Will there be a PMW-320 thread? at DVinfo.net

Jim Forrest · October 28th, 2011, 09:26 AM

Just wondering if anyone will be starting a PMW-320 thread or will just following the PMW-350 posts give basically the same info since the cameras are similar?
Can't afford the 2/3 in. PMW-350 but thinking of getting a the PMW-320 after selling my EX3.

Anthony McErlean · October 28th, 2011, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Forrest

but thinking of getting a the PMW-320 after selling my EX3.

I sold my EX3 and bought a 320 and am well pleased with it. You wont regret it,.. well I dont.

Jim Forrest · October 29th, 2011, 07:07 AM

Can I ask what it is that you like about the 320 over the EX3?

Anthony McErlean · October 30th, 2011, 04:10 AM

Hi,
Its a proper shoulder mount, so its better balanced.
Led camera light comes on when I hit record.
Prefer to have the XLRs at the back of the camera. (this is what I was used to)
Works better in low light, (well I think so)
Can use a portabrace cover.

I would have liked the card slots to be on the other side of the 320 but can live with that.

The EX3 is a great camera but I wouldn't go back to one.

Luc De Wandel · October 30th, 2011, 04:47 PM

I have the 320 and I'm very satisfied with it. The controls are on the right places, just where they are on any other professional shoulder camera. With smaller cams nowadays you need miniature fingers to operate some switches and knobs. Not so with the 320. Plus V-lock batteries, interchangable lenses without an adapter, D-tap connector, ... Mighty machine!

Jim Forrest · October 30th, 2011, 08:25 PM

I am hoping to get one in the next 60 days, assuming I can sell the EX3 for a fair price and come up with the balance cost.
I am just old fashioned and like a shoulder mounted camera with all the controls in the right places.
I am tired of using a shoulder brace.

Luc De Wandel · October 31st, 2011, 03:29 AM

Same here: I used to have a Sony Z7, which was also a very good camera, but the contraptions I needed to use to allow decent focusing and framing, really put me off. A shoulder camera still is the best way to go, as far as I'm concerned. Unless all shooting is done from a tripod, of course...

Rob Perry · November 23rd, 2011, 09:13 AM

I own an EX1r and convinced my company to get the 320 as our upgrade into HD production this year since I was already personally familiar with the XDCAM EX system; also the 1/2" CMOS chips alone made it the obvious choice when comparing to similar cameras in it's price range.

The original Sony candidate for us was the EX3 though, but the 320 beat it in several things:
1) the loaner EX3 we got had been around the block a few times, which was actually a good thing because it was a good indicator of how the camera fairs under heavy (people-who-don't-care-about-it-because-it's-not-theirs) use... and the end result was the top handle was almost coming apart/the screws holding it together were stripped and not holding it together.
2) the fact that the viewfinder is the LCD screen kinda sucks, I like having two options.
3) the form factor. In comparison to my EX1r, it's horrible; mainly the non-locking power switch and similar buttons, the "spring loaded" SxS door and tripod plate. Also that it's some weird handheld/should hybrid.
4) the included lens in indexed and doesn't allow smooth slow zooms; anything lower than "zoom speed 7" or something results in a jerky motor response.
5) it's now officially the most out-dated of the EX lineup.

So the 320 offers a ton more features and the included lens actually does a great job with those super slow zooms, and the overall optics are decent. In order to penny-pinch we ended up going with IDX v-mount batteries, which are OK except that they suffer from a somewhat sudden power loss. Actually I think the biggest problem is that the 320's LCD battery monitor function only shows remaining voltage instead of a percentage. So if you're just shooting the day away through the viewfinder mainly, you might not realize how low your battery is. It was only after a few days I realized that there is a bar-meter for the battery level on the side LED display though, which was nice. Ultimately I wished we would have just gone with the Sony batteries though.

Something that is neat but ultimately useless for my company though is the wireless receiver slot, which if you don't need, ends up resulting in files with 4 mono audio tracks. We're fairly basic in our productions and only ever need two channels, so it means I have to get rid of the extra audio tracks during the edit which is a pain in the ass.

There's probably more to say about it, but ultimately I think that it's a shame the 320 seemed to get overlooked so often. Also the combination of my EX1r with it as a B-cam is really great; matching the color profiles requires a little bit of guess work, but I was able to get them very close. I don't think there are really any faults with it either, and the idea/option of upgrading it to a super fast Fuji lens later down the road would make it that much better.

