First XDCAM EX3 Review
 

Will be online on my site Sunday afternoon after the official launch. It was supposed to be secret but the cat is out of the bag. I wish I could share it with you now but I have agreed to hold it until the press conference in Vegas on Sunday afternoon.

It's an in depth Video Review, a written one and a short shot with it.

Looking forward to your review Philip.

So, are you switching? :)

Scott K.

All answered in the review!

Am impressed it stayed secret this long but I have given my word not to publish until AFTER the announcement even though everything is now out there.

I hope the review will answer all questions. I approach it as an EX1 user as well as from a newbie perspective.

Phil, have you heard anything more on EX1 firmware or is that also included in your review.. ?

I think it has been delayed unfortunately, don't know when now. Much of what will be in it is in the EX3.

Read a review here: http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=174

I was kind of relieved that I don't HAVE to buy the EX3. The Ex1 still works great for me. We'll probably get a PDW-700 at work and maybe an EX3 for backup.

The cool thing would be if sony made a new firmware for the ex1 allowing MPEG422 to be used. And other fixes as well.. Really miss a under/over crank assign button..

It's not really a review, more a comprehensive look at all the new kit. He has broken the embargo due to mix up with dates and I think it is coming down until after the announcement! But the info is out there so it's a bit pointless now!

Looking forward to your review.
I see there's a mirror image switch on the viewfinder/lcd. Does this actually flip the recorded image or is it just the image shown on the lcd? Probably the latter...

all in the review...but will give you this one bit of info. Viewfinder only.

This is very frustrating for me. I won't to give you guys all the info but I promised!

Hehe, I understand. Thanks for that little piece of info.
Don't worry about us. We'll get all the info in time. Go raid a casino or something ;)

I did that, but only got out with a snow globe of the Bellagio.

Anyone want to buy a gently used EX1 in two months?

Just curious. What happened to the EX2? (why jump from EX1 to EX3)
Malcolm

Sony don't do even numbers!

Also don't flog the EX1 just yet. It is still a superb camera!

Don't get me wrong, Phil. The EX1 is the camera for me (I don't need other lenses, nor do I want a bigger camera). I was just curious about the missing '2'.
Cheers,
Malcolm

It looks like the viewfinder eyepiece flips out of the way to expose the LCD, note the hinge on top.

I think also the EX2 makes it sounds more like a replacement? Which it certainly isn't!

You really should see the new Letus Ultimate. Lovely, lovely, lovely. I was up till 3am with Hien this morning and got rudely awakened at 730am with the EX3 leak so am knackered but still plan on shooting stuff with the Ultimate and EX1 today. Probably just from my bed though. My desk...my lamp...my tv...maybe even my reflection!

Yes, you are right! You can see it the same way as the PDW-F35x and PDW-F33x from the XDCAM HD serie.

it might do..

I certainly like the ex1 a lot. I did some concert footage for someone the other night and was forced into using 6-12 db of gain at times. Still an unbelievable image. What interests me so much about the EX3 beyond interchangeable lenses is TC and genlock, but more importantly that suspicious remote terminal on the back. I'm guessing that's no lens remote connector...

-Sean

It looks amazing. Can't wait for your review Phil. Hope your server can handle the ton of people hitting your site tomorrow. Question 1 is Cmos or CCD.

According to the article it has the same half-inch cmos sensors as the ex1.

Ah! I have learned my lesson. I am hosting all my video. Much quicker to load. Flash so works on almost all computers too. Takes the pressure away from my mate Maxim at aerialsfilm.com who has taken the brunt of my bandwidth!

It is still more or less the same as the EX1 in most respects.

As the knowledge of the EX3 is out there I may as well give you the link to the little short I shot using it and the Letus Extreme. Pictures of it mounted on the EX3 will be in the review tomorrow.

In the meantime here is the short film "3 Days in April", literally shot over 3 consecutive days in the same location.

Here it is on Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/879872

and on Exposure room: http://exposureroom.com/members/phil...2babe00b22195/

It doesn't give any secrets away about the camera in the slightest!!!

