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Shoot Review: Sony PMW-EX3

Oct 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Reviewer: D. W. Leitner

Growing the XDCAM family.

EX3 update

Since this review was written, there have been several developments regarding the EX1 and EX3.

Lens adapters

Schneider Optics, under its Century brand, has introduced a host of optical adapters for the 14X Fujinon zoom supplied with the EX1 and EX3: a .75X wide-angle converter, a .6X wide-angle adapter, a 1.6X tele-converter, a Super Fisheye HD Adapter, and an Extreme Fisheye HD Adapter.

Better battery management

A notable improvement (which slipped by me) in the EX3 over the EX1: EX1 users are often surprised to encounter the battery discharged when left on the camcorder for a day or two. That's because the EX1's microprocessor sips powers even when the EX1 is turned off. Powering this chip enables a battery-charge read-out, which is obtained by pressing and holding the Display/Batt Info button under the handle even when the EX1 is switched off. I'm happy to report this secret battery drain no longer occurs in the EX3, although pressing and holding the EX3's Display/Batt Info button (now located on the big viewfinder) still displays battery charge when the EX3 is switched off.

Non-S×S flash memory OK in some circumstances

The introduction of the PHU-60K hard disk recorder for the EX1 and EX3 — described above — has quietly opened the door to use of lower-cost media in digital video file-based recording.

As detailed in my review of the EX1, Sony's S×S flash-memory cards conform to the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association's (PCMCIA) ExpressCard standard, which specifies serial data transfers using either a blazingly fast PCI Express link or a slower USB 2.0 controller. When the EX1 was initially released, Sony required use of Sony or SanDisk (co-inventor of S×S) ExpressCard/34 cards certified as S×S-compliant and branded “S×S Pro” — such as, for example, the new 32GB card described above. These high-performance S×S cards can interface only with the advanced PCI Express link.

But the PHU-60K hard-disk recorder (5400rpm) requires the slower USB 2.0 bus. So Sony enabled use of the USB 2.0 bus in the EX3 and retroactively in the EX1 too, by means of the latest firmware update for the EX1 (version 1.11). Since the ExpressCard/34 standard is, well, a standard, this means that potentially any advanced flash-memory product with an ExpressCard/34 adapter can record both SP and HQ modes, 720- and 1080-line, in either the EX1 or the EX3. This includes Sony Pro Duo Memory Sticks (either Mark 2 or HG series, both high-speed variants for AVCHD recording); SDHC cards (high capacity SD card); and the fastest CompactFlash (CF) cards. All of these are significantly less expensive than S×S cards.

The catch? Ensuring adequate transfer speed.

Very important to remember is that non-S×S flash-based memory cards must be fast enough to reliably capture XDCAM's basic 35Mbps stream. Like being too thin or too rich, you can't have too much transfer speed when using third-party flash-memory cards to record HD. Sony, therefore, does not guarantee and will not vouch for any flash-based card or format that is not certified as S×S Pro. S×S Pro, which exploits the lightning-fast PCI Express link, provides higher data rates that make possible the Slow Motion and Quick Motion functions of the EX1 and EX3. If you use flash-memory cards other than S×S Pro — in other words, any that use the pokier USB bus for data transfer — you forfeit all XDCAM overcranking and undercranking functions. They simply won't work. Incidentally, this limitation applies to the PHU-60K too. It records only basic frame rates for 720p and 1080i/p.

If you wish to use a third-party flash-memory card, you must test, test, test. If the card proves reliable, don't forget that only basic frame rates are possible. Furthermore, Sony will take no responsibility for the consequences of operating the EX1 or EX3 under such recording conditions. File fragmentation over time could impede read/write times on some types of cards. (Why it's wise to periodically reformat, or wipe clean, these flash-memory cards after heavy use.)

However here's the good news. It works.

At right is a snapshot of a tiny 8GB Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo/Mark 2 ($50 at amazon.com) which requires an adapter for the larger Memory Stick Pro format ($10, at amazon.com) in order to fit the Sony ExpressCard/34 adapter (free with Sony Vaio laptops). I tried it, and the EX3 was perfectly happy. No problems with capture, recording, or playback of 1080/24p in HQ mode. Remaining recording time left on the 8GB Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo card was indicated in the EX3's viewfinder, as if it were an 8GB S×S card. A less funky, more reliable way to achieve the same result would be to use a Sony MSAC-EX1 Memory Stick Duo ExpressCard adapter ($35, Amazon.com) with an 8GB Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick ($105 at amazon.com).

Others have reported similar success with SDHC cards such as SanDisk's 16GB Ultra II ($63 at amazon.com) or 16GB Extreme III ($140, at amazon.com) used with an ExpressCard/34 adapter. (A Kensington adapter is $37 and a SandDisk adapter $16 at amazon.com.)

Note that all flash-memory cards used by EX1 and EX3, including S×S Pro, are formatted using the conventional FAT32 file architecture familiar to PC users and digital still camera owners. Macs have no problem with FAT32 either. (This is why there's a 4GB limit to the largest file size when shooting with the EX1 and EX3 — it's a FAT32 file size limit.) Things can't get any more conventional than this.

Don't be surprised if these alternative memory cards joined to their adapters are sometimes longer than an ExpressCard/34 card, meaning they may protrude from the S×S slot of the EX1 or EX3. In the case of CF card adapters, they may protrude to the point of impracticality.

Caveats aside, this is a total game changer. No doubt about it.

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bottomline

Company: Sony
www.sony.com/professional

Product: PMW-EX3

Assets: Improved HD color viewfinder, interchangeable 14X Fujinon zoom with sturdy new 1/2in. bayonet mount, adapters for existing 1/2in. and 2/3in. zooms, new 32GB S×S cards and optional PHY-60K drive for extended recording, surprising stability when held against shoulder brace and cheek pad.

Caveats: Oversized viewfinder produces gnarly shape, camcorder tips on its side when set on the ground.

Demographic: Professional videographers.

PRICE: $9,990 (LIST)

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