Would you buy 3x EX1's? Owners Advice at DVinfo.net

Nicholas de Kock · August 14th, 2008, 05:05 PM

I might have the opportunity to buy three EX1's for a low budget film, I currently own two XHA1's. So far the XHA1 has been perfect for my line of work, events, weddings, etc. I like the fact that I have CCD's and the lens has nice reach for wildlife footage. Shooting red carpet events would be disastrous with the EX1 CMOS is my opinion however I only shoot them once a year. I like the tape redundancy option I have on my XHA1. I have been tormented by these factors, is the EX1 a significant step above the XHA1, for the price I could buy 5 XHA1's.

Does the EX1 have a custom zoom speed controller like the XHA1? I can zoom to a crawl on the XHA1 a feature which was not in my PD170's. I can zoom/focus to a pre-recorded point, does the EX1 have this?

In regards to colour compression, it's unlikely that I'll have the gear to capture SDI, am I stuck with 4:2:0?

I don't use the custom colour settings on my XHA1 all that is done in post. Untimely it's my choice however at this stage I regard the XHA1 as one of the best cameras on the market for quality vs price. What would you do?

Robert Sanders · August 14th, 2008, 06:07 PM

Tough one. Both cameras have definite strengths and weaknesses. And in opposite directions, to boot.

While I really like the full raster nature of EX1, I'm not completely convinced that the PQ is better than the A1. I do like the SxS workflow. And AVC is a nice codec. But Canon's HDV implementation is bar none. So that's a wash, IMO.

The noise floors look different between both cameras. But that's not to say one is better than the other. I find that the noise levels in the EX1 appears at exactly the same exposure points. However, it does appear that the EX1 has some advantages in low light over A1.

Perrone Ford · August 14th, 2008, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicholas de Kock

I might have the opportunity to buy three EX1's for a low budget film, I currently own two XHA1's. So far the XHA1 has been perfect for my line of work, events, weddings, etc. I like the fact that I have CCD's and the lens has nice reach for wildlife footage. Shooting red carpet events would be disastrous with the EX1 CMOS is my opinion however I only shoot them once a year. I like the tape redundancy option I have on my XHA1. I have been tormented by these factors, is the EX1 a significant step above the XHA1, for the price I could buy 5 XHA1's.

I agree that the EX1 is not going to be the best choice for red carpet shoots. Quite frankly, I'd buy two EX3s over three EX1s. The ability to lock the cameras to a time source and to each other would be very helpful.

In regards to tape, I shot a tape backup for a while, but really gave it up. I REALLY like not having to fool with tape or tape issues.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicholas de Kock

Does the EX1 have a custom zoom speed controller like the XHA1? I can zoom to a crawl on the XHA1 a feature which was not in my PD170's. I can zoom/focus to a pre-recorded point, does the EX1 have this?

Yes, the EX1/EX3 has a custom zoom speed control. I do not know if the camera will zoom/focus to a pre-recorded point, but that does sound like a very cool feature.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicholas de Kock

In regards to colour compression, it's unlikely that I'll have the gear to capture SDI, am I stuck with 4:2:0?

I really think that too much is being made about the 4:2:0 color. The truth is, color sampling is resolution dependent. Sampling 4:2:2 on a 960x540 image is very similar to sampling 4:2:0 on a 1920x1080.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicholas de Kock

I don't use the custom colour settings on my XHA1 all that is done in post. Untimely it's my choice however at this stage I regard the XHA1 as one of the best cameras on the market for quality vs price. What would you do?

If it were me in your place, I'd probably use 2 EX3s. Unless you are going to be doing a LOT of action, using 3 cameras at once is difficult anyway. another option is 1 or 2 EX3s and a new Panasonic HPX170 which gets you away from the CMOS issues, and it's quite a bit cheaper than the EX1 as long as you stay away from the P2 cards.

Adam Reuter · August 14th, 2008, 07:25 PM

I'd keep an A1, sell the other one and get two EX1s. Unless budget is not a factor.

Are you going to be doing a lot of slow motion or low light shooting? EX1 is the camera for you.

