EX3 vs. Canon A1

[Lloyds]

Hi all,

I have 3 Canon A1s and would like to add a EX3 to the mix and eventually replace the Canons. I wish my Canons were in 1080p and took the cards, but since they don't, I'm out scouting.

Would the A1 and EX3 work good together for multi-cam work? Are the colors close enough to not make post-production color correction a nightmare?

BTW, is there anything above an EX3 in that same range? Ex5 or something else yet?

[Sttratos]

I have used the A1 and while it's a suberb little camera it is not in the same level as an EX1 or EX3. Color wise you can most likely match it. The EX cameras have an extensive color matrix and DSP adjustments. But the A1 will certainly look softer and if I remember correctly is much more light hungry. What I would do is sell the 3 A1s and try to buy 1 EX1 and 1 EX3.

There nothing that can really compete, let alone beat the EX1 or EX3 in their price ranges. Anything even slightly better will set you back almost or at least the double and even so won't be 100% better. They will still lose in some departments to the EX1/EX3. Either will have a smaller chip, a lower resolution or something like that. Unless you really step up in the food chain and pay top dollar for it.

[Jason Wilson]

EX3 with a broadcast lense is the way to go!

[Noel Evans]

I guess the other option is the HPX300, its 1/3" chip, smaller than the EX3, but is full raster and can record to AVCIntra which is a I frame codec, though Ive never seen any issue in compression coming from an EX1 or 3, though AVCIntra is a little bit faster to work with being I frame. Both use a fujinon lens. For direct to cam audio Id give a +1 to the 300.

But it all comes down to your needs, if you want something you can work off the shoulder A LOT, the 300 is true shoulder mount and balances well up there for extended periods and is damn light. If you want bigger chips - EX3.

[AndrewGentle]

There nothing that can really compete, let alone beat the EX1 or EX3 in their price ranges.

At least until the RED Scarlet comes along, fingers crossed!

The XDCAM EX cameras are great. You should be able to match the look from both cameras if you have plenty of light with some colour correction and playing with the settings. If you delivery format is 720p or smaller then the difference should be even less noticeable.

-Andrew

[GuyB]

At least until the RED Scarlet comes along, fingers crossed!-Andrew
So what's the latest with the Scarlet vaporware? I'd hate to have been holding my breath for that one...

[AndrewGentle]

So what's the latest with the Scarlet vaporware? I'd hate to have been holding my breath for that one...

Well then you'd hate to be me, GuyB, because I'm a bit of a fan. RED have started being quite tight lipped about the situation because their competitors are finally starting to take notice of them. There's wild speculation about when the release of the cameras will actually be. The last word from RED about it was an interview with Ted Schilowitz in Munich (http://www.film-tv-video.de/newsdetail.html?&uid=38027&no_cache=1) in July where he said that the first were targeted for a 'fall timeframe' for the 3K and 5K Scarlet models, so September to November. Personally, I'd give it a couple more months, maybe January when RED One owners will be able to take delivery.

Sorry about the thread hijacking!

-Andrew

[Sttratos]

Yeah, Scarlet is vaporware at it's best. I'm glad I didn't wait for it and got an EX1. By the time Scarlet comes out and has all it's bugs worked out the EX1 will be probably "obsolete" anyways and it will time to upgrade. I think the real reason Red started being tight lipped was because they broke so many promises and missed so many dates that now they just don't talk. If you don't promise anything you can't really break a promise or miss a date. I seriously doubt Scarlet will be here by end of the year or even in January. They will delay it again and just say it's to make it better and bla,bla,bla. Didn't they also raise the prices they initially had for the Scarlet?
Fact is, they promised more than they could deliver and are now in trouble to deliver it in such a short time. The Red One was not all they promised and they should have learned the lesson there. Having said that I do appreciate they are at least trying to bring such products to the market. Just wish they were not so hype based.

[Sean Michael]

When I was camera shopping last autumn, some people advised that I should wait for Scarlet. Pretty soon ONE FULL YEAR will have passed since that advice was rendered. I've spent that year happily shooting with my EX1.

I'm reluctant to make any predictions about the longevity of technology. But if and when Scarlet does finally hit the market, will the EX1/EX3 suddenly stop being superb cameras? I think these cameras will still be excellent filmmaking tools no matter what competitors are also available.

[AndrewGentle]

Didn't they also raise the prices they initially had for the Scarlet?

No, they never raised the prices but they changed the system. The 3K fixed lens version remains $US3000 as promised but you'll need a few extra components to get it to work. They're going to sell it with enough components to shoot for $US3750.

I'm a huge fan of the EX1/3 as well, I think they're fantastic cameras. I just can't afford them!

[adamr316]

When I was camera shopping last autumn, some people advised that I should wait for Scarlet. Pretty soon ONE FULL YEAR will have passed since that advice was rendered. I've spent that year happily shooting with my EX1.

I'm reluctant to make any predictions about the longevity of technology. But if and when Scarlet does finally hit the market, will the EX1/EX3 suddenly stop being superb cameras? I think these cameras will still be excellent filmmaking tools no matter what competitors are also available.

I agree. There are only a few things "wrong" with the EX1/EX3 that Sony can improve on but will not be substantial upgrades. Really the things off the top of my head:

- Camera flash compensation for the CMOS chips ala the Panasonic HPX300 upgrade

- 50Mbps 4:2:2 built-in ala the PMW-700 (may make people want to buy SxS cards instead of the cheaper solutions)

- 120fps slo-mo or 1080p slo-mo. 1080/60p shooting. Something else like this is brewing in the pipeline for these tapeless cameras...

- Infrared contamination


We really did get a lot for our investment. High resolution, sharp LCD screen, audio circuitry, 1/2" chips, light sensitivity and long recording times in a tapeless form-factor. Whenever the successor is released to the EX1/3 line it will be really interesting to see what comes out. Hopefully not too soon though so my rentals can remain the same, LOL!

[Noel Evans]

Certainly if I were in the market for a new camera NOW, Id probably not wait for Scarlet. Buy when you have the need is what I usually go by. That said, Scarlet is on my shopping list, but I also have a 500 so Im just not fussed by these delays. In fact with all the other companies doing things within their DSLR ranges, and it about getting to the time where we might see some new camera models coming from Canon, Id say the pressure is on Scarlet to deliver when they do. Good news for me.