Sony camera between EX and PDW-700

[Steve Phillipps]

BBC talked about the EX cameras here BBC - BBC Internet Blog: HD Masters Conference Keynote Speech, 23 June 2009
Search through it for "EX".
Steve

[Alister Chapman]

I'm on stand-by for a BBC shoot. It's weather related and so far the weather has not been right and doesn't look like it will come right thanks to El-Nino. Anyway, for this job the EX plus Nano has been given the green light by the BBC without any issue.

The NanoFlash is a ground breaking piece of kit, that just gets better with every firmware release. I use it with my EX's, my 700 and my HXR-MC1 mini-cams. I run at 100Mb/s most of the time and even the 700 benefits. Often at first glance, first generation footage looks no different, but as soon as you start to grade or go down a couple of generations then the lack of mosquito noise in the NanoFlash footage really makes a huge difference. Timelapse and overcrank will be added in future firmware updates. By feeding the NanoFlash 50P or 60P you will be able to record clips that will play back at half speed, so in the near future I will be able to overcrank with my 700.

I have never found skew on the EX cameras to be an issue and I sold my F350 as I found the EX pictures to be superior. In fact I'm often hard pushed to tell which is EX and which is 700 in the my finished edits. Right now with the 700 I have the best of everything. Optical discs which I can put on the shelf for archive, plus a very fast, ultra quality workflow with the NanoFlash and CF cards. But for many of the shoots I do the compact size and portability of the EX1 and EX3 is crucial.

Like Steve I have found the EX lens to be very good, a lot of which I think is down to the use of electronic CA removal.

Some very early 700 laser decks did suffer from a disc loading problem. This has been rectified and the loading mechanism changed to stop this happening. Sony have been doing advanced aging testing on the 700's simulating many years of use, any issues that crop up are normally sorted via service bulletins.

[Paul Cronin]

Thank you Alister that is very encouraging input. So nice to hear that the EX line with Nano can surprise a 700 owner with a critical eye.

Agree the Nano with time-lapse and over cranking will be a huge step for CD.

Also your recommendation on the HXR-MC1 has put that amazing little camera in my sights for the fall.

You shoot the EX3 with the stock lens due to the electronic CA removal? If that is the case why have a EX3 over a EX1?

Seems like I need to push a few clients harder with some demo footage from the EX/Nano when they say I need the 700.

Hope the weather works out for your shoot and thanks for taking the time to post.

[Alister Chapman]

I use the EX3 genlock when shooting 3D and I have used the EX3 with some very long lenses (44x Canons and 41x16 Fujinons) for airshow shoots. What I'de really like is an EX1 with genlock as now I have the 700 I don't tend to change the lens on the EX3 very often.

The 700 is, without doubt, a better camera. BUT unless you have the EX and 700 side by side doing the same shot the difference is hard to see. The 700 has less noise and is a little bit more sensitive (too sensitive at times).

[Paul Cronin]

So without the 700 you would use the lens options as needed for the shot.

Thank you Alister that makes sense to me.

[Steve Phillipps]

Originally Posted by Paul Cronin

why have a EX3 over a EX1?

.

Obvious thing is if you need long lenses (eg sport or wildlife), but I'd say it's almost worth getting the EX3 just for the viewfinder - it about 1000x better than the one on the EX1 IMHO.
Steve

[Alister Chapman]

I agree that the EX3 VF monocular design is better for tricky focus situations, but I hear good things about the hoodman loupe for the EX1.

In fact I'd like to have the EX3 finder on my PDW-700. Having used good color VF's for a couple of years on my EX's, going back to a mono VF on the 700 was a shock! I'm frantically trying to work out a way to afford a C35W finder (about £6k), but I find it hard to swallow the price of the C35W when for not a lot more I could buy another EX3 (not that I need another one).

[Steve Phillipps]

Each to to their own I suppose, I still prefer a b/w finder, and when I use the Phantom HD that includes the C35 I switch it to mono. It's got an assignable button that can be used to switch from colour to bw which is great as you have the best of both then (as does the EX3 of course).
Steve

[Paul Cronin]

I have the Hoodman for the EX1 which works well.

Wow that is a lot of money for a viewfinder. I was surprised when pricing a 700 how little came with the camera and how expensive the option were. I know this lets you choose just what you need but my old Red One setup was cheaper with a Birger Mount and Canon EF glass. Not very useful for my type of shooting but cheaper.

[David Heath]

Originally Posted by Steve Phillipps

Other than that I'd say that there can't be much more improvement in the EX3 except using CCDs instead of CMOS - that seems to be the only way to get a 2/3" chip, and that's the 700.

I suspect by "improvement" you are referring to image quality, but what about other factors such as ergonomics and feature set?

I can't claim any inside knowledge, but I think Sony have said in the past that the current cameras are not likely to be the only ones that will ever use SxS. It seems logical to assume that at some stage they are likely to produce a cheap(ish!) 1/2" or 2/3" shouldermount SxS camera - I was half expecting something like that a few months ago.

What many would dearly love to have is a cross between the HPX300 and an EX3. Keep the form factor of the HPX300, and the pro features such as the ability to use V-lock batteries, internal radio mic receiver etc, yet use SxS memory, the EX codec (ideally at up to 50Mbs), and have 1/2" or 2/3" chips.

Surely it must be a case of when, not if? (Oh, and about the price of the HPX300 as well.)

I take the points about the 355, and many users have preferred disc to solid state up to now. But the future must lie eventually with solid state. It all points to something along the lines I've suggested. The big question is when?

[Simon Wyndham]

problem is I have lost out on a few high end clients not having a 700.

Could you not hire for these jobs?

I take the points about the 355, and many users have preferred disc to solid state up to now. But the future must lie eventually with solid state.

As long as the backup is available. The disc is still nice to put on the shelf. But with the U1 now performing general data writing that is much less of an issue now.

On such a camera four SxS slots would be good too.

[Paul Cronin]

Simon hire out is not in this budget. I will keep pushing them on EX and Nano and see where I get. But two are live feeds so time will tell there.

[Dean Harrington]

Originally Posted by Alister Chapman

I agree that the EX3 VF monocular design is better for tricky focus situations, but I hear good things about the hoodman loupe for the EX1.

In fact I'd like to have the EX3 finder on my PDW-700. Having used good color VF's for a couple of years on my EX's, going back to a mono VF on the 700 was a shock! I'm frantically trying to work out a way to afford a C35W finder (about £6k), but I find it hard to swallow the price of the C35W when for not a lot more I could buy another EX3 (not that I need another one).

I've been shooting with the EX3 and the NanoFlash and find the 100mg setting to produce excellent results. However, I shot a jazz performance recently under tungsten lighting. The IR problem is very clear in this situation. I understand the new tiffen T1 IR filter will solve this problem but at a 1 stop loss. All in all, the EX3 and nanoflash are excellent together and the NanoFlash has given a serious upgrade on the camera's imagery.

[Paul Cronin]

Well I guess my answer to the thread is here. I have a PMW-350 on pre-order with Abel. With the CD Nano attached this will keep my high end clients happy.

[Steve Connor]

Having spent a day with the 350, I don't think it will just be your clients that are happy!

Great form factor, lightweight, low power consumption and outstanding picture quality - you're going to be very happy too