Sony announces the XDCAM EX

Alex Leith · April 16th, 2007, 02:26 AM

Of course all this is wild speculation, because Sony haven't mentioned a price point at all.

It does look like a lovely form factor with a proper (albeit fixed) lens and properly accessible controls - I hope Sony doesn't monkey around with it too much before delivery!

However, nobody in their right mind is going to pay more for this than for the HPX500, which I believe is priced cheaper than the F350...

David Lach · April 16th, 2007, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Jefferson

Wow...

this looks like Sonys answer to the JVC models... the XDCam workflow is also a godsendSeems sony are playing the smart game as they did with the PD150 and DSR200/250 units...

The fixed lens shouldnt be an issue IMO... weve all been working with them for long enough to accept that its cost vs choice.
This is somethign weve needed to consider when tossing these cameras up for all these years.. and this is no different.

IMO a camera of this nature is worth every cent. Its what weve been wating for.. It does what the HVX can do but offers existing workflow solutions for every NLE on the market without the bullshit politics and workarounds. It offers a larger CCD which we've all been bitching for and an ergonic design which has been proven time and again.

IMO THIS is what weve been waiting for... no more whinging abotu HDV formats and compression, no more complaining about low light inabilities, no more complaining about what we CANT do...
Now we have a tool which can virtually let us do anything we want in virtually any environment.

My hat is off to Sony..

While it's true that it looks like nice competition (depending on pricing) for the HVX200 and an alternative to some of us who still cringe at the idea of HDV, shouldn't we wait to see test footage before claiming "we have a tool which can virtually let us do anything we want in virtually any environment"?

Not trying to rain on anybody's parade, I'm as excited as anyone about this new model, but I've learned from passed releases that paper specs and real life operation do not always go hand in hand.

I'm especially interested about the EVF/LCD finders' resolution and reliability. If there was one thing that disapointed me about the operation of the HVX200 was the innacurate viewfinder / monitor on it. Though I understand why they can't put a nice high res finder in there, someone will eventually need to get creative and supply a viewfinder that will allow for critical focusing in run and gun situations while not breaking the bank. Or at least provide an alternative like the FU-1000 on the XL2. Hope this cam is a step up regarding that matter.

Peter Jefferson · April 16th, 2007, 04:40 AM

"I'm especially interested about the EVF/LCD finders' resolution and reliability. If there was one thing that disapointed me about the operation of the HVX200 was the innacurate viewfinder / monitor on it. Though I understand why they can't put a nice high res finder in there, someone will eventually need to get creative and supply a viewfinder that will allow for critical focusing in run and gun situations while not breaking the bank. "

I dont know if u recall, but i dismantled a DVX EVF and discovered a 1.5' 180k pixel LCD and the only thing in between was a magnifier... i agree.. with what we pay, paying afew hundred extra for a higher res montior isnt much to ask.. i mean teh technology IS THERE...

Balazs Rozsa · April 16th, 2007, 06:29 AM

I don't remember mentioned it anywhere. Is this a 3xCCD camera?

Daniel Weber · April 16th, 2007, 08:07 AM

I first found out about this camera a www.gizmodo.com. They are quoting a price of $8000 and shipping near the end of the year.

Very exciting news.

Dan Weber

Alex Leith · April 16th, 2007, 08:40 AM

$8K is a good price point... let's hope it doesn't creep up between now and release!

Kevin Shaw · April 16th, 2007, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn Krawczyk

All I'm saying is that unless it's priced competitively, why wouldn't you spend a few of thousand dollars more and get a pro camera that's capable of shooting material for anything up to a feature film?

The problem for some of us is that there's a big product/pricing gap between entry-level HD cameras for a few thousand dollars and "pro cameras" costing ~$25-30K or so with a decent lens and accessories. The XDCAM EX sounds like it could be an excellent answer to this problem: slightly larger sensors for better low-light response, higher data rate than HDV for reduced compression artifacts and (hopefully) memory which is more affordable than P2 cards for a practical I.T. workflow. I hope Sony pulls this off, because it's been frustrating not having a product like this out there.

