Adam Wilt on the EX1 at DVinfo.net

Piotr Wozniacki · February 2nd, 2008, 04:22 AM

http://provideocoalition.com/index.p..._hd_camcorder/

Good to know Adam finds many more pros than cons :) BTW, I'm proud my observations are basically the same as Adam's (like the mosquito noise around fine contrasty edges, or the latitude being the greatest of all sub $10k cameras)

;)

Paul Dhadialla · February 2nd, 2008, 04:35 AM

Thanks Piotr - excellent article.
The very first internet article I ever read on Digital Video was by Adam Wilt - a very long time ago. Still love the quality of his reviews.

Interesting quotes:

"This is a big deal: the EX1 captures and records a true, square-pixel 1920x1080 image, with no single-sensor (Bayer mask) artifacts. There are two other camcorders that can make the same claim: the $48,000 Panasonic HPX3000, and the $180,000 Sony F23" - Adam Wilt

"In 1995, I saw a then-new DCR-VX1000 DV camcorder hooked up to a 32” CRT via Y/C. I stopped dead in my tracks: the pictures looked incredibly sharp and detailed, and when I tried recording a short clip and playing it back, playback looked just as sharp and detailed as the live signal. It was a pivotal moment: color-under analog simply wasn’t good enough any more.
I had a similar experience with the PMW-EX1. The first time I shot a resolution chart, my eyes popped: here for the first time was an affordable 1080-line camera that wasn’t compromising on resolution. Then I recorded and played back some HQ clips… there’s no longer a need to settle for anything less than full HD." Adam Wilt

Piotr Wozniacki · February 2nd, 2008, 04:40 AM

Yeah. What I find of a particular interest is Adam's assessment of the ASA sensitivity, on which reports were so differing: yes, it might be 800 ASA but only in the interlaced mode; in progressive it's just the more realistic 400 ASA. This is the reason I was a bit disappointed with the lowlight performance, as I'm exclusively using progressive!

Paul Dhadialla · February 2nd, 2008, 04:58 AM

Hi Piotr, Yes - same here. Going to stick to progressive too.

In the 'Texas Shootout' article from last year (Adam was part of that too) the Z1u (another camera I own) was given a rating of 160 ASA @ 1080i. Compared to both the 400 and 800, this is great.

I think as CRT'S fade away and most people will be watching on progressive displays (lcd/plasma) - this is ultimately the best recording mode.

Everytime I see 30P HQ on my apple cinema display i'm blown away.
Some shots feel like i'm looking through a glass.
I don't have a 1920x1080 display yet. I'm looking at the Dell 27" possibly - heard it has a really good gamut, 1:1 pixel mapping and good refresh/contrast

Cheers
Paul

Steven Thomas · February 2nd, 2008, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Dhadialla

the Z1u (another camera I own) was given a rating of 160 ASA @ 1080i. Compared to both the 400 and 800, this is great.

Agreed!
I'm very happy with its low light performance.

Piotr Wozniacki · February 2nd, 2008, 08:56 AM

One must also remember that the progressive mode's lower sensitivity can be compensated by using 360deg shutter (shutter off) without smearing, while in the interlaced the slowest shutter giving full exposure per field is twice as fast.

Steven Thomas · February 2nd, 2008, 09:32 AM

Adam's review is top notch as usual. He is quite the technical resource in this business. This review is very thorough and covers the pros and cons well.

Paul Dhadialla · February 2nd, 2008, 10:08 AM

Agree Steven,

The technical detail is Adam's articles are always very practical !

Piotr - yes true. Shutter off makes it just as bright at 30P HQ

Paul

Greg Boston · February 2nd, 2008, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Dhadialla

In the 'Texas Shootout' article from last year (Adam was part of that too)l

Wow, how time flies, Paul. It's coming up on TWO years ago now that we did that shootout. It is where I met and fell in love with my current camera, the F350.

-gb-

Steven Thomas · February 2nd, 2008, 11:15 AM

Yes,
I wish my pockets were deep enough to get the F350. ;)

Charles Young · February 2nd, 2008, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Dhadialla

Hi Piotr, Yes - same here. Going to stick to progressive too.

In the 'Texas Shootout' article from last year (Adam was part of that too) the Z1u (another camera I own) was given a rating of 160 ASA @ 1080i. Compared to both the 400 and 800, this is great.

I think as CRT'S fade away and most people will be watching on progressive displays (lcd/plasma) - this is ultimately the best recording mode.

Everytime I see 30P HQ on my apple cinema display i'm blown away.
Some shots feel like i'm looking through a glass.
I don't have a 1920x1080 display yet. I'm looking at the Dell 27" possibly - heard it has a really good gamut, 1:1 pixel mapping and good refresh/contrast

Cheers
Paul

If you have the room for it, I have been editing on a Samsung 5271 52" as a second display, and have been blown away by the picture.

Craig Seeman · February 2nd, 2008, 12:18 PM

Tell me about your setup. I have Samsung 4661 46" display.
While it certainly wouldn't be accurate for color correction its the kind of thing that will impress clients as I "up sell" them to HD.

