finally sold sd gear. going hd
 

i was able to sell my sd cameras and am moving to purchase an ex1r/ex3.
im leaning to the ex1r. alittle less in price although i love the viewfinder of the ex3,
but the ergonomics of the 3 for shoulder shooting is bad. ( could buy olofs adaptor)
so my issue is getting used to using an lcd only on the r after years of a gorgeous b/w vf
or adjusting to the ex3 and an adaptor.
anyone else go through this similar situation?
thanks
also, trying to decide if im comfortable enough with the sxs adaptors/ hoodman/sandisk etc.
or the safer route but paying a fortune for 32 gb sxs cards at 745 each.
input appreciated

Re: finally sold sd gear. going hd
 

The bigger questions for you are:
Do you need to match timecodes and/or genlock with other cameras? (then you need the EX3)
Do you need interchangeable lenses? (EX3)
or...
Do you need an HDMI output? (EX1R)
Pcture Record Cache? (EX1R)
SD recording as an option? (EX1R)

Yes, there are some other differences, but usually I break it down to the above.
Plus --
If you travel a lot on your own, the EX1 format packs tighter into a carryon - and internationally raises fewer red flags because it looks more like a 'consumer' than a 'professional' camera going through customs.
If you are going to sub-rent your camera, you are probably going to get more rentals from an EX3 because often people will need to sync timecode for multi-camera shoots (which is how you may get more rentals.)

As to cards, if upload speed is a factor then I'd say definitely go SxS. (Will you be shooting for producers who are waiting for the transfers at the end of the shoot day? - or do you shoot everything for your own productions?)
I've personally never had a problem with SxS cards, but have seen issues with SDHC cards.
At this point I have plenty of SxS cards, but I also have a few hoodman adapters in case the day goes really long.
Over the life of the camera how many days will you shoot with it? Hopefully over a hundred. If you amortize the card cost over all those shoots, how much are you actually spending on cards per shoot day?

Re: finally sold sd gear. going hd
 

those xtra features are nice on the r, athough i will never shoot in sd again, so thats not important. main thing for me is adjusting to not having a good vf and mainly using the lcd on the r

Re: finally sold sd gear. going hd
 

I went from a DSR500 to an EX3 years ago and I love the EX3. I never look back. But if you get the 3 get my stronger base plate or another one, Sony screwed up on the very weak camera base. I would just figure that in the price. If you still have AB or IDX batts the EX3 w them on the shoulder brace makes this a very balanced rig.

I have an EX1R as well. I like that camera a lot too.

The EX3 VF solution is fantastic. The EVF on the EX1R is as good as what the 500 had or even a little better but it is in Color (can be run B&W).

The biggest thing getting used to HD shooting is nailing the focus so the VF is very important. I find turning peaking red in the EX1R works quite well. And using the HoodLoop on the 1R makes it almost as nice as the EX3 VF, almost but not as nice, it is not as adjustable and the optics are not as good as Sony's.

For extended shouldering using my EX3 shoulder brace solution is my favorite. For mostly on sticks with a few shots now and then on the shoulder I prefer the light weight and smaller size of the EX1R.

Dave did a great job of comparing features. This is just my nickel.

Re: finally sold sd gear. going hd
 

I think the bigger question is: Who did you find to sell it to and do they have a friend that want more?

I agree with Olof. I too, went from a DSR-570 to the EX3 and never looked back. As Dave has mentioned, with the exception of genlock and the interchangeable lenses, both the EX1 and EX3 will provide almost everything you need. In my opinion, the EX3 has a better viewfinder. The lens that comes with it is nearly identical to the EX1 and although you can put good glass on the EX3, you should price that out in advance, as the options are very costly.