Sony announces the XDCAM EX

Paulo Teixeira · April 16th, 2007, 07:43 PM

For Sony releasing this thing for fewer than 8,000 dollars is a very good deal when you consider what you’re getting. Now if only Sony can release this thing early.

Peter Jefferson · April 16th, 2007, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Ferling

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.

Precisely, which is why i am so excited about this unit..
the biggest downside to P2 is the speed of transfer and card capacity itself...

Thomas Smet · April 16th, 2007, 10:27 PM

Not bad, not bad at all. Of course we will have to wait and see what the quality is really like but I see no reason why it shouldn't at least be better then the best current HDV camera.

About the only thing this cameras does not seem to have is the 4:2:2 50 mbit mode. in a way that is a little sad. While 4:2:2 is not all that bad this still gives the HVX200 one tiny advantage which is recording 4:2:2 right in the camera. If SONY would allow the 4:2:2 mode on this camera there would almost be no point to consider the Panasonic unless somebody were a loyal Panasonic user. Of course with HD-SDI we have some pretty good 4:2:2 options but that just isn't the same as having 4:2:2 recording right in the camera. Lets hope SONY decides to put the 50 mbit mode into this camera.

Jaron Berman · April 16th, 2007, 10:48 PM

lack of 4:2:2 may sound like a buzzkill, but the xdcam-hd cams on the market now have FANTASITC pictures. They key better than the HVX, and all around wipe the floor with it image-wise. This thing would be essentially the same (or higher-res?) imagers and codec as used in the current XDCAM-HD line. So far, there haven't been any complaints from 330 or 350 users regarding image quality or keying-ability. Obviously, nobody can tell until we see footage, but having seen side-by-side pictures from the varicam, hvx, and 350, I can tell you that at this point the HDV35 and DVCPRO-HD debate is largely a numbers game that reflects little of the reality of the situation. Sure, it would be nice to have clean 4:2:2 to the card at 100 mbits with 1" chips...(and well trained AC's stuffed in the box to pull focus) all for <$3000.... but seriously. I was VERY skeptical of the sony XDCAM approach when it came out. On paper the 350 should have been even, or slightly worse than the HVX. 4:2:0 vs. 4:2:2. 35mbit vs. 100mbit. But, as has been discussed to no end, numbers dont tell the whole story all the time. Compression is like voodoo, or chaos theory, or both. There are so many factors that affect image quality

I've seen enough from their upmarket products to believe that if Sony actually brings this cam to the market, it will make fantastic images... We can nitpick all we want, but the pictures we're getting today for less than 10,000 are pretty amazing, and they just keep improving. Obviously, there's never going to be a time when we say "yeah, it's good enough now. Don't improve it anymore." But, like 1080i vs. 720p, or 4:2:2 vs. 4:2:0, better isn't always measured by bullet points on a product sheet. Sometimes, it just depends on the implimentation.

Joe Lawry · April 16th, 2007, 10:55 PM

Yes, i agree with Thomas about missing the 422 colour space that the HVX offers, however, i'd probably still pick this new camera over an HVX still, mainly due to its sensor size/res, the hvx's main downfall.

I also love the fact that Sony have kept up the world wide support with both 50/60i modes in the camera. Something the HVX does not have.

Im hoping that Sony will release a version of this camera, or possibly another Model supporting SxS that will record at 50mbps.

Come on Sony, we dont need 100, 50 will do, honest.

Personally, im a bit saddened as to the loss of the tape deck, as theres still a lot of dv/dvcam work here NZ to be shot on tape and i doubt i'd keep my Z1 if i bought this camera.

Still, this camera looks like a nice step forward and im definitely going to be keeping my eye on its development.. aka i really hope it gets redesigned to be not so ugly.

Heath McKnight · April 16th, 2007, 11:57 PM

Talked to someone in the know, and they said the camera is definitely coming, it's still being developed. Said that a PC card camera is effective and easy to manufacture. So, this is great news indeed!

heath

Boyd Ostroff · April 17th, 2007, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heath McKnight

Said that a PC card camera is effective and easy to manufacture.

In the presentation at the Sony booth they were making a big deal of the fact that the XDCAM EX uses Express Card technology instead of PC Card, which results in much higher throughput.

Alex Leith · April 17th, 2007, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

In the presentation at the Sony booth they were making a big deal of the fact that the XDCAM EX uses Express Card technology instead of PC Card, which results in much higher throughput.

