Multimedia
Blogs
Forum
Affordable HD
Whitepapers
Newsletters
Events
Advertisers
Blogcast
MillimeterLeitner's Cinematography Corner, No. 3
Oct 21, 2009 12:00 PM, By D.W. Leitner
A squeaky wheel oiled (me), and one from Sony I didn't see coming.
.jpg)
The Sony PMW-350 and 28mm Carl Zeiss DigiPrime with viewfinder masked to widescreen 2.40 aspect ratio.
Photo by D.W. Leitner
Those attending my talks at DV Expo in Pasadena, Calif., in late September will recall my railing about the need, on the part of all pro camcorder manufacturers, to hew to convention and ALWAYS locate a push auto-iris button at the far end of the zoom handgrip—just like every 2/3in. zoom in existence, for as long as I can remember. My right hand's little finger grows frustrated, even angry, when it reaches there and finds nothing.
At DV Expo, addressing the entire show floor, as it were, I forcefully made the point that whether you come from a drive-on-the-right-side or drive-on-the-left-side country, your car will always locate the gas pedal on the right and the brake to the left. Can you imagine the havoc that would transpire without this basic convention? Why can't all manufacturers of professional camcorders take a page from this?
The Sony PMW-350 at 7lbs. (sans lens & battery) is a lightweight.
Photo by D.W. Leitner
Well, Sony has listened. The EX1R features a one-push auto-iris button at the far end of the handgrip. (Thank you!) And although the position of the iris auto/manual sliding switch remains the same, perhaps next go-around this too can be moved alongside the one-push button, where it belongs.
Oh, and did I mention that the superb high-res color LCOS viewfinder introduced by the EX1's HDV counterparts, the HVR-Z7U and HVR-Z5U—which blew the EX1's fuzzy LCD viewfinder out of the water from Day One—has been grafted onto the EX1R?
Now, that's a slam-dunk.
IR contamination in black detail has been improved, too, with the addition of a new IR cut filter.
| Related Links | ||||||||||
|
Other nifty new features include a 15-second Cache Memory for continuous prerecord (capture is initiated when you press record), a more nimble audio limiter, and dual-threaded holes for more secure tripod mounting. Firmware upgrades are now user-friendly.
Cinema types like me will also appreciate the EX1R's new viewfinder markings for 1.66, 1.85, 2.35, and 2.40 aspect ratios.
About the PMW-350: I'll contribute much more in the weeks to come, about its triple Full-HD 2/3in. CMOS sensors, low power consumption (15W, no fan, no power-save mode), and low profile and weight (7lbs. before lens and battery).
But two features will leap out immediately to operators everywhere: a new B4-mount, 8-128mm (16x) Fujinon lens with hybrid auto/manual focus and auto flange back-adjustment—just like its antecedent on the EX1 and PMW-EX3. (No image stabilization, though.) And a new viewfinder based on the 3.5in., 920,000-dot LCD introduced on the EX1/EX3 series. For me, viewing through it was like looking directly at a studio HD monitor. All I could say was, "Wow ... who needs peaking?"
The 350, for many, will be a game-changer.
More cool news from Sony: expanded media choices. A lower-cost SxS card (called SxS-1) to complement the original SxS Pro card, the trade-off being shorter life span. Like Panasonic's new, more affordable E-series P2 cards, SxS-1 cards are multilevel cell (MCL) flash, cheaper to make than the original single-level cell (SLC) flash. In case you wondered.
And Sony will introduce an SxS adapter for Memory Stick, MEAD-MS01. If you can't beat SDHC-to-ExpressCard/34 adapters from Hoodman and eFilm, why not join them?
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.