PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. at DVinfo.net

Jack Zhang · September 12th, 2014, 01:53 AM

Official Press Release: Sony?s New PXW-X200 Expands Line of XDCAM Solid State Memory Camcorders Delivering Exceptional Image Quality & High Sensitivity | Sony

Doesn't specify whether it can record 1080/50p/60p internally in the release, but with XAVC 50mbps Long GOP, it might just have it.

Keith Forman · September 12th, 2014, 11:07 AM

Any speculation for price?

Gabor Heeres · September 12th, 2014, 04:22 PM

Also note that the zoomrange is extended. From 14x on the PMW-200 to 17x on the PXW-X200. A useful feature imho.

Jack Zhang · September 12th, 2014, 06:21 PM

But hopefully with the same bayonet mount for the VCL-EX0877. Would be trivial to make a new wide angle lens just for the new camera.

Also, let's hope hard they've moved the DC IN outside the battery socket.

Jack Zhang · September 15th, 2014, 04:33 PM

Nope. DC IN is still inside the battery socket. No hot-swapping, since it is essentially the same body as the PMW-200.

http://sp.sony-europe.com/da/8704/06...a1948961b.jpeg

In good news, the Brochure confirms 1080p/60p/50p recording.

No direct link to the brochure, but it is on this page: http://www.sony.co.uk/pro/support/br.../1237493100744

They could've at least lost the A/V out in place of the DC IN. No one uses RCA analog anymore, and if you do want it, There's already one that's a BNC that clearly says "VIDEO OUT".

Andy Wilkinson · September 15th, 2014, 11:40 PM

It's really stupid that Sony repeated that DC IN position on this new model. Great to hear about 1080p50/60 thought.

Jack Zhang · September 16th, 2014, 12:49 AM

It looks like nothing major on the main body changed design-wise from the PMW-200 to the X200. We do have a new accessory shoe on the handle, but it will not be active till a 2015 firmware update. Plus, I'm hoping those MI shoes use standard dimensions so that standard cold shoes would still work.

They had a lost opportunity to add another notch to the ND wheel like the PMW-300.

It's also surprising that this model records MPEG IMX in SD. The only thing it lacks is AVCHD support like the X180 and X160.

Speaking of the X180 and X160, those models have a DC IN outside the battery socket... They've learned from their mistakes, so why are they re-using the flawed PMW-200 design?

The lens hood design with a screw in bayonet mount in the dimensions figures drawing on the final page of the brochure suggests you can use a VCL-EX0877 since the lens is only .2mm wider at it's widest point.

Another nice addition is the SD card slot for proxy recordings. While all this is nice, the critical thing this lacks is a proper DC IN placement. And knowing Sony, The DC IN will be artificially limited this time to 12V. Use a battery pigtail and you will almost certainly get a "High Voltage" warning like the PMW-300.

Roshdi Alkadri · March 10th, 2015, 11:09 AM

Sorry to pull up this thread from the dead but has anyone picked up this cam? Thoughts on performance, low light, quality, ergonomics etc.?

Larry Hatteberg · March 10th, 2015, 02:32 PM

Yes, I have the PXW-X200 and I find it to be a really nice camera. Low-light shooting is superb! I use it in a 'news' environment and it has exceeded my expectations. The 'sharpness' the camera produces is very nice....and it really is a step-up from other handhelds. I've used the Canon XF-305 and others....and this camera produces a far better image than any camera that I've recently used. I edit with AVID, and the software imports the files via AMA easily. Like all the hand-helds, it is not a perfect camera.....but I'm finding the image it produces to be great to work with. You can put me in the 'favorable' column.

Roshdi Alkadri · March 10th, 2015, 06:38 PM

Thanks Larry, I'm guessing its way better than the PMW200. Have you had a chance to play with the 10bit files and seeing how they hold up to grading?

Larry Hatteberg · March 10th, 2015, 10:45 PM

I have and haven't seen many problems. I'm shooting some projects currently at 100mbs and the files look good following grading....although I'm just beginning to do that with the current project. Our engineers were stunned at the low light capability....and they are not easily impressed. I'm still experimenting....as I go about this project, but so far, given the price point.....this camera is pretty darn impressive!

Roshdi Alkadri · March 10th, 2015, 11:57 PM

Thanks very much for that. Looking forward to owning one. Great news about the low light!

