EX3 Is it me or the internet ??

[Don Parrish]

I have searched high and low for pleasing video from the EX3, and for that matter all other 6-9k $ shoulder mount HD cams and I must be missing something or the internet or my monitor or something must be causing the jittering I am seeing, it's just not smooth and focus is terrible.

I have a core 2 duo, GT9800 and cable. I have watched video of the EX3 on the DVi forum and I watch video from other websites. What am I doing wrong ?? I know that it is probably my computer, why do the prosumer HD camcorders always appear jittery to me ??

I am going to say that I have not seen any EX3 xlh1 footage of any type that is pleasing. The problem I have is not only jittery but the main subject focus always appears terrible. Such as the first youtube video at asmusement park. As the ride starts the clarity of the moving parts is just poor.

Am I expecting to much ?? seeing artifacts caused by the internet, poor camera operator, or poor editing. I am trying to sink 10k back into a video business and searching for a camera has been dissapointing. my apology if I offended anyone, it was not meant to, this has just been my gut reaction to the video I have seen so far.

Thanks for any comments or suggestions.





YouTube - Alice In Wonderland - Official Trailer [HD] appears good, obviously shot on very exp cam

YouTube - Fairground Ride HD - Filmed with Sony PMW EX3 appears jittery ex3 footage

YouTube - Redemption Scene 13: The Confrontation [PMW-EX3] EX3

Sony PMW-EX3 Test footage on Vimeo

EX3 not youtube

[Craig Seeman]

Look at Phil Bloom's work amongst others.
A camera is only as good as the DP/Cinematographer/Operator.

There's lots of people who go cheap on the tripod, have no clue how steady a camera has to be when zoomed in, can't execute a proper pan when shooting 24p, have no idea how to focus or handle a shallower depth of field.

If you can't find any good EX footage, you haven't looked enough. There plenty out there and the aforementioned Phil Boom is one of many good examples.

[Bob Jackson]

Remember that youtube and others are highly compressed and look terrible compared to the original.
One cannot really compare movie trailers as they are done using sofisticated software/hardware that the average person does not possess.
Youtube doesn't even play at full frame rate as far as i know.

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Don Parrish

I have searched high and low for pleasing video from the EX3,

I'll stand by the quality of these videos. Shot with my EX1 and EX3, which essentially are the same camera.

2009 Rhode Island Air Show Highlights on Vimeo

Southwest National Parks - HD Version on Vimeo

[Robert Young]

Doug
Beautiful images, great editing.
It doesn't get any better than that.
What data rate do you use for this type of Flash publishing?

[Erik Phairas]

Awesome vids Doug!

[Steve Nelson]

There's a ton of good work out there on Vimeo and ExposureRoom. Vimeo even has a couple of Groups dedicated to videos made with the EX1/3. YouTube is generally the last place I look for professional cinematography work. Not that it isn't there, it's just easier to find elsewhere.

[Charles Newcomb]

Doug:

FWIW, it was these two videos that sealed the deal on me buying an EX3. Sony should give you a commission.

I should mention that the pans stutter somewhat when played back on my computer. But there definitely aren't any focus issues.

[Steve Nelson]

Oh yeah....almost forgot my shameless plug for Doug and Vortex Media. An absolute necessity if you get one of these cameras! Thx Doug!

[Don Parrish]

Thanks Doug, it is obviously my computer. even your video has slight hesitations that i can visibly see. I updated flashplayer and same thing. the video appears to load ahead of the player well enough but the video has a very slight hesitation in places.

I have vista 64 and a core 2 duo e7500 on an asus pq5 pro with 8 gigs of ram and a pny 9800 gt 1 gig vid card, but somehow I am stuttering video. Thanks for the post I will have to look deeper into my computer.

[Craig Seeman]

Vimeo allows one to download their compressed file or the uploaded file if the user has a Pro account. Why not download and see how it plays on your desktop.

[Steve Nelson]

Check to see what else is running in the background. Your hardware seems more than adequate.
You might also try VLC as a sanity check on any videos you can download. If VLC is choppy then you've ruled out the playback interface as the issue typically.

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Robert Young

What data rate do you use for this type of Flash publishing?

Thank you everyone for the kind comments. It is very much appreciated.

I'm not sure what my settings are for Vimeo. About a year ago I found a tutorial on their website that outlined the best settings for 720P, and I then created a preset with those settings in Compressor. If you can't find that tutorial, let me know and I'll take a look at the details of the preset and see what the settings are. However, it's probably outdated now that Vimeo allows 1080P.

The actual editing, before compression, is just done on a 1080/30P XDCAM timeline. I'm still surprised at how easy it is to edit XDCAM on Final Cut Pro. It's amazing how far the technology has advanced in just a few years.

[Craig Kovatch]

Doug, were most of those shots taken on sticks? How easy did you find it tracking aircraft using the EX1's viewfinder?

[Doug Jensen]

Craig, all of the shots on both videos were taken on sticks.

I didn't try tracking any aircraft with the EX1 because the air show video was shot entirely with my EX3. With that camera, it is extremely easy to track motion and follow-focus. I'd say the EX3 with my 18x5.5 Fujinon lens is just as easy to shoot with (on sticks) as any camera I've ever owned, and that goes back 30 years.

If the only camera I had was an EX1, I probably would not have even attempted the air show shooting because it would have been the wrong tool for the job. The limitations of the EX1's viewfinder and the ergonomics (not optical quality or focal length) of the lens stock lens would have made it too hard to get the results I wanted. The EX1 is great for some things but totally wrong for others.