So how are we faring on new ex1's??

[imagefact]

Hi Gang,

I've been lurking around here for a while. I'm sold on the ex1 in theory (I already sold my hvx200) - but have hesitated buying right away due to all the manufacturing defects. I was wondering how everyone feels about the issues now that we are into July. Any word on latest shipments from Sony with these (or other) problems?

1 - back focus problems
2 - paint peeling
3 - battery drainage while off
4 - bad vignetting

Is it "safe" at this point to buy? I'm also wondering when people start getting the ex3 to see what, if any, problems those will have.

Thanks for your input!

[PerroneFord]

Got my EX1 last Monday, shipped from B&H. I'll try to address your questions.

1. I haven't seen any focus problems, but I'll do a formal test this week
2. Too new to tell.
3. Non-existant. I left it hooked up for 3 days while I was out of the office, and battery was perfect when I picked up the camera to shoot.
4. Haven't seen any.

I bought the camera knowing full well about potential issues, but was just prepared to deal with it. Fortunately, it's been a non-issue.

[lawriejaffa]

Are you not in a position to test the model before purchase perhaps?

[imagefact]

"Are you not in a position to test the model before purchase perhaps?"

I've played with the camera before, my friend has one (with some problems such as paint) - It's tough to only test in-store, ya know? Such as the paint problem not presenting itself right away.

[EC Junior]

#3 Firmware fixes the battery drainage.

I haven't heard from any problems from customers on paint peelings, vignetting or backfocus problems in the last 3-4 months.

[Buck Forester]

1 - zippo back focus problems for me
2 - no paint peeling problems
3 - no battery drain problems
4 - never had any vignetting issues at all.

My EX1 is a recent model so they must've addressed these issues on the newer production runs. This camera is more than I had even hoped for. My issues are learning the whole high-def studio workflow in my newly created studio. I'm new to the video editing scene. But the footage my EX1 is producing is truly stunning if I have to say so myself. I just don't know how to edit it yet.

[basspig]

I bought a second EX1 on July 2 and the original problems seem to be addressed. Of course, I've still got less than 4 hours' run time on it, but so far, it's working well, and I think even the CA problems are somewhat reduced on this recent manufactured EX1, over my February purchased EX1.

The battery drainage is vastly improved, but unlike my old V1Us, I cannot leave the battery on it for several months and expect there to be juice left. I did a test where I left the battery on the camera, and came back the next day, taking note of the time remaining on both days. The difference was about 5 minutes. With the battery left off the camera, the difference in 12 hours is zero minutes. So the problem is 95% improved, but there is still some small standby current drain.

Overall, the camera is solid and the major bugs worked out, so I had no problem buying #2, and am already contemplating #3 before end of summer.
Once you've edited XDCam footage on Adobe Premiere CS3, you'll never want to touch another video format again. It's a breeze to edit progressive scan footage and the quad-core just sails along--even better than with standard def interlaced DV footage.

While online videos don't do it justice, you can still sense the depth of the quality by looking at some of the better HD video sites like ExposureRoom.com and search for PMW-EX1 clips.

If you're already sold on quality, then your remaining concern is defects, and I believe we are in pretty good shape on that front now, as Sony has been unusually-responsive to correcting the major issues. CineAlta seems to mean "Sony cares about getting it right" in this case, a refreshing contrast to their attitude with prosumer cams like the V1U.

[andynick]

1 - zippo back focus problems for me
Well, I had a problem but Sony fixed it very quickly and it's perfect now.

2 - no paint peeling problems
Same here and I use the camera nearly every day.

3 - no battery drain problems
No battery drain unless the camera's left with power on.

4 - never had any vignetting issues at all.
Nope - clear as a bell.

I changed my Sony Z1 for an HVX200 and regretted it.

Changing to the EX1 was the best move I ever made in Video. I thoroughly recommend you take the plunge, you won't regret it, although I do miss a few useful features the HVX had:

1) Vastly more Shutter Angle Settings than the EX1
2) Pre-record buffer
3) Ability to record Audio when shooting at different frame rates.
4) Four Channel Audio

But the focus is a dream compared to the HVX and so are most other things on the EX1

[Noel Evans]

But the focus is a dream compared to the HVX and so are most other things on the EX1

Understatement of the year. (havent seen or used 200a so I cant comment on that).

[andynick]

I forgot to mention the "Last Clip Delete" function on the EX1.

Not only can you ditch the entire last clip if you choose, but you can actually divide clips and then ditch the unwanted material.

[basspig]

Thaat's correct. A lot of people may not be aware of the powerful trimming and editing tools available within the XDCam EX.