Dave Sperling · November 23rd, 2011, 10:25 AM

Rob,
For many people audio 3 and 4 are really an asset separate from the wireless slot capability.
We normally keep channels 3 and 4 on 'Front Mic' - so they record two more tracks of audio from the camera's perspective (great for live events where a mult box or board feed doesn't include applause or audience reactions) and has saved us on more than one occasion when the regular audio tracks are otherwise compromised (such as at a press junket when the two A-list talent who are on wireless lavs decide to give each other a hug, and the wireless tracks are nothing but 'crunch'). Plus, in really noisy club situations you may even be able to use the additional tracks to provide phase cancellation audio to help make your primary audio more intelligible! And of course if you need more audio tracks, they're there!

Jim Forrest · November 25th, 2011, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luc De Wandel

I have the 320 and I'm very satisfied with it. The controls are on the right places, just where they are on any other professional shoulder camera. With smaller cams nowadays you need miniature fingers to operate some switches and knobs. Not so with the 320. Plus V-lock batteries, interchangable lenses without an adapter, D-tap connector, ... Mighty machine!

I am looking forward to getting one, if the stars align in the correct way.

Luc De Wandel · November 25th, 2011, 05:20 PM

Mine was in back-order when I ordered it, so I had to wait 3 months to get it, but it was worth every second of the long wait. It is an amazing camera for what it costs, huge value for money.

Ronnie Martin · November 26th, 2011, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Sperling

Rob,
For many people audio 3 and 4 are really an asset separate from the wireless slot capability.
We normally keep channels 3 and 4 on 'Front Mic' - so they record two more tracks of audio from the camera's perspective (great for live events where a mult box or board feed doesn't include applause or audience reactions) and has saved us on more than one occasion when the regular audio tracks are otherwise compromised (such as at a press junket when the two A-list talent who are on wireless lavs decide to give each other a hug, and the wireless tracks are nothing but 'crunch'). Plus, in really noisy club situations you may even be able to use the additional tracks to provide phase cancellation audio to help make your primary audio more intelligible! And of course if you need more audio tracks, they're there!

We have the 320 along with the Ex-1r and the Ex-3. The 320 is really an awesome camera and we enjoy using it in a studio configuration. One question I have is about the 4 channel audio feature. we normally use the XLR inputs on the back of our camera for the wireless receivers. Recently we needed all 4 channels for audio inputs and wanted to use the inputs on the front of the camera only to realize that the mike is stereo and the XLR connection is different. Do you know of a product that connects to the stereo input on the front of the camera and allows two separate normal XLR connectors?
Thanks
Ronnie

Dave Sperling · November 26th, 2011, 11:08 PM

Hello Ronnie,
Quite a few of the new stereo mics use a 5 pin XLR. I've seen adapter cables that work in both directions- they look like Y cables but they split the 5-pin stereo XLR into two 3-pin mono xlr's

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/484525-REG/Sony_CCXA53_A_5_Pin_XLR_Female_to.html
or

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/766151-REG/Remote_Audio_CAXSTEX5M_CAXSTEX5M_5_Pin_XLR_Male.html
Look around, there are a number of them, and check with your sound equip supplier.

At ET we had several sets for their PDW-355's, and they often came in handy.

October 28th, 2011, 09:26 AM	#1
Jim Forrest Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Washington DC Posts: 368	Will there be a PMW-320 thread? Just wondering if anyone will be starting a PMW-320 thread or will just following the PMW-350 posts give basically the same info since the cameras are similar? Can't afford the 2/3 in. PMW-350 but thinking of getting a the PMW-320 after selling my EX3.

October 29th, 2011, 07:07 AM	#3
Jim Forrest Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Washington DC Posts: 368	Re: Will there be a PMW-320 thread? Can I ask what it is that you like about the 320 over the EX3?

October 30th, 2011, 04:10 AM	#4
Anthony McErlean Trustee Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Northern Ireland Posts: 1,077	Re: Will there be a PMW-320 thread? Hi, Its a proper shoulder mount, so its better balanced. Led camera light comes on when I hit record. Prefer to have the XLRs at the back of the camera. (this is what I was used to) Works better in low light, (well I think so) Can use a portabrace cover. I would have liked the card slots to be on the other side of the 320 but can live with that. The EX3 is a great camera but I wouldn't go back to one.

October 30th, 2011, 04:47 PM	#5
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	Re: Will there be a PMW-320 thread? I have the 320 and I'm very satisfied with it. The controls are on the right places, just where they are on any other professional shoulder camera. With smaller cams nowadays you need miniature fingers to operate some switches and knobs. Not so with the 320. Plus V-lock batteries, interchangable lenses without an adapter, D-tap connector, ... Mighty machine!

October 30th, 2011, 08:25 PM	#6
Jim Forrest Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Washington DC Posts: 368	Re: Will there be a PMW-320 thread? I am hoping to get one in the next 60 days, assuming I can sell the EX3 for a fair price and come up with the balance cost. I am just old fashioned and like a shoulder mounted camera with all the controls in the right places. I am tired of using a shoulder brace.

