EX vs 350 at DVinfo.net

Valeri Odikadze · July 27th, 2007, 05:38 PM

if EX has 1/2" and 4:2:0, what a difference in video quality?

Mike Marriage · July 28th, 2007, 07:40 AM

Sony haven't said if the chips are the same yet.

Also the built in lens will doubtless be inferior to what is available for the 350.

Sony are very careful with their camera hierarchy. The form factor is obviously a big factor that would rule the EX out for many cameramen. Picture wise, it may be very comparable, depending particularly on the quality of the lens.

Chris Hurd · July 28th, 2007, 02:25 PM

The big change with the EX camera is not "image quality" but workflow and media management, re: optical disk vs. flash memory. No doubt the EX is the first of what will be a series of XDCAM HD cameras recording to flash memory instead of optical disk... there will most likely be an F350 equivalent sometime down the road (shoulder mount, interchangeable lens, etc) that records to SxS flash memory.

Simon Wyndham · July 29th, 2007, 05:05 AM

At some point flash memory might be used in the larger cameras. But at present Sony's strategy is that optical disc is here to stay for the foreseeable future, because they believe that for professional purposes in the larger cameras it serves the purpose much better. They still firmly believe that optical disc is more versatile than solid state. A position I agree with.

A dual Express card recording slot that records simultaneously with the optical disc might be a good idea though.

Thomas Smet · July 29th, 2007, 10:31 PM

I agree about the optical disk thing. Having a copy without needing to mess around with making a backup disk after the fact is a huge plus for the disks. The flash memory is great as well but the backing up of the footage is going to be a pain. I love the concept so far for the EX series of cameras but I'm not yet excited about the backup or transfer process of my footage. For non time critical shoots this is fine but in the field you may not always have time to backup a card so you can use it again.

In fact I hope the next shoulder mount camera can record to both formats of your choice.
1. Flash memory for quick short shoots where you will have time to either backup the footage or edit and dump the raw footage.
2. Disk for footage you do want to keep or that can be handed off to an editor or client to take back to a studio.

Alister Chapman · July 31st, 2007, 12:14 PM

What I would like to see is an XDCAM drive that will take SxS cards and at the push of a single button transfer the files to an XDCAM disk. This should be pretty simple to do as it is just a matter of transferring data.

I think the quality will be very close to an F350 with decent lens. As the lens is fixed it should be straight forward to optimise the optical path and CCD's or CMOS chips are getting better all the time.

Simon Wyndham · July 31st, 2007, 03:27 PM

The quality should be pretty close as I believe that one of the primary purposes of the EX is to be able to match the other cameras in situations where a smaller form factor is required.

Might be even better if the chips are higher resolution!

Alister Chapman · August 1st, 2007, 01:24 AM

Guess we'll find out soon with IBC just about a month away ;)

July 27th, 2007, 05:38 PM	#1
Valeri Odikadze New Boot Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tbilisi Georgia Posts: 5	EX vs 350 if EX has 1/2" and 4:2:0, what a difference in video quality? __________________ Videographer

July 28th, 2007, 02:25 PM	#3
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	The big change with the EX camera is not "image quality" but workflow and media management, re: optical disk vs. flash memory. No doubt the EX is the first of what will be a series of XDCAM HD cameras recording to flash memory instead of optical disk... there will most likely be an F350 equivalent sometime down the road (shoulder mount, interchangeable lens, etc) that records to SxS flash memory. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

July 31st, 2007, 12:14 PM	#6
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	What I would like to see is an XDCAM drive that will take SxS cards and at the push of a single button transfer the files to an XDCAM disk. This should be pretty simple to do as it is just a matter of transferring data. I think the quality will be very close to an F350 with decent lens. As the lens is fixed it should be straight forward to optimise the optical path and CCD's or CMOS chips are getting better all the time. __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com

August 1st, 2007, 01:24 AM	#8
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	Guess we'll find out soon with IBC just about a month away ;) __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com

July 28th, 2007, 07:40 AM	#2
Mike Marriage Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: NE of London, England Posts: 788	Sony haven't said if the chips are the same yet. Also the built in lens will doubtless be inferior to what is available for the 350. Sony are very careful with their camera hierarchy. The form factor is obviously a big factor that would rule the EX out for many cameramen. Picture wise, it may be very comparable, depending particularly on the quality of the lens.

July 29th, 2007, 05:05 AM	#4
Simon Wyndham Trustee Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Malvern UK Posts: 1,931	At some point flash memory might be used in the larger cameras. But at present Sony's strategy is that optical disc is here to stay for the foreseeable future, because they believe that for professional purposes in the larger cameras it serves the purpose much better. They still firmly believe that optical disc is more versatile than solid state. A position I agree with. A dual Express card recording slot that records simultaneously with the optical disc might be a good idea though.

July 29th, 2007, 10:31 PM	#5
Thomas Smet Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,719	I agree about the optical disk thing. Having a copy without needing to mess around with making a backup disk after the fact is a huge plus for the disks. The flash memory is great as well but the backing up of the footage is going to be a pain. I love the concept so far for the EX series of cameras but I'm not yet excited about the backup or transfer process of my footage. For non time critical shoots this is fine but in the field you may not always have time to backup a card so you can use it again. In fact I hope the next shoulder mount camera can record to both formats of your choice. 1. Flash memory for quick short shoots where you will have time to either backup the footage or edit and dump the raw footage. 2. Disk for footage you do want to keep or that can be handed off to an editor or client to take back to a studio.

July 31st, 2007, 03:27 PM	#7
Simon Wyndham Trustee Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Malvern UK Posts: 1,931	The quality should be pretty close as I believe that one of the primary purposes of the EX is to be able to match the other cameras in situations where a smaller form factor is required. Might be even better if the chips are higher resolution!