XDCAM EX HD v AG-HVX200
 

Simplistic enough heading.....how will this camera shape up v the Panny.

I take it they will both be the head to head in this price range.

Both look to do 24fps film-like...etc

I suppose if they can match it up to be nearly as good....the cheaper memory cards will swing the Sony into the lead.

Not to mention the bigger chips and real lens on the Sony.....

The Sony will have a proper 1080 HD front end, not SD CCD's with pixel shift. It should match very well with other Sony cameras for multi-camera shoots. I can't wait to get my hands on one. My guess is it wont have an image stabiliser, but that's no big loss, if your shots are really bad you'll be able to use the new smoothing tool in FCP 6. You'll should be able to buy the memory cards from many suppliers as it is non-exclusive technology, so should be cheaper. Many new laptops and Macbook Pros already have slots to take the cards and cheap PCMCIA adapters are available.

8Gb cards currently $440.00 see http://www.hsc-us.com/Consumer2/expr...p34fd_buy.html

Once the 2/3" 50Mb camera arrives there will be a complete production system from a low cost grab and go camera right through to a high end camera suitable for TV drama all using one codec, one set of editing tools, one type of disk. HD productions are soon to become as simple and easy as a DV/DVCAM shoot.

I think the only comparison between these two will be cost. The XDCAM EX wins clearly on all other fronts.

I am curious if you guys think that the future of all XDCAM products will be SxS/ExpressCard Flash within a few years?

It would be great if future cameras had the options to do both!

I'm not sure if it will work but last night I saw a 4 GB Express Card 34 at Office Max. I cannot remember what brand name it was but it looked just like the ones from the photos of the XDCAM EX camera.


These things could end up being like DV tapes where if you had an emergency you could just go to a PC store to buy a few new cards.

I think that's the general idea...
As technology moves forward, I'm sure we'll see more standardizations rather than fewer, doesn't that seem to be the general trend in all things new? Everyone moving to a common ground place? (ok, *most* everyone?)

Has it been confirmed that you can use any plain ExpressCard/34 memory card in this camera? Or do you specifically have to use the SxS cards from Sony and Sandisk?

According to the SxS press release on DPReview, it seems like the cards comply with the ExpressCard standards but they just guarantee a transfer speed of 800 Mbps. Is this just a case of Sony putting their own branding (SxS) on the cards but the cards are still non-proprietary? What do you guys think?

I don't really know the answer to this, but at the NAB presentation Sony had a powerpoint slide listing advantages of the ExpressCard architecture. One of them was that it was not a proprietary Sony thing and multiple vendors would supply cards.

It’s obvious that Sony is trying to go after the HVX200 and between the two, I would pick the XDCAM EX but November is a very long time and I believe Panasonic will release an HVX200 replacement by then.

Once Panasonic does release a successor to the HVX200, I can imagine the prices of both camcorders dropping very fast. It’s already happening to the XH-A1 and the V1u where you can buy them for $3,250 and $3,600 at B&H.

No way.

And I don't understand how you can really compare these two cameras yet. For all we know the Sony could have the worst picture in the world even though the specs are nice.

I would be very surprised if the EX dosn't have what is essentially the F350/F330 optical block, CCD's and much of the same signal processing. Maybe Panasonic will announce a replacement between now and when the EX hits the dealers, but when will it actually become available, the HVX took over a year! To date Panasonic have yet to release a camera with proper 1080 CCD's, most so far have been pixel shifted SD. So in my view between now and the launch of the EX panasonic would have to ditch P2 and switch to a proprietary card format, produce their first 1080 optics/CCD's and develope a codec actually capable of recording something better than 1280x1080 (I know XDCAM is only 1440x1080) before they even have a chance to realistically compete.

With the BBC and many others stating that they will require new HD productions to be shot 1080 I can't se why anyone would want a camera that can't shoot 1080.

At this point I would like to remind everyone that DVinfo has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to platform wars and we are skating very close to the edge in this thread....

Let's stick to simple comparisons....
 

Guys, you know we don't do platform wars here at DVINFO. If you want to make comparisons, do so from a technical point of view and leave negative comments about other manufacturers and formats out of it.

What may seem like a simple off-the-cuff remark when you write it can become a statement that angers someone who is using the other format and then they feel compelled to respond. Before you know it, a platform and flame war ensues. We have a policy of nipping that in the bud so I've already edited some comments out of the prior posts in this thread.

A proper comparison can't be made anyway until the XDCAM EX is actually available for review.

regards,

-gb-

If you're seriously interested in buying a camera in this price range and can wait until the XDCAM EX is readily available (probably sometime next year), then it's likely worth the wait to see how it performs. If you need an HD camera now for under $10K and aren't satisfied with any of the HDV models, then the HVX200 is a solid choice. 'Nuff said.