[adamr316]

I'd take in-camera clip trimming over focal length metadata anyday ;-)

[Buck Forester]

I tell ya, the more I shoot with this thing the more I freakin' LOVE IT! And I was already lovin' it from day one. I probably have at least two dozen hours of footage of my little boy and my pregnant wife. And the more I shoot with it the more I realize I have to learn. It's more different than a still camera than I thought it would be in terms of manually controlling exposures. I'm viewing my footage full screen on a 30" monitor but just through the XDCAM Transfer thingy... I haven't started on FCP yet.

I'm also diggin' the amazing sound from the Sony PCM-D1... that thing records 'better than life', ha! I love recording stuff and pluggin' in the headphones and playing it back... the crispness and depth of the audio is fantastic. But remember, I don't have much to compare it too, but it's just crazy awesome to me. In fact I think the audio on the Sony EX1 built-in mic sounds pretty decent too for just goofin' around in the park with my boy. I'm not recording scripted dialogue or anything, just the sounds of us near the camera. Even the sound of walking on a gravel road under my boots, or pushing my boy in his little car with plastic wheels on the sidewalk sounds pretty darn good. But the PCM-D1 is oh-my-gosh.

[basspig]

Same here.. my EX1 leaves little to nothing left to be desired. It's the first video camera that I am really, deeply satisfied with. This is the model I will be keeping for many years to come. My V1Us were 'training wheels for HD', and now the EX1 is the real deal.

I am continually stunned at how this camera, shooting 24-30fps, gets better, sharper images than my 8MP D-SLR camera, with just the available light! The ISO is really notably-fast, compared to most still cameras, and the noise is invisible most of the time. It's hard to get those shots with a still camera because you either have to push the ISO and get noise, or lengthen the exposure time and get blur.

Get a good stereo microphone like the Rode NT4 and you won't need to carry that Sony PCM-D1 around with you anymore. The EX1 records great audio. The built-in mics are okay, and have a fairly broad frequency range, though a bit over-emphasized in the midrange, but they lack stereo separation. Put a good X-Y mic on there and sense the soundstage really open up wide.

I wish someone would make a compact X-Y mic that can mount on the EX1 and only weighs 2 ounces and adds almost no girth to the camera's profile. The head assembly of my NT4, minus the long 7" 14 ounce handle/barrel, would be the perfect microphone for this camera.

Of course, if you like the Sony PCM-D1, wait till you hear real studio condenser mics! :-)

[ColorBalance]

Talking about deleting and splitting clips, is there a way to combine the clips? While downloading a tape, for instance, you can select the whole hour as one single file if you want to whereas on the EX1, each record / stop is one file. If I am shooting a scene, I rather keep the whole thing as one file for easier file management in FCS and post production consistency.

This is what I normally do. Create a folder with a specific scene name (BobbyStephanieOutdoors) and copy the whole BPAV folder. Then I use XDCAM Transfer program and title the clips (BobbyStephanieOutdoors) and import them. Then I go to FCS and import those files already named as BobbyStephanieOutdoors.

It will be so much easier if I can combine all those BobbyStephanieOutdoors files into one single clip. Hate to deal with 30-40 files, and that too, with just one scene!

[basspig]

YOu certainly can combine files with the Clip Browser software. Have not tried combining files using the camera's menus. I suspect that's not possible. But Clip Browser certainly can do this and more.

[andynick]

It will be so much easier if I can combine all those BobbyStephanieOutdoors files into one single clip. Hate to deal with 30-40 files, and that too, with just one scene!

Not sure what FCS is - do you mean FCP?

I wouldn't know the workflow for PC but if you're using a Mac and you have FCP (Final Cut Pro) you can put all the clips on a timeline and export as a QuickTime Movie with "Current Settings" and preferably "Self Contained".

You can then Import the single clip into your project and delete the original QT files.

[ColorBalance]

FCS = Final Cut Studio. FCP is a part of it.

Anyway, in Clip Browser, I didn't see any way to combine the clips.

About exporting to QuickTime and importing them back, won't there be a loss due to compression? I am new to this Apple business. Have been using Premiere Pro all this time. There I would simply export to an uncompressed AVI and import back. I used this strategy to work with small manageable projects. In the end, I would combine the uncompressed AVI's via a master project to get the final output. This was for my 70-minute long movie.

So, what will be a good export format if I am working with 1920 x 1080 (1080 / 24P) files? There are way too many formatting choices, and, honestly speaking, I get confused!

I can never figure out what the current setting is? Is this the setting of the project itself - like 1080 / 24P in my case?