Although that extra speed is surplus to requirement for this particular application...

P2 = 640Mb/s
Express Card = 2.5Gb/s

XDCAM HD Recording Data Rate = 35Mb/s

Of course there is some advantage at the ingest end if you have a fairly good RAID.

Thomas Smet · April 17th, 2007, 07:52 AM

There is also the fact that soon some laptops may no longer have PC slots in them since the format is being replaced by Express Card slots. We all know there isn't much space on a laptop and I myslef would prefer to have a laptop with two or three Express card slots and ditch the PC card slot. Pretty much any expansion card I would ever want to buy for my laptop would pretty much need the Express card bandwidth anyway.

Kevin Shaw · April 17th, 2007, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Lawry

Personally, im a bit saddened as to the loss of the tape deck, as theres still a lot of dv/dvcam work here NZ to be shot on tape and i doubt i'd keep my Z1 if i bought this camera.

Then again, it might be useful for some of us to have one camera like the XDCAM EX plus one or more Z1-caliber cameras to use for "B" roll or projects where the better camera isn't required. Or if the XDCAM EX becomes available as a rental model, keep the Z1s and just get the EX when you really need it.

Simon Wyndham · April 17th, 2007, 09:13 AM

Interesting. I always thought the point was for the EX to be the B-camera to the other XDCAM HD's!

Kevin Shaw · April 17th, 2007, 09:16 AM

Any hint of what the likely zoom range will be? With a 1/2" sensor I'd think that could be an issue, and a wide-angle attachment will probably be required for some uses.

Tim Le · April 17th, 2007, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaw

Any hint of what the likely zoom range will be? With a 1/2" sensor I'd think that could be an issue, and a wide-angle attachment will probably be required for some uses.

The lens is reported to be a Fujinon 14X. The wide end focal length appears to be 5.8mm, which works out to be about 32.5mm equivalent. So it's just as wide as a Z1U, HVX200 or XH-A1.

Kevin Shaw · April 17th, 2007, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Le

The lens is reported to be a Fujinon 14X. The wide end focal length appears to be 5.8mm, which works out to be about 32.5mm equivalent. So it's just as wide as a Z1U, HVX200 or XH-A1.

If true that's excellent news! Dang, it's almost like someone at Sony actually found out what we all want and designed a camera around it...

:-)

Matt Davis · April 17th, 2007, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaw

it's almost like someone at Sony actually found out what we all want and designed a camera around it...

Many true words are spoken in jest.

I had a light-bulb moment earlier today - shooting to ExpressCard would completely solve my shooting ratio problem. The Z1 is a great Event Videographer camera, but not really: often you're fishing for shots with the tape rolling hoping to get the gesture, the smile, the shower of sparks, the sound-bite, etc. With the rolling record function, problem solved.

"Just give me an HD camcorder that can do in low light what a PD150 can do". I guess the 1/2" sensor does that. "I'd love an F-350 for its image quality, but quite frankly could do without the weight and the bulk". I guess the EX does that too. Much as I love (and have grown to rely on) the shot transition feature - not just pulling focus, but pulling focus, iris, zoom AND shutter speed, great for insane exposure differences - the Z1 lens disappoints. The EX appears to have a way of disengaging servos. We can pop focus and fidget the zoom to please our directors or at least emulate some of the passe tricks of broadcast cameras (oops, sorry, moving on).

I'm getting the feeling that Sony's dropping these toys into our basket and watching/listening. Excellent move. The EX is spot on, just need to sort the back panel, the battery orientation (and hopefully compatible with the NPR-970 series), a shoulder mount solution, a LANC that controls the Shot Transition function, an underscan viewfinder that works in all formats, a Preset TC "+1" function (or maybe I'm out of touch), and hopefully an instant start (for all those who've filmed with HDV on tape).

But the nurse says I must rest now. Please excuse the crayon...

