I was looking at:

Canon KH20x6.4 KRS - 128mm at the long end and Canon do a 1.5 extender for it.

anyone have any comments on this lens?

Yes, its awful.

Yes, its awful.

thanks! Excellent response.

Yes, its awful.

Don't beat around the bush, tell us what you really think!

Is there any reports at all about firmware changes or maybe there are none. With all the past comments from Sony to hear nothing is surprising to me. Maybe there are no announcements, maybe there's been some quiet changes, maybe no changes at all.

We had a loooong list. Has or will anyone ask these questions to Sony. I, for one, was really wishing for a cache record buffer. This may well be something that could be part of the hard drive record feature at least.

To those of you who have had some sony contact:

Has anything been mentioned about some add on Fujinon for EX lenses? Specifically, any long options? If no, can someone suggest a great long lens for sport or nature use that is a reasonable match for the quality of this cam?

I am very satisfied with my EX1 and although I can appreciate the value in features like better shoulder ergonomics, genlock, timecode, remote, a better EVF, those are features that I will never use, and would prefer not to have.

BUT, I would love interchangeable lens capability, and adjustable frame rate on body. In truth, I would have greatly prefered an "EX-0", the EX-1, stripped of integrated mic, offered with interchangeable lens setup, and with the 50 cent port covers replaced with bomber weather resistant covers.

From all the folks that are going to the show and will be in contact with the folks over at Sony. Will someone please ask about any firmware updates and when they are thinking of releasing them. Also, will we be able to update them ourselves or ship them for update?

Thanks

I have to try again:
Thank you for your review Phil. Did you see any buffering of video in the camera? I use DR60 with buffer a lot. That unit have saved me a lot of tapes since it came on the marked. And I cant use it on EX3. Or perhaps it can be used on the EX3 in HDV mode? Have you heard if the new recorder have a buffer recording?

/Arnt

Phil, why are you awake and blogging at 5:30AM? I would expect you to still be cuddling up to some Vegas dancer, or coming off a 10 hour stint at the poker tables.

Sheesh!

The Vegas Dancer was very understanding when i told her than I need to quickly replied to a couple of posts. I am dedicated to you guys. I explained to her about the review and the EX3. She asked if it was still 4:2:0 and if they had fixed the rolling shutter. Sheesh!!

From all the folks that are going to the show and will be in contact with the folks over at Sony. Will someone please ask about any firmware updates and when they are thinking of releasing them. Also, will we be able to update them ourselves or ship them for update?

Thanks

You will be able to update yourself through the USB connection of your computer. There were a couple of things they needed to work on so I think it has been delayed about 3 months.

To those of you who have had some sony contact:

Has anything been mentioned about some add on Fujinon for EX lenses? Specifically, any long options? If no, can someone suggest a great long lens for sport or nature use that is a reasonable match for the quality of this cam?

I am very satisfied with my EX1 and although I can appreciate the value in features like better shoulder ergonomics, genlock, timecode, remote, a better EVF, those are features that I will never use, and would prefer not to have.

BUT, I would love interchangeable lens capability, and adjustable frame rate on body. In truth, I would have greatly prefered an "EX-0", the EX-1, stripped of integrated mic, offered with interchangeable lens setup, and with the 50 cent port covers replaced with bomber weather resistant covers.

There will be a wide angle Fujinon EX specific lens I think but I have heard nothing about a longer lens. Just get a good quality second hand 20x 1/2" SD lens with extender and that will do the trick. Some of them are barely any different to the HD lenses.

You will be able to update yourself through the USB connection of your computer. There were a couple of things they needed to work on so I think it has been delayed about 3 months.

Sounds good Phil. Now if you can get them to possibly throw in image flip capabilities on the LCD, frame rate dial, and 4-2-2 with the new firmware update, that would be just excellent.

I think I speak for everyone when I say "i'm not asking for much am I?" :)

I was looking at:

Canon KH20x6.4 KRS - 128mm at the long end and Canon do a 1.5 extender for it.

anyone have any comments on this lens?

