It's no 900R but...
 

I am growing tired of lugging cases of gear around the world and the related headaches when dealing with unscrupulous customs agents. So, as my first official post on this board, may I pose this question. Do my fellow DP/Videographers see this camera as a solution to working abroad when trying to travel with a "lower" profile? I am really excited by the promise that this camera may hold (DOF issues aside). For me, this camera would be used to shoot a news magazine style program that is currently delivered in SD. We are an Avid shop so editing should not be an issue. I apprreciate your thoughts and any insights.

You'll have to letterbox or protect for 4:3 aspect and crop in post, as the EX offers no SD mode.

And the camera includes the ability to see such 4:3 guides on the LCD and it's what all HD production do for broadcast today.

While HD is not yet in the majority of households, any broadcast production with an eye towards longevity (syndication, etc) is shooting HD.

The EX1 does have the ability output SD on SDI but that may not be relevant to most field production though.

Well said.... I would add that there have been compelling arguments made that the path to SD is best when acquired in HD.

This may have been asked and answered elsewhere, but is the SD/SDI output switchable between crop and letterboxed? That may be a good bit of info for Dave's situation.

Down convert squeezed, letterboxed or cropped in either camera or media mode - according to the manual.

vince

Absolutely! I think that the camera is quite ideal for travel shooting because of its low-profile, allowing to be presented as a consumer camcorder. If the quality is comparable to the 330 and 350 as many here and elsewhere indicated, then there is no problem.

Not that this is any indication of gear quality but I bet you anything that within weeks of its release the EX1 will be used for some indy feature out there... yeah, it shoots 24 fps. :-)

I have traveled the world for the past 2 years shooting with a Z1. I will be placing my order for an EX1 this week.

It is the perfect camera for travel shooting. It is getting harder these days to shoot with a big field camera. It is a sacrifice to use a smaller camera, but with the EX1 I don't think that I will be sacrificing much at all!!!

Dan Weber

I have the same concerns ...
 

My personal solution, especially with regard to SD, is to take the HVX200. The reasons are simple, confiscation of equipment by any officials, in 3rd world countries, is a real concern everybody involved with media needs to consider. The EX1, in my opinion, will be a hot camera for some time and desirable. That is not so much the case with the HVX200 or other older cameras. The investment costs are lower and the lose of taken equipment will hurt less.

Dean,

I am in the same situation as you and have been using a Z1 since it came out. I have taken it in and out of over 25 countries during that time. I have an EX1 on order and can't wait to move up in quality from the Z1.

I am very certain that 100% of all customs officials can't tell the difference between an HVX200 and an EX1. To them it is a camera.

I find that the type of case you put the camera in is more of an issue. i now use a Portabrace Run Bag and my Z1 fits in perfectly in the middle and is very well protected. I then carry the bag on the plane and don't have any issues.

I would put more of an effort into the different codecs and workflows between the HVX200 and the EX1 and not so much on what customs officials think of the cameras.

If you use any of the smaller cameras you have a major advantage in getting in and out of countries than you would with a full size camera.

Good discussion though. If I could I would use a full size camera (probably an F355), but for what I do and more importantly where i go, I need to use smaller cameras. That is why I am excited about the EX1.

Daniel Weber

Making a stolen camera a "brick"
 

One thing that would be nice for those of us that have to travel with our gear would be to have a mode where the camera requires a password/PIN in order to function at all, so that if the camera is stolen (or "accidentally misplaced" by officials) then it becomes a brick without the unlock code. To unlock a camera that has a code that you forgot, you would have to send it in to the manufacturer where they would verify ownership of the particular unit based on something like serial number.

Mike

security ...
 

unlock code is a good idea!

unlock code
 

I agree. Send that to Sony, wait no, every expensive camera should have something like that. Thieves will eventually learn they cant steal cameras. The world will be a better place.