it would have to be FW 800 to make a sh!t of difference, FW400 is actually a tiny bit slower than USB 2 (480)

The FW port IMO is quite useless, unless someone like Focus Enhancements delivers a Firestore with a huge hard drive... AND Sony updates the firmware to send all flavours of resolution beyond 1080i

never used the firewire on me ex1. the evf was still working, just the lcd died

This thing gets kicked around quite a bit, but these speed differences are SO hardware dependent. Here's the Wikipedia entry on the comparison of USB and FW 400:

<begin quoted text>
Comparison to USB

Although high-speed USB 2.0 runs at a higher signaling rate (480 Mbit/s) than FireWire 400, typical USB PC-hosts rarely exceed sustained transfers of 35 MB/s (280 Mbit/s), with 30 MB/s (240 Mbit/s) being more typical (the theoretical limit for a USB 2 high-speed bulk transfer is 53.125 MB/s). This is likely due to USB's reliance on the host-processor to manage low-level USB protocol, whereas FireWire delegates the same tasks to the interface hardware. For example, the FireWire host interface supports memory-mapped devices, which allows high-level protocols to run without loading the host CPU with interrupts and buffer-copy operations.[17]
<end quoted text>

I don't really care either way. All I'm looking for is the fastest/safest way to xfer files from the camera to my desktop Mac without having to buy the reader. I'm loving the speed of the xfers using the ExpressCard slot on my MacBook Pro, however.

FireWire 800 is substantially faster than Hi-Speed USB.[18]

There is a new short up called "love from southend..." you can see it on my website and on my blog here: http://web.mac.com/philip.bloom/Bloo...hend_Film.html

Made using the new Ultimate prototype and it also talks about my failed attempt to do a dolly timelapse...that is the next challenge!

I have decided to run a little film short competition. To get people away from talking about specs and stuff and actually go out there and film.

Find out how to enter here:

http://web.mac.com/philip.bloom/Bloo...mpetition.html

interview with me about the ex1 and letus ultimate here

http://web.mac.com/philip.bloom/Bloo..._Ultimate.html

Hi Phil,
like the interview - especially you are very true with your last comments about the Internet...
Indeed it is a great chance bringing people and communities together (like on this forum) and meeting real faces at NAB instead of just know an e-mail adress is for sure exiting...
I always enjoy such meetings during NAB and IBC for seeing people. (although I wasn'y at NAB this year)

So IBC will be next occasion...

Ulli

Archiving
 

Dear Phil,

I work with a large broadcaster, that edits on Avid Symphony. They ingest tapes 1/50th of the quality and then do a conform at the end. Is there anyway this can be done with XDCAM? I called the machine room and they say that tapeless systems are really complicated and so they'll continue only working on tape for the time being. Archiving to Blu-ray or XDCAM doesn't work for them.

I'd love to buy the camera, but can't see how I can get the work-flow to work. Any suggestions would be warmly welcomed.

All the best.

JJB

not with the ex1 i dont think as there are no proxies, unless you ingest real time through hd sdi. The f355 and f350 have proxies which can be edited with like this

This is a must read!

http://web.mac.com/philip.bloom/Bloo...ng_list!!.html

If everyone on this thread could help out we could make their day pretty special and set them up for the future

low size Proxies are "automatic" with XDcam HD, when working with blueray recorders.
You will not have any other solution than recording the SD quality out of the camera or re-compress you HD footage to something smaller, which could be time and computer ressources consuming.
Maybe you should use the componant output connected to a DV recorder and send them the tape so they can work in their 10 years old editing solution :)
by the way, importing your footage in final cut server and creting a proxy should do the trick but I don't know if they have the same thing in Avid. Pretty sure they do have the same thing :)

just ordered this new shoulder mount. Looks great

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GLIDERS-Should...d=p3286.c0.m14

My love affair with my EX1 has hit a large snag

Basically my beloved camera with serial number 3 has been lost after it was being sent in for repair.

UPS picked it up, it got lost. Sony say I need proof that UPS picked it up. The tracking number says it was picked up but that isn't enough for UPS incredibly!!!

Not very nice really!

time to get an EX3 dude :)

this web site doesn't work....

