And because most of us here own an EX camera, they are naturally going to at least be considered as first camera of choice.
True enough if you are also the producer. But in the situation being thrown back and forth the producer is at the level of the BBC, and whether or not the considered cameraman owns a camera is irrelevant if that camera doesn't satisfy the producer's requirement. This thread has become one of "it is"/"it isn't" with no technical argument for either side. It would be better here to ask "in what way does the EX fail to meet the standard demanded?" Then you might respond by demonstrating how that assessment is wrong.
The EX is an excellent camera, but it isn't an F23. Tools for the job.

This thread has become one of "it is"/"it isn't" with no technical argument for either side. It would be better here to ask "in what way does the EX fail to meet the standard demanded?" Then you might respond by demonstrating how that assessment is wrong.
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That's right. This thread is filled with absolutely meaningless assessments like "Red is a fringe camera" and "Blue Chip" standards, and "Not in Varicam's league". These aren't facts and aren't useful for people trying to make decisions about which cameras to buy or use for a given application.

I don't know what is or isn't good enough for BBC, ABC, or Run DMC. However the most compelling wild life footage I've ever seen was a sequence of a pride of lions taking down an adolescent buffalo. Right after the take down, a huge croc jumps out of the river and engages in a buffaloe tug o' war with the lions. The buffalo was the rope. Then the other buffaloes rally their courage, return, and rescue the adolescent. The lions got their butts kicked. I think it was shot on a cell phone cam.

Content is king.

Funny, nobody ever cared what camera Irving Penn or Helmut Newton used, not for that matter which brushes Rembrandt or Degas used.

The airplane that came down in the Hudson was captured on CCTV and it was shown on the BBC and no doubt every other major TV station in the world. As Nick Stone and Brian Luce point out, "Content is King"

Use your EX1/EX3 to capture some great footage.

Content is king.

And we make it with cameras.
And lights, makeup, screenplays, music.....

What does any of this natter matter? There would be some point if someone was seeking advice for their upcoming DOP job. You define the requirement, you select the gear best suited within all the trade-offs.

I think it does matter to a lot of folks as they may be wondering whether to buy an EX3 so they can shoot stuff for certain programmes or channels. They may want to know whether it'll be accepted or not. Quite a few people have asked my opinion (for what it's worth) on this very matter.
Vincent, you are quite right, but times have changed and people do ask now - including the commissioners. And it does matter more now, it used to be the case in wildlife stills photography for example that the equipment was not a big deal and it was all down to photographer skill, but these days it does make a big difference and to a large extent with the right kit anyone who's out there can get a great shot - Image Stabiliser lenses, intelligent auto exposure etc. make even long telephoto, super performance digital cameras as easy as point and shoots, and even a mediocre photographer would get better results of flying birds than an expert with a 1970s set-up. I think it was Art Morris (and they don't get much more expert than him) said that in 20 odd years of bird photography before AF he considered that he got 3 good flight shots!
Steve

I think it does matter to a lot of folks as they may be wondering whether to buy an EX3 so they can shoot stuff for certain programmes or channels.

In that case wouldn't it make more sense for them to contact those channels and ask "Which cameras do you prefer that your contributors use?" rather than coming onto a random internet forum and asking people who probably don't know anyway?

Further more, how many decent productions, such as Planet Earth etc, make the contributors use their own gear anyway? Do the camera ops on Doctor Who use their own DigiBeta gear? Do the Top Gear guys? No. So why are we even discussing this. Any producer that expects a freelancer to own each and every camera and format is a total schmuck.

If you are buying an EX3 or are asking about an EX3 to buy then you are probably making your own in house productions.

This discussion reminds me of the ones in the Red forums. People thinking that if they buy a Red they will be hired for big productions etc. There was a hilarious discussion on another forum recently with a Red owner being incredibly annoyed that the local rental place threw in a Red for free with a production package along with all the 35mm gear. He wondered why they didn't hire him with his Red. Well, its because with big productions all that gear comes at a discount and they do things like that. A day on a Jim Cameron set doesn't start with the camera operator pulling up in his Volvo and taking a camera and a Miller tripod out of the boot!

I think people are mad to buy a camera based on whether they think they can get broadcast and film work. There are so many formats around you'd be better off selling your talent (which you should be doing anyway) rather than your gear.

I'd certainly not buy one of these new tapeless cameras based on being a freelancer. The demands for these cameras changes too quickly. With the BBC I'd even be worried with the PDW-700. I just do not think that it will last, great camera though it is. It is taking off in the US for network shows, but disc based XDCAM has never been big in broadcast in the UK, and I can't see it taking off at this stage in the game.

Don't get me wrong, I love the full size XD cameras, and I'm really, really not looking forward to offloading my 510. It is like seeing a really good friend off for the last time. But I think we have to face realities that if you are a freelancer rather than an end to end production house the days of owning a camera really is seeing its dusk period.

Sadly for many, in the current climate, the days of actually being a Freelancer are seeing their dusk period!

Not sure why that would be. There is still a lot of TV, and that doesn't make itself, and the demand for internet video is greater than ever.

You obviously don't know as many out of work cameraman as I do!

Lot's of new TV and internet video is increasingly being shot by poorly paid recent graduates and camera ops. Many experienced Broadcast cameramen are struggling at the moment.

I'm not saying it's desperate all over, but just look on Production Base or other Broadcast sites to see what's happening.

The last cameraman job I looked at had 200 applications in 2 days!

I wouldn't disagree with that, Steve, I just said that it doesn't make sense.

The trouble is that there are now a lot of people out there who think that because they can turn a camera on they are qualified. The trouble with a lot of camera ops that I have come across is that;

1) They don't stay abreast of new technology and look for any opportunities.
2) They don't diversify.
3) They don't specialise.
4) They don't try to increase their skillset.

Now I'm not saying that this applies to all, but I have come across one heck of a lot of so-called experienced BBC camera operators who could only perform the most basic of tasks. One of them had never even touched a basic jib before. And I mean a *basic* jib. Not something with a fancy remote head on it, but the sort of thing you take out of the boot of your car when you want to quickly nab a cool looking shot on that corporate video.

Some of them have had practically no experience with lights beyond sticking one on top of the camera or plonking a single fill in someones living room! And these were guys that had been shooting with cameras like DSR-500's for TV news for years! Just what is going on?

Get a specialism and diversify. I know that sounds contradictory, but you can specialise in one thing, but still offer a lot of others. Learn editing as well. Learn motion graphics. Learn web programming. Don't rely on one stream. Increase your skillset and stand out from the crowd. I know of one field where there is a drastic shortage. But I'm keeping that one to myself :-)

That's actually spot on Simon, it's a fast changing world and you have to keep up!

I'm grateful that we could end on a high note.