Sony EX-1: can it use large capacity SxS card, or SD card (in adapter)?

[Malcolm Hamilton]

Hi there,
I bout an EX-1 when it first came out. Loved it. But I can't remember if I purchased my current 32GB and 64GB SxS cards when I had the EX-1, or the PMW-200 that I got after it.
The reason it matters is that a friend of mine was wondering about picking up an EX-1, cheap, but seems to think that it is somehow limited to a maximum of a 16GB card.
Is he wrong about that? I'm telling him that he should get an adapter card for the SxS slot and use large (64GB, for example) SD cards. But maybe the old EX-1 can't do that?
I don't want to give him bad advice, so any thoughts from people on this forum would be very welcome.
thank you,
Malcolm

[Leslie Wand]

firmware 1.3 - am happily using 64gb sdhc cards in an mx adapter.

[Malcolm Hamilton]

thank you so much. I will get this information to my pal.
Malcolm

[Christopher Young]

Here is a tech sheet on what the EX1 firmware versions have supported. Firmware 1.30 being the last that Sony released for the EX series.

As Leslie says v1.30 will run 64GB cards with no dramas whatsoever. That's also my experience with v1.3 on the EX3 as well. I have also heard the word put about that you can use up to 128GB SD cards.

Additionally the QDA-EX1 SxS to XQD card adapter can also be used to run XQD cards although I believe 64GB is the max in XQD.

Beware! If you have to upgrade to v1.3 (VersionUpTool_PMW-EX1_1.3) make sure to follow all the directions 100% to the letter..

YOU MUST USE THE HIDDEN SERVICE USB PORT. Not the one adjacent to the component port. The wrong USB port will brick the camera by all accounts.

Additionally there is a lens firmware upgrade for the EX1 called PMW_EX1_Lens0027_0102

Hi there Mr. Les :)

Chris Young

[Jack Zhang]

1.31 is actually the last firmware available for the EX1R AFIAK.

[Leslie Wand]

hi there chris, hope all's going to plan ;-) no thoughts of retiring yet? coming from someone who theoretically retired almost 20 years ago and is only now slowing down enough to smell the flowers...

hey jack, where did you find 1.31 and what do the release notes say?

[Boyd Ostroff]

I've thought about updating the firmware on my EX-1 but have been reluctant to risk something that could brick it. I don't shoot much these days and it's my only camera.

Looks like that lens update only addresses a specific issue with a Libec controller. Too bad, you got me excited that there might be a fix for the "sticky" zoom issue on my EX-1. ;)

https://pro.sony/ue_US/support/software/1237485726707

[Leslie Wand]

i got my update done by a tech in sydney - ray purnell. wouldn't have dreamed of doing it myself - after all, who else could i blame ;-)

i don't think i updated for any other reason than using sdhc cards.

and yes, the ex1 is still my main camera, bloody workhorse that it is. i've looked at what's around for many years, but since i'm not interested in 4k, i haven't really seen 'better' hd footage from anything that would have been worth the investment. i am however, going to have a closer look at the z90
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...2855/KBID/3801
if for no other reason than it's much lighter.

[Bob Hart]

Boyd.

If the "sticky lens" is a sometimes jumpy zoom movement, maybe try turning the camera upside-down and cycling the zoom a few times. Store the camera upside/down to help recoat any dry spots which might have developed on wearing parts which have lube on them.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Thanks Bob, but that isn't quite the issue. The problem is that it's virtually impossible to make a smooth start to a slow zoom. Once the zoom is in progress, everything is fine, but there's a jolt when it starts. This was discussed a lot back in the day but I never really dug into it at the time.

Doing a bit of Googling yesterday, I found a discussion on another site where some people claimed to have discussed the problem with Sony. They were told this was a trade-off made in the camera design keep the cost down while not sacrificing sharpness. They further claimed this was true of the EX3 and also a newer model that I'm not familiar with. So (if true) I guess "it's a feature, not a bug".

[Christopher Young]

Originally Posted by Jack Zhang

1.31 is actually the last firmware available for the EX1R AFIAK.

EX1R yes but not for EX1. Don't make the mistake of trying to burn 3.1 into an EX1. A few have attempted that and bricked their camera requiring about $2,000's worth of board replacement.

Chris Young

[Christopher Young]

Originally Posted by Leslie Wand

hi there chris, hope all's going to plan ;-) no thoughts of retiring yet?

What would I do?

Still shooting. Still editing. Still on an 8 part doco history of the Royal Aust Navy for the Govt. Probably going to the ABC.

Over three thousand hours of archive material both B&W and color to be culled ARC'd and graded so it keeps me off the streets. The thought of traditional retirement freaks me out. What would I do to keep the grey matter ticking over. Young by name and young by nature :)

Chris Young

[Leslie Wand]

good luck with it and i'll look forward to seeing it...

yeah, don't know what i'd do without a camera and a script anymore either - but at least nowadays they're my babies ;-)

[Christopher Young]

It's the way to go Mr. L :)

Chris Young

[Dave Sperling]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

Thanks Bob, but that isn't quite the issue. The problem is that it's virtually impossible to make a smooth start to a slow zoom. Once the zoom is in progress, everything is fine, but there's a jolt when it starts. This was discussed a lot back in the day but I never really dug into it at the time.

Doing a bit of Googling yesterday, I found a discussion on another site where some people claimed to have discussed the problem with Sony. They were told this was a trade-off made in the camera design keep the cost down while not sacrificing sharpness. They further claimed this was true of the EX3 and also a newer model that I'm not familiar with. So (if true) I guess "it's a feature, not a bug".

Also remember that zoom motors work using a gear to drive the lens. The specs on new, high end lenses demand little or no play between the motor gear and the lens gear. In the case of my EX1, over time a bit of play has developed, so if I zoom out and then want to zoom in, there is a bit of motor turning before the gear hits in the opposite direction. This can result in a slight 'bump' or 'jerk' at the beginning of the zoom. So if I need a really smooth, slow start for a zoom in, for instance, I try to preset the gears by zooming out a bit further, then zooming in to set the opening frame - thus eliminating any gear gap in the drive direction. At that point the zoom can be started smoothly and slowly... Not a fix, but the field workaround. My EX1 still gets used occasionally, but only as a 2nd or 3rd camera, so I'm not really motivated to spend money sending it in for a fix that may not be effective.

This is a different issue than the jerkiness I've often found in trying to do slow zooms with EX3's - which I attribute to a presumably underpowered zoom motor for the lens, combined with lubrication/wear issues - a problem I've experienced to a greater or lesser extent with most EX3's I've shot with over the years... I always found the EX1 zooms far smoother...