New PMW-350, EX1R camcorders and SxS media announced

[Tim Polster]

I noticed the audio is listed as 16bit for the PMW-350.

I wonder if using a Nanoflash, if the audio signal would be uncompressed out of the HDSDI to get true 24bit recording?

Thanks

[Jason Bodnar]

EX1R looks cool nice ergo changes and some cool new features.... I can only hope Sony does not leave its current base of EX1 custoemrs in the cold.... A firmware update to the EX1 could could easily add record cache (minus the little light) to the menu along with the ability to assign single button S&Q to one of the preset buttons...(minus dedicated S&Q button and light) controlled in the menu... I think it would be wrong of Sony not to add these two features by way of Firmware to the the current EX1. Last and obviously allow the Firmware updates by the end user which again could be implemented the same way as the new EX1R if they write a new Firmware version for the EX1. One can only hope.... If not this EX1R realease should upset more EX1 owners... The above statements are not out of the question nor would they be of any real expense to Sony...It would just make for more lifetime customer loyalty.

BTW, I do understand new cameras with new features will come out... and eventually yes I will upgrade but these are very easy requests to make happen for a very large base of current customers.

[Ronan Fournier]

The PMW-350 was shown in Paris this morning, here are some pictures:
http://www.cameravideo.net/forum/new...html#post81290

[Ilya Spektor]

Jason,

Completely agreed!.. (with addition of SD recording via firmware...)

[Steve Gibbons]

New XDCAM-EX family product brochure with EX1R and 350:

http://www.sony.ca/xdcamex/files/new_xdcamex_fam.pdf

[Steve Gibbons]

I'm assuming this new "flash band fix" in Clip Browser version 2.6 is for addressing rolling shutter issues?

[Andrew Hollister]

Nice review from resident expert Alister Chapman, very informative.

Part of me would like the new EX1, but not really. My 1 still has low hours, and is still pristine. The 350 looks sexy, too big for my needs.

The thing I keep thinking is that if this were Jannard & RED, they'd be offering a full refund on the EX1 with the R & 350 upgrade. But no, we're dealing with Sony and expected to shelf a camera and pay full shot for a new model. How very Apple of them, only this is a $6500 bit of kit rather than a $199 iPod.

Sure I'm a tiny bit envious of some refined ergonomics, buttons and HDMI that should have been in the original, but I'll pocket my money until the Scarlett is released.

[Mitchell Skurnik]

VCT-SP2BP Camcorder Support is a nice addition

[Ivan Snoeckx]

Release date of the PMW-350 is january 2010. The PMW-EX1R is earlier. December 2009.

[Steve Connor]

I was lucky enough to use the 350 when Alister had the unit, we used it on an airshow shoot, similar to many others that I've done before using pretty most of the Sony HD Cameras in the past like the 790, 750 and 700. I have to say this camera impressed me more than the others - Why?

Form factor - it's a nice looking camera, it's very lightweight but very well balanced. We mostly use a 700 at the moment and it's VERY heavy to carry around all day, no such issues with the 350 though, It felt very good on the shoulder.

The Viewfinder - we currently use a colour C35W viewfinder on our 700, I actually prefer the viewfinder on the 350. I think once they see it 700 and 800 owners may be pestering Sony to release it to buy separately.

The lens - amazing! no breathing at all, couldn't see any CA at all, I'll be very interested to see how it tests out when people get hold of it.

The pictures - sharp, clean , rich colours. It seemed to handle the extreme contrast of shooting aircraft in the sky better than any of the other cameras I've used.

I'd agree with Alister it's probably got a stop on the 700 and maybe a little more.

If you don't need the disc workflow and you can afford a Nano Flash as well, then for me I'd take the 350 over the 700 and even the 800!

[Andy Schocken]

Originally Posted by Andrew Hollister

The thing I keep thinking is that if this were Jannard & RED, they'd be offering a full refund on the EX1 with the R & 350 upgrade. But no, we're dealing with Sony and expected to shelf a camera and pay full shot for a new model.

If this were Jannard and Red, they would be announcing the camera today, saying that it will be ready at some point in the future, and that the specs are subject to change.

This is an incremental upgrade to a camera that's been on the market for two years- not sure how you could expect a refund on the camera you already own. There's no reason to shelf your EX1, and I doubt many people will.

[Brian Mills]

I completely agree with the above post: yes, the EX1-R has some nice additional features, but it has the same sensors/lens/codec, etc. You do not need to lament buying the older model. There is no job the "R" model can do that the old model can't, except maybe image flip and even then most new 35mm adapters have workarounds that don't require them anyway.

Yes it records a cleaner SD video, and that occasionally still comes up, but who is going to upgrade cameras to get SD recording in this day and age?

Now if the new "R" had 50 mgbit recording or an SDHC card slot for directly recording to, I'd be mad...

[Alister Chapman]

I believe the street price of the new SxS-1 32gb card will be in the region of £300. UK dealers have been given the pricing so should be able to give you a quote.
The Pmw-350 should be available from mid January. Apparently the lens we had for testing did not meet the final specifications and there is a new lens for me to look at when I get a chance.

[Marcus Durham]

Originally Posted by Brian Mills

Yes it records a cleaner SD video, and that occasionally still comes up, but who is going to upgrade cameras to get SD recording in this day and age?

Indeed. I've not been missing SD shooting at all despite the fact most of my delivery is SD.

In fact I was just admiring how good my latest production looked downconverted to SD played from DVD on a 37" screen.

The only advantage of SD shooting is if you are in an environment where your workflow dictates it and there is no time for conversion, eg local news.

The EX1R addresses a number of issues, but its rather like Apples recent Iphone upgrade. Lots of fairly cool features but nothing killer that makes me want to buy one.

The biggest thing for us EX1 users is the advent of the cheaper SxS media. As I understand it the cards have a limited life, but would still be good for filling up every day for 5 years! Since most of us don't fill up our cards 365 days a year the reality is the cards we buy will probably outlast the format!

[Greg Boston]

Originally Posted by Gary Leach

Pretty exciting, now if we can just find out how much $?

Gary,

I was in a meeting with Sony last week. They told us the kit with lens is right at $20k and $18.5K without.


Something else that hasn't gotten much mention yet... the new 350 has TWO viewfinder ports. One supports the new style included viewfinder and the other supports the older monochrome CRT finders.

-gb-