EX3 For Newsgathering at DVinfo.net

Jim Robinson · October 12th, 2008, 03:28 PM

I'm using the Sony EX3 for newsgathering and realized it has a flaw. You cannot transfer video back to the camera. Does anyone use the EX3 for news and what kind of workflow are you using. I'm with a Macbook Pro, and Final Cut Pro. What settings are you using on the camera? I use 720 30p otherwise it has a slowmo look.

Cheers

Craig Seeman · October 12th, 2008, 03:43 PM

I often do ENG style work.
For HD broadcast you'd use 720p60 or 1080i60. Personally I like shooting 1080p30.
If you're getting a "slo mo" look and you're not shooting S&Q mode then your NLE is set up wrong.

Why would you go back to the camera at all?
I burn BPAV to DL-DVD
In addition you can back BPAV up to an external hard drive.

If I'm FTPing clips some place I'll often encode to MPEG2 Program (or Transport) Stream or a very high quality H264.

BPAV though is the "universal" since they can then convert it to whatever they need for their NLE on whatever OS they use.

Jim Robinson · October 13th, 2008, 06:50 AM

Hey there!
Thanks for the quick reply--I found this very helpful. The reason I need to transfer it back to the camera is because for the time being I need to feed from my camera to our station via a microwave truck. I can't seem to find a way to export my finished story out of Final Cut and back onto the camera so I can hook it up to the truck and feed.

Any ideas?

Can this be done with MXF?

Thanks again

=)

Craig Seeman · October 13th, 2008, 08:42 AM

Your truck can only handle SDI or HD-SDI? Time to retool for a file based (and many times faster than real time) system. That's a MAJOR benefit when it comes to ENG. You might want to get a Matrox MXO2 for your laptop for about $1600. Your truck really should be able to take Ethernet from your laptop though.

Ben Ruffell · October 13th, 2008, 01:17 PM

This is an issue that I will be facing soon as well. My main feed point is even lower quality with Composite Video.

If I have a sat it is SDI

I am wondering what the best solution is to go from my Macbook to Composite in real time. With the option of SDI as well.

Craig Seeman · October 13th, 2008, 01:27 PM

Matrix MXO2 has Composite out

see this
http://www.matrox.com/video/media/pd..._selection.pdf
B&H and I'm sure other DVi sponsors sell it. It's pretty much designed for your situation.

This is the specs from B&H site
Matrox | MXO2 External Video I/O for Mac | MXO2 | B&H Photo Video

Brian Mills · October 13th, 2008, 01:29 PM

To export your video out of FCP on a laptop via HD-SDI , I was going to recommend the AJA IO HD. But the Matrox looks like a much cheaper option...

Craig Seeman · October 13th, 2008, 01:37 PM

Brian, the MXO2 is designed for laptop use and it's $1600. The AJA IO HD does realtime convert to AppleProRes on input and is way overkill for Jim needs. He needs a flexible, portable output device which is what the MXO2 is.

There's also an MXO which is geared to accurate affordable monitoring (think color grading using an Apple Cinema Display or Dell equivalent) which is great when you consider what a decent LCD for color grading HD costs.

Ben Ruffell · October 13th, 2008, 02:27 PM

That looks perfect.

Thanks!

Alister Chapman · October 13th, 2008, 02:54 PM

The next version of the Sony Transfer tool for FCP will support write back to the camera. It should be out fairly soon.

Craig Seeman · October 13th, 2008, 03:15 PM

Well, I'll be . . . .
Alister, when are they including the Window Time Code Burn In feature?
And what about the automated re-transfer of clips used in the timeline feature when you want to bring offline media back on?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alister Chapman

The next version of the Sony Transfer tool for FCP will support write back to the camera. It should be out fairly soon.

Jeroen Wolf · October 14th, 2008, 08:19 AM

How is the EX3 ergonomically? Can you guys work all day with this semi-shoulder design without strain?