I've checked camera component to monitor. I'm thinking about how to feed computer to it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles Young

If you have the room for it, I have been editing on a Samsung 5271 52" as a second display, and have been blown away by the picture.

Joseph H. Moore · February 2nd, 2008, 01:38 PM

The Intensity is a good choice for inexpensive HDMI monitoring.

Andrew Wilson · February 3rd, 2008, 08:01 AM

I've read (and heard from Blackmagic tech support) that the Intensity pro doesn't support 1080p, only 1080i.

For that reason, I thinking I'm going with the AJA Kona LH and use its component outputs. I understand the LH supports 1080p.

Is anyone using the Intensity Pro card with footage shot at 1080p HQ?

Rob Collins · February 3rd, 2008, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Wilson

Is anyone using the Intensity Pro card with footage shot at 1080p HQ?

I am. Looks great--does the pulldown in real time. I can only compare it to FCP's digital cinema desktop though (much better).

February 2nd, 2008, 04:22 AM	#1
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Adam Wilt on the EX1 http://provideocoalition.com/index.p..._hd_camcorder/ Good to know Adam finds many more pros than cons :) BTW, I'm proud my observations are basically the same as Adam's (like the mosquito noise around fine contrasty edges, or the latitude being the greatest of all sub $10k cameras) ;) __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

February 2nd, 2008, 04:40 AM	#3
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Yeah. What I find of a particular interest is Adam's assessment of the ASA sensitivity, on which reports were so differing: yes, it might be 800 ASA but only in the interlaced mode; in progressive it's just the more realistic 400 ASA. This is the reason I was a bit disappointed with the lowlight performance, as I'm exclusively using progressive! __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

February 2nd, 2008, 08:56 AM	#6
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	One must also remember that the progressive mode's lower sensitivity can be compensated by using 360deg shutter (shutter off) without smearing, while in the interlaced the slowest shutter giving full exposure per field is twice as fast. __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

February 3rd, 2008, 08:01 AM	#14
Andrew Wilson Tourist Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Vermont, USA Posts: 123	Intensity card I've read (and heard from Blackmagic tech support) that the Intensity pro doesn't support 1080p, only 1080i. For that reason, I thinking I'm going with the AJA Kona LH and use its component outputs. I understand the LH supports 1080p. Is anyone using the Intensity Pro card with footage shot at 1080p HQ?

February 2nd, 2008, 04:35 AM	#2
Paul Dhadialla Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 143	Thanks Piotr - excellent article. The very first internet article I ever read on Digital Video was by Adam Wilt - a very long time ago. Still love the quality of his reviews. Interesting quotes: "This is a big deal: the EX1 captures and records a true, square-pixel 1920x1080 image, with no single-sensor (Bayer mask) artifacts. There are two other camcorders that can make the same claim: the $48,000 Panasonic HPX3000, and the $180,000 Sony F23" - Adam Wilt "In 1995, I saw a then-new DCR-VX1000 DV camcorder hooked up to a 32” CRT via Y/C. I stopped dead in my tracks: the pictures looked incredibly sharp and detailed, and when I tried recording a short clip and playing it back, playback looked just as sharp and detailed as the live signal. It was a pivotal moment: color-under analog simply wasn’t good enough any more. I had a similar experience with the PMW-EX1. The first time I shot a resolution chart, my eyes popped: here for the first time was an affordable 1080-line camera that wasn’t compromising on resolution. Then I recorded and played back some HQ clips… there’s no longer a need to settle for anything less than full HD." Adam Wilt

February 2nd, 2008, 04:58 AM	#4
Paul Dhadialla Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 143	Hi Piotr, Yes - same here. Going to stick to progressive too. In the 'Texas Shootout' article from last year (Adam was part of that too) the Z1u (another camera I own) was given a rating of 160 ASA @ 1080i. Compared to both the 400 and 800, this is great. I think as CRT'S fade away and most people will be watching on progressive displays (lcd/plasma) - this is ultimately the best recording mode. Everytime I see 30P HQ on my apple cinema display i'm blown away. Some shots feel like i'm looking through a glass. I don't have a 1920x1080 display yet. I'm looking at the Dell 27" possibly - heard it has a really good gamut, 1:1 pixel mapping and good refresh/contrast Cheers Paul

February 2nd, 2008, 09:32 AM	#7
Steven Thomas Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 1,896	Adam's review is top notch as usual. He is quite the technical resource in this business. This review is very thorough and covers the pros and cons well.

February 2nd, 2008, 10:08 AM	#8
Paul Dhadialla Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 143	Agree Steven, The technical detail is Adam's articles are always very practical ! Piotr - yes true. Shutter off makes it just as bright at 30P HQ Paul

February 2nd, 2008, 11:15 AM	#10
Steven Thomas Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 1,896	Yes, I wish my pockets were deep enough to get the F350. ;)

February 2nd, 2008, 01:38 PM	#13
Joseph H. Moore Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 362	The Intensity is a good choice for inexpensive HDMI monitoring.