Ergonomics - EX1 - DVXuser.com -- The online community for filmmaking

katyam · 12-08-2007, 08:08 AM

Some thoughts on the ergonomics of EX1 have already been voiced on this forum, and it seems that there is quite a bit of diversity of opinion on the subject. It would be great if those who have the camera already could share their evaluations here.

Thank you!

Katya

sinai · 12-10-2007, 02:38 AM

hi

the ergonomics of the ex are a nightmare , they builded it with the whole gravity on the left hand side of the body so its far far away from the hand thingy.
it s been already said here a pain to do handhold shots , which was quiet a downer fo r me ...
the handle on the right side it s removable you can change the angle which is except of very few situaitions absolutely useless. the buttons are too tiny - the camera has two faces the chocolate one which is the left side and the ugly one the right side . they have all the stuff u need to work on the left side the right side is just left out looking so sad and cheap . the real shame is that s extremly bad for long handhold shootings since it s balanced totally off ! maybe sony is throwing some extra grip tool on the market to balance this cam out and eas the hanndhold ..but i doubt that . really wonder how the ppl at sony bring a sub 10 k camera on the market ( they should know ppl who invest in this segment do lot of handheld shots ) which is that horror to handhold even call it handycam. it aint handy !!!!
i would check abc or one of this grip companys and invest in a good lil steadi system which runs well with the ex if you plan a lot of handheld.

mico · 12-10-2007, 03:29 AM

Then I think Sony did everyone a favor. The day that handholding any handycam type camera around 5lbs becomes extinct the better. The jiggle is becoming unbearable to watch as well as a sign of amateurism. There are dozens of very small very cheap handheld rigs one can use. I haven't handheld any of these cams for years because the slightest jiggle is magnified a thousand times when you handhold without any aid.

katyam · 12-10-2007, 03:54 AM

Completely agree about the jiggle. Could you suggest a rig that would work well with EX1?

harddrive · 12-10-2007, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mico

The day that handholding any handycam type camera around 5lbs becomes extinct the better. The jiggle is becoming unbearable to watch as well as a sign of amateurism.

Absolutely true, though it's wrist strain that makes me want an end to this form factor even more than jiggle. When the Z1 came out, the most negative thing I felt about it was ergonomics, and the same applies to the HVX200. It's what for this size/weight JVC did get right at the time with the HD100 and I'd been hoping that the Z1/HVX200 successors would follow JVCs lead. Regrettably Sony didn't, let's wait and see if Panasonic can steal a march on them with the HVX200 successor.

That said, the EX rotating handgrip is an improvement - at least it allows holding without bending the wrist.

mico · 12-10-2007, 04:32 AM

There are many if you look for them. Some are very good and pricey. And I'm just talking handheld. No steadicam devices no shoulder rigs. Something small light, inconspicuous and cheap to lessen the 'camera and just your hand magnification' jiggle. The whole reason some go with the handycam is because of size and I feel if you get something big and bulky and expensive then it defeats the reason you wanted to go small in the first place. Something small you can put in a bag that won't drag you down and is cheap and that i think will will work especially well with the ex because you can adjust its handgrip is the levelcam. I do not work for the company. He has made a monopod like device for it but I'm just talking about the small plastic handheld piece he sells separately. I got one and modified it slightly because I wanted more options then to handhold it like a tray. It fits most of the criteria I mentioned. Small , light, inconspicuous. and cheap. And most importantly gives a basic amount of stability to get less jiggle.

katyam · 12-10-2007, 04:47 AM

Great suggestion - thank you! I am exactly in a situation you described - need to keep the camera and accessories small because a lot of my filming situations simply won't allow a large one - caves, hikes, religious services where the DOP needs to blend in as much as possible.... levelcam looks great - what do you think about levelpod though? Would it work with EX1, or is the camera too heavy?

mico · 12-10-2007, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katyam

Great suggestion - thank you! I am exactly in a situation you described - need to keep the camera and accessories small because a lot of my filming situations simply won't allow a large one - caves, hikes, religious services where the DOP needs to blend in as much as possible.... levelcam looks great - what do you think about levelpod though? Would it work with EX1, or is the camera too heavy?

