input from ex users appreciated/

[Jim Stamos]

im finally selling off my dvcam gear and jumpiong to hd. it down tot he ex1r or ex3. im coming from shooting with a dsr300 so its been shoulder mounted with a good vf for 12 years. anyway i know the ex3 has the great vf but is awkward to shoulder mount without an adaptor.
the ex1 has a great lcd but lousy vf.
i guess id like input from those that were in my situation. i know the r would be easier for run/gun. ive just got to make that switch to shooting with the lcd mainly and adjusting to panning/zooming on the tripod with that different viewpoint vs. my vf i was so used to for so long.
any input on others that had to make this jump or their overall thoughts would be great.
im lefteyed so as good as the hoodman loupe is, wont work for me when on a tripod.
thanks
jim

also,
what are some better tripods that are fluid and lightweight for these cams. ive got a vinten now thats overkill so i want to go lighter and yet still pro.

[Craig Kovatch]

Hi Jim.

I picked up my EX1R last summer after shooting with a DSR130 (dockable camera) for 13 years. The big reason I went with the EX1R over the EX3 was cache record. It's bailed me out more than a few times.
I was also worried about having to adapt to the flip out LCD. Turns out, it was one of the best purchases i've made. It really didn't take long to get used to the screen. Shooting with the LCD is a real pleasure. Granted using it outdoors in direct sunlight is difficult. The peaking function makes focusing a breeze. I had no problem focusing and zooming, however I'm using a Fujinon zoom controller mounted to the pan handle. There's no way you can pull off zooming, focusing, and panning without some sort of external zoom control.

Using the EX1 handheld is different story. Unless you're going to attach some sort of shoulder mount, I'd advise keeping the camera on a tripod. It really is a pain.

The real beauty of this camera is it's small form factor. I don't miss lugging around a 15+lb camera and support gear. Not for a second. I can pack the camera/access. in one Kata bag, and the tripod in another. Throw on a Swit battery and you're good for hours of shooting. You might want to keep the tripod you have until you can try the EX1 on it. I'm using a Sachtler that's rated for up to 33lbs. Although the EX1 is a bit light for it, it's still very smooth. If you decide to attach a matte box, shoulder mount etc. to the camera, you might appreciate the higher load capacity of your existing tripod.


Cheers.

Craig.

[David C. Williams]

EXMount.com

Great for the EX3.

[Keith Dobie]

Jim -- you said it won't work for you on a tripod -- but did you try out the Hoodman Loupe on the ex1r? I can understand though that switching eyes would be awkward. Anyhow, it changed my whole attitude about the camera. Makes handheld shooting a bit closer to a DSR-300 . . . well it's still not even close but far better than LCD only.
http://bit.ly/iedgrv

[Andrew Bower]

Any chance we might see cache recording added to the EX3? (thus an EX3r)? How hard would that be?

We are in the same situation, almost ready to buy. We have been saving for a new camera and really love the EX3, but wish it had cache recording. I just know that once we buy, they will release the EX3r...

I was just wondering if anyone had heard rumors...

Andrew

[Olof Ekbergh]

I have both the EX3 and the EX1R.

They are both great cameras and the camera I moved from was the fantastic DSR500.

I was real happy with the EX3 (I got that first) except for the weak tripod mount, but that was easily fixed, I now sell those stronger plates for both the EX3 and EX1/R.
Westside A V Studios WEB Store

The EX3 is my favorite of the 2 mostly because it has a fantastic EVF (actually the LCD) and the ergonomics for shouldering are really better, especially with my EX3 shoulder brace. It really feels as balanced as the 500 but much lighter. And you can use your IDX or AB batts from the 300 on either the EX3 or the EX1R with my shoulder brace mounted plates that help balance the rigs.

But the EX1R is lighter and can become a good shoulder system as well. But never as good as the EX3, in my opinion. If shouldering is not an issue then the EX1R may be the better. Except the EX3 can use lots of different lenses, this may not be important. And it also has the cache record.

Both cameras have proven to be very rugged and I love the images, they can be improved by the use of a NanoFlash but is very good right from the SxS cards. And once you get used to not using tape you will love it. I shoot a lot with Nano and internal recording for confidence, but I have never had a problem with SxS recording.