April 16th, 2007, 07:43 PM	#61
Paulo Teixeira Trustee Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,773	For Sony releasing this thing for fewer than 8,000 dollars is a very good deal when you consider what you’re getting. Now if only Sony can release this thing early. __________________ https://www.youtube.com/user/PhotoVi...esEtc/featured https://www.pond5.com/artist/paulot

April 16th, 2007, 11:57 PM	#66
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	Talked to someone in the know, and they said the camera is definitely coming, it's still being developed. Said that a PC card camera is effective and easy to manufacture. So, this is great news indeed! heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

April 16th, 2007, 10:27 PM	#63
Thomas Smet Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,719	Not bad, not bad at all. Of course we will have to wait and see what the quality is really like but I see no reason why it shouldn't at least be better then the best current HDV camera. About the only thing this cameras does not seem to have is the 4:2:2 50 mbit mode. in a way that is a little sad. While 4:2:2 is not all that bad this still gives the HVX200 one tiny advantage which is recording 4:2:2 right in the camera. If SONY would allow the 4:2:2 mode on this camera there would almost be no point to consider the Panasonic unless somebody were a loyal Panasonic user. Of course with HD-SDI we have some pretty good 4:2:2 options but that just isn't the same as having 4:2:2 recording right in the camera. Lets hope SONY decides to put the 50 mbit mode into this camera.

April 16th, 2007, 10:48 PM	#64
Jaron Berman Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 439	lack of 4:2:2 may sound like a buzzkill, but the xdcam-hd cams on the market now have FANTASITC pictures. They key better than the HVX, and all around wipe the floor with it image-wise. This thing would be essentially the same (or higher-res?) imagers and codec as used in the current XDCAM-HD line. So far, there haven't been any complaints from 330 or 350 users regarding image quality or keying-ability. Obviously, nobody can tell until we see footage, but having seen side-by-side pictures from the varicam, hvx, and 350, I can tell you that at this point the HDV35 and DVCPRO-HD debate is largely a numbers game that reflects little of the reality of the situation. Sure, it would be nice to have clean 4:2:2 to the card at 100 mbits with 1" chips...(and well trained AC's stuffed in the box to pull focus) all for <$3000.... but seriously. I was VERY skeptical of the sony XDCAM approach when it came out. On paper the 350 should have been even, or slightly worse than the HVX. 4:2:0 vs. 4:2:2. 35mbit vs. 100mbit. But, as has been discussed to no end, numbers dont tell the whole story all the time. Compression is like voodoo, or chaos theory, or both. There are so many factors that affect image quality I've seen enough from their upmarket products to believe that if Sony actually brings this cam to the market, it will make fantastic images... We can nitpick all we want, but the pictures we're getting today for less than 10,000 are pretty amazing, and they just keep improving. Obviously, there's never going to be a time when we say "yeah, it's good enough now. Don't improve it anymore." But, like 1080i vs. 720p, or 4:2:2 vs. 4:2:0, better isn't always measured by bullet points on a product sheet. Sometimes, it just depends on the implimentation.

April 16th, 2007, 10:55 PM	#65
Joe Lawry Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 418	Yes, i agree with Thomas about missing the 422 colour space that the HVX offers, however, i'd probably still pick this new camera over an HVX still, mainly due to its sensor size/res, the hvx's main downfall. I also love the fact that Sony have kept up the world wide support with both 50/60i modes in the camera. Something the HVX does not have. Im hoping that Sony will release a version of this camera, or possibly another Model supporting SxS that will record at 50mbps. Come on Sony, we dont need 100, 50 will do, honest. Personally, im a bit saddened as to the loss of the tape deck, as theres still a lot of dv/dvcam work here NZ to be shot on tape and i doubt i'd keep my Z1 if i bought this camera. Still, this camera looks like a nice step forward and im definitely going to be keeping my eye on its development.. aka i really hope it gets redesigned to be not so ugly.

April 17th, 2007, 07:52 AM	#69
Thomas Smet Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,719	There is also the fact that soon some laptops may no longer have PC slots in them since the format is being replaced by Express Card slots. We all know there isn't much space on a laptop and I myslef would prefer to have a laptop with two or three Express card slots and ditch the PC card slot. Pretty much any expansion card I would ever want to buy for my laptop would pretty much need the Express card bandwidth anyway.

April 17th, 2007, 09:13 AM	#71
Simon Wyndham Trustee Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Malvern UK Posts: 1,931	Interesting. I always thought the point was for the EX to be the B-camera to the other XDCAM HD's!

April 17th, 2007, 09:16 AM	#72
Kevin Shaw Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 2,488	Any hint of what the likely zoom range will be? With a 1/2" sensor I'd think that could be an issue, and a wide-angle attachment will probably be required for some uses.