XDCam won't hold up in sandy environments?

[Baltimore Shooter]

I had a discussion with a military Public Affairs officer who was requesting the XDCam-EX instead of the Disc based XDCam. He said the disc based camera won't hold up in sandy environments, like the desert?

Anyone know if this is correct or not and if the EX will?

Warren

[photogguy]

Is the the opinion of the military public officer, or does he have direct knowledge of said problem?

[Baltimore Shooter]

From what I gather, it's his opinion. In his words, "I don't think they'll hold up in the sandy environments I have in mind."

Warren

[2000lux]

Tell that to all the people who shot Betacam in the first Gulf War. What about all the Mini DV cam's running around Iraq today?

I guess since the EX has no moving parts (other than the lens), the potential for problems is lower.

[Canonman]

From what I gather, it's his opinion. In his words, "I don't think they'll hold up in the sandy environments I have in mind."

Warren

An enclosed media, that is doubly protected by an inner and outer door seal on the camera. The body panels have weather seals also. I'm talking about the full sized disc camera, not the EX-1.

A sand blasted lens maybe :)

That's just my opinion from being an owner, not from having used it in a place such as Iraq.

cm

[Ruff]

I have never had a problem with XDCAM in windy sandy places.

[SimonW]

Ditto what the others said. The system has been proven time after time in such environments.

[Lenslinger]

I've found the XDCAM to be extremely robust. Mine's held up well in all conditions - from Class 2 Hurricanes, mountaintop snowstorms, smelly hallway scrums and the cadaver dog heat of a Carolina jungle. Just don't make it shoot ribbon cuttings.

It hates that.

[Brock Samson]

Just don't make it shoot ribbon cuttings.

It hates that.



Bwahahahahaha!!!!!!

[must-c-tv]

I used the 1/2 inch HD XDCam on a lengthy Afghan embed - and it held up fine.

On a personal note - and I want to tread carefully here, since I've gotten along fine with these guys - I've noticed many US Combat Cameras don't take the best care of the gear.

That's not a insult against them - but Combat Camera doesn't always have the same production expectations of say of 60 Minutes, or freelancers who own their own gear and thus protect it better etc.

[ccosma]

Just got back from Tanzania with my XDCAM camera and discs. Lots of sand and bumpy roads and no problem at all! :) Those Sony's are tough. From below 30 degrees F. and snow to 80 degrees and desert in one week with the same camera and it performed excellent!

[newsindc]

I had problems with sand. I was shooting a story about a nor'easter coming in and they sent me to the beach. We had no rain but had wind at 40 to 45 miles an hour and gust up to about 65. When the sand hit you it hurt. Since it was not raining and the wind was not that bad when we got there I did not put a rain jacket on the camera (f-350 XDcam hd). Big mistake. By the time our 6 pm live shot was done the camera had sand every where. The camera was done for the day. It would not record and would not eject the disc. It had sand in the XLR audio input jacks. Any place the sand could go it was there. It took two hours to blow the sand out and get the camera to work again. And I am still finding sand in it. SO I don't think the camera holds up well in a sand storm..

[ewink]

Didn't use it for a long time, but mine never gave me any problems in Vegas. Hopefully one of the KLAS guys will chime in here saying they've been working flawlessly.

[Ruff]

If you are in a 'sand storm' wouldn't you consider the basic precaution of loading your disc inside the truck, then putting a strip of tape over the disc slot?

[NewsMan]

I used the 1/2 inch HD XDCam on a lengthy Afghan embed - and it held up fine.

On a personal note - and I want to tread carefully here, since I've gotten along fine with these guys - I've noticed many US Combat Cameras don't take the best care of the gear.

That's not a insult against them - but Combat Camera doesn't always have the same production expectations of say of 60 Minutes, or freelancers who own their own gear and thus protect it better etc.

True that. I thought the same thing about the guys downrange. They put their PD-150s through hell and many don't last long.

[JCTV]

I have had my 350 in several sandy situations and have never had a problem. I was shooting a story on lawnmower racing, (not a typo and they have speeds up to 90mph), on a dirt track. I was covered in red sand but the camera never skipped a beat. Just yesterday I was shooting on the beach here in Florida with blowing sand, no problems.

But, if the winds were crazy like newsindc said he was in, I would not take any camera out there without some type of protection. If the sand hurt your face, that is a good cue to cover the camera.

[Max Girth]

Last year I shot at Salton Sea, CA during a paragliding event. Lots of sand being blown around by propellors. Did this for 5 days. Also one-armed the camera a foot off the ground while hanging of the back of an ATV at 20mph. Camera was coated.

