New Sony XDCAM - the PMW-100

[Matt Sharp]

Originally Posted by Mike Beckett

It does seem to share some specs with the NX70... which has no NDs, despite what some people claim. They seem to have wrapped he NX70 innards, lens etc. in an XDCAM package.

Mike it uses a new lens. 40-400 effective focal length and f1.8-2.0 from wide to tight, so it doesn't have as much light drop off as you zoom in compared to the NX70's 26.3-263 effective focal length with f1.8-3.4 wide to tight.

[Mike Beckett]

Matt,

I stand corrected... I just saw the 1/2.9" sensor part and assumed it was the same. Oops!

I still think a bigger lens than 37mm, and switchable NDs would make it a much more attractive camera.

[Mahesh Patel]

Yes, there are no ND filters.

I also just noticed that you can NOT shoot on both cards at sametime.
That is bad for me. As I want to make sure that the events that I am recording have a backup.
What if the card gets corrupted? Then, im screwed.

[Steve Kimmel]

Originally Posted by Mahesh Patel

Yes, there are no ND filters.

Well, that excludes the camera for me then.

[Lafleche Dumais]

Originally Posted by Mahesh Patel

Yes, there are no ND filters.

Well, it seems that it has ND filters according to B&H :)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/854243-REG/Sony_PMW_100_PMW_100_XDCAM_Camcorder.html

[Mahesh Patel]

Just noticed that B&H as well.

Built-in Filters Clear, 1/4 ND, 1/16 ND, 1/64 ND

Does anyone know if I can hookup a HD or any unit to record at sametime for backup purposes?

[Mike Beckett]

I wonder how they're accessed? I don't see and ND switch anywhere on the photos that have been published. Maybe something to do with the exposure wheel?

Sony UK spec doesn't show NDs: Sony : PMW-100 (PMW100) : Technical Specifications : United Kingdom

CVP in the UK are also similarly quiet: Sony PMW-100 (PMW100) Full HD CMOS Sensor Solid State Camcorder with 4:2:2 50Mb/s recording onto SxS media
As are Proav: Sony PMW-100 XDCAM HD422 Camcorder

Odd! I wonder what's going on?

[Steve Kimmel]

It's very odd because when I originally checked on B&H I don't remember seeing ND filters listed and the guy who did the video review didn't find any either.

[Richard Cavell]

If it doesn't have ND filters built in then how do you take it seriously as a camera?

Richard

[Les Wilson]

Originally Posted by Mahesh Patel

....Does anyone know if I can hookup a HD or any unit to record at sametime for backup purposes?

Yes. Look at the outputs and find one that matches your recording device. There's Express32 hard disks that work in the EX1R and may work in the PMW-100. Then there are any number of HDMI and SDI recorders. All that of course if you are using inexpensive media. The PMW-100 supports SxS which is the most reliable memory you can buy. Yes it's more expensive. For a reason. Price out those recording options you want because you want to use cheap memory and then compare it to SxS.

[Rick Miller]

I am interested in this cam, looks like some decent specs for $3500. Can anyone tell me, from reading the specs, what kind of quality to expect - compared to other cameras currently on the market? Especially what to expect as far as DOF. I currently have an fx1, and would like to improve the overall image quality.

Also, looks like B&H just delayed release to 6/10/12. I wonder what changes they may be making? Adding the ND filters like discussed in this thread? Anyone have any moreinfo on this cam?

[Mahesh Patel]

Will this be a good camera for weddings?

[Doug Jensen]

Some test video I shot last weekend with the PMW-100. Very nice camera.

Test Footage with the new Sony PMW-100 on Vimeo

[Alister Chapman]

Frankly the image quality is no better than the NX30 in my opinion, a little better than an FX1 but not massive. There is a lot of blocky noise and latitude is pretty poor by todays standards . I don't think the PMW-100 is one of Sony's best. It's pretty power hungry due to the codec and express card drivers and as a result runs pretty warm and is covered in air vents top and bottom The rear viewfinder is like something off a $100 chinese toy camera as is the scroll wheel for the menus. I would buy almost any of Sony's NXCAM's or a used EX1 over the PMW-100. This camera comes from the Atsugi factory where they normally make higher end cameras like the EX1, F3 or F65. I think this first "low cost" camera from Atsugi shows their lack of experience in this sector. The Sony Shinagawa factory normally makes the lower cost cameras (NXCAM, NEX) and they are much better at making a cheaper product without making it feel cheap.

It does appear to have an automatic ND filter of sorts. I have been told that it's built in to the iris mechanism so as you stop down the iris a tiny ND filter comes into place to prevent diffraction effects at small apertures. You have no control over it, so it won't help you control DoF etc. It really needs it to deal with the limited dynamic range. Also note that you can't use any of the 3rd party batteries that use a flying lead on the PMW-100 as the DC connector is inside the battery compartment.

[Doug Jensen]

Alister, I completely agree with some of your comments, such as the viewfinder being one of the worst I've ever seen, but overall I think it's a pretty nice camera for the price. You get pretty much every bell & whistle of the other XDCAM offerings -- plus a few extras that they don't have. It's a PMW-500 crunched to the size of a Z5. You get timelapse, slow-mo, picture cache, hyper gammas, nightshot, multi-matrix, custom clip naming, XDCAM Browser workflow, planning metadata, two zebras, 52 format choices including several 50Mbps 4:2:2 codecs, XQD card compatibility, camera data files, slow shutter, four channels of 24-bit audio, full manual exposure control, HDSDI and HDMI, timecode, genlock, etc.
It even comes with a battery and charger -- all for under $4K. That's pretty good.

Is the picture quality as good an EX1R? No, but it's smaller, lighter, less costly, and does things the EX1R can't. Everything is a trade off. I think the picture quality (you can't judge by Vimeo) is a lot better than you give it credit for. I can tell you that there is no way I'd trade it for any of the NXCAMs, except for maybe the FS100. Having the XDCAM workflow is a big deal to me.

I have not noticed any heat build-up. Power consumption is no worse than any other EX camera. And I only use Sony batteries so the DC connector placement is not an issue for me.

Obviously it's pretty much impossible to get shallow DoF on an interview or something like that, but then again, that's not what this camera is designed to do. Overall I think it is a great little "B" camera for any of the other XDCAMs or an "A" camera for someone looking to step up to a camera chock full of professional features.