Brendan, Simon is being V harsh. I have that lens and it is actually pretty nice. Overpriced though. Sure it's not as good as the ones with built in extenders which cost double but I have shot some cracking stuff with it. Look at my Newquay Sunset, Life of Crime, Buddhist pieces on my site. All done with that lens.

Why is it even one penny (or pence) more than the ex1?

It has a shoulder mount and now you can remove the fujinon lens that was once permanently affixed. Am I missing some other monumental changes to the EX3?

I do NOT think this camera will be embraced by indie filmmakers. To really do this Sony would have to launch a cam with a full sized CMOS chip (35mm) at a price point under 10k. (and this should be very doable considering the new 35mmCMOS chips being produced for DSLRs) Otherwise there are just too many other better options at the moment. The EX3 will NOT capture their attention any more than a slew of other cameras.

You make it the same price and can you imagine how many pissed off people there will be? Why is the Canon H1 more than the A1? Loads of new connections, removable lens, redesigned viewfinder. It's the bigger, more expensive model in the EX line. Simple as that.

Sounds good Phil. Now if you can get them to possibly throw in image flip capabilities on the LCD, frame rate dial, and 4-2-2 with the new firmware update, that would be just excellent.

I think I speak for everyone when I say "i'm not asking for much am I?" :)

all of those are on the list i am reliably told. Also you can shoot 4K if need be and record in DVCPRO HD. Cool huh?

The Vegas Dancer was very understanding when i told her than I need to quickly replied to a couple of posts. I am dedicated to you guys. I explained to her about the review and the EX3. She asked if it was still 4:2:0 and if they had fixed the rolling shutter. Sheesh!!

Phil, you know that your EX1 looks silly with a blonde wig and lipstick put on it. I've told you before to stop doing that. ;-)

Simon is being V harsh

Maybe they improved it. The one I used last was distortion city with more CA than a cartoon drawn with a purple marker.

all of those are on the list i am reliably told. Also you can shoot 4K if need be and record in DVCPRO HD. Cool huh?

4:2:2 to what media? Sorry, I must have missed something.

OK RED have just announced what Scarlet is, that'll put the cat amongst the pigeons

Phil, you know that your EX1 looks silly with a blonde wig and lipstick put on it. I've told you before to stop doing that. ;-)

Sometimes I get lonely...

4:2:2 to what media? Sorry, I must have missed something.

4:2:2 to SxS, it will also now record in VHS for ultimate compatibility

4:2:2 to SxS, it will also now record in VHS for ultimate compatibility

Oh, my!

Once EX3 fervor dies down a bit, I think there will be a group of EX 1 owners looking very fondly at this little gem, and realizing what an exceptional value they have been allowed.

Thanks Phil!

Phil, that's an error. The Sony reps told me that it was U-Matic, not VHS.

you're both wrong it's Betamax

Phil, that's an error. The Sony reps told me that it was U-Matic, not VHS.

they were pulling your leg Simon! it's VHS and one secret i heard is you can mount a film magazine on the hot shoe and record 35mm straight out of the HD-SDI. Cool huh, that's Cinealta for you!

they were pulling your leg Simon! it's VHS and one secret i heard is you can mount a film magazine on the hot shoe and record 35mm straight out of the HD-SDI. Cool huh, that's Cinealta for you!

But is the film image flipped or upright? Maybe they will need to vibrate or spin the hot shoe.

all of those are on the list i am reliably told. Also you can shoot 4K if need be and record in DVCPRO HD. Cool huh?

Very cool. This firmware update must cost 90k more and will be named "The f-900 update" Sweet! :)

Aha! Of course. The one feature I'm surprised that Sony haven't mentioned yet is that the shoulder mount actually extends, and then drops vertically along a post contained inside the camera to reveal a gimbal that can be attached to any current Steadicam arm.

