why did you choose one over the other not taking into account the price difference?
trying to decide if i want to deal with using a shoulder adaptor for the 3 and also take advantage of the great viewfinder or just get used to using the lcd on the ex1r.
decisions decisions.....

I took the ex1r over the ex3 because: (not in particular order)

The ex1r is cheaper and...

The ex1r had (and still has) excellent compatibality witth the MXM adaptors SDHC card solution. Maybe things are equal now since there are new firmwares but back then this better compatibility was a deal maker. Generally i like having the second revision when it comes to expensive hardware like this.

The protech ST-7 shoulder support works excellent with the ex1r and the ex3. However, since it was designed for the ex3, you need to make a small metal part by your self to make it 100% compatible.

Wether you use the ex1r with shoulder support, or the ex3 with an exrtra shoulder support, they will always be both front heavy (they are a lot better than just the 'naked' cam's by themselfs and any other handheld cam in that respect) The difference between them in that regard however is marginal,

I didnt need (and still haven't felt the need) to switch lenses.

The ex1r has the second revision hardware (tripod mount, audio limiters, usability, compatibility)

So i'd recommend using the ex1r with the protech st-7. Add an swit 120 Wh li-ion battery , a charger, buy an sony professional mount quick release plate and you're good to go! Oh and buy some SDHC cards and MXM adapters and forget about the way overpriced sony sxs cards...

Its the configuration I got and works excellent! Its almost like a full shoulder cam, except the balance isn't just there yet. But on the other hand, the total package isnt half of what a true shoulder camcorder costs!

p.s
You could always add an third party viewfinder convertor for the ex1r.

We shoot a lot of horticulture/gardening videos. By definition, this is outdoor shooting, often in bright sunlight. Many times, we get tight close-ups of flowers with a very narrow depth of field. Focus is critical. For these reasons, we chose the superior view-finder of the EX3. The camera is new to us.....who knows, we may end up switching lenses a lot, and occasionally use a 50 mm for a tight closeup. But since we shoot closeups of small things like flowers, it usually isn't very difficult to achieve those beautiful narrow depth-of-field shots.

Hi jim,

Overall I'm pretty pleased the way the ex1r works in conjunction with the protech st-7 shoulder mount. With the front heaviness I meant it won't stay balanced on your shoulder all by itself. So while holding the camcorder with your right hand and resting the back on your shoulder it will tilt down. In other words, you will need to hold up the camcorder a bit to keep it leveled.

About the metal thingy. Take a look at this webpage:
The best shoulder mount I have used for my Sony EX3 by far | Philip Bloom (http://philipbloom.net/2009/08/17/the-best-shoulder-mount-i-have-used-for-my-sony-ex3-by-far/)

The metal thingy just puts the camcorder extra secure on the protech mount. But since it was designed for the ex3 it wont fit the ex1. You don't actually need this piece, but if you don't use it the camcorder is only secured to the protech st-7 by its tripod mount hole. Now if you add a big battery to the protech and pick up the whole (heavy!) set by the camera handle you might break or rip out the tripod mount hole on your camera. The ex1r however has had an upgraded tripod mount piece to counter this problem, but I just wouldn’t take the risk.

The lcd is pretty damn good and I haven’t really had a problem using it in sunlight. Contrary to some other (older) lcd's, its still pretty usefull in direct sunlight. I wouldn’t worry about it. I even removed the viewfinder piece from my camera because I never use it!

The protech st-7 is pretty darn expensive. About 1200 dollars I believe! But the thing is when I bought my set there just wasn't anything else that came close except buying a fully featured shoulder camcorder. Don’t forget you will also need a Sony professional plate Sony VCT-u14 (300 dollar) and a battery Swit S-8110S 14.4 volt 126Wh + charger. It's a total of probably 2200 dollars. It's expensive, yes... but gets you as close as you can to a full size shoulder camcorder at a fraction of the price.

Good luck!

p.s
The actual lcd on the ex1, ex3 pmw320 pmw350 are all the same. So if you're really critical about usint the ex1r outside you could always buy a third party clip on viewfinder attachment.