Jeroen

Brian Cassar · October 14th, 2008, 08:51 AM

Jeroen,

I'm using the EX3 for long hours without any major problem. However I have bought the Bebob Coco EX3 V-lock battery attachment and I have bought the Blueshape 210WHr V-lock battery (the battery only weighing at least 1.34 Kg). With these 2 accessories the EX3 became more back heavy and more side heavy(leaning to the right hand side). By this way the camera have become more like a shoulder camera. I'm also resting the camera on my shoulder as opposed of having it rest against my shoulder. There are 2 drawbacks with this way:

1) the long viewfinder, even went taken furthest back, tend to be slightly jutting closer to the eye and

2) after a couple of hours you can get a bit of an elbow pain due to the tight closure of the elbow towards your shoulder.

But as I said I've filmed for long hours with the EX3 and found it to be acceptable (though I would have preferred a proper shoulder camera). I would also like to add that I have a PAG light on board and a cordless receiver at the back.

Jeroen Wolf · October 14th, 2008, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Cassar

Jeroen,

I'm using the EX3 for long hours without any major problem. However I have bought the Bebob Coco EX3 V-lock battery attachment and I have bought the Blueshape 210WHr V-lock battery (the battery only weighing at least 1.34 Kg). With these 2 accessories the EX3 became more back heavy and more side heavy(leaning to the right hand side). By this way the camera have become more like a shoulder camera. I'm also resting the camera on my shoulder as opposed of having it rest against my shoulder. There are 2 drawbacks with this way:

1) the long viewfinder, even went taken furthest back, tend to be slightly jutting closer to the eye and

2) after a couple of hours you can get a bit of an elbow pain due to the tight closure of the elbow towards your shoulder.
.

Thanks, Brian. I'm going to try and fit a shoulder support on the EX3. Messing around at the dealer's I found it not too comfortable. If it doesn't work like a shouldercamera, I might even be better off with the EX1 (plus shoulder support).

Jim Robinson · October 29th, 2008, 04:28 AM

We aren't HD yet so I have to crop my video to a standard 4:3 broadcast. Everytime I try, I have a hard time getting it out of FCP using firewire and a DV converter. Is there any easy work flow to do this?

I edit in 1080i60 then use conversion to create a DV/NTSC QT Movie, cropped to 640X480. Then I import it back to FCP 6 for output. This isn't always working because when I bring the file into the timeline it wants to 'change the settings' of the timeline to match the clip. Only thing is it won't play back through the Firewire in 'realtime'

HELP!

October 12th, 2008, 03:28 PM	#1
Jim Robinson Tourist Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 3	EX3 For Newsgathering I'm using the Sony EX3 for newsgathering and realized it has a flaw. You cannot transfer video back to the camera. Does anyone use the EX3 for news and what kind of workflow are you using. I'm with a Macbook Pro, and Final Cut Pro. What settings are you using on the camera? I use 720 30p otherwise it has a slowmo look. Cheers

October 13th, 2008, 06:50 AM	#3
Jim Robinson Tourist Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 3	Transfer to camera Hey there! Thanks for the quick reply--I found this very helpful. The reason I need to transfer it back to the camera is because for the time being I need to feed from my camera to our station via a microwave truck. I can't seem to find a way to export my finished story out of Final Cut and back onto the camera so I can hook it up to the truck and feed. Any ideas? Can this be done with MXF? Thanks again =)

October 13th, 2008, 02:54 PM	#10
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	The next version of the Sony Transfer tool for FCP will support write back to the camera. It should be out fairly soon. __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com

October 29th, 2008, 04:28 AM	#15
Jim Robinson Tourist Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 3	Exporting for 4:3 broadcast We aren't HD yet so I have to crop my video to a standard 4:3 broadcast. Everytime I try, I have a hard time getting it out of FCP using firewire and a DV converter. Is there any easy work flow to do this? I edit in 1080i60 then use conversion to create a DV/NTSC QT Movie, cropped to 640X480. Then I import it back to FCP 6 for output. This isn't always working because when I bring the file into the timeline it wants to 'change the settings' of the timeline to match the clip. Only thing is it won't play back through the Firewire in 'realtime' HELP!

