Sony PMW-EX1: A Game Changer

Review: Sony PMW-EX1 1/2” 3-CMOS HD Camcorder" by Adam Wilt

Camera guru Adam Wilt compares the Sony EX1 (approx. $6500) to changing the playing field like Sony's DV VX-1000 did in 1995. Wilt did a first look review last year, but this is a very in-depth review of the camera, its features, and performances based on a production unit.

Interestingly, the review is on a brand-new site called Pro Video Coalition. Mike Curtis of HD for Indies seems like he will be doing his serious work there too--keep your eyes on this site.

Don't want to spend this much on a camera or you still want to record on tape? Well, Sony will still be selling their V1 and Z1. Check Wilt's thoughts on those cameras, as well as the competition from Panasonic and Canon here.

Here are Wilt's Pros and Cons for the EX-1:
Pros
• Highest resolution and detail in its class, with minimal aliasing.
• 1-30fps 1080p, 1-60fps 720p, plus 1080i; 50Hz and 60Hz operation.
• Excellent tonal scale control with wide latitude.
• Cine gammas have superb highlight handling.
• True 1920x1080 sensors, true 1920x1080 and 1280x720 recording.
• 1440x1080 HDV-compatible mode with i.Link I/O.
• Linear Matrix for fine color control.
• Robust SxS solid-state recording; lightning-fast offloading.
• True manual iris and zoom; indexed manual focus with lens scale.
• Best LCD resolution in a Handycam; great status displays.
• SDI with embedded timecode and audio.
• Surprisingly artifact-free XDCAM EX HQ codec.

Cons
• Awkward to handhold.
• “Clock radio” power switch makes it easy to switch camera on by mistake.
• Many buttons and switches hard to operate by feel.
• Knee circuit in standard gammas doesn’t handle colored highlights well.
• “Mustache” distortion at wide angles.
• Steady Shot can cause slight corner vignetting during wiggly shots.
• No SD (480- or 576-line) recording. Poor-quality SD outputs; no Y/C.
• Not all output connectors active simultaneously.
• No single-frame or slo-mo playback.

Adam Wilt on Sony's EX-1

"EX-1 Experiments: Shooting with Sony's XDCAM EX System"
By Adam Wilt

Adam Wilt takes a look at an engineering sample of Sony's totally-tapeless camera the PMW-EX1. Sounds like the video is very good, but he says it's really hard to hand hold the camera. Here's his summary:

Overall, the EX1 is a very promising camera: pin-sharp, sensitive imagers with what looks to be considerable latitude, variable frame rates, the benefits of solid-state recording, HD-SDI and lots of tweakability. It's painful to handhold, and the analog I/O cabling is sub-optimal, but those problems have to be set against what may yet be turn out to be the finest images in the sub-$10k field. I'll be very interested to put a production model EX1 through a rigorous evaluation.

[via hdforindies.com]

Adam Wilt on HDV Cameras

"The Rashomon Effect" (registration required)

Adam Wilt does a write-up on a comparison of the HVX-200, the Canon XH-A1, and the new Sony HVR-V1. Interesting look at what is being offered in the HDV world. The V1 is an interesting new product that is a strong addition to the current crop of HDV cameras. Adam says that it is very sharp, sharper than the Z1. It has a true 24 frame per second mode (unlike the Canon and the Z1.) And at 24 fps, the V-1 seems to have the sharpest picture in the low-price HD camcorder world. It's also smaller and lighter than the Z-1 and the A1. The big drawback is that it's slower than the other HDV cameras--so either more gain or more light needed when you are not in daylight.

Adam Wilt also wrote a full review of the V1 for DV.com (registartion required.)

Attend Adam Wilt University

There are sessions from the DV Expo conference available here. As I've written earlier, I'm a big fan of Adam Wilt, and you can get a full 3 hours of him here. I watched about an hour of this, and there are many golden nuggets of info about sub-$10K camcorder market (Z1, DVX100, PD-150, HVX200, etc.). I know I'm not a shooter, but there are many things in here that would have solved issues that I've had to deal with in post. Here's a couple of things that I picked out that have troubled me in the past. In countries with 50 Hz electrical systems, you can get bad flicker with fluorescent lights--so turn your shutter to 1/50 or 1/100 setting to get rid of the flicker. The PD-150 always has auto-shutter on, unless you manually punch in a shutter setting. The skin detail control actually removes skin detail. He does a good demo of how it works at the session. Skin detail's purpose: to make people with wrinkles, pores, and other imperfections look better.

I found this over at DV Guru. You need to register to watch, but I recommend it. Adam Wilt explains complex technical stuff very sucinctly. He makes you understand how these cameras work, and lets you know how to use that knowledge to make better pictures. There's also adamwilt.com, which is worth taking a look it.