First Time Out with EX1: Nighttime Video

basspig

basspig

Veteran
I got my replacement EX1 from B&H on Friday. On Saturday, we went out at sunset and did a timelapse (1fps) shot of the sunset, the mountains, the moon... and then at twilight we drove down town and shot a few quick scenes.

I've posted it on blip.tv here http://basspig.blip.tv/#680560

Granted, the conversion to Blip's Flash format crushed the blacks and introduced some banding in the gradients, but it still looks decent. I am working on exporting a 720p version to upload on Vimeo next.

It is somewhat awkward using the EX1 after being used to VX2000, V1U, etc. I've got to find a convenient technique for controlling the white balance. Direct Menus and partial direct menu mode are confusing at the moment. I have got to spend a LOT more time with this camera. Last night was a practice run.

I also shot some scenery at home in the woods, with just the light of a waxing gibous moon.

My wife was already pleased, because she noticed it made her look lovelier. Our V1U made skin look harsh, probably due to the MPEG compression artifacts. But the EX1 footage pleased her very much.
 
Love it ! I might be biased because I'm from originally from Fairfield myself, but hey, good footage is good footage!

keep up the good work and keep posting stuff M&M!
 
Thank you for the generous comments. I have to give most of the credit to the EX1 though. It just makes everything look so warm and inviting at night. Wow, what clean images this camera pulls in!

I shot some footage this afternoon, a grey, dreary overcast day, and it looks better than I had imagined such a monotone day could look. Played with differential focus effects, (ND2, f 1.9-4) on nearby branches and river farther away. Amazing how easy it is to create cinematic looks.

You're from Fairfield, CT? Or Fairfield County? I had some relatives that lived about a stone's throw from the Black Angus Steak House. I just installed some radio equipment at Fairfield University (I'm supposed to be retired, but they keep calling me back for add ons and special needs). Yup, it was cold up here this month. 20ºF when I filmed that sequence.

I got the Vimeo HD 720P version up now: http://www.vimeo.com/701529

Enjoy! More is coming.
 
Hey Mark,

I like the way your camera brings in the night colors etc... I have been trying to decide on what camera to invest in. At the moment I have the DVX100 and have been looking at the HVX200 and the JVC 110 and now looking at the Sony EX1.

I need a camera that shoots low light, that shoots HD for transfer to film. A camera that can mimic film. It would be nice to be able to buy something in the $75k but my pocket book (like many others) only has $6k. So I'm trying to make the right choice. What was the cost of your camera? If I understand right you shot your footage from just out of the box or did you have to add stuff to it? It seems that everyone (not everyone but you know what I mean) that has a camera has to had different lens etc... or they do touch up in post. Thanks
 
Hi Corine,

My shots have all been un processed, stock lens, no add ons.
I paid $6449 for it.

Hands down, it is the best picture out there for under $10K, I think you will find everyone in agreement. The light sensitivity is great. Better than my VX2000, which was my SD benchmark.

If you like the buggered up compressed footage, you should have seen the master footage. No banding on the sunset clip, unlike HDV footage I shot of the same topic last summer. It's very much film-like, and I actually LIKE the 24P output from this camera.

Caveates:

It runs the battery down even when turned "off".

SxS cards cost about $1000/hr shooting time as of this writing. A little hard to handle ergonomically. That's it. No other issues so far. Even the sound is terrific.
 
Mark - I just went and look at it on B&H and saw it was 1080p. But still don't know what SXS card means.
 
Yup, the camera can shoot a variety of formats, including 1080P 30, 24, 1080i60, 720P 60, 30, 24 and some SQ modes that are comparable to HDV.

The SxS card, is similar to P2, in that it's solid state memory, about the size of a PCMCIA card, maybe a little narrower, but uses new expressbus technology. P2 is based on obsolete cardbus technology, which the developer advises engineers is a legacy format and should not be used in new designs.

