Did Sony do this camera justice by putting in some nice audio circuitry? If you also own an HVX200 does it compare well?

Sample audio clips would be great.

Did Sony add a limiter?

I guess unfortunately not. So you have to level with lots of headroom, which partially negates the advantage of 16 bit uncompressed audio.

No limiter for a pro-cam like the EX1? That would not make no sense at all. Let's hope it's just hided somewhere in the menues.

Does anybody now how how the auto level control compares with Sony's DSR300 which I use?

Have always found that the DSR300 gives a good level without distortion for discos and church organ. I believe this camera has a good limiter.
It has been mentioned that the EX1 does not have a limiter. Is this really true?

Just looked the menus - no limiter.

Just looked the menus - no limiter.
Very annoying - even the consumer FX1 has a limiter!
Thanks Leonard for verifying this.

OK, so it's not in the menu - perhaps it's not switchable, but still there? I'll start considering it a problem once I get badly distorted audio.

OK, so it's not in the menu - perhaps it's not switchable, but still there? I really hope so, since I experienced heavy clippings with my Canon A1 that hasn't a limiter (neither switchable nor by default). Does the EX1-manual say anything about a soft clipping feature?

Thats a bummer if its true - so what are the options in this intance if you need a limiter? Find a small form field mixer that has one and patch from mic to mixer to camera?

Im sure Ive seen one small enough to mount on a cam, 4-5 inches or so.

Might as well start working on this now.... if you want good audio it seems
that a good mike or set of mikes is going to be required and a mixer with
limiters and such.....

Here's two I'm looking at:

Sound Devices 302
and
Sound Devices Mixpre

Ray, theses are fine pieces, I own a 702 myself. But - beeing a one man team - I really don't like the idea of carrying a seperate mixer/recorder "only" to use its limiter.
Dear Sony designers: Was it intention - if so, I'd really like to learn why! - or did you simply forget to add a limiter?

Are you asking for a limiter or AGC, they're quite different beasts and I don't recall a limiter on any Sony camera.

Bob, I am asking for a limiter. I was told even the FX1 has a limiter but I am not sure.

Yes, I've just checked and both the Z1 and FX1 have limiter switchable in the audio menu. The V1 doesn't have one, however - and now it's been dropped with the EX1.

...both the Z1 and FX1 have limiter switchable in the audio menu.
Let's hope that for the EX1 this will be handed in later, via a future firmware upgrade for instance.