Paul Anderegg · March 12th, 2015, 06:27 PM

Larry, what is the iris ramping like when you zoom, I know it is f1.9 at wide angle, at what point does it reach the lowest wide pen point where it sticks? I know the x180 starts at f1.6, and ramps to f2.4 at maximum 25x telephoto. I have an x70 currently, but shooting 100% night footage, the f4.0 at 8x which stays throughout the 24x ClearImage zoom with the associated noise/grain of digital zooming is horrid.

Trying to figure out which would be better in low light between the x180 and x200. Why the heck is the x180 a pound (0.4kg) heavier than the x200?!?!!?

Paul

Wacharapong Chiowanich · March 12th, 2015, 07:43 PM

I was wondering about that myself. A 1/3" camera that weighs a pound more than a comparable 1/2" one. I think it's mostly the lens (25x vs 17x) and maybe the continuously variable ND mechanism which could be some sort of electronically tinting optical module inside the camera.

Dave Sperling · March 12th, 2015, 09:44 PM

I haven't played with the PXW-X200 yet, but I have been using the PXW-X180 quite a bit - and it's a whole different feature set than my older PMW200. One of the big reasons for having one in the kit is of course the 25:1 zoom range - so it does get used a lot when the 14x of the PMW200 doesn't go far enough.
In many ways the x180 seems like it's designed with a huge number of advances, and of course the variable ND is one of them. Also the addition of the 'soft' gain switch is major when setting up for an event feed - you can change gain settings and the exposure 'ramps' rather than 'clicking in hard'. Proxy recording to a separate SD card, being able to record to both SxS cards simultaneously if desired, having wi-fi control/streaming options. I've also gotten surprisingly clean images at plus gain. Of course if you're going for speed alone, my guess would be to go with the larger sensor. (Of course I also bring an A7s along to get cutaways of unlit audience shots.)
Again, I don't know how the feature sets match up between the X180 and X200, so I can't compare...

September 12th, 2014, 01:53 AM	#1
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. Official Press Release: Sony?s New PXW-X200 Expands Line of XDCAM Solid State Memory Camcorders Delivering Exceptional Image Quality & High Sensitivity \| Sony Doesn't specify whether it can record 1080/50p/60p internally in the release, but with XAVC 50mbps Long GOP, it might just have it.

September 12th, 2014, 11:07 AM	#2
Keith Forman Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Williamstown Mass Posts: 192	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. Any speculation for price? __________________ http://www.vimeo.com/keithforman/videos http://www.keithforman.com

September 12th, 2014, 04:22 PM	#3
Gabor Heeres Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands Posts: 322	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. Also note that the zoomrange is extended. From 14x on the PMW-200 to 17x on the PXW-X200. A useful feature imho.

September 12th, 2014, 06:21 PM	#4
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. But hopefully with the same bayonet mount for the VCL-EX0877. Would be trivial to make a new wide angle lens just for the new camera. Also, let's hope hard they've moved the DC IN outside the battery socket.

September 15th, 2014, 04:33 PM	#5
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. Nope. DC IN is still inside the battery socket. No hot-swapping, since it is essentially the same body as the PMW-200. http://sp.sony-europe.com/da/8704/06...a1948961b.jpeg In good news, the Brochure confirms 1080p/60p/50p recording. No direct link to the brochure, but it is on this page: http://www.sony.co.uk/pro/support/br.../1237493100744 They could've at least lost the A/V out in place of the DC IN. No one uses RCA analog anymore, and if you do want it, There's already one that's a BNC that clearly says "VIDEO OUT". Last edited by Jack Zhang; September 15th, 2014 at 05:18 PM.

September 15th, 2014, 11:40 PM	#6
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. It's really stupid that Sony repeated that DC IN position on this new model. Great to hear about 1080p50/60 thought. __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

September 16th, 2014, 12:49 AM	#7
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. It looks like nothing major on the main body changed design-wise from the PMW-200 to the X200. We do have a new accessory shoe on the handle, but it will not be active till a 2015 firmware update. Plus, I'm hoping those MI shoes use standard dimensions so that standard cold shoes would still work. They had a lost opportunity to add another notch to the ND wheel like the PMW-300. It's also surprising that this model records MPEG IMX in SD. The only thing it lacks is AVCHD support like the X180 and X160. Speaking of the X180 and X160, those models have a DC IN outside the battery socket... They've learned from their mistakes, so why are they re-using the flawed PMW-200 design? The lens hood design with a screw in bayonet mount in the dimensions figures drawing on the final page of the brochure suggests you can use a VCL-EX0877 since the lens is only .2mm wider at it's widest point. Another nice addition is the SD card slot for proxy recordings. While all this is nice, the critical thing this lacks is a proper DC IN placement. And knowing Sony, The DC IN will be artificially limited this time to 12V. Use a battery pigtail and you will almost certainly get a "High Voltage" warning like the PMW-300.

