New EX Camera

D

dpryke

Active member
I just talked to a Sony Rep at a local video show. A new EX camera will be coming out at NAB. All he would tell me is that it will place between the EX3 and the 350. There will not be an EX3r nor will the EX3 be discontinued. He also would not tell me if it was going to be a shoulder mount or not. April 5th is the day the trade magazines will get the info for publication.
 
sounds interesting, lets see if what pans out...
An economical 1/2" based 350 would be a nice unit if priced closer to the EX3 rather than the 350...
 
Please tell us more,I want to buy a camera and prefer to wait if there is a new camera.
thanks for posting dpryke.
 
I would wait if you can. It is supposed to be shown at NAB. However, that does not mean it will be available right a way. Last year Sennheiser came out with the new G3 Evolution wireless mic. I was not able to get one until August.
 
Cameras, software, anything at all can be announced and even shown at NAB but often not shipping for months or years. Manufacturers are always trying to get you to wait by outdoing their competitors' real shipping products with promises of what is just around the corner. But with honest shipping date estimates at least you can make a more informed decision that way. Red's Scarlet is something like at least a year late. Panasonic's 3D camera prototype was on prominent display at last year's NAB and is still 6 months from going out the door. But judging by the apparent upgrade of their popular HVX300 after just one year it's obvious the development cycle is getting shorter and shorter. Gotta love it.
 
Last edited:
I would like to see a pocket-sized camera that writes XDCam EX files and has perhaps 3 1/3" sensors, or even a single 1/2" sensor, to replace my Canon HV20. I need a 1lb camera that fits on an 11" micro tripod that can fit on the ledge of an orchestra backshell. The HV20 is the only formfactor I can physically fit up there. I need a good ConductorCam that writes the same format as the EX series.
 
basspig said:
I would like to see a pocket-sized camera that writes XDCam EX files and has perhaps 3 1/3" sensors, or even a single 1/2" sensor, to replace my Canon HV20. I need a 1lb camera that fits on an 11" micro tripod that can fit on the ledge of an orchestra backshell. The HV20 is the only formfactor I can physically fit up there. I need a good ConductorCam that writes the same format as the EX series.
Click to expand...

Have you considered pairing a Nanoflash to your HV20?

Another pocket-sized camera to watch is the upcoming Panasonic DMC-TM700. Three sensors, 35mm f1.5 wide angle lens, full manual controls, and progressive frame rates (24p & 60p), recording to SDHC cards. Arrives in April. Pending reviews, I'm thinking the TM700 may finally replace the HV20s in my stable.
 
A NanoFlash still won't magically turn 60i into 24P and the files are not likely read by Premiere CS3, as the EX files are.

The Panasonic DMC-TM700 is an AVCHD camera. Adobe gives a "corrupt or damaged file" error when I import any AVCHD footage.

Specifically, I'm hoping to see a camera with Sony's XDCam CODEC, but sized like the HV20, and perhaps a bit better image quality and lower noise than the HV20.

 
basspig said:
Specifically, I'm hoping to see a camera with Sony's XDCam CODEC, but sized like the HV20, and perhaps a bit better image quality and lower noise than the HV20.
Click to expand...
The HV20 IS a camera with the same codec that Sony XDCAM uses, which is MPEG-2. One of the XDCAM EX profiles, 1080 @ 25 Mbit/s, is fully identical to HDV 1080, only in a different container. Knowing that Sony's implementation of MPEG-2 is more flaky than Canon's, I would consider Canon's HDV midway between Sony's HDV and Sony's XDCAM EX @ 35 Mbit/s.

I suppose -- at least I hope -- the new EX will have 422 codec as a preventive strike on a new, yet unreleased, Canon camera.
 
basspig said:
A NanoFlash still won't magically turn 60i into 24P and the files are not likely read by Premiere CS3, as the EX files are.
Click to expand...

Actually, I've been told by the guys at Convergent Design that the NanoFlash removes pulldown from HV20 flavor 24p (embedded in the 60i stream) - so, yes, it will turn 60i into 24p in the XDCAM codec. It records 4:2:2 as Sony MXF -- full 1920 x 1080 images via the HDMI output. Mbps is selectable, with 50Mbps being a popular choice, and 100 Mbps looking close to uncompressed. Or you can choose the 35 Mbps EX XDCAM. Convergent Design says they use an HV30 in the lab as one of their test cams.