Very cool. This firmware update must cost 90k more and will be named "The f-900 update" Sweet! :)

all free and downloadable via USB, you have to buy the film mag and sdi cable yourself

top secret this one: there will be an EX5 announced 3 months after the EX3 ships. It will have a true full auto mode where you can sit back on a deck chair with a cup of tea whilst long legs extend out of its body and it moves around and does all the filming for you. Cool huh. I understand it will be about $3000 more. Think it is still 4:2:0 though.

I already own one of those. I call it Student Camera Assistant Dogs Body V2.11 ;-) ;-)

I want one if those are dancers legs.

I've heard that some of the new EX3 will have a bonus ticket just behind the CMOS chips...

This ticket will give a 30k us dollars credit to the lucky owners of the limited units that will ship with this feature...

I'm just thinking how this guys will pick the tickets from the inside of the camera... Maybe through the hole of the lens mount??

Sorry if i made some mistakes with the english... I'm Brazilian and now learning english to read and contribute with the forum...

All the above are joking of course, but my well informed source at Sony has just leaked that the CMOS->CCD converters are due really soon now.

You make it the same price and can you imagine how many pissed off people there will be? Why is the Canon H1 more than the A1? Loads of new connections, removable lens, redesigned viewfinder. It's the bigger, more expensive model in the EX line. Simple as that.
Yes but the H1 came out BEFORE the A1. That is the difference.

Anyway this issue is moot. Phil you shoot pretty pictures and I have to compliment you on that however your shoot "3 Days in April" was more a featurette on the Letus "Ultimo" rather than the EX3 "exploitico"

It is funny that you wouldn't do your first shoot with just the bare-bones camera to see what the EX3 could do BEFORE slapping on a dof adapter.

Sorry Sony, the fun and action is over here... http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=119372

(again, the EX1 - EX3 is a good cam at many things but not great at any one thing. That, unfortunately is not good enough. In the very near future it will just be simpler, and cheaper, to get a cam dedicated to broadcast work and then another cam dedicated to indie film work if you work in both realms as many do)

Well the EX-3 gives the same picture as the EX-1 so what would be the point? Phil was right to test and show the new features of this camera.

Steve, im interested to know why you think that the EX1 is'nt great at any one thing? Maybe i'm being nieve but I have found it to be great at many things.

Steve, im interested to know why you think that the EX1 is'nt great at any one thing? Maybe i'm being nieve but I have found it to be great at many things.
Well IMHO... Phil proves these points out for us - so I don't even have to.

For narrative work he doesn't use the EX without a 35mm dof adapter. That in my opinion makes it less than great for shooting shorts/features. It is good. Looks good. But don't forget the problems you may have on set with such an adapter. They are by no means bulletproof.

For broadcast work the EX1 is impossible to hand hold (Phil again tells us (only after the EX3 comes out, though). Again... less than great. For 5k you can get an EX3 which is semi shoulder mount - Again less than great.

The EX3 has offered just too little improvement to merit it's cost differential. I feel if Sony had integrated a flip down focusing screen (like an internal ND filter) which was BULLETPROOF and you could simply attach a 35mm lens which would focus on Sony's engineered internal screen - that, I believe would be a marked improvement (and have made the cam quite versatile as well)

And a different matter:

I will never give up on having Sony cameras, but the RED Scarlet seems amazing for it's price. Shooting 3K with a camera for 3000$ is really amazing..

Would love to try the Scarlet with the Letus in the woods :)

Oh ok, i understand your point now and when such amounts of money are being spent i cant fault your concerns. However I am someone that had been using the sony vx2100 for many many years and over which time i had become acustom to work-arounds and workflows which ensured i made the most from a tool that may not have all my requirements right infront of me as default, and so this had already shaped my mind into understanding that even if i spend £50,000 on a tool i am pretty sure i'l still end up doing/buying things extra to make life easier.

