Comments on: XDCAM EX1 Hands-On - Camera Body and Controls Layout

By: Matthew Jeppsen

Matthew Jeppsen — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:40:38 +0000

Hey Jason,

If you need tapes, then the decision is already made…the EX1 can’t do tapes. But if you can live without tapes and want a nice bump in quality as well as better controls over the image, the EX1 would be an excellent choice.

-MJ

By: Jasson Kundasamy

Jasson Kundasamy — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:41:29 +0000

Helo,am Jason from mauritius island.Wel am a wedding videographer.Ive only 2oyrs.but i record wedding ceremonies since 6 yrs ago.
Actualy am using the MD-9000 Panasonic camcorder.
I would like to choose between the sony ZI or the Ex1.
But am mre for the camcorders without tapes.
wel my budget is a bit restrict..
May i have your opinion plz..
But i dnt knw realy great things in the EX1.
may i have some advice plz.
thanking you in advance.
Jasson

By: Mtsuo Kuribara

Mtsuo Kuribara — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:49:46 +0000

I am wondering if there is anyone outside Japan who can record EX1 HQ 35mbps files without compression. I have been trying to find out someone who could tell me how to do it.
Sony`s people keep on telling me that up until now it is not possible. But if so, why
is it they sell such high capacity camera at such affordable price?
It is quite a frustration for me. Please tell me how to do it.

By: David J Rathbone

David J Rathbone — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:34:34 +0000

Matt,
I sent you a bunch of shots of the CUCBJ bracket attached to the EX1 I feel that it helps me very much in a steady cam sort of way as I’m able to get very smooth video clips and almost no camera shake. Plus with the bracket attached I can now shift from right hand-holding to left. Or holding with both hands for the ultimate stability.
David J Rathbone.

By: Matthew Jeppsen

Matthew Jeppsen — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:45:06 +0000

“I love the camera though, and despite these minor irritations, letâ€™s face it: Sony brought a very professional camera into the hands of many that would otherwise be unable to afford one.”
I couldn’t agree with you more.

“For those who find it hard to operate as a handheld I suggest attaching a bracket of some sort. This way you can switch hands.
The one Iâ€™m using is CB Junior Flash rotation bracket CUCBJ.”
Interesting. I see B&H has it for about $90. Is there any way you could snap a few shots of the system attached to the EX1, maybe a shot or two in use? If you don’t mind, drop me a line at mjeppsen at freshdv dot com, I have other questions.

“By the way Iâ€™m a big fan of your articles and videos,although I find it difficult to understand how you find the time to cover so much ground in such a professional manner.”
Caffeine. Pots and pots of fresh coffee. :-) Seriously though, Kendal and I do this because we enjoy it and are passionate about the process. We both feel a great responsibility towards getting it right and disseminating reliable information.

Thanks for the feedback.

-Matt Jeppsen

By: David J Rathbone

David J Rathbone — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:50:30 +0000

Matt,
thanks for a very thorough and accurate review on the EX1’s body and controls layout. I couldn’t agree with you more. While some of the buttons were clearly user-friendly, there were others that were very annoying to me. I love the camera though, and despite these minor irritations, let’s face it: Sony brought a very professional camera into the hands of many that would otherwise be unable to afford one. I personally think that this camera has beaten every camera in it’s class.
For those who find it hard to operate as a handheld I suggest attaching a bracket of some sort. This way you can switch hands.
The one I’m using is CB Junior Flash rotation bracket CUCBJ. I’m sure there are other variations out there.
By the way I’m a big fan of your articles and videos,although I find it difficult to understand how you find the time to cover so much ground in such a professional manner.
David J Rathbone.

By: Kendal Miller

Kendal Miller — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:49:16 +0000

Makes Sense Nick,
Thanks for the dialogue it that is preet much our aim here. Stick around and enjoy the sight we are already working on many new articles and tutorials. 2008 should be a great year!!!

