX2 made them particularly suited to this environment.

“These guys are playing in a serious competition, for a lot of money. The last thing we want to do is turn up and distract them with a huge camera,” said Ryan Priestnall, Cinematographer and Camera Operator. “The FX3 is agile and compact, so we can get close and they don’t really notice us as much.”

Paired with Sony G Master and G Master II zoom and prime lenses, the cameras provided the autofocus performance needed to keep pace with fast-moving subjects, while allowing operators to concentrate on composition, movement and exposure.

“I don’t want to have to worry about the autofocus, and I can almost forget about it because I know the cameras and the lenses are more than capable,” Priestnall added. “The Sony lenses and the Sony cameras have been invaluable for that.”

A consistent workflow from capture to post

With footage arriving from a large number of cameras and operators across the event, consistency in post-production was equally important.

Sony’s S-Log3 gamma curve provided the post-production team with the ability to finesse the light and dark areas of the footage. Simultaneously, the S-Gamut.Cine colour space allowed them to quickly and accurately tweak colours so they matched between the countless clips coming in from the camera operators.

“Having shot on Sony is definitely making our life easier, because you have the same image character,” said Roman Ivasyk, colourist supervisor. “You have the same colour science, you have the same meter data, so you know it all. Even when the cameras look uneven, it’s very easy for you to find out what went wrong and quickly fix it in post.”

For the Esports World Cup team, the combination of image quality, reliability, compact form factors and a consistent workflow enabled the production operation to scale across a major international esports event.

When asked what Sony’s Cinema Line cameras, lenses and microphones had unlocked for EWC26, the answer was clear: “creativity, reliability, stability and scalability.”

Sony contributed two BURANO cameras, two FX6 cameras and ten FX2 cameras to support the EWC26 production, alongside ECM-778 shotgun microphones and a broad range of Sony G Master and G Master II prime and zoom lenses.

For more information on this case study and the products involved please visit: Esports World Cup 2026 x Sony

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