Despite the EX1 having many bugs which have been worked out along the way, I am quite happy with this camera and refuse to get caught up in the rapid release of new technology, becasue if i did i would forever be broke and forever be worried about what new camera will be out next month. The EX1 does what i need it to and if I find something that I can't achieve with it then i doubt anything else within the near price range is going to make any difference. Plus i have a set way of looking at things when it concerns video which is; if 2 cameras can produce an end result that is similar in quality then I am quite happy with either one, because thats all an audience/client is concerned with, as am I.

And a different matter:

I will never give up on having Sony cameras, but the RED Scarlet seems amazing for it's price. Shooting 3K with a camera for 3000$ is really amazing..

Would love to try the Scarlet with the Letus in the woods :)

I laugh at the 3k price tag that I am hearing for the scarlet as much as I laugh when I hear the Red One is only 17k.

try building it to a proper usable camera and that 3k becomes10k. The Red one becomes 40k EASILY.

Not to say they dont produce a gorgeous image. I'm just not too fond of their marketing where they break it down like it's a subway sandwhich.

Plus i have a set way of looking at things when it concerns video which is; if 2 cameras can produce an end result that is similar in quality then I am quite happy with either one, because thats all an audience/client is concerned with, as am I.
Couldn't agree with you more.

I really like the EX1 - great looking image and of course there are those workarounds but all in all it's the end product that matters and nobody (except us) will care what cam, what editing system or what lens you used. In fact most people wont even (consciously) even notice the dof we labored to obtain.

I have to say that I was quiet worried as well when I heard that the EX3 will come out already now (but in the end available in summer), especially because I got my EX1 only last week.

I read all the different articles that exist so far (thanks to you guys) and posts in this forum and am normally very concerned on "upgrades" that might be interesting for me:
To have a significant better camera which produces even better images, which has even better low-light qualities or a different, better codec, different frame rates or whatever. Which is even more sexy with a blond wig on it.
But this is not the case. I just ordered a cheap but good (according to Philip Bloom) shoulder-mount and interchangeable lenses are not a big deal for my purposes. TC and other studio features are not important for me either. The new VF seems to be nice but the LCD on the EX1 is terrific, too. Just ordered a hood for it for shooting in very bright sunlight.

The only thing I am a bit jealous at is the frame rate wheel, which is actually really useful but am still hoping that it will be possible to assign buttons on a future firmware update for the EX1, I really hope that Sony will do so, maybe as well to calm down some unhappy EX1 users.

So the EX3 is nice and seems to be more ergonomic, but to have spent approx. 2000 € less for the cam and being able to work with the EX1 NOW which produces exactly the same images makes it not too hard for me to have another EX-family member in the lineup.

Spotted Philip Bloom on the strip last night. Click to enlarge.

Yes but the H1 came out BEFORE the A1. That is the difference.

Anyway this issue is moot. Phil you shoot pretty pictures and I have to compliment you on that however your shoot "3 Days in April" was more a featurette on the Letus "Ultimo" rather than the EX3 "exploitico"

It is funny that you wouldn't do your first shoot with just the bare-bones camera to see what the EX3 could do BEFORE slapping on a dof adapter.

Sorry Sony, the fun and action is over here... http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=119372

(again, the EX1 - EX3 is a good cam at many things but not great at any one thing. That, unfortunately is not good enough. In the very near future it will just be simpler, and cheaper, to get a cam dedicated to broadcast work and then another cam dedicated to indie film work if you work in both realms as many do)

If i had the 1/2" lens adaptor I would not have used the Letus Extreme. I would have showed what difference a long lens makes, but i didnt so i saw no point in just using the stock lens as it's identical to the EX1 so I shot with my Extreme which I use all the time

Spotted Philip Bloom on the strip last night. Click to enlarge.

I perform nightly and am booked up till August 2008

LOL!
Dang Phil, you're a star man!

Phil are you doing the show with Cher? My wife and I are going to Vegas in May so we'll get tix for sure.

Sorry, that show is sold out. You gotta book months in advance.

No we fell out. I said she she was older than my gran so we parted ways. I am now performing with Elton John. I am his wig.