Don't you have a hard copy receipt from UPS?
Did you insure it?
Tracking number should track whether it's delivered or not.
If not, UPS is responsible but they only cover the insured amount.

I always insure, always get paper receipt, always ship some method which requires proof of delivery (in other words I don't ship ground).

Basically if you UPS doesn't show it as delivered it's their responsibility, if they do, it's Sony's.

that's insane! how can you prove it any more? Damn, even if its replaced its not the no.3.

If UPS shows the pickup, and you are insured, it is there issue, hands down.

Been through this a few times. They have always reimbursed.

Scott K.

Indeed looks great for the price. Please keep us informed how it performs!

Judging from the pictures, the camera tends to aim downwards a bit - and I can't see any adjustment for the tilt angle...

got a receipt ...
 

If you've got a receipt of pick-up, you'll be fine! It's just a hassle to deal with this kind of madness. Follow the paper work!

just got it. Will try it out over the week

also check out this http://web.mac.com/philip.bloom/Bloo..._Roadshow.html

you can see me AND buy me drinks. How cool is that?

UPS admit picking it up and losing it. Ho Hum. Got a loan unit finally

Letus to Announce Ultimate for Sale
 

Just heard that Letus is going to post the Ultimate for sale on their site tonight with some other goodies.

I just posted 3 new blog entires with the infamous "Ultimate Autopsy" as one of those entries. Check out the inner workings of the Ultimate. @
http://web.mac.com/stevecahill/Steve...e_Autopsy.html

Oh man. I'm tempted to use my credit card now....

It does look nice, but $4500 is a ball buster, the internals looks like the adaptor cost wise
to manufacture around $500...

Looks like a great opertunity from that Company in India copying all the other video goodies
and putting them on Ebay to be able to copy the Ultimate and sell it for less than $1000 ...

You may be correct in that assumption, but you have to find all the parts, spec them and or manufacture them. The time to do all this is $$$. Not to mention copyright issues, patents, intellectual property of Letus and taking food from the table of the inventors.

I challange you to purchase the adapter and then supply a list of the vendors that manufacture the parts that make up the Ultimate. Not a easy task.

Wow Steve, that is one hell of a video! So sharp! unfortunately i'm never gonna be able to afford one =(

Yes its a great clip, and the adaptor seems to work perfectly. But the price is way over the top for the majority of shooters on here. I personally feel they are alienating many of their customers by charging so much for it.

Sell 200 at $4500 = $900,000, or sell 2000 at $1800 = $3,600,000

Keep the price down and make bigger bucks.

Steve

Yes, I'm not condoning the practice, but its not hard to see that India and China do this type of stuff every day....

If your in the manufacturing business its not hard at all to find all of the pieces you need
for this setup...

In my industry there are " second source " companies that come around every week with
exact copies of hardware that are very very hard to produce, offering the second source
product at drasticly reduced prices... it suprises me how good some companies are at reverse engineering.

If the Ultimate was being offered at a price point where a second source company could not
make much of a profit then it wouldn't be such an easy choice for a knockoff as the profit
margin wouldn't be enough incentive...

But with a price differential of $4500 assembly to ~ $500 in parts... I think you get the picture... I'm betting it wont take long...

Steve nice piece on Life Lion they are great people.

When you used the Century Fisheye in the chopper was it on the EX1? And no problems? I am ready to order and your video could push me over.

I actually think the price differential helps to separate the men from the boys, so to speak. When everyone and their cousin can afford this high quality gear, it becomes a little harder to sell yourself. Not all clients can differentiate the value of a skilled craftsman, so if Joe Bob can deliver HD video content to their cousin for 1/5 of what I charge, just because he has an HV20, or even an EX-1, it becomes a harder sell.

I just think that there are too many people on this board that expect the cost of entry to be low enough to allow everyone a chance to have the most professional gear available.

Does the Ultimate seem like a big price jump? You betcha? Will I buy one? Maybe. Its still a hell of a lot cheaper than a RED One or a P+S Technik, but if it really is the holy grail of adapters and if it can help to differentiate me from dozens of other owners with cheaper 35mm adapters in the area then it is worth the price.

