Ex1 quality.....

JaviBUSA08

JaviBUSA08

Well-known member
Ok, I know this issue has probably been repeated over and over again but when I search I cant seem to find anything to answer my specific question...

I currently work with 2 Panasonic HMC150's. I love the way they work. But when I look at footage that comes from an ex1 it just looks so much sharper and crisp I don't know how else to explain it. Is it just me? Have you guys seen comparable HMC150 footage to the EX1?

thanks
 
I don't go comparing footage but from what most people say around here the EX1 is noticably sharper than the 150's etc And so it should be, the EX1 has a full rastor 1920x1080 sensor block while the Pannies generally have not much more than 16:9 SD sensors with pixel shift.
 
Javi, I own both cameras. The EX1 has more detail in the image yes - but they intercut very nicely. AVCHD is better than HDV - no doubt. Even my Z1U doesn't look as good as the HMC150.

You can tweak the 150 so that it looks similar to the EX1 but the 150 has a slightly more processed look. The 150 has good depth of field with the 1/3 sensors - also great for wedding where you have to deal with flash. The CMOS on the EX1 goes a bit crazy. Low light - the EX1 is about 3DB better.

Artifacting wise - AVCHD @ 24mbps looks fairly clean compared with XDCAM @ 35mbps - Almost as good. Much better than HDV @ 25mbps

As far as value goes the 150 is hard to beat. I'm actually thinking of using it more for wedding work where mobility is required. It's lightweight and nice positioning of controls is joy to work with

Paul
 
Thanks guys, yea i was think of buying it to add it to my "arsenal" of gear to use it more as a highlight camera to use for specific shots where I really want detail to pop. I like that sharp look. You think this would be wise?
 
It really depends upon if you shoot in 1080p or 720p.

I have both and in 720p they are not that far apart exept for very wide shots, the EX-1 wins for wide shots.

1080p the EX really pulls away from the crowd.

So I use the EX for the widest shots and the 150 as a medium shot and they play well together.

I have tweaked the EX colro to match the Panasonics and they are just as close as the variation I had with all of my DVC-200s!

This speaks very well of the Sony that is has enough in-camera control to make it match a Panasonic.
 
But as for the crisp sharp look the ex1 takes it huh?

Do you have experience with the EX1 on a steadicam? Is there any rolling shutter issues when using it on a steadicam when walking fast or running?

thanks
 
After owning a multitude of cameras and renting many others. The only problem i see is once you shoot with the EX series, you may find it hard to shoot with the others after comparing the image in raw POST.

EX series are fantastic for wide shots but also look great for med and close up shots as this accentuates their natural shallow depth of feel. All of our med and close ups look like they were shot with a dof adapter. But personally i have edited these camera together and especially with MB looks grading , they will work great together as Bassman states above.
Cheers
 
JaviBUSA08 said:
But as for the crisp sharp look the ex1 takes it huh?
Click to expand...

Yes it does, but not by a huge margin. If you already own the HMC's then the EX can really augment your lineup.

The HMC is quite a value as you can get two cameras for the price of the EX-1.

But the EX-1 is quite a value as well!
 
Yea, thats what I was thinking of doing. Just adding the EX1 to my line up.... Thanks guys. I really appreciate all the input. Makes making a choice much easier.
 
Happy to give some input.

One bitter pill coming from DV cameras is the "one size fits all" mentality of the DV days. Life was so simple.

Shopping for an HD camera is a whole different animal.

Different cameras work best for different applications.

I settled upon and HPX-500, EX-1 and an HMC-150. They all have there strong points and are best used in different applications.

When I shoot them all together and don't pixel peep they are more alike than different.
 
Question about HMC-150 & EX-1 co-existing

Question about HMC-150 & EX-1 co-existing

Bassman & Paul (HMC-150 & EX-1 owners):

Since you guys have both cameras, I have a couple of questions to help me make a buying decision on a third camera.

1. I know the EX-1 has much better native resolution than the HMC-150. Most of my projects are currently delivered on the DVD widescreen format. How does the extra resolution translate into DVD widescreen projects appearance vs. the 150? I expect that wide/busy scenes should have more detail, but does the render to the DVD format convey most of it?


2. I have never seen an EX-1 in person. Read about for years. If you set aside the elements of; A. different brand, B. different batteries & C. different media, are the two cameras a good match for each other? Meaning, the controls are reasonably similar and the footage can go native on the timeline alongside the 150 footage with success?

I used to also use the Canon XH-A1. I found it's controls too dissimilar to me for operating it and switching to the 150 in fast moving situations. I would have to think for a few seconds before making some adjustments, and it could kill shots. That along with different batteries and media forced me to sell the XH-A1 quickly.

What is your opinion(s)?
 
i have all three, A1, HMC and EX1. in the beginning, it was MHO that the 150 was better than the EX1. Now that i have my camera tweaked, no contest. the image is cleaner by a mile. it handles adjustments in PP much better, however, I found it handles backlight situations worse than the CCD cameras. depsite its weight, if i had the money, at this point, I would probably sell the HMC and purchase another EX series camera. the codec is much easier to edit with.
 
Interesting, I just sold a bunch of my gear and I am going to purchase 2 EX3's and keep my HMC's. I am pretty excited to work with the EX3's. I have read alot of good things about them after I posted this thread, plus what everyone here has been telling me which counts 10 times more to me. :-)
 
Hi Jeff!

The extra detail does show up in the DVD yes, but it's pretty close. Like Bassman said - if you don't pixel peep - looks just fine

Regarding controls, the EX1 has much more fine tuning available, although with the basic 150 settings you can make it match up pretty nicely with the EX1 from a color standpoint. The cool thing with the 150 is that all the key controls you'd ever want on hand are right on the camera. You can even turn the autofocus ring into an iris ring if you want in a snap. . I'm so tempted to just use the 150 more often for my wedding work. You can actually make adjustments on the 150 as fast or in some cases faster (like scene profiles) than the EX1

The other really nice thing about the 150 is that it is light

Battery life on the 150 works nice - as advertised. I put the small battery in the camera and it shows over 90 minutes. I think big one is somewhere around 4 hours. SD cards - very nifty. The AVCCHD codec is definately better than HDV and the raw picture looks better than my Z1U (which I've sold)

The one thing I don't like on the 150 is the LCD monitor. The EX1 LCD is simply 'the' best I have ever seen. Makes the 150 LCD looks crusty :)

Having used the EX1 for 18 months - I definatly recommend the 150 - very good cam.

Paul
 
Hey,

1) - the EX does produce more detail even on a DVD than the HMC-150, but it is not drastic. In many ways, the HMC-150 has color that really grabs you, this makes up for the little bit of softness compared to the EX.

2) - The cameras are a good match if you take the time to tweak the EX-1 to fit the Panasonic colorimetry. The EX gives you a lot of in-camera adjustment controls. So spend a day with both cameras, a well lit Macbeth chart, some other color objects and a calibrated production monitor.

Seriously, if you have to rent a production monitor for the day it will be worth it. Once you sync the colors you will never have to do it again and the two camera will be very similar. I use the Ex for the wider shots as it has more detail.

So yes, they do play well together. It is my opinion the HD has sort leveled out a lot of color inconsistentcies between camera brands. HD seems to have just proper color more so than SD.

Both cameras were designed like "big" cameras in little bodies. A lot of the controls are on outside and easy to find. Actually, the focus ring on the HMC-150 is a lot smoother than the EX-1. It is quite nice.
 
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