I like the Miller Solo sticks and head, the Sachtler SB6 (I think it is) is also a great light system.

So it depends on what is important to you. Below is a photo of my EX3 setup. I hope this helps a little. You can contact me directly if you have any me questions. We can Skype if you like.

[Les Wilson]

THere's no real substitute for a camera design that lets you put your eye solidly on a VF snugly against your head and solidly on your shoulder in a way that has little weight on your hands. Having had the XL1s, I'd say the EX-3 gives you a decent experience that way but the handycam designs of the others are just not as good.

I have the EX1R and Hoodman Loupe that turns the LCD into a VF but in practice, the LCD is spring loaded and flexes forward when pushed into your eye. It also doesn't flip up to let you use the LCD normally.

I shoot Hasselblad style whenever I shoot handheld. You can't really do on any camera that doesn't have the rotating grip. The rotating grip is great that way.

[Serena Steuart]

Assuming that both eyes work you can retrain to use your right. My left eye is dominant so I always shoot firearms left handed (although right handed), but cameras made me learn to use my right eye for filming. I use an EX1 with a flip up loupe (Serena Steuart's Blogs - Making a LCD loupe with safety shutter for the Sony XDCAM EX1) but agree that you must use a support for lengthy hand held shooting.

[Jim Stamos]

i know, im just going to have to adjust. did you consider the ex3? what cam were you shooting with before?

[Serena Steuart]

Film cameras encouraged my retraining (so that happened long ago) and now I use whichever eye suits. At this time I think the Sony NEX-FS100 looks very interesting.

[Garrett Low]

Jim, when I was looking I did look closely at both the EX1 and EX3. For me the biggest deciding factors came down to a couple of things. The EX3's control layout made more sense to me. I also really wanted the TC features on the EX3 since I do a lot of live shows the ability to jamsync is big for me. And I found the way the EX3 felt in my hands better. Both cameras in hand held mode are not good out of the box. The "sholder support" that the EX3 is useless for anything longer than about 45 seconds. I outfitted mine with Olof's tripod plate (a must on either camera) and his shoulder attachment. I recently shot a 3 hour fashion show all hand held switching between shoulder and low shots. No it is not as good as a true shoulder mount camera ala PMW320 but the smaller size of the EX3 gives me a great advantage in tight places.

I new I was going to get a nanoFlash for the quality improvement and thanks to the guys as Convergent Design that took care of cache recording for me. You really have to try both cameras out yourself but in either case you will end up with a camera that gives outstanding results.

-Garrett

[Jim Stamos]

thanks garrett, i did hear olofs system is nice, but some have said the way its on your shoulder, your eye doesnt line up with the vf very well. how has that been for you?
did the shoulder adaptor add much weight for when you do off the shoudler shots?

[Garrett Low]

Jim, I have no problem aligning my eye when using Olof's shoulder system. Adjusting the EX3's VF does take a little getting use to but it allows enough adjustment so that I can comfortably shoot in shoulder mode. I also have his NF attachment arm which works out really well. Both the EX3 and EX1/r are front heavy which makes them not ideal for shoulder setups. I have my battery on the back over my shoulder and the NF, though it doesn't add much weight, is also behind my shoulder so the whole system really helps out with balancing the camera.

When off shoulder it is a bit heavy for long shots but when doing that I'm usually either low so the camera is held hanging down with my arm extended. Or, if I want the shot from about waist height for long shots, I usually cradle the camera in my right arm so that I can use my body to help steady it, and my left is available for controlling the camera (focus, zoom, aperture).


Hope that helps,
Garrett

[Bill Ward]

Jim:

I also have Olof's mount. No problem getting the eye alignment. I was initially concerned that the eyepiece would be too close, but with the viewfinder rotated forward a bit, no prob at all.

BTW...use the cheekpiece. Makes a lot difference in dampening out the side to side wobble.

[Jim Stamos]

thanks, i would probably use the anton bauer adaptor. doesnt seem it would be that much heavier with it. im used to getting off the shoulder shots with my dsr300 pretty easy, so the ex3 should feel like a feather compared to that.
anton bauer has an adaptor that goes on the back of the camera and you can mount a dionic batt to it. not sure it would balance much but it sure would be less to deal with if it helped somewhat. the cable goes from that into the dc plug.