By: Nick Dallas

Nick Dallas — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:17:54 +0000

Kendal,
the other side of the coin is just as important, and that was never lost on me. In fact, that is the reason why I find your website extremely important to me. Where most of the time I was reading reviews that sugar-coated the EX1 to God-like status,that camera landed on a very lofty pedestal to the point where Matt Jeppsen’s brutally honest and razor-sharp albeit one hundred percent accurate review on body controls layout, completely shot down the camera only in a sense that it was built up from buttered-up reviews in my fresh-to-video mind. After weeks of reviews , Matt’s review was the first and only one that I came across that exposed the EX1’s many flaws, and I was stunned, not wanting to believe the truth, even when I had experienced the very same frustrations (difficult, if not impossible to locate buttons, annoying power on/off button, uncomfortable grip), myself.
Yet, when I compared the many,many reviews that heaped praise on the EX1 in so many ways, I realized that Matt’s was the only one (that I read) that singled out body and controls layout. So I had to do some very quick math,since I had just purchased the camera.
I finally came to the conclusion that,for me personally it was still a dream camera. Before I even knew that this camera existed I was looking for one that did 1920 X 1080 resolution natively. Since the HV10 that I own (not the HV20) was capable of 1920 X1080, I didn’t want to take a ’step back’ in resolution. Then I wanted the camera to be 1080p capable(the HV10 was 1080i). And finally I needed it to have XLR Audio imputs (the HV10 didn’t have this).
When, quite by accident, I found out that there was indeed such a camera and it was called the Sony PMW EX1 and it was below $7000 I ran out the house and paid in cash!
I chose this camera over the Panasonic HVX200 because the Panasonic was 1080p ish, the lens on the Panasonic although it said ‘Leica’ was actually cheap glass.
The EX1 was using half inch chips for better quality images, and S X S cards which were better than P2 cards. And the EX1 was really capable of 1080p (since I’m obsessed with Blu ray archiving, this was the main reason I was swayed.)
The icing on the cake for me was the portability of the camera.
Now,with my limited experience there’s no way for me to tell whether the Panasonic HVX200 is a better camera than the Sony PMW EX1, but I can only go by the specs I read about in magazines and other sources.
If someone on a pro level such as Matt Jeppsen or yourself were handed both those cameras, you would be able to disect them both within minutes and determine the pros and cons of each camera and produce a winner. My uneducated guess, while both cameras have their share of advantages over the other, and their flaws, the EX1 would emerge as the clear winner. But that’s just me.
Matt Jeppsen in my opinion is an amazing individual. I read some of his articles, watched the video on matte boxes, and came away with with a lot of respect for him. And he was very very helpful to me with advice on Picture Profiles for the EX1.
That’s why I was ’stunned’ by his review on camera body and controls layout. This camera was not reviewed by just anybody.It was reviewed by Matt Jeppsen, who in my opinion,after reading his articles,is very efficient in his knowledge of the product he reviews/writes about,and gives attention to detail EVERY time.He was DEAD ON. And I had to remove my rose colored glasses.
The EX1 will be a big hit because of what it is capable of and it’s portablity. The fact that it is now dropping in price (B&H PHOTO $6400) will make everyone forget about the small buttons and their radar evading capabilities.
Fujinon HD lens with professional Auto focus and Manual Focus capabilities, 1920 X1080 Native Progressive, S X S cards with high speed file based system and no accidental overwriting of footage, half inch EXMOR CMOS sensors, multiple formats like HQ1080P, HQ720P, HQ1080i,over-cranking and under-cranking,XLR Audio imputs,Picture Profile features for newcomers like me,and a wide array of interfaces like HD-SDI output,HDV input/output,and Analog composite/component output, and selectable bit rates of either 35 Mb/s or 25 Mb/s all makes me dizzy. So button and control problems aside, this is truly one great camera. And your website, for it’s honesty in evaluating a product accurately and fairly by highly skilled professionals, will remain an important educational platform for many of us.
Nick Dallas
lordofunionsquare@yahoo.com

By: Kendal Miller

Kendal Miller — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:13:55 +0000

Here is the other side of the coin as well I guess. There is no short amount of praise for most cameras when they are release by either one person or another. Many people laud and praise them, and the EX1 has had its fair share of praise. Our goal, show the niggles, the things we like, the things we don’t like so much and wish would be changed. Why publish the niggles?? Mostly because those are the things we feel we would want to know before buying a piece of gear, and no one else seems to flush those things out, so we do it.

By: Kendal Miller

Kendal Miller — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:08:28 +0000

Nick,
The HV20 comment was just referring to people in general not you specifically :)
No one here has said this isn’t a great camera, heck I’m debating picking one up myself! There is a lot offered here. Its just that you have to always know every weakness as well, loose the objectivity and you lose alot of the capacity to compensate for those weaknesses. Thats the difference between a good DP or shooter and a great one! A great one knows his gear inside and out where it works and where its broken to the point that he can predict its performance in situations, and work with the weaknesses. Perhaps you could clarify how you feel the EX1 was, “shot down.” I just don’t walk away from any of our EX1 coverage feeling that way. Look for Zoe to be bringing an EX1 controller to market.

