Hi there,
I bout an EX-1 when it first came out. Loved it. But I can't remember if I purchased my current 32GB and 64GB SxS cards when I had the EX-1, or the PMW-200 that I got after it.
The reason it matters is that a friend of mine was wondering about picking up an EX-1, cheap, but seems to think that it is somehow limited to a maximum of a 16GB card.
Is he wrong about that? I'm telling him that he should get an adapter card for the SxS slot and use large (64GB, for example) SD cards. But maybe the old EX-1 can't do that?
I don't want to give him bad advice, so any thoughts from people on this forum would be very welcome.
thank you,
Malcolm

firmware 1.3 - am happily using 64gb sdhc cards in an mx adapter.

thank you so much. I will get this information to my pal.
Malcolm

Here is a tech sheet on what the EX1 firmware versions have supported. Firmware 1.30 being the last that Sony released for the EX series.

As Leslie says v1.30 will run 64GB cards with no dramas whatsoever. That's also my experience with v1.3 on the EX3 as well. I have also heard the word put about that you can use up to 128GB SD cards.

Additionally the QDA-EX1 SxS to XQD card adapter can also be used to run XQD cards although I believe 64GB is the max in XQD.

Beware! If you have to upgrade to v1.3 (VersionUpTool_PMW-EX1_1.3) make sure to follow all the directions 100% to the letter..

YOU MUST USE THE HIDDEN SERVICE USB PORT. Not the one adjacent to the component port. The wrong USB port will brick the camera by all accounts.

Additionally there is a lens firmware upgrade for the EX1 called PMW_EX1_Lens0027_0102

Hi there Mr. Les :)

Chris Young

1.31 is actually the last firmware available for the EX1R AFIAK.

hi there chris, hope all's going to plan ;-) no thoughts of retiring yet? coming from someone who theoretically retired almost 20 years ago and is only now slowing down enough to smell the flowers...

hey jack, where did you find 1.31 and what do the release notes say?

I've thought about updating the firmware on my EX-1 but have been reluctant to risk something that could brick it. I don't shoot much these days and it's my only camera.

Looks like that lens update only addresses a specific issue with a Libec controller. Too bad, you got me excited that there might be a fix for the "sticky" zoom issue on my EX-1. ;)

https://pro.sony/ue_US/support/software/1237485726707

i got my update done by a tech in sydney - ray purnell. wouldn't have dreamed of doing it myself - after all, who else could i blame ;-)

i don't think i updated for any other reason than using sdhc cards.

and yes, the ex1 is still my main camera, bloody workhorse that it is. i've looked at what's around for many years, but since i'm not interested in 4k, i haven't really seen 'better' hd footage from anything that would have been worth the investment. i am however, going to have a closer look at the z90
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1362802-REG/sony_pxw_z90v_pxw_z90_4k_hdr_xdcam.html/BI/2855/KBID/3801
if for no other reason than it's much lighter.

Boyd.

If the "sticky lens" is a sometimes jumpy zoom movement, maybe try turning the camera upside-down and cycling the zoom a few times. Store the camera upside/down to help recoat any dry spots which might have developed on wearing parts which have lube on them.

Thanks Bob, but that isn't quite the issue. The problem is that it's virtually impossible to make a smooth start to a slow zoom. Once the zoom is in progress, everything is fine, but there's a jolt when it starts. This was discussed a lot back in the day but I never really dug into it at the time.

Doing a bit of Googling yesterday, I found a discussion on another site where some people claimed to have discussed the problem with Sony. They were told this was a trade-off made in the camera design keep the cost down while not sacrificing sharpness. They further claimed this was true of the EX3 and also a newer model that I'm not familiar with. So (if true) I guess "it's a feature, not a bug".

1.31 is actually the last firmware available for the EX1R AFIAK.

EX1R yes but not for EX1. Don't make the mistake of trying to burn 3.1 into an EX1. A few have attempted that and bricked their camera requiring about $2,000's worth of board replacement.

Chris Young

hi there chris, hope all's going to plan ;-) no thoughts of retiring yet?

What would I do?

Still shooting. Still editing. Still on an 8 part doco history of the Royal Aust Navy for the Govt. Probably going to the ABC.

Over three thousand hours of archive material both B&W and color to be culled ARC'd and graded so it keeps me off the streets. The thought of traditional retirement freaks me out. What would I do to keep the grey matter ticking over. Young by name and young by nature :)

Chris Young

good luck with it and i'll look forward to seeing it...

yeah, don't know what i'd do without a camera and a script anymore either - but at least nowadays they're my babies ;-)

It's the way to go Mr. L :)

Chris Young

Thanks Bob, but that isn't quite the issue. The problem is that it's virtually impossible to make a smooth start to a slow zoom. Once the zoom is in progress, everything is fine, but there's a jolt when it starts. This was discussed a lot back in the day but I never really dug into it at the time.

