Sony FX3 and FX30 Custom Buttons: Fn Menu and Button Setup

To set up custom buttons on a Sony FX3, go to MENU → (Setup) → [Operation Customize] → [Custom Key Setting], pick a button, and press the center of the control wheel to choose its job. Then set up the Fn menu under [Fn Menu Settings], and do photo and video separately, because the camera keeps a different layout for each.

Think of it like a kitchen. You keep the spoon you grab every day in the front drawer, not in a box in the garage. Custom buttons put your everyday settings in the front drawer.

I shoot on a Sony FX3. Every menu path below comes from Sony's official FX3 Help Guide. If you own an FX30, the ideas carry over, but check your own camera's Help Guide for the exact wording, since this guide's sources cover the FX3.

Why custom buttons save you time

Sony's Help Guide says the custom key function lets you put the functions you use most on keys that are easy to press, so you can skip digging through MENU and recall them faster. The FX3 has custom buttons numbered 1 to 6. Sony assigns recommended functions to them out of the box.

That last part matters if you feel nervous. Nothing you change here can break your camera. If a new button layout feels wrong, you can always go back and pick a different function. Every mistake just teaches you what your thumb actually wants.

The three tools you will set up

Tool	What it does	Where it lives
Custom buttons	One press calls up one function	MENU → (Setup) → [Operation Customize] → [Custom Key Setting]
Fn menu	A row of 12 functions at the bottom of the screen when you press Fn	MENU → (Setup) → [Operation Customize] → [Fn Menu Settings]
Dial presets	Up to three saved sets of jobs for the front dial, rear dial and control wheel	Recalled with a custom key you assign

One menu, two names

Sony's Help Guide comes in more than one version, and the button menu has a different name in each. One version calls it [Custom Key Setting], and another calls it [Custom Key/Dial Set.]. The newer name exists because that version lets you assign functions to dials as well as buttons.

Both live in the same place: MENU → (Setup) → [Operation Customize]. The newer guide also says you can reach the dial versions from MENU → (Setup) → [Dial Customize]. So if your screen shows a name that doesn't match a video you watched, don't worry. You are in the right spot.

The menu also looks different depending on whether you are in photo mode or movie mode. Sony says the displayed menu items differ between the still image shooting modes and the movie recording modes. If an item seems to be missing, switch modes and look again.

How to set a custom button, step by step

Sony's own example puts Eye AF on Custom button 5. Eye AF means the camera looks for an eye and focuses right on it, like a friend pointing at the exact spot you should look.

1. Press MENU, then go to (Setup) → [Operation Customize] → [Custom Key Setting].
2. Pick the photo, movie or playback version of the setting. Sony says to select the movie version if you want the function while shooting movies, and the playback version for playing back images.
3. Move to the [Rear] screen, select [Custom Button 5], and press the center of the control wheel.
4. Choose the function you want from the list that appears.

One version of the Help Guide says to reach the [Rear] screen with the left/right side of the control wheel, and the other says top/bottom. Try one, and if the screen doesn't move, try the other.

Once Eye AF is on that button, pressing it while the camera sees eyes makes it focus on the eyes, and you shoot while holding the button down.

Two more things to know. You can also give shooting functions to the focus hold button on some lenses, though not every lens has one. And the list of functions you can pick changes from button to button. If the function you want isn't in a button's list, try a different button.

How to set up the Fn menu

The Fn menu is like a lunchbox with 12 little compartments. Press the Fn button in shooting mode and those 12 functions show up at the bottom of the screen. You get one lunchbox for photos and a separate one for video.

1. Go to MENU → (Setup) → [Operation Customize] → [Fn Menu Settings].
2. Use the top, bottom, left and right of the control wheel to pick a slot, then press the center. Sony's example picks Drive Mode from the 12 still image items.
3. To change the video lunchbox instead, pick a movie function menu item in this step.
4. Choose the function you want in that slot.

A good rule: put the settings you change every few minutes in the Fn menu, and the settings you change every few seconds on a button.

Dial presets: one button that swaps your dial jobs

This is the feature that surprises most new owners. Sony lets you give jobs to the front dial, rear dial and control wheel, then save up to three of those combinations. You call them up with a custom key you set in advance.

Picture a closet with three outfits for your dials. Press one button and your dials change clothes.

Assign the key

Go to MENU → (Setup) → [Operation Customize] → [Custom Key Setting], then select the key you want to use for the dial presets. Next, pick which saved set the key should recall, or the pattern for switching between them.