My two cents.

BE

i am betting it will take long.

Have you seen the Redrock rip off from India? It is not good!

The problem most people have here is they are looking at it in comparison to the current price of the extreme, m2, brevis etc. This is for a different market, this is for the p & s, movietube pro market. If amateurs want to get it then up to them, it is leagues ahead of the rest. Once you use the Ultimate it is hard to go back.

If you cant afford it don't complain. This is a company who are not being greedy, they are branching out to a different market, if they were being greedy they would sell it for even more. The more it costs the more likely the rental market will snap it up as, this is the ridiculous part, things like this are only really taken seriously in that market over a certain price level.

Quality gear costs money. It is still dirt cheap compared to the opposition in the category yet still blows them away.

Seriously they aren't being greedy. These guys are ambitious, not greedy.

Phil,

In all fairness, it's easy to say that when you are able to get it for dirt cheap if not free from them.

If Letus gave me sick discounts and freebies, I would defend them to the death. Let's face it, 35mm adapters are really made for the low budget indie film makers. If you have the means and the money, you won't be buying a 35mm adapter. You will use a film camera or a Red. It's that simple. btw I don't agree with ps technik and movietube prices so don't think I'm just bashing letus.

I'm just tring to figure out how you can go from $1,500 to 5k and think you are going to market to the big wigs.

It's like what hyundai is trying to do with their gensis that is over 50k marketed to the upper class which will NEVER do well. Who would pay 50k for a Hyandai when they can get a bmw, audi, lexus...etc?


Just my 3 cents

I am very disappointed in the price considering I thought it was going to be like 3000-3500 durring NAB, knowing that usuallu NAB pricing usually drops a little by the time it reaches the street I was awaiting this instead of bying the Extreme per Phils input to just wait for the Ulimate, However am shocked at this new price... and Yes I agree Movietube price is pretty out there as well.... I just do not understand the pricing on these 35mm devices...Now that Red has been proven if you start to evaluate buying an EX1/3 and then buying a Letus Ultimate, then buying glass... you are walking a fine line on extra cost for a RED.

FWIW in realistic terms a RED One package is probably over 35k.

Well, It doesn't seem to be taking long at all....

There is a thread over at the Letus site where there is a claim of a " Ultimate like " adaptor
coming out of Europe for around $2000 soon...

The poster does say its not quite the Ultimate but simular methodology...

I'm sure everyone in the adaptor industry is disecting the Ultimate methods and will soon
come running...

Thats competition :-)

I have to agree with Steves post...

Sell 200 at $4500 = $900,000, or sell 2000 at $1800 = $3,600,000

not that they are greedy or anything

Dennis,
Am saddened to read your post.After reading all my posts and helping out anyone who asks. Would I reallly put my name to a product because of "freebies"?
I have spent so much money on gear in the past year, all at full price and given my assesment of that gear to you guys.

For the past two months I have been lucky enough to have been evaluating a pre production ultimate. If this adaptor was a pile of crap I would say so. My word has never been or ever will be compromised by anything. Phil

The market will decide the worth of this product. It is worth every cent a buyer is willing to pay, and not a penny more!

The entitlement sentiment is not realistic, nor is the price of admission argument (men versus boys), nor is the expectation that it could never go down in price. If it's really that good, it will encourage competition. Right now, it doesn't have any.

Oh come on, if all this gear was cheap enough for all of us to afford that wouldn't help the profession at all. Phil's point about it becoming viable "professional" gear because of the price is true. That, I think, is why many rental houses don't carry Extremes, Brevis', etc. Buy an Ultimate, and if it is the ultimate, in fact, you will have a great piece of gear that can be rented out.

BE

Don't stop Phil! You have been an invaluable asset to this community. I am sure there's thousands of people that have greatly benefited from your thorough gear reviews, jaw-dropping beautiful footage, picture profiles, etc. I for one am always excited - like a kid on Christmas day - when I see you've posted a new entry on your blog. Keep up the good work, and please ignore the critics. What you're giving us is truly priceless!!!

ps. I bought the EX1 because of your footage. I may buy the Ultimate if you keep making videos... would love to see another EX1/Ultimate piece!