By: Nick Dallas

Nick Dallas — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:10:34 +0000

Matt,
thank you for the update on the Fujinon 8 pin controllers.If you do get a chance to look into that Libec ZC9EX remote control available at http://www.expandore.com please let me know.
Thank you so much again.
Nick Dallas
lordofunionsquare@yahoo.com

By: Nick Dallas

Nick Dallas — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:05:35 +0000

Kendal,
thank you for putting everything in it’s proper perspective. I’m very new to video itself, and as you mentioned, for someone moving up from the Canon HV10 (you meant to say!), the EX1 is a ‘gold mine of functionality and pro-looking button lay-outs’
This is true in my case.I’m also new to your website, and spend hours everyday learning as much as I can. I cannot begin to tell you how informative and educational it is for me. Every click brings me to a dozen ‘published by Matthew Jeppsen’ this , or ‘published by Matthew Jeppsen’ that! And when I watched the video on matte boxes, I was very impressed by the level of skill and experience he showed in explaining different matte boxes, their uses, flaws etc. That video truly showed me the how deep you guys delve into a particular area in order to bring us the information that is necessary in making a decision. So yes, by contrast with other reviews, I’m aware how ‘most (other) reviews gloss over these details presenting only a few minor negatives’
Still, I must add that Philip Bloom (www.philipbloom.net) himself considers the EX1 a very important ‘B’ camera, and in many ways better than his ‘A’ camera, which is the Sony F350.
Director, cameraman and Emmy award winning DP Jody Eldred (for his work on the ABC Nightline Series ‘The Iraq War:Fox 2/5, not to mention hundreds of documentaries and news stories he has shot and directed for ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, The National Geographic and the BBC), took the EX1 for a test run along with his Sony F350 XDCAMHD and Sony F900 Cine Alta HDCAM. At the end of the day he came back noting that ‘it is as close as I’ve seen to a camera that does just about everything in a very small package with very light weight,an easy operator interface,astounding quality, and many high-end production features for a very low price’
So there you have it. Matt Jeppsen’s DEAD ON review on the camera body and controls lay-out ( I personally agreed with EVERYTHING he said about the EX1- but still couldn’t come to terms that the EX1 got shot down in that particular review, that’s why I was stunned)
Then you have Phliip Bloom raving about it night and day, and Jody Eldred, the DP and Emmy award winner, who also owns the Sony F350 and the Sony F900 almost ready to build a statue in the camera’s likeness in his backyard.
And then you have me at the other end of the spectrum, who is just starting out.
Somehow, there is a common thread. And I think it has to do with the sheer portability of the camera while taking into consideraton it’s vast smosgarsboard of features, and willingness to overlook the very shortcomings that Matt accurately pointed out-namely, button controls lay-out.
Nick Dallas
lordofunionsquare@yahoo.com

By: Matthew Jeppsen

Matthew Jeppsen — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:02:11 +0000

UPDATE: Adam Wilt has stated in his EX1 review comments that he’s been told the Fujinon 8-pin controllers DO NOT work with the EX1. Besides putting it on rods and using something like the Bartech for remote/zoom/focus, what other options are out there at this time?

-Matt Jeppsen

By: Matthew Jeppsen

Matthew Jeppsen — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:42:54 +0000

Here’s a link to a few 8-pin Fujinon lens controllers at B&H. I assume that one of those would work?

-Matt Jeppsen

By: Matthew Jeppsen

Matthew Jeppsen — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 15:11:47 +0000

Thanks for the comments, Nick. It’s interesting, I learned recently that the EX1 was designed by Sony’s “Pro” camera team, not the normal team that builds Sony camcorders. I think that answers a lot of the questions about poor handholdability, the decision to skip a standard camcorder LANC port, etc. It’s their first shot at a camcorder in this configuration.