Sony EX3
 

It seems that the EX1 will now have an upgrade in July.

http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=174

The article will reappear at midnight GMT. It will have what the EX1 already has plus interchangeable lens, a EVF that makes use of the HD LCD on the EX1 and a variable frame rate wheel.

There is a small change to the body as well.

Also 32GB SXS due this fall.

More to come.

Cheers,
G

Philip Bloom says he will be releasing a review as well on his blog as soon as Sony does their press release.

Thanks Phil! Just put a film on there. This EX3 Looks very exciting. A little miffed now because I would rather have bought that instead! Still I guess things move on.

Some really beautiful moments in your EX-3 film 3 days in April Was that the same letus extreme or a new version for the EX-3?

I think the number 2 is unlucky in Japan.

I just purchased the EX-1 recently and wanted some info on a subject that I need closure on. With the EX3 having detachable lens capabilities, would that mean that it can give a dof of a 35mm with a proper lens and no adapter like the letus or redrock?

If the answer is no, please explain why. I am trying to eliminate the use of using any 35mm adapter and if the EX3 can help with that, I think I might put it on my Christmas list.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks

No. It makes no difference. What makes the difference is the size of the sensor. It is that which effects DOF not the lenses (well they do obviously to a point). So even if you put on a digi prime onto the ex3 then the DOF will be identical to the stock lens. The larger the sensor, the more control of DOF you have

Most video cameras have a small imaging sensor while film frames are much larger. The red camera though gives the same dof as a 35mm camera.

The dof adapters have the image on a large frame giving 35mm style dof which is then filmed with the camera.

The new EX-3 with interchangeable lenses will be able to fit a dof adapter with a lens so bypassing the fixed lens of most cameras. I believe this is the idea.

Yep. just the standard extreme. Literally going down to the hotel lobby now to grab the Ultimate off of Hien

Excellent. Now I am at ease. In that case, i'm very happy with my EX-1. She's a nimble little beast. I can;t wait to see about the new firmware update. Hopefully they can integrate the scroll wheel to worth with the frame rate.

One more thing that I just thought about....if that is true that the lens has nothing to do with it ...how is a letus able to change the DOF using the same 1/2 sensors??

This is what we are all talking about!! Nigel broke the embargo hence he had to remove it from his site. It will be up again the same time as my review

I think I'll wait till I see what phil does with Hiens new adapter for the EX-3. Got a feeling its going to be very good.

upon some thinking and talking to a friend of mine who is a bit more technical....It is more than chip size he says…yes the bigger the chip the more the DOF but that is not the question.

I know there is more to it than the chip size I don’t understand it completely but this is what I get from my quick research. First a 35mm camera is pretty much a one chip camera (one 35mm film frame) it achieves a narrow DOF because of the simple lens design. What I mean by this is the 3 colors red, green and blue are aimed on one chip (1 film frame and yes I know it doesn’t have a chip) as for a digital 3 chip camera like the ex1. The lens is super complicated it has to separate the three colors red , green and blue and the point the corresponding color at the correct chip in the camera (this is very complicated)

the question is, can a detachable lens on the ex3 or any other digital 3chip camera with detachable lens achieve the same DOF as the 35mm adapter such as the letus and red rock. By using the proper lens without such an adapter like the letus.

Maybe this question makes more sense..

no. never Dennis. sorry

Also, Dennis, the separation of the light into the three primary colors does NOT happen in the lens but (basically) via a prism inside the camera body. I can create incredibly shallow DOF with an incredibly simple lens design. It's all a factor of distance to subject and image size on the focal plane.

Light hits the lens from all sides which is focused to hit the flame plane. The bigger the film plane then less dof will result. However by opening closing the iris you can concentrate the light into a smaller area which will then need less focusing..

The smaller the film plane the more dof you will get. There is no way around this. Video cameras usually have small film planes or sensors.

The adapters use a larger film plane and the camera lens then films whats on that.

Next stop: Circles of Confusion

Yikes! ;-)