The EX1's zoom speed can be changed and its shot transition function has the ability to "ramp up" and "ramp down" the zoom speed for perfect shots, leaving your hands free to operate the tripod handle(s). The shot transition can manipulate zoom, focus, iris, white balance and...I think that's it but I may be wrong. So yes it allows you to pull off a perfect rack focus with the press of a button.

The Canon has further reach with its 20x zoom lens than the EX1-s 14x.

I agree that the Canon is the best camera in terms of quality/price. I'll be using one as a B camera in an upcoming TV pilot shoot because it quality comes close to the EX1.

Scott Hayes · August 15th, 2008, 05:16 AM

regarding he HPX, it ONLY uses P2 cards, it has no tape deck. for that, you need to get
the HVX-200a.

Perrone Ford · August 15th, 2008, 05:46 AM

Firestore?

August 14th, 2008, 05:05 PM	#1
Nicholas de Kock Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: KLD, South Africa Posts: 983	Would you buy 3x EX1's? Owners Advice I might have the opportunity to buy three EX1's for a low budget film, I currently own two XHA1's. So far the XHA1 has been perfect for my line of work, events, weddings, etc. I like the fact that I have CCD's and the lens has nice reach for wildlife footage. Shooting red carpet events would be disastrous with the EX1 CMOS is my opinion however I only shoot them once a year. I like the tape redundancy option I have on my XHA1. I have been tormented by these factors, is the EX1 a significant step above the XHA1, for the price I could buy 5 XHA1's. Does the EX1 have a custom zoom speed controller like the XHA1? I can zoom to a crawl on the XHA1 a feature which was not in my PD170's. I can zoom/focus to a pre-recorded point, does the EX1 have this? In regards to colour compression, it's unlikely that I'll have the gear to capture SDI, am I stuck with 4:2:0? I don't use the custom colour settings on my XHA1 all that is done in post. Untimely it's my choice however at this stage I regard the XHA1 as one of the best cameras on the market for quality vs price. What would you do? Last edited by Nicholas de Kock; August 14th, 2008 at 06:08 PM.

August 14th, 2008, 06:07 PM	#2
Robert Sanders Starway Pictures Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Studio City Posts: 581	Tough one. Both cameras have definite strengths and weaknesses. And in opposite directions, to boot. While I really like the full raster nature of EX1, I'm not completely convinced that the PQ is better than the A1. I do like the SxS workflow. And AVC is a nice codec. But Canon's HDV implementation is bar none. So that's a wash, IMO. The noise floors look different between both cameras. But that's not to say one is better than the other. I find that the noise levels in the EX1 appears at exactly the same exposure points. However, it does appear that the EX1 has some advantages in low light over A1. __________________ http://www.starwaypictures.com http://starwaypictures.blogspot.com/

August 15th, 2008, 05:46 AM	#6
Perrone Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 4,100	Firestore? __________________ DVX100, PMW-EX1, Canon 550D, FigRig, Dell Octocore, Avid MC4/5, MB Looks, RedCineX, Matrox MX02 mini, GTech RAID, Edirol R-4, Senn. G2 Evo, Countryman, Moles and Lowels.

August 14th, 2008, 07:25 PM	#4
Adam Reuter Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 234	I'd keep an A1, sell the other one and get two EX1s. Unless budget is not a factor. Are you going to be doing a lot of slow motion or low light shooting? EX1 is the camera for you. The EX1's zoom speed can be changed and its shot transition function has the ability to "ramp up" and "ramp down" the zoom speed for perfect shots, leaving your hands free to operate the tripod handle(s). The shot transition can manipulate zoom, focus, iris, white balance and...I think that's it but I may be wrong. So yes it allows you to pull off a perfect rack focus with the press of a button. The Canon has further reach with its 20x zoom lens than the EX1-s 14x. I agree that the Canon is the best camera in terms of quality/price. I'll be using one as a B camera in an upcoming TV pilot shoot because it quality comes close to the EX1.

August 15th, 2008, 05:16 AM	#5
Scott Hayes Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 692	regarding he HPX, it ONLY uses P2 cards, it has no tape deck. for that, you need to get the HVX-200a.