Outside again this afternoon in the rain, with a piece of Saran wrap over the EX1, out by a stream getting some impressive DoF shots. Who needs a Letus? I'm getting tons of differential focus with the ND filter and shutter angle adjusted to fine-tune the aperture to f1.9 under overcast skies. Racking the focus ring, it's like a CT scan, peeling away layers of the forest, bringing each layer of foliage into focus, while making the other layers invisible as grey gossamer shadows. This is inspiring. I'm offloading and converting footage now...
 
I don't recall the precise number, but ND2 was not enough, and I think I was up to 1/2000th on the shutter at the height of it all.

Is there a way to get that info from the clip browser?
 
You can shoot either SxS or tape like the HVX200? Also when you download the card what editing do you download it in? Can it download into imove or make a QT file?
 
SxS card only. This is a tapeless workflow.
Compatibility is limited. I hear that Final Cut Pro on the Mac can read the .MXF files natively. So can Sony Vegas 7 and 8 versions.
In order to use them on Premiere, a third party CODEC or conversion suite must be purchased. Two options are MainConcept MPEG Pro HD3 (allows Premiere to work with .MXF files directly, but is still going through debugging pains at the moment) and Cineform, which is a CODEC plus a standalone converter. One must edit using their intermediate format files. Much longer workflow than MainConcept. Also slow render times because of the 10-bit color depth. Exporting a 5-minute piece took 85 minutes on a quad core @ 3.5GHz with 4GB RAM.

In short, EX1 is bleeding edge tech and once you've cut yourself on the edge, you can never go back. :)
 
Wonderful low light and picture quality, except the banding. That really stuck out to me. But as long as you're saying this is because of post work, not in camera, it's golden. Makes me miss Connecticut too (my other half is from there).
...getting some impressive DoF shots. Who needs a Letus?
Click to expand...
That's how I felt when I was toying with the camera. Really nice. Just back up a few feet and shazam, great dof (providing you have a few feet to back up!).

Oh, thanks also for pointing out the music. From one Kurz owner to another. Nice stuff.
 
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Yes, that banding is 100% due to multiple recompressions to Windows Media and then to Flash by the Vimeo uploader. The master footage exhibits no banding, as viewed on my workstation's HP LP3065 display.

I'm working on an even more artistic piece which involves differential focus as an artistic tool. Trying to work out a file conversion glitch for the opening shot, otherwise, almost ready to post.

I feel completely satisfied with the sound I get out of my Kurzweils. The K2600 triple-strike piano sounds like the Steinway model D we have at the Klein auditorium. I recorded that piano last October and I can sit down to the Kurz and play the 703 (modified) program and the two pianos sound so close it's startling. Got the K2500 and PC2R/O and ExpressionMate Ribbon. Great tools!

What is it with all the ex-Connecticut folks on this forum? I feel like I'm left over from a state-wide evacuation. :)
 
basspig said:
I feel completely satisfied with the sound I get out of my Kurzweils....Great tools!
Click to expand...

Yes, it's true. Even with modern computers able to pull 32bit, even 64bit sounds at 192khz etc. there is still something very sweet and pure the Kurz has that a computer just can't quite match a lot of the time. It may be because the samples are so perfect and the VAST is just so deep and so complete, or that the KDFX has so much dedicated processing power. But it's true. Listen to any of the Kurz pianos (or percussion) on a reverb with a long tail. it's just wondrous.
 
...and the KDFX are the benchmark. I love the richness and realistic acoustic enviroment it creates. And it IS a full-blown synth. In many ways, it's the musical analog of XDcam EX--terribly complex and almost magical in the right hands.

Speaking of magical, I've just finished uploading yesterday's shoot. It's an exercise in differential depth of field. I think it came out rather well. I call it "Winter Thaw"..... http://blip.tv/file/678803/
 
Hey basspig, excellente'! I especially enjoy watching your footage because you're shooting "as is", no 35mm attachments, which will be 90% of my shooting style for wilderness adventure stuff. It's impressive to see the native DOF on this puppy.
 
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