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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.
Sony’s new PMW-EX1 XDCAM EX features a dual-mechanism 14X Fujinon zoom, HD-SDI output, and flash memory recording using PCI Express and compact ExpressCard/34 standards.
With Sony set to introduce a new round of HDV camcorders (the low-cost HVR-HD1000 has debuted at IBC) and with 1/2in. XDCAM HD disc camcorders gaining ground with broadcasters (2/3in. XDCAM HD disc camcorders are set to appear early next year), why would Sony introduce its first flash-memory camcorder now?
Sony says its new XDCAM EX line, announced April at NAB, is an extension of XDCAM HD and will not replace HDV or optical disc—making Sony the only pro manufacturer to pursue four recording strategies at once: tape, optical disc, hard disk, and flash memory.
The first XDCAM EX, the PMW-EX1, was unveiled at IBC. It retains the 1/2in. sensor size of XDCAM HD disc camcorders as well as their 25Mbps and 35Mbps long-GOP MPEG2 compression (no 18Mbps) but opts for a smaller Handycam profile. It becomes available in the United States in November at an MSRP less than $8,000. Here’s a first look at features and strategies that went into this camera.
Key features: 3-CMOS comprising 2.2-megapixel sensors with 1920x1080 pixels, full 1920x1080p/i and 1280x720p recording at 35Mpbs including 24p and 50Hz/60Hz field rates, dual-mechanism 14X Fujinon zoom with mechanical focus and electronic focus, a true iris ring marked in f/stops, HD-SDI output, and flash-memory recording using PCI Express and compact ExpressCard/34 standards found commonly in the latest Windows and Apple MacBook Pro laptops.
Moreover, this is the first palm-held camcorder to emerge from Sony’s Atsugi, Japan, factory, renowned for its Digital Betacam, HDCAM, HDW-F900, HDC-F950, and F23 lines. Previous Handycam-style camcorders have come from Sony’s factory at Shinagawa, Japan, creator of consumer and prosumer camcorders such as DSR-PD170s, HVR-A1Us, and HVR-Z1Us. As a result, present and future XDCAM EX camcorders will carry a CineAlta marque on the outside and Atsugi DNA on the inside.
With XDCAM EX, Sony stakes two fundamental arguments: 1) that long-GOP MPEG2 with higher compression efficiency and slower data rates better fits the capabilities and limitations of flash memory, and 2) that palm-held HD camcorders, no longer second-class citizens, merit professional specs—including larger, full-count HD sensors made possible by adoption of cooler, power-efficient CMOS technology.
Indeed, Sony has shoe-horned so much innovation into the compact PMW-EX1, it’s hard to know where to start. Individual features may parallel those of competitors, but some have no precedent, and the total synergy is unique. Perhaps the best approach to describing it all is to start at the lens and work from there.
