Xdcam Ex

[mikewood]

Our station in Grand Rapids Michigan is probably going to buy some of these Sony XDCAM EX model PMW-EX1. Anybody know any television stations that are using these things? These will be our main cameras, and seem to present many difficulties for us, any thoughts?

[dhart]

Hi Mike,

Don't know about TV stations using them but an excellent review is at http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=171. Seems to be a great camera technically, but wonder if it would hold up under news use. Also problem of no shoulder mount. I have the Canon XH A-1 and use something called the DV "Media Mount" that is a throw back to a device I used when I ran a Cine-16 film camera. Works well, but you look like kinda of dork using it, but it's better than looking like a tourist :-).

P.S. What happened to my old buddy Mark MacIntosh?

[TXTechPhoto]

Man your gonna be hurting if your doing any handheld work. I have not used the camera but just like the HVX this camera is really not an ENG camera. Also, there is some concern on the camera forums about the split exposure. Which I hear could make some funky video during a press conference or sporting event. I wanna hear some more reviews on this issue and the skewing issue. I don't think your station should run out and get this camera just yet.

[AlexLucas]

Simply put, it's a micro-production camera. Start hooking up cables on daily use for liveshots, and catch yourself out in the open on a sunset to night shoot, and you're hung out to dry.

Look, I'm not knocking the affordability of these cameras. Not one bit. And I'm not arguing the "bang for your buck" you're getting with these cameras now, they're incredible. You should think about them for yourself, and then get to cracking on the dream. That's really what they're made for.

Still. Let's be perfectly honest in the situation... no matter what, no matter how you spin up the features, the glass is downright inferior. If you're taking that class of camera, you're going to have to accept that fact. Anyone that knows anything about imaging and cleanliness (every station should, most people don't know why they like the more expensive cameras, they just do), knows that is was has been, and will always be about the glass.

That's the way it is. You can't argue with the laws of physics.

You can skimp in a lot of directions, technology can change, but if the glass is not up to your current Beta standards, it will NEVER look like a good image, HD or not.

You can impress your friends with the most amazing home movies, the most incredible wedding videos out there in HD, but when you take that lens and try to blow it up into a full 42" 1080i image? You're going to see some flat muddiness.

It's nice for a chase camera on a cable show like dirty jobs. It is not designed to be a primary for broadcast.

[Alaska cameradude]

You can skimp in a lot of directions, technology can change, but if the glass is not up to your current Beta standards, it will NEVER look like a good image, HD or not.

You can impress your friends with the most amazing home movies, the most incredible wedding videos out there in HD, but when you take that lens and try to blow it up into a full 42" 1080i image? You're going to see some flat muddiness.

It's nice for a chase camera on a cable show like dirty jobs. It is not designed to be a primary for broadcast.

Um....sorry to break this to you, but you will NOT have to 'blow it up' to a full 42 1080i image. This camera actually shoots 1080i.....as well as shooting 720p and GET THIS....1080p! It has half inch CMOS chips and a REAL lens, not a handycam lens!......that's right, an actual Fuji lens. It will blow your Beta away resolution wise, actual 1920x1080 chips......without using pixel shift.

Of course, there is some bad as well. Can't change lenses, you are stuck with the lens that you get (which is pretty good). You are stuck with a handycam form factor which kinda sucks, but I bet there will be aftermarket shoulder mounts out before too long. And the archive situation won't be as easy as tape, although it should be easier than P2, because you can burn to the XDcam discs that cost about $30 once Sony's USB burner comes out. Basically, if you think the 350 or 330 is good, you will like the picture of the EX.....you can hardly tell the difference, it is THAT good!

With it's handycam form factor and new tapeless workflow (with the archiving problems this brings up), it's not for everyone. But before you start taking the word of me or anyone else on the internet, I say do this.....shoot something with the EX, and then shoot the same thing with Beta SP and see which picture YOU like better! I think you may be surprised.

[AlexLucas]

Um....sorry to break this to you, but you will NOT have to 'blow it up' to a full 42 1080i image. This camera actually shoots 1080i.....as well as shooting 720p and GET THIS....1080p! It has half inch CMOS chips and a REAL lens, not a handycam lens!......that's right, an actual Fuji lens. It will blow your Beta away resolution wise, actual 1920x1080 chips......without using pixel shift.



No. I'm not talking about 'pixel shift.'

I'm talking about resolution issues that cause aberration when you have such a small, short throated lens trying to push to HD. When you watch an image on a larger screen, the more you see how good the glass was or isn't going to look. The larger the resolving image, the more you'll see the errors in the lens, and the short throat design.

Like I've said, I love these cameras, but you need to think of them as a secondary, not a primary for broadcast. The glass is, was, and always will be THE most important thing on a camera.