Hold or press

Key style	What happens
Hold	The saved dial jobs work while you hold the key down.
Cycle through 1, 2, 3	Each press moves from the normal jobs to preset 1, then 2, then 3, then back to normal.
Press to keep	The saved jobs stay on even after you let go, and a second press returns the dials to normal.

Sony's example sets the control wheel to ISO, the front dial to aperture and the rear dial to shutter speed. Here is what those three words mean in plain language:

• Aperture is like the pupil of your eye. Big opening, more light and a blurrier background.
• Shutter speed is like a door opening and closing. A quick door freezes motion. A slow door lets motion blur.
• ISO is like turning up a volume knob for light. More brightness, but also more grain if you push it far.

If you leave every dial in a preset set to [Not set], the camera skips that preset when you press the key. So you can save just one preset and the key won't bounce you through empty ones.

The newer Help Guide adds one more option: tick [Separate M mode and other modes.] and you can give the dials different jobs in Manual Exposure than in the other exposure modes.

Recommended layout for video

Before you set buttons for video, know two movie settings. Frame rate controls how smooth motion looks, and it lives at [Movie Settings] → [Rec Frame Rate]. Bit rate changes image quality, and it lives at [Movie Settings] → [Record Setting]. Bit rate is like the number of crayons in your box: more crayons, more detail.

The FX3 also has two ways to control exposure in movies. With [Exposure Ctrl Type] set to [P/A/S/M Mode], you choose exposure the same way as for photos. With [Flexible Exp. Mode], you can set shutter speed, aperture and ISO automatically or manually, each on its own.

Video Fn menu starting point

Sony says you can change ISO, exposure compensation and focus area while you are recording. Those make strong Fn candidates. Here is a starting list. Remember that what each slot accepts can vary, so if an item doesn't appear, move on to the next.

Suggested Fn item	Why it earns a slot
Rec Frame Rate	Sets how smooth motion looks
Record Setting	Sets bit rate and image quality
Focus Mode	Switch between Continuous AF and Manual Focus
Focus Area	Changeable while recording
ISO	Changeable while recording
Exposure compensation	Changeable while recording
Exposure Ctrl Type	Switch between P/A/S/M and Flexible Exp. Mode
Audio Recording	Turn it off when camera and lens sounds would ruin the track

Leave the other slots empty for now. Fill them later when you notice yourself hunting for something in MENU.

Video buttons

• AF On and Focus Magnifier: Sony's Help Guide points you to assign these two to keys. Focus Magnifier zooms the screen so you can check sharpness, like holding a magnifying glass to a map.
• Focus Hold: assign it at MENU → (Setup) → [Operation Customize] → [Custom Key Setting]. It keeps focus where it is.
• Dial preset key: one button to swap your dials into an exposure setup.
• MENU on a key: Sony says you can assign the MENU function to a custom key.

Even when you shoot with manual focus, Sony says you can switch to autofocus for a moment. Half-pressing the shutter button focuses quickly during movies, though the focus sound may be recorded in some cases.

For more video settings, read Best Sony FX30 Settings for Cinematic Video (2026 Guide).

Recommended layout for photos

Your photo layout is a separate set, so changes here won't touch your video buttons.

Photo Fn menu starting point

Suggested Fn item	Why it earns a slot
Drive Mode	Sony's own Fn example; continuous shooting runs up to about 10 images per second at Hi+
ISO	Still image ISO runs from 80 to 102,400, and ISO AUTO lets you set a maximum and minimum
Focus Mode	Quick switch for moving or still subjects
Focus Area	Tells the camera where to look
Exposure compensation	Makes the picture brighter or darker in one step
File format	The FX3 saves JPEG, HEIF and RAW

RAW is like keeping the whole cake batter instead of a baked slice. You can reshape it more later.

Photo buttons

• Eye AF on Custom button 5: Sony's own example, and it focuses on eyes while you hold the button.
• AF On: separates focusing from the shutter button.
• Focus Magnifier: check sharpness before you shoot.
• Dial preset key: set the control wheel to ISO, the front dial to aperture and the rear dial to shutter speed, as in Sony's example.

If your photos come out soft, these buttons help you find out why. Magnify the screen, check where focus landed, and adjust. Each blurry frame tells you something useful for the next one.

A few habits that keep your layout useful

Start small. Set three buttons, use them for a week, then change what bugs you. A layout you built slowly is one your thumb will remember.

Write your layout on a card and keep it in your bag until it sticks. If you build out the camera with a cage, check that it doesn't block the buttons you just set up.

If you are still on day one with an FX30, start with Sony FX30 First-Time Setup for Video (Beginner Guide), then come back here to set your buttons. Want a printable version of these layouts? Sign up for the theCamera.School newsletter.