Doing a bit of Googling yesterday, I found a discussion on another site where some people claimed to have discussed the problem with Sony. They were told this was a trade-off made in the camera design keep the cost down while not sacrificing sharpness. They further claimed this was true of the EX3 and also a newer model that I'm not familiar with. So (if true) I guess "it's a feature, not a bug".

Also remember that zoom motors work using a gear to drive the lens. The specs on new, high end lenses demand little or no play between the motor gear and the lens gear. In the case of my EX1, over time a bit of play has developed, so if I zoom out and then want to zoom in, there is a bit of motor turning before the gear hits in the opposite direction. This can result in a slight 'bump' or 'jerk' at the beginning of the zoom. So if I need a really smooth, slow start for a zoom in, for instance, I try to preset the gears by zooming out a bit further, then zooming in to set the opening frame - thus eliminating any gear gap in the drive direction. At that point the zoom can be started smoothly and slowly... Not a fix, but the field workaround. My EX1 still gets used occasionally, but only as a 2nd or 3rd camera, so I'm not really motivated to spend money sending it in for a fix that may not be effective.

This is a different issue than the jerkiness I've often found in trying to do slow zooms with EX3's - which I attribute to a presumably underpowered zoom motor for the lens, combined with lubrication/wear issues - a problem I've experienced to a greater or lesser extent with most EX3's I've shot with over the years... I always found the EX1 zooms far smoother...

Thanks - that's a good suggestion about presetting the gears, will have to play with that a bit. Maybe difficult to do in the context of a single camera shoot of a live performance though.

Thanks - that's a good suggestion about presetting the gears, will have to play with that a bit. Maybe difficult to do in the context of a single camera shoot of a live performance though.

Yes, within the context of a live performance it's a little tricky. I often play a guessing game to figure out what my next zoom will be in advance, and if I think I'm doing standard zoom out/zoom in/zoom out/etc. sequence, then after finishing the zoom I let the zoom motor creep very slightly/slowly in the other direction, which helps minimize the gear gap for the next zoom. Every camera/rear zoom combo will be a little different (for my ex1 I have an old bebob zoe rear zoom control) so hopefully you can figure out a routine that works. I find myself using the EX1 fairly often when shooting Off-Broadway (or even Broadway) shows, usually with an F3 as a full stage lockoff. Now that shows are using fewer old-style tungsten lekos (so less IR issues between cameras) the color and gammas of the EX1 and F3 can be made to match surprisingly well using just the PP settings.

Getting back to the topic of memory cards... I'm confused about which ones will work in my old EX-1. It reports firmware version as V1.11_0531

In the printed manual that came with the EX-1 it says "Operations are not guaranteed with memory cards other than SxS Pro" and lists the only the following three compatible cards

SBP-8
SBP-16
SBP-32

I would like to get one or two 32gb card (assuming that is the max with my ancient firmware) and as expected I don't see any new "SxS Pro" cards available - just "SxS Pro+" cards in higher capacities. I see that Adorama has used SBP-32 cards in stock for a reasonable price. B&H has something different, a "Sony 32GB SxS-1 (G1B) Memory Card" (SBS32G1B/US). Would this be compatible?

I will probably just get the used cards from Adorama since they're the cheapest and I've had good luck with their used Sony gear before. But are there other options for my antique camera? :)

Boyd

You could still get the EX1 upgraded to v1.3. If you do that then you can use, I think, the full range of the SxS cards and definitely SDHC cards with the SxS to SD card adapters.

Chris Young
Sydney

Thanks, but we discussed firmware upgrades earlier in the thread. I'm happy to work with in the limitations of the current firmware, Two 32gb cards would give me all I really need with my limited use. Updating the firmware sounds like a potential can of worms - not something I would attempt myself and not worth sending it out somewhere.

probably for the cost of sxs cards you could get ver1.3 installed and a few sdhc cards -)

My recollection of old threads here was that there were limitations to the SD card adapter, even with proper firmware. Like maybe you couldn't shoot at the HQ (35Mbs) mode? Or maybe it had to do with slow motion? Maybe that was that was just due to the speed limitations of SD cards back then?

I understand your point, but am just not going to "upgrade" anything on this camera. It's old and "it is what it is". I can get two 32gb cards from Adorama for $200, that will give me about 200 minutes HQ recording in the camera, plus another 75 minutes with the old cards that I have. That is more than enough for what I shoot these days. If I get more serious about video again, I'll want a newer camera anyway. :)

Boyd, I've got some used SxS cards for sale that I guarantee will work with an EX1.
UsedGear1 (http://www.vortexmedia.store/used/UsedGear1.html)

Thanks Doug - your PMW-EX1 Field Guide is always in the case with my camera, it's very handy for refreshing my memory since I don't use it very often. Amazing to see the prices of your older gear and remember how expensive it was back in the day!