If it wasn't, why would the rental price on a set of Cooke primes be more than the entire camera kit on a movie?

[Ace Of Nothing]

to echo what's already been said, the EX is a great little camera! I've already played with one and I was very impressed. For the price-point you get a lot of camera. The lens is far better than most prosumer cameras and it produced some decent pictures.

But, and a big "But", the above postings are correct. The lens is great for the price point but it can't compete with full-size ENG cameras with lenses that cost more than the entire EX package. Also, say goodbye to all your telephoto shots! The range on the EX is medium at best. Pressers where you are at the rear of the room and the speaker is at the front, breaking news where cops keep you half a mile from the scene, close-ups you need shot from any position other than already close-up, these will not be an option anymore. It will be like going from having a full SLR kit with a wide, medium and telephoto lens to a point and shoot camera. Great for family snap-shots, not good for news.

The thing that hasn't been addressed on this thread is interface issues. I shoot primarily with a Betcam or similar full size ENG cameras. I also own a Canon XH-A1 which I use for personal projects. The Canon is a fantastic little camera and even on DV it's images are almost on par with my Betacam. But if I had to chose one to shoot with all day I would pick the full-size ENG, even though it's more than 5 times the weight.

I hate the interface of prosumer cameras. They often have buttons for things you never use on the side and keep functions you do use in menus. They are incredibly awkward to hand-hold for longer than 3 minutes without some kind of brace system. Once you add accessories (RF receiver, sun-gun) the weight on your wrists is almost unbearable hand-held at shoulder level. The viewfinders are almost always useless and the LCD screens are nice but not as accurate for focus and composition as a B+W viewfinder. (The EX has a very nice LCD BTW)

Overall I would find shooting news on any prosumer camera (even the EX, which I like!) frustrating, slow and infuriating. If your competition uses full size ENG cameras then expect to get scooped and left in the dust on a regular basis.

As the above posts have said, great secondary camera for riots, cool angles, documentary type work where having a small unassuming camera would be an advantage but not as a primary ENG camera.

[BNVN]

For your everyday ENG news packages it might not be what your looking for. But for run and gun ENG spot news stringer work, this looks like the right thing. Not having to go back dub tape to then edit is so fn great that it is not even funny.

When I was out last week shooting for CNN and TWC with the winter storms, I had the PD170 hooked up as a dash camera and hooked up to a Firestore unit. So when ever I needed to start recording car wrecks or plows, I would just hit record on the FS4.

Once I was done shooting, I was editing in Adobe 2.0 with no time to waste with reviewing and dubbing tape then editing.

Granted it is not going to be a cheap replacement for TV stations but for production companies and stringers, this looks like the perfect new toy.

As for quality, who really cares about that anymore? Honestly, who cares about quality when all of the networks and TV stations are using YouTube style home video from viewers as the top story that were shot on their cell phones?

Quality has for the most part been dismissed to quantity and shock value when it comes to the news. And as for HD, I know of a ton of stations that are still shooting on Beta and they have no plans to switch ot HD anytime soon.

[AlexLucas]

As for quality, who really cares about that anymore? Honestly, who cares about quality when all of the networks and TV stations are using YouTube style home video from viewers as the top story that were shot on their cell phones?

Quality has for the most part been dismissed to quantity and shock value when it comes to the news. And as for HD, I know of a ton of stations that are still shooting on Beta and they have no plans to switch ot HD anytime soon.

Wow. How do I break this to you? It has always been about image quality. Surveys after surveys will show you again and a again that there is a caveat associated with properly shot, lit, and edited video that speaks of a certain classiness that the public demands.

It seems that you're more interested in the YouTube phenomenon. To be perfectly honest though, YouTube is going through a HD beta test right now. Even they understand that people would rather watch video that looked good.

Proof? I had a best friend that got a HD set and watched an evening's show on beavers for 90-minutes the night he got HD. Why? Because it was HD. Advertisers, especially auto advertisers, are noticing that HD commercials equate to sales improvements. People would rather watch crap on HD than some good things on SD. I know there are studies that Chicago Dog and others have linked to in the past on this forum alone.

Image quality matters. PERIOD. Just because there is a glut of cable shows doesn't mean they're getting more than .2 ratings.

[Myblue]

I was told by Sony today that a company in Chicago is already designing shoulder mounts for the EX camera's. I'll ask him what company it is.

[OffSticks]

Our ops manager ordered and recieved twelve EX cams last week. A few days later Sony had him ship the cameras back. They are having serious firmware issues. I say go with P2. It's proven and it's available now. For the first time ever, Panasonic is ahead of the curve and Sony is playing catch-up.