Multimedia
Newsletters
Blogs
Whitepapers
Events
DCP Directory
Mill Directory
Edit Calendar
Advertisers
Reader SurveyShoot Expertise: First Look: XDCAM EX
Sep 13, 2007 12:00 PM, By D. W. Leitner
Getting a feel for Sony’s new PMW-EX1 flash-memory camcorder.
All lens settings for the EX1 are visible at a glance—as is Full Auto, the magic button that transforms the EX1 into a consumer camcorder, operationally speaking.
The lens
Like Sony’s HVR-V1U and Z1 before it, the EX1 comes with a removable lens shade containing a barn-door lens cap that opens and closes with a lever. A minor feature, but a personal favorite (the little things in life do count). When the cap is detached, inexpensive 77mm-diameter filters can be screwed in its place. Not removable is the 14X Fujinon zoom (5.8mm-81.2mm, f/1.9), built in to enable optical image stabilization—a necessary feature in palm-held camcorders.
The good news is that despite a larger 1/2in. sensor size, the 14X Fujinon’s horizontal angle of view is wider than that of popular 1/3in. HDV camcorders (including Sony’s own Z1) and a tad wider than Panasonic’s 1/3in. AG-HVX200, the current champ. For those in need of an even wider angle, Sony has created a 0.8X screw-in wide-angle adapter with a unique attribute: The EX1 digitally corrects for its chromatic aberrations (similar to Panasonic’s Chromatic Aberration Compensation [CAC] function for 2/3in. lenses—click here for more on CAC).
Where the 14X Fujinon leaps from the pack is its novel mechanical design, with independent focus, zoom, and iris rings. As with any other pro video camera, the zoom ring is marked in millimeter focal lengths and the iris in f/stops. But wait: When was the last time you saw an f/stop ring on an all-in-one camcorder? (Answer: never.) This is the first clue we’re not in Kansas anymore.
The second clue is that the focus ring is marked in both feet and meters. The third clue is that the zoom and iris rings are geared externally like a conventional B4 mount zoom, which is how they’re motorized. Now notice that the focus ring, which has a rubber surface for gripping, slides fore and aft. Slide it towards the lens shade to activate either autofocus or servo manual focus (where the focus ring spins endlessly). Alternatively, slide the focus ring backward towards the viewfinder to achieve something more familiar to professionals: a meshed-gear mechanical focus with meaningful feet/meter markings. Yes, remarkably enough, the Fujinon 14X has two separate mechanisms for focus control. Yet because it’s a built-in lens, there’s no need for backfocus adjustment. Ever.
And, as Steve Jobs is fond of saying, there’s one more thing. Sony and Fujinon’s collaboration on the EX1 has produced another camcorder first: an active depth-of-field display along the bottom of the viewfinder. As focus, zoom, and iris rings are adjusted, you can watch depth of field dynamically shrink or grow against a distance scale. This function is assignable to a user button, so you can turn it on or off at will.
Control switches for the 14X Fujinon are organized in a column between the zoom and iris rings. From top to bottom: zoom manual/servo, iris manual/servo, macro on/off, focus manual/auto, and push autofocus. I mention this layout because it’s ideal. All lens settings are visible at a glance. On the other side of the iris ring is the ND switch: clear, 1/8, and 1/64. Further to the right, along the bottom of the camera body, are conventional three-position mini-toggles for gain and white balance (preset includes “ATW,” or auto-white balancing—also assignable to a user button). Directly above is a row of recessed on/off push buttons for zebras, peaking, and Full Auto—the magic button that transforms the EX1 into a consumer camcorder, operationally speaking.
North of these buttons is a trio of user- assignable buttons (their defaults are Lens Info, Battery Display, and Histogram), and just above, directly under the handle, is a set of buttons dedicated to Sony’s invaluable Shot Transition feature, which now tracks gain, shutter speed, white balance, and color matrix as well as the original focus, focal length, and iris settings. (A fourth assignable button is hidden under the lens.)
The body
At the rear of the EX1 are gathered audio switches and volume dials as well as menu controls and the camcorder’s on/off switch, separate from the handgrip’s start/stop button (as is the case with all pro cameras). Below is a horizontal battery slot (like HVX200) for the new BP-U30 and BP-U60 Lithium-ion batteries that incorporate a “fuel gauge” to indicate remaining charge. These were designed especially for the EX1, which consumes 13W plus at 11V to 17V compared to 8W max and 7.2V for the Z1 and V1. (Sony indicates five hours of continuous recording for the larger BP-U60.)
The EX1’s handgrip is unusual in that it rotates up to 90 degrees to accommodate the angle of the operator’s wrist in various shooting positions, from waist-level to overhead. As is the case in the V1, the handgrip’s center is placed forward, towards the lens, for better balance. The zoom control rocker switch, typically puny on palm-held camcorders, is of normal professional size and sensitivity. Hallelujah!
As you hold the EX1 using the handgrip, note the location of the iris ring. Speculate how far beyond the iris the big 1/2in. prism block must extend into the camera body. Notice, as a consequence, how compact the nearly cube-shaped section of the camera is—like a miniature F23. Total weight of the EX1 is 4lbs. 13oz., a mere 3oz. heavier than a Z1. It feels balanced and light.
At the front of the EX1’s handle is a built-in omnidirectional mic, cantilevered over the lens like the Z1’s mic. (A built-in mic is another first for Atsugi.) At the side of the mic are attached an accessory mic shock mount and two XLR inputs. Directly behind the mic’s screen, atop the handle, is a set of controls for clip playback and thumbnail navigation, including a rubber joystick thingy that looks like the Trackpoint “rubber eraser” pointing device on a ThinkPad. From the underside of the mic comes a surprise. Like a Transformers toy, the mic’s bottom half swings out and flips up to become a 3.5in., high-res 16:9 color LCD positioned in a camera- forward, eye-level position similar to that of a Z1. It’s a positioning that many, myself included, regard as optimal.
The screen is an all-new transmissive/ reflective hybrid LCD (works backlit or by reflection in bright sunlight). While the Z1’s hybrid LCD boasted 250,000 pixels, the EX1’s displays a whopping 921,600. Like the Z1 and V1, the EX1 provides an expanded focus function that magnifies the center of the image about 2X. The EX1 goes a step beyond, however, matching the 2X magnification pixel-per-pixel to the LCD’s native resolution to create a true 1:1 pixel display, available during recording for on-the-fly focus checks—a Handycam first. (Panasonic’s HVX200 got there already).
At the rear of the EX1’s handle is a 0.54in., 252,000-pixel color LCD viewfinder like that of the V1. Notably, both LCD and viewfinder display a full HD raster. There is no underscan or overscan in the EX1.