David Lach · April 16th, 2007, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaw

The problem for some of us is that there's a big product/pricing gap between entry-level HD cameras for a few thousand dollars and "pro cameras" costing ~$25-30K or so with a decent lens and accessories. The XDCAM EX sounds like it could be an excellent answer to this problem: slightly larger sensors for better low-light response, higher data rate than HDV for reduced compression artifacts and (hopefully) memory which is more affordable than P2 cards for a practical I.T. workflow. I hope Sony pulls this off, because it's been frustrating not having a product like this out there.

A good thing I see about this new cam is like any competing format, there will likely be a war between Panasonic and Sony for their tapeless solution, SxS for Sony and P2 for Panasonic. This will likely accelerate both size increase and price drops on those memory cards, since a lot of people will consider this the difference maker between the 2 platforms.

An other good thing from the limited info available on the XDCAM EX is that there does not seem to be any tape recording solution on the camera. This marks the begining of the end in "transition" type cameras and while I'm no designing expert, the fact you no longer have to account for tape transport mechanisms must provide simplified (and less expensive) designing options, which I assume could in turn be transformed in either price drops or better technology on other features.

Kevin James · April 16th, 2007, 11:45 AM

Good point, the lack of a tape system probably pays for a portion of the 1/2" chips as opposed to 1/3"

I'm curious to see how the 24p is handled in this camera.......

It says CineAlta on it, so maybe, just maybe :D

Peter Ferling · April 16th, 2007, 12:17 PM

Let's not forget that being able to record up to an hours worth of media on a single card is making this very interesting for us long-form corporate types.

Gabe Strong · April 16th, 2007, 12:41 PM

This looks promising. I've been waiting and waiting for "the camera" for me. I'm still using a PD-150 which I actually like a lot. I didn't want to jump into HD until I saw a camera which had the particular features that I felt were important. This camera is looking promising and if it delivers as promised it will be my next camera. Real lens, half inch chips, the benefits of tapeless but without the huge costs.....it looks good so far.....

Paulo Teixeira · April 16th, 2007, 12:54 PM

I found out that it’s a 3 CMOS camera and its expected to be released this November.

Scroll down and you will see a graphic of the camera and a 16 GB card
http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=158

I stole the link of this thread:
http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=91617

Gabe Strong · April 16th, 2007, 01:05 PM

I know that the artist's mock up drawing says 3 CMOS but has that been confirmed? All the information I've read says that it may or may not be CMOS instead of CCD's.

Paulo Teixeira · April 16th, 2007, 01:57 PM

Here’s a post of mine from February 14
http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.ph...523#post625523
“If you think about, if Panasonic looses the tape drive of the HVX200, they could easily make the chips bigger than 1/3” and/or add more P2 card slots.”
Sony ends up doing what I predicted Panasonic would do. Get rid of the tape deck and you are able to fit bigger imagers.

Since Sony didn’t want to use Blu-Ray discs, they should have a portable Blu-Ray storage drive just like the DVD drive that you can get for the JVC HD7. Hopefully by November they are able to make it as small as JVC’s DVD drive.

Panasonic could still be a big force if they release a successor to the HVX200 with bigger imagers and the 100mbps AVC codec.

Simon Wyndham · April 16th, 2007, 02:34 PM

The concept drawing of the EX has many inaccuracies. The camera is 3xCCD's. Possibly the same ones that are on the current XDCAM HD.

April 16th, 2007, 02:26 AM	#46
Alex Leith Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Northampton, England Posts: 500	Of course all this is wild speculation, because Sony haven't mentioned a price point at all. It does look like a lovely form factor with a proper (albeit fixed) lens and properly accessible controls - I hope Sony doesn't monkey around with it too much before delivery! However, nobody in their right mind is going to pay more for this than for the HPX500, which I believe is priced cheaper than the F350... __________________ Alex

April 16th, 2007, 08:40 AM	#51
Alex Leith Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Northampton, England Posts: 500	$8K is a good price point... let's hope it doesn't creep up between now and release! __________________ Alex

