EX1 or
 

Folks
Shall I submit my EX1 order or wait , are we expecting any successor or updates for this camcorder in the near future ?

The successor is already out. It is called the Ex-3.

EX3 is not a successor. It's the next in a series. EX1 is still very much being sold. In fact the firmware update for EX1, which is very recent, gave it some of the EX3 features (like the ability to use SDHC cards). My guess is NAB will bring something like an EX5 as full shoulder mount and other additions and will cost more.

Maybe EX-2

If anyone wanted to hear high praise for the EX1-3 you should have caught the Sony interactive internet expo, I think you can still register and catch all of it in the archives

The earliest a new model is likely to be announced is NAB, and don't then expect anything to be generally available for at least several months. So if you need such a camera within (say) the next six months, I'd go ahead with the order. Even if an EXx did get announced at NAB, it may not be a direct competitor to the EX1 - more likely more upmarket/more expensive.

i wonder if sony feels that the panny hmc150 is competition for the ex1/ex3 line.

thoughts?

thanks in advance for sharing your insights

be well

rob katz
smalltalk productions

That should probably be another thread, so as not to "hi-jack" this one.

Can you give us the Cliff's Notes version?

Personally I am intrigued by the new JVC offering that is getting a lot of buzz this week.

Seems like an EX1 guts, not CMOS but 3 CCD, 19, 25 & 35mbps recording, same recording resolutions from the EX1/3, smaller footprint, cheaper they are saying around $4000, and best of all, it records direct to cheap class 6 SDHC to a Quicktime format that can go from the card directly into Final Cut Pro.

And they are announcing a bigger brother at NAB this year.

that JVC may be an EX killer with the same low light chips and no cmos issues to deal
with.

I think it's more likely the other way around. When first released they were very different products, aimed at completely different markets - the Ex was more expensive, but much higher quality, and relied on expensive SxS memory, and a workflow which necessitated downloading. The 150 was cheaper, but offered memory so cheap it could be put on the shelf as it's own archive.

All that changed with the ability to use SDHC in the EX. Overnight the workflows of the two cameras became comparable, with the EX codec much easier to edit, though at the expense of a higher data rate.

What it meant was that if you compare cost of camera and a decent amount of memory, rather than just camera bodies, the cost difference between the two went dramatically down. Whereas previously the better quality and manual lens etc of the EX may not have been seen as worth the difference, now it seems far more worthwhile.
It's a very different camera - most especially in that it has 1/4" chips as opposed to the 1/2" of the EX. JVC haven't announced the specifics of the chips, but I can't believe they will be full 1920x1080, and if they were it would have poor low light performance. I see it as much more of a direct competitor to the 150 than the EX.

Lots have high hopes on this new JVC baby but I feel even with their new CCD's the low light performance will let it down.

I would sell my EX1 tomorrow if I am proved wrong BUT how are 1/4" CCD's (x3) gonna get decent resolution/sharpness (without the usual pixel shifting edge colouring) AND decent low light specs.

I think we are all willing it to live up to the usual marketing spin but as per usual reality will more than likely bite and we'll be left deflated.

Lets hope I'm wrong!

Can't wait to see some test footage

JVC have already said it will have pixel shift, so the sensors themselves will not be full resolution. It also doesn't have nice manual focus, iris and zoom rings. It's not an EX replacement, but what it looks like it will be is a good small discreet camera for unobtrusive shooting. As for the final picture quality, well we will have to wait and see. I doubt it will be up to the standard of the EX with 1/4" sensors, but until we see it in the flesh we can only guess. As I see it this will compliment the EX range nicely, near EX quality that you can use without attracting any attention.

There is a really insightful thread here on the whole notion of how the EX1/EX3 is positioned in the marketplace against other cameras giving possible scenarios about how Sony will react to advances by other manufacturers. The idea of a substantive feature addition via firmware is floated that would give the EX1/3 some more legs in the face of cameras either in the marketplace or about to be. All theorizing but a lot of good thinking goes into the possible scenarios given. I would read it particularly if you are someone very high up in Sony's video division!