October 31st, 2011, 03:29 AM	#7
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	Re: Will there be a PMW-320 thread? Same here: I used to have a Sony Z7, which was also a very good camera, but the contraptions I needed to use to allow decent focusing and framing, really put me off. A shoulder camera still is the best way to go, as far as I'm concerned. Unless all shooting is done from a tripod, of course...

November 23rd, 2011, 09:13 AM	#8
Rob Perry Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 26	Re: Will there be a PMW-320 thread? I own an EX1r and convinced my company to get the 320 as our upgrade into HD production this year since I was already personally familiar with the XDCAM EX system; also the 1/2" CMOS chips alone made it the obvious choice when comparing to similar cameras in it's price range. The original Sony candidate for us was the EX3 though, but the 320 beat it in several things: 1) the loaner EX3 we got had been around the block a few times, which was actually a good thing because it was a good indicator of how the camera fairs under heavy (people-who-don't-care-about-it-because-it's-not-theirs) use... and the end result was the top handle was almost coming apart/the screws holding it together were stripped and not holding it together. 2) the fact that the viewfinder is the LCD screen kinda sucks, I like having two options. 3) the form factor. In comparison to my EX1r, it's horrible; mainly the non-locking power switch and similar buttons, the "spring loaded" SxS door and tripod plate. Also that it's some weird handheld/should hybrid. 4) the included lens in indexed and doesn't allow smooth slow zooms; anything lower than "zoom speed 7" or something results in a jerky motor response. 5) it's now officially the most out-dated of the EX lineup. So the 320 offers a ton more features and the included lens actually does a great job with those super slow zooms, and the overall optics are decent. In order to penny-pinch we ended up going with IDX v-mount batteries, which are OK except that they suffer from a somewhat sudden power loss. Actually I think the biggest problem is that the 320's LCD battery monitor function only shows remaining voltage instead of a percentage. So if you're just shooting the day away through the viewfinder mainly, you might not realize how low your battery is. It was only after a few days I realized that there is a bar-meter for the battery level on the side LED display though, which was nice. Ultimately I wished we would have just gone with the Sony batteries though. Something that is neat but ultimately useless for my company though is the wireless receiver slot, which if you don't need, ends up resulting in files with 4 mono audio tracks. We're fairly basic in our productions and only ever need two channels, so it means I have to get rid of the extra audio tracks during the edit which is a pain in the ass. There's probably more to say about it, but ultimately I think that it's a shame the 320 seemed to get overlooked so often. Also the combination of my EX1r with it as a B-cam is really great; matching the color profiles requires a little bit of guess work, but I was able to get them very close. I don't think there are really any faults with it either, and the idea/option of upgrading it to a super fast Fuji lens later down the road would make it that much better.

November 23rd, 2011, 10:25 AM	#9
Dave Sperling Major Player Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Tinton Falls, NJ Posts: 780	Re: Will there be a PMW-320 thread? Rob, For many people audio 3 and 4 are really an asset separate from the wireless slot capability. We normally keep channels 3 and 4 on 'Front Mic' - so they record two more tracks of audio from the camera's perspective (great for live events where a mult box or board feed doesn't include applause or audience reactions) and has saved us on more than one occasion when the regular audio tracks are otherwise compromised (such as at a press junket when the two A-list talent who are on wireless lavs decide to give each other a hug, and the wireless tracks are nothing but 'crunch'). Plus, in really noisy club situations you may even be able to use the additional tracks to provide phase cancellation audio to help make your primary audio more intelligible! And of course if you need more audio tracks, they're there!

November 25th, 2011, 05:20 PM	#11
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	Re: Will there be a PMW-320 thread? Mine was in back-order when I ordered it, so I had to wait 3 months to get it, but it was worth every second of the long wait. It is an amazing camera for what it costs, huge value for money.

November 26th, 2011, 11:08 PM	#13
Dave Sperling Major Player Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Tinton Falls, NJ Posts: 780	Re: Will there be a PMW-320 thread? Hello Ronnie, Quite a few of the new stereo mics use a 5 pin XLR. I've seen adapter cables that work in both directions- they look like Y cables but they split the 5-pin stereo XLR into two 3-pin mono xlr's http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/484525-REG/Sony_CCXA53_A_5_Pin_XLR_Female_to.html or http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/766151-REG/Remote_Audio_CAXSTEX5M_CAXSTEX5M_5_Pin_XLR_Male.html Look around, there are a number of them, and check with your sound equip supplier. At ET we had several sets for their PDW-355's, and they often came in handy.