B&H has been creating a lot of great original content lately, very informative stuff. One recent offering that I appreciated is an interview with Doug Jensen, creator of one of the first training DVD titles on the new XDCAM EX camera and workflow. His instructional DVD entitled “Mastering the Sony PMW-EX1: A Complete Guide to the Camcorder and the XDCAM EX Workflow” is currently available from B&H. You can read the full interview here. Below are a few interesting excerpts. And for more EX1 news, stay tuned to our continually-updated EX link-dump.

B&H: You already own an XDCAM HD F350 and a Z1U, so why did you want the EX1?
First, let me say that the F350 and Z1 are excellent cameras and the F350 will still be my primary camera for most of my shoots. But the EX1 offers many advantages over both of those cameras. Compared to the Z1, the EX1 has higher resolution, a superior lens, true 24P and 30P capabilities, slow-motion, time-lapse, 35Mbps recording, HD-SDI output, and it�s tapeless. Compared to the F350, the EX1 is smaller and lighter, has full 1920×1080 resolution, and allows me to shoot in places where a larger shoulder-mounted camera wouldn�t fit or might attract too much attention. And, let�s not forget that you could buy seven EX1 camcorders for the price of one F350 with a good lens, so it makes an affordable �B� camera for two-camera shoots.

B&H: How does the picture quality compare between the F350 and the EX1?
It�s not easy to tell which camera is which unless you compare identical side-by-side shots. I�d still rate the F350 higher, but when I choose to go out to shoot with the EX1 I never have the feeling that I�m sacrificing picture quality by using the smaller camera. Whatever difference there is between the two, it�s marginal, and I actually think the EX1 has better color reproduction and cleaner blacks.

B&H: How was it working with over-cranking and under-cranking?
Slow motion and fast motion look great with the EX1, and there are no hassles with needing special playback equipment or post-processing. You can play back these modes immediately, right on the camera. The only down-side is that slow motion only works in the 720p shooting modes, and it is not available in any of the 1080 modes.

B&H: How would you compare the XDCAM SxS PRO memory cards to the Panasonic P2 technology?
P2 was built on outdated technology before the cameras even came out on the market, but there wasn�t a viable alternative at the time. Today, P2 is really showing its age and it�s only going to fall further behind. SxS cards, on the other hand, offer tremendous performance improvements.