October 12th, 2008, 03:43 PM	#2
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	I often do ENG style work. For HD broadcast you'd use 720p60 or 1080i60. Personally I like shooting 1080p30. If you're getting a "slo mo" look and you're not shooting S&Q mode then your NLE is set up wrong. Why would you go back to the camera at all? I burn BPAV to DL-DVD In addition you can back BPAV up to an external hard drive. If I'm FTPing clips some place I'll often encode to MPEG2 Program (or Transport) Stream or a very high quality H264. BPAV though is the "universal" since they can then convert it to whatever they need for their NLE on whatever OS they use.

October 13th, 2008, 08:42 AM	#4
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	Your truck can only handle SDI or HD-SDI? Time to retool for a file based (and many times faster than real time) system. That's a MAJOR benefit when it comes to ENG. You might want to get a Matrox MXO2 for your laptop for about $1600. Your truck really should be able to take Ethernet from your laptop though.

October 13th, 2008, 01:17 PM	#5
Ben Ruffell Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Queenstown, New Zealand Posts: 117	This is an issue that I will be facing soon as well. My main feed point is even lower quality with Composite Video. If I have a sat it is SDI I am wondering what the best solution is to go from my Macbook to Composite in real time. With the option of SDI as well.

October 13th, 2008, 01:27 PM	#6
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	Matrix MXO2 has Composite out see this http://www.matrox.com/video/media/pd..._selection.pdf B&H and I'm sure other DVi sponsors sell it. It's pretty much designed for your situation. This is the specs from B&H site Matrox \| MXO2 External Video I/O for Mac \| MXO2 \| B&H Photo Video

October 13th, 2008, 01:29 PM	#7
Brian Mills Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 126	To export your video out of FCP on a laptop via HD-SDI , I was going to recommend the AJA IO HD. But the Matrox looks like a much cheaper option...

October 13th, 2008, 01:37 PM	#8
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	Brian, the MXO2 is designed for laptop use and it's $1600. The AJA IO HD does realtime convert to AppleProRes on input and is way overkill for Jim needs. He needs a flexible, portable output device which is what the MXO2 is. There's also an MXO which is geared to accurate affordable monitoring (think color grading using an Apple Cinema Display or Dell equivalent) which is great when you consider what a decent LCD for color grading HD costs.

October 13th, 2008, 02:27 PM	#9
Ben Ruffell Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Queenstown, New Zealand Posts: 117	That looks perfect. Thanks!

October 14th, 2008, 08:19 AM	#12
Jeroen Wolf Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 355	How is the EX3 ergonomically? Can you guys work all day with this semi-shoulder design without strain? Jeroen

October 14th, 2008, 08:51 AM	#13
Brian Cassar Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Malta Posts: 306	Jeroen, I'm using the EX3 for long hours without any major problem. However I have bought the Bebob Coco EX3 V-lock battery attachment and I have bought the Blueshape 210WHr V-lock battery (the battery only weighing at least 1.34 Kg). With these 2 accessories the EX3 became more back heavy and more side heavy(leaning to the right hand side). By this way the camera have become more like a shoulder camera. I'm also resting the camera on my shoulder as opposed of having it rest against my shoulder. There are 2 drawbacks with this way: 1) the long viewfinder, even went taken furthest back, tend to be slightly jutting closer to the eye and 2) after a couple of hours you can get a bit of an elbow pain due to the tight closure of the elbow towards your shoulder. But as I said I've filmed for long hours with the EX3 and found it to be acceptable (though I would have preferred a proper shoulder camera). I would also like to add that I have a PAG light on board and a cordless receiver at the back.