April 16th, 2007, 12:17 PM	#55
Peter Ferling Trustee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Wyomissing, PA Posts: 1,141 Images: 57	Let's not forget that being able to record up to an hours worth of media on a single card is making this very interesting for us long-form corporate types. __________________ Pete Ferling http://ferling.net It's never a mistake if you learn something new from it. -------------------------------------------

April 16th, 2007, 12:54 PM	#57
Paulo Teixeira Trustee Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,773	I found out that it’s a 3 CMOS camera and its expected to be released this November. Scroll down and you will see a graphic of the camera and a 16 GB card http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=158 I stole the link of this thread: http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=91617 __________________ https://www.youtube.com/user/PhotoVi...esEtc/featured https://www.pond5.com/artist/paulot

April 16th, 2007, 01:57 PM	#59
Paulo Teixeira Trustee Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,773	Here’s a post of mine from February 14 http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.ph...523#post625523 “If you think about, if Panasonic looses the tape drive of the HVX200, they could easily make the chips bigger than 1/3” and/or add more P2 card slots.” Sony ends up doing what I predicted Panasonic would do. Get rid of the tape deck and you are able to fit bigger imagers. Since Sony didn’t want to use Blu-Ray discs, they should have a portable Blu-Ray storage drive just like the DVD drive that you can get for the JVC HD7. Hopefully by November they are able to make it as small as JVC’s DVD drive. Panasonic could still be a big force if they release a successor to the HVX200 with bigger imagers and the 100mbps AVC codec. __________________ https://www.youtube.com/user/PhotoVi...esEtc/featured https://www.pond5.com/artist/paulot Last edited by Paulo Teixeira; April 16th, 2007 at 02:52 PM.

April 16th, 2007, 04:40 AM	#48
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	"I'm especially interested about the EVF/LCD finders' resolution and reliability. If there was one thing that disapointed me about the operation of the HVX200 was the innacurate viewfinder / monitor on it. Though I understand why they can't put a nice high res finder in there, someone will eventually need to get creative and supply a viewfinder that will allow for critical focusing in run and gun situations while not breaking the bank. " I dont know if u recall, but i dismantled a DVX EVF and discovered a 1.5' 180k pixel LCD and the only thing in between was a magnifier... i agree.. with what we pay, paying afew hundred extra for a higher res montior isnt much to ask.. i mean teh technology IS THERE...

April 16th, 2007, 06:29 AM	#49
Balazs Rozsa Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Budapest Posts: 48	I don't remember mentioned it anywhere. Is this a 3xCCD camera?

April 16th, 2007, 08:07 AM	#50
Daniel Weber Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Maryland, USA Posts: 696	I first found out about this camera a www.gizmodo.com. They are quoting a price of $8000 and shipping near the end of the year. Very exciting news. Dan Weber

April 16th, 2007, 11:45 AM	#54
Kevin James Major Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 204	Good point, the lack of a tape system probably pays for a portion of the 1/2" chips as opposed to 1/3" I'm curious to see how the 24p is handled in this camera....... It says CineAlta on it, so maybe, just maybe :D

April 16th, 2007, 12:41 PM	#56
Gabe Strong Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Juneau, AK Posts: 814	This looks promising. I've been waiting and waiting for "the camera" for me. I'm still using a PD-150 which I actually like a lot. I didn't want to jump into HD until I saw a camera which had the particular features that I felt were important. This camera is looking promising and if it delivers as promised it will be my next camera. Real lens, half inch chips, the benefits of tapeless but without the huge costs.....it looks good so far.....

April 16th, 2007, 01:05 PM	#58
Gabe Strong Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Juneau, AK Posts: 814	I know that the artist's mock up drawing says 3 CMOS but has that been confirmed? All the information I've read says that it may or may not be CMOS instead of CCD's.

April 16th, 2007, 02:34 PM	#60
Simon Wyndham Trustee Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Malvern UK Posts: 1,931	The concept drawing of the EX has many inaccuracies. The camera is 3xCCD's. Possibly the same ones that are on the current XDCAM HD.