-Matt Jeppsen

By: Kendal Miller

Kendal Miller — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:38:14 +0000

Nick Dallas,
First of all in a lot of ways you are correct the EX-1 is a great camera, but keep in mind that the perspective of this camera will shift depending on what you are used to shooting. For someone moving up from say a Canon HV20 the camera is a gold mine of functionality and “Pro-looking” button layouts. However we deal with readers from a broad range of experience levels so someone stepping from an HDX-900 or similar higher end camera would potentially be frustrated by some of the layouts and controls. You have to keep in mind that this is where we are drawing the line between image control vs. complication. Image control is good, complicating that control is bad, thats what Matt is referring to and pointing out. We are examining the true functionality of this camera explaining the potential hangups and then readers like yourself can feel free to draw your own conclusions as to whether or not those things are problem spots for you. Most reviews gloss over these details presenting only a few minor negatives we go MUCH MUCH deeper, and as a result people sometimes get defensive over camera loyalty etc…However most of the time the things pointed out are simply true, something could have been done in a more streamlined fashion making it easier on the shooter or designed in a better light. There are currently on the market simply no cameras without some drawbacks in one area or another. Its funny that while stunned with some of Matt’s conclusions you agreed with alot of them, and rightly so. Personally this is the information viewers need to see to make informed decisions, then once again read it, process it and decide what is right for your toolset but at least someone ahs identified potential hiccups before you had to lay out dime one to find those things out the hard way. :) As far as the LANC control I believe you will find this camera probablly utilizes an 8pin or 12 pin lens controller similar to those used on ENG camera rigs. This camera has a Fujinon Lens so any 8Pin fujinon lens controller should handle the job, Bogen, Varizoom and others all should do fine.

By: Nick Dallas

Nick Dallas — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 13:20:22 +0000

Matt,
I just watched your excellent and unbiased ‘BODY AND CONTROLS -LAYOUT’ video of the Sony PMW EX1 camera and I was stunned with the final ‘judgement’ handed out. I do however agree with you on the difficulty of finding some of the buttons, and even after looking at the diagrams of Shutter Switch in the manual,I was still unable to find this button for quite a while. And yes, the power ‘On/Off’ switch was very very annoying to say the least. Plus that ‘jog dial’ was very slippery at times and accidently clicked frequently, thus triggering the “set/select’ command instead of scrolling down the menu selections.
And lets not get into the Lanc port which was missing in action.It is here that I want to add something. The salesman at the store where I bought the EX1, sold me a tripod and one of those remote control handles with the Lanc plug, telling me that Lanc ports were on all Sony cameras and all I had to do was find the 2.5 mm stereo port on the EX1 camera’s body. A good half hour later I realized that such a Lanc port simply did not exist on the EX1 camera’s body. An online check revealed a company claiming to sell some sort of adapter that when plugged into the ‘Lens Remote Connector’ of the EX1 camera’s body right under the grip (it’s an 8 pin port - see page 18 number 81 of the manual) did perform remote functions.This adapter is listed as Libec ZC 9EX remote control for PMW EX1 and you can find it at http://www.expandore.com
Now, I might be completely mistaken about this adapter but I thought I’d let you know about it in the hopes that you might be able to find out more.
The clever, albeit limited rotating function of the LCD panel on the EX1 was another annoying factor.
But i will say this. I do love the camera, especially since your help with Picture Profiles in another section of this website.
Personally, from a purely aesthetic point of view, the tiny buttons crowded on the camera body does make it look impressive, even if they are not practical, as you pointed out about those impossible to find buttons under the body close to the lens.
Still, this may all be the result of keeping the price of the camera below $7000 (now as low as $6400 in some stores)
On one hand they gave us ‘too much camera’ but on the other hand the layout /size of the buttons suffered. One thing I’ve been hearing is that some operators love it simply because there isn’t another camera this complicated and at the same this portable that allow them to sneak it into certain places and not draw a lot of attention.
For newcomers like myself it is a dream camera. Very portable and offering so many features that other cameras of this size just do not. It is at this juncture that i would like to share something completely outlandish. Hitachi just came out with the world’s first Blu-ray camcorder (DZ-BD7HA) that records 1 hour of full HD 1920 X 1080 on an 8 cm Blu-ray disc or 4 hrs onto the built in 30 GB hard drive. So just imagine shooting superior video with the Sony PMW EX1, editing those clips on a computer with Final Cut Pro and them importing those clips to the Blu-Ray disc in the connected Hitachi DZ-BD7HA camcorder. Blu-ray archiving solved the easy way!!!
Currently I’m shooting with the EX1, editing with Final Cut Pro and then importing to mini Dv tape using the connected Canon HV10.
There is no loss of quality.
Nick Dallas
lordofunionsquare@yahoo.com