So, is that 32gb SXS-1 card with the orange edges compatible with my EX-1 and its old firmware? That was what I wondered when I saw some of these used cards at B&H. What is the difference between these cards and the "SXS Pro" cards that my manual says are required.? I assume the orange ones are newer?

I always kept my EX1 updated on firmware, so I can only venture guesses whether the Orange cards would work with your FW version. I think I've had orange cards since 2011, and I wasn't an early adopter. So I'm guessing it's quite possible that the SxS-1 (orange) cards up to 32GB will work in your camera. It's basically a question of whether the camera FW will recognize them properly, since I don't think the really early firmware would see them as recordable options.

As I recall -

The SxS-1 (orange) cards are multi-level memory, while the Blue SxS were single level memory.

They talked about the life span of the orange cards being shorter than the blue ones - somewhere in the 1500 - 2000 use cycles range, whereas the blue ones were significantly higher. Of course mine (which get used about once or twice a week) I've had since 2011-2012, and they all show their remaining capacity at well over 90%. So before buying an orange one I'd recommend checking the remaining capacity of the card.

The transfer speed of the orange cards is actually 50% faster than it was for the original blue cards -- the Orange was rated at 1200 Mbps (150 MB/s) as opposed to the Blue at 800 Mbps (100 MB/s). Of course if you're offloading to a regular spinning hard drive this won't make much difference, since most of them really only give you a real throughput in the 70 MB/s range.

Of course as others have said, I'd recommend updating your firmware so you have all options available. I don't use my EX1 very often anymore, but it keeps chugging along and makes a nice image. It got used this week as a 3rd (B-roll) camera on a shoot. But more to the point, it sometimes gets used for clients who bring their own SD cards for me to use (with my SDHC - SxS adapter) so they can shoot and run rather than wait for transfers.

Boyd, I'm traveling right now but will be back home at the end of next week. I'd be happy to test the orange card in my EX1 and verify that it works, but I'm pretty certain that it does.

Thanks again Doug, but I just ordered two cards from Adorama. They have quite a lot of used 32gb SxS cards in stock with prices ranging from $74 to $104 depending on "condition". Not sure if that reflects their physical condition or the number of use cycles. But I got two that were rated as "excellent". So we'll see.... I got a used Sony deck from them a few years ago and it has been great.

Thanks for the info Dave. I also should have known to do a DVinfo search on this topic - found the thread below. I definitely want the old blue cards!

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdcam-ex-pro-handhelds/468240-lifespan-sxs-cards.html

The original blue cards use SLC memory cells and the new orange cards use MLC. Typically SLC is good for up to 100,000 cycles while MLC is good for up to 10,000 cycles. MLC is less reliable as a single cells state can have 4 values depending on the voltage stored in the cell. As the cell ages there is more voltage leakage and eventually the ability to determine which of the 4 levels the cell is at becomes impossible. SLC on the other hand is either "on" or "off" so is more tolerant of voltage fluctuations.

I also found this Sony utility that is supposed to provide info on your cards.

https://www.sony.net/Products/memorycard/en_us/px/dlcondition_mmu.html

Program runs fine on my Mac but doesn't recognize the SxS card in the camera when connected by USB. Maybe it needs to be in a card reader? My old MacBook Pro has an express card slot, but I don't use that anymore, have just been connecting the camera by USB.

Thanks everyone for your help, will let you know how the used cards work out.

Sandisk now makes 3D NAND, which is multitudes more durable than SLC and MLC flash chips. I'm not sure if SxS will be making the move to 3D NAND, and it's uncertain if Sony currently uses 3D NAND right now in their SxS cards.

So, is that 32gb SXS-1 card with the orange edges compatible with my EX-1 and its old firmware?

Not that anybody cares at this point, but I finally got around to testing my EX1 with a 32GB orange card yesterday and it worked fine.

Thanks for following up Doug. But if the post I quoted above is correct, the SxS Pro cards could last 10 times longer. So with used 32gb blue cards going for $100 or less, it really doesn't make much sense to buy the orange ones.

I have been shooting for years on my EX1 using Patriot Memory LX cards. 64GB and sometimes 32GB.

https://www.info.patriotmemory.com/lxseriessd

They are inserted into a Sonnet SDHC Adapter for SxS Camera Slot.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/786662-REG/Sonnet_SD_SXS_E34_SDHC_Adapter_for_SxS.html/BI/2855/KBID/3801!

I keep four of them loaded when I shoot. Zero failures.

John