Never had a problem. I'm sure it's possible to get the camera to screw up with blowing sand, but given the weather seals on the disc door, I doubt it's any more susceptible than any tape based camera. If anything it seems to be more robust.

[canuckcam]

I've noticed many US Combat Cameras don't take the best care of the gear.

That's not a insult against them

Well, look at it relatively. A measly XDCAM is worth a few rounds of ammunition. And many times less than that of large ordinance.

[svp]

I had problems with sand. I was shooting a story about a nor'easter coming in and they sent me to the beach. We had no rain but had wind at 40 to 45 miles an hour and gust up to about 65. When the sand hit you it hurt. Since it was not raining and the wind was not that bad when we got there I did not put a rain jacket on the camera (f-350 XDcam hd). Big mistake. By the time our 6 pm live shot was done the camera had sand every where. The camera was done for the day. It would not record and would not eject the disc. It had sand in the XLR audio input jacks. Any place the sand could go it was there. It took two hours to blow the sand out and get the camera to work again. And I am still finding sand in it. SO I don't think the camera holds up well in a sand storm..


Now consider that type of situation day in and day out with all the helicopters taking off and landing, blowing sand everywhere.

[broadcastmike]

I'm the public affairs guy who originally posed the question... I'm a shooter by trade, mostly with larger cameras like the Sony DSR-570, Ikegami Editcam DNS-33W, and smaller cameras like the PD-170 and the XL-1. I've been given the unenviable task of finding a replacement for the cameras in our deployable kits, the PD-170.

We're looking to migrate to an HD acquisition environment, but still editing and disseminating in SD. Archiving is another concern once we move to HD. However, the original topic came up as I sat in my little cubicle, comapring the XD Cam EX and the Panasonic HVX-200.

First off, to the XD disc shooters, I'm sure it holds up fine in crappy environments... but my concern would be how your basic joe private would treat the optical media, especially considering the sandy, dusty surroundings, as well as the basic level of operator maintenance that doesn't always get done. Not to pile onto my uniformed brothers, but the younger guys do a piss poor job of taking care of their kit.

ANYWAY, my main objective was finding some EX shooters and get some feedback. I'm a little concerned about a few things... the handgrip on the EX seems to have a point of fracture where the grip rotates. I see that breaking easily. I also don't like that you have to have Sony's proprietary program to convert to .MXF. I do like the fact you can fit about 40 minutes of full HD on a 16GB card.

I'm really looking back and forth between the P2 camera and the EX as a next step for our kits... anyone want to weigh in?

Thanks,

Mike

[broadcastmike]

True that. I thought the same thing about the guys downrange. They put their PD-150s through hell and many don't last long.

One thing you WILL see -- if someone is SIGNED for their gear and financially responsible for its safekeeping, they have a real tendency to take good care of it! :)

Mike

[SandRat]

So far all our cams are not having any problems due to sand. And we have plenty of sand. All in all, they've been fantastic (and I don't use that word unless I mean it).

The pictures are great once you adapt to the 1/2" CCD's. Don't let anyone tell you the small CCD's are just as good as 2/3". I've been using my camera for two years now, and the difference is HUGE.

Out of 19 PDW-F350's, we've had about 9 of the Fujinon lenses have to be returned for bent/bending bayonet mount flanges. Fuji took care of them, but we're out of warranty now, so we'll see if they'll own up to their faulty product and be an honorable company.

Another 4 have had issues with the Sony V-mount being broken by the stress of Anton Bauer Gold Mount adapters. There's a tiny screw that's supposed to secure the adapter to the V-mount, but it doesn't help much and comes loose easily.

btw---as I mentioned above, I've been using mine for about two years of constant travel and shooting and I've not had any of the above mentioned issues with my assigned camera.

[Macro]

I had problems with sand. I was shooting a story about a nor'easter coming in and they sent me to the beach. We had no rain but had wind at 40 to 45 miles an hour and gust up to about 65. When the sand hit you it hurt. Since it was not raining and the wind was not that bad when we got there I did not put a rain jacket on the camera (f-350 XDcam hd). Big mistake. By the time our 6 pm live shot was done the camera had sand every where. The camera was done for the day. It would not record and would not eject the disc. It had sand in the XLR audio input jacks. Any place the sand could go it was there. It took two hours to blow the sand out and get the camera to work again. And I am still finding sand in it. SO I don't think the camera holds up well in a sand storm..

That one sounds like it was on you, not the camera. No camera would hold up to that kind of pounding for an entire day. I've shot the F355 on a windy and sandy beach and had no problems. I did have it covered however!! The XD system is pretty robust. My 2 cents...