March 10th, 2015, 11:09 AM	#8
Roshdi Alkadri Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 265	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. Sorry to pull up this thread from the dead but has anyone picked up this cam? Thoughts on performance, low light, quality, ergonomics etc.?

March 10th, 2015, 02:32 PM	#9
Larry Hatteberg New Boot Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 10	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. Yes, I have the PXW-X200 and I find it to be a really nice camera. Low-light shooting is superb! I use it in a 'news' environment and it has exceeded my expectations. The 'sharpness' the camera produces is very nice....and it really is a step-up from other handhelds. I've used the Canon XF-305 and others....and this camera produces a far better image than any camera that I've recently used. I edit with AVID, and the software imports the files via AMA easily. Like all the hand-helds, it is not a perfect camera.....but I'm finding the image it produces to be great to work with. You can put me in the 'favorable' column.

March 10th, 2015, 06:38 PM	#10
Roshdi Alkadri Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 265	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. Thanks Larry, I'm guessing its way better than the PMW200. Have you had a chance to play with the 10bit files and seeing how they hold up to grading?

March 10th, 2015, 10:45 PM	#11
Larry Hatteberg New Boot Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 10	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. I have and haven't seen many problems. I'm shooting some projects currently at 100mbs and the files look good following grading....although I'm just beginning to do that with the current project. Our engineers were stunned at the low light capability....and they are not easily impressed. I'm still experimenting....as I go about this project, but so far, given the price point.....this camera is pretty darn impressive!

March 10th, 2015, 11:57 PM	#12
Roshdi Alkadri Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 265	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. Thanks very much for that. Looking forward to owning one. Great news about the low light!

March 12th, 2015, 06:27 PM	#13
Paul Anderegg Trustee Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: San Diego, Califonia Posts: 1,559	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. Larry, what is the iris ramping like when you zoom, I know it is f1.9 at wide angle, at what point does it reach the lowest wide pen point where it sticks? I know the x180 starts at f1.6, and ramps to f2.4 at maximum 25x telephoto. I have an x70 currently, but shooting 100% night footage, the f4.0 at 8x which stays throughout the 24x ClearImage zoom with the associated noise/grain of digital zooming is horrid. Trying to figure out which would be better in low light between the x180 and x200. Why the heck is the x180 a pound (0.4kg) heavier than the x200?!?!!? Paul

March 12th, 2015, 07:43 PM	#14
Wacharapong Chiowanich Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Posts: 400	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. I was wondering about that myself. A 1/3" camera that weighs a pound more than a comparable 1/2" one. I think it's mostly the lens (25x vs 17x) and maybe the continuously variable ND mechanism which could be some sort of electronically tinting optical module inside the camera.

March 12th, 2015, 09:44 PM	#15
Dave Sperling Major Player Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Tinton Falls, NJ Posts: 780	Re: PXW-X200 announced. The PMW-200 XAVC replacement is here. I haven't played with the PXW-X200 yet, but I have been using the PXW-X180 quite a bit - and it's a whole different feature set than my older PMW200. One of the big reasons for having one in the kit is of course the 25:1 zoom range - so it does get used a lot when the 14x of the PMW200 doesn't go far enough. In many ways the x180 seems like it's designed with a huge number of advances, and of course the variable ND is one of them. Also the addition of the 'soft' gain switch is major when setting up for an event feed - you can change gain settings and the exposure 'ramps' rather than 'clicking in hard'. Proxy recording to a separate SD card, being able to record to both SxS cards simultaneously if desired, having wi-fi control/streaming options. I've also gotten surprisingly clean images at plus gain. Of course if you're going for speed alone, my guess would be to go with the larger sensor. (Of course I also bring an A7s along to get cutaways of unlit audience shots.) Again, I don't know how the feature sets match up between the X180 and X200, so I can't compare...