It might be. Don't know. It does look interesting. At that price there are many more options to research and test to see what works for you.

katyam · 12-10-2007, 05:07 AM

Great - thank you for setting me in the right direction. I'll look around to see what else is available.

Stevet · 12-10-2007, 05:49 AM

Let's face it, all these small toaster like cameras that weigh over 5lbs are not that easy to handle for a long duration.

Also, holding them on longer tele shots is horrible. Hand held only works well for wide to medium tele.

You really need some flying support like DV Rig or something similar.

12-08-2007, 08:08 AM	#1
katyam Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 21	Ergonomics - EX1 Some thoughts on the ergonomics of EX1 have already been voiced on this forum, and it seems that there is quite a bit of diversity of opinion on the subject. It would be great if those who have the camera already could share their evaluations here. Thank you! Katya

12-10-2007, 04:32 AM	#6
mico Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 627	There are many if you look for them. Some are very good and pricey. And I'm just talking handheld. No steadicam devices no shoulder rigs. Something small light, inconspicuous and cheap to lessen the 'camera and just your hand magnification' jiggle. The whole reason some go with the handycam is because of size and I feel if you get something big and bulky and expensive then it defeats the reason you wanted to go small in the first place. Something small you can put in a bag that won't drag you down and is cheap and that i think will will work especially well with the ex because you can adjust its handgrip is the levelcam. I do not work for the company. He has made a monopod like device for it but I'm just talking about the small plastic handheld piece he sells separately. I got one and modified it slightly because I wanted more options then to handhold it like a tray. It fits most of the criteria I mentioned. Small , light, inconspicuous. and cheap. And most importantly gives a basic amount of stability to get less jiggle. Last edited by mico; 12-10-2007 at 04:47 AM.

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12-10-2007, 02:38 AM	#2
sinai Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 24	hi the ergonomics of the ex are a nightmare , they builded it with the whole gravity on the left hand side of the body so its far far away from the hand thingy. it s been already said here a pain to do handhold shots , which was quiet a downer fo r me ... the handle on the right side it s removable you can change the angle which is except of very few situaitions absolutely useless. the buttons are too tiny - the camera has two faces the chocolate one which is the left side and the ugly one the right side . they have all the stuff u need to work on the left side the right side is just left out looking so sad and cheap . the real shame is that s extremly bad for long handhold shootings since it s balanced totally off ! maybe sony is throwing some extra grip tool on the market to balance this cam out and eas the hanndhold ..but i doubt that . really wonder how the ppl at sony bring a sub 10 k camera on the market ( they should know ppl who invest in this segment do lot of handheld shots ) which is that horror to handhold even call it handycam. it aint handy !!!! i would check abc or one of this grip companys and invest in a good lil steadi system which runs well with the ex if you plan a lot of handheld.

12-10-2007, 03:29 AM	#3
mico Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 627	Then I think Sony did everyone a favor. The day that handholding any handycam type camera around 5lbs becomes extinct the better. The jiggle is becoming unbearable to watch as well as a sign of amateurism. There are dozens of very small very cheap handheld rigs one can use. I haven't handheld any of these cams for years because the slightest jiggle is magnified a thousand times when you handhold without any aid.

12-10-2007, 03:54 AM	#4
katyam Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 21	Completely agree about the jiggle. Could you suggest a rig that would work well with EX1?

12-10-2007, 04:47 AM	#7
katyam Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 21	Great suggestion - thank you! I am exactly in a situation you described - need to keep the camera and accessories small because a lot of my filming situations simply won't allow a large one - caves, hikes, religious services where the DOP needs to blend in as much as possible.... levelcam looks great - what do you think about levelpod though? Would it work with EX1, or is the camera too heavy?

12-10-2007, 05:07 AM	#9
katyam Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 21	Great - thank you for setting me in the right direction. I'll look around to see what else is available.

12-10-2007, 05:49 AM	#10
Stevet Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Casa Grande, AZ Posts: 1,824	Let's face it, all these small toaster like cameras that weigh over 5lbs are not that easy to handle for a long duration. Also, holding them on longer tele shots is horrible. Hand held only works well for wide to medium tele. You really need some flying support like DV Rig or something similar.