The only issue it wouldn't address on an HV20 is noise reduction (for that, one could pair a TM700 with a Nanoflash :))
 
Last edited:
Cranky, um, how do you 'know' that Sony's implementation of MPEG-2 is more flakey than Canon? As far as I am concerned, Sony have more experience using MPEG2 in production products than any other manufacturer, going back to at least IMX and first release XDCAM cameras.

FYI: The MPEG-2 encoders in the NanoFlash are Sony encoders. This is a very highly respected MPEG2 recorder...
 
GuyB said:
Cranky, um, how do you 'know' that Sony's implementation of MPEG-2 is more flakey than Canon? As far as I am concerned, Sony have more experience using MPEG2 in production products than any other manufacturer, going back to at least IMX and first release XDCAM cameras.
Click to expand...
Various sources. From different parts of the world. Sony's HDV easier goes into macroblocks than Canon's, I've seen some screenshots and have read multiple opinions confirming that. 35 Mbit/s helps as a brute force approach.
 
Considering your not encoding the same source, where you have different cameras with unknow different variations of images attributes that effect encoding (from resolution to noise) not a true comparison, and to generalise 'Sony's implementation of MPEG-2' by a consumer HDV camera isn't something I would exactly consider a solid thought process in itself...

I havn't seen any of these sources and you havn't provided them so I can only conclude this is just here say
 
With a Nanoflash/HV20 combo you are capturing directly from the pre-compression HDMI stream, garnering full benefit of the 1920x1080 HV20 sensor in 4:2:2 color. You choose the compression (50, 100 Mbps or higher). So I don't think Sony vs. Canon HDV matters much.

The 35 Mbps XDCAM codec is universally praised, and the Nanoflash allows you to easily triple that data rate. It might be a way for those of us with HV20s to squeeze more life out of these cameras (not to mention its application to the EX1).
 
I can assure everyone that the HV20 CODEC is NOT the same as XDCam. Why? Because Premiere CS3 could read the HV20 footage, but could not read the XDCam footage, until I applied the 3.2 version update to CS3.

I don't know much about the NanoFlash, but even if it did have the ability to write XDCam files that are compatible with Adobe CS3, it's still an additional piece of hardware that has to be wired, powered and looked after. And when you're hurriedly standing on the top step of a 12' ladder, stretching to reach the ledge of an orchestra shell, the less you have to fiddle with, the better. Give me a camera that writes XDCam to a memory stick and weighs a pound, has at least as good a picture as the HV20, and I have my next ConductorCam.

BTW, regarding the Canon vs. Sony CODEC implementations, my experience with my former V1Us is that the picture sharpening is so great that it breaks the CODEC. My HV20 makes a soft picture, and doesn't stress the CODEC. The EX CODEC is superior, because even with the tremendous sharpness of the EX, the compression is amazingly clean. Even in SQ mode (25mb/s).
 
basspig said:
I can assure everyone that the HV20 CODEC is NOT the same as XDCam. Why? Because Premiere CS3 could read the HV20 footage, but could not read the XDCam footage, until I applied the 3.2 version update to CS3.

I don't know much about the NanoFlash, but even if it did have the ability to write XDCam files that are compatible with Adobe CS3, it's still an additional piece of hardware that has to be wired, powered and looked after. And when you're hurriedly standing on the top step of a 12' ladder, stretching to reach the ledge of an orchestra shell, the less you have to fiddle with, the better. Give me a camera that writes XDCam to a memory stick and weighs a pound, has at least as good a picture as the HV20, and I have my next ConductorCam.

BTW, regarding the Canon vs. Sony CODEC implementations, my experience with my former V1Us is that the picture sharpening is so great that it breaks the CODEC. My HV20 makes a soft picture, and doesn't stress the CODEC. The EX CODEC is superior, because even with the tremendous sharpness of the EX, the compression is amazingly clean. Even in SQ mode (25mb/s).
Click to expand...

Hv20 = smaller lower res sensor with less dynamic range - so a better codec will only help so much.
 
The HV20 sensor resolution is full 1920x1080. When recording to tape, that's compressed to the 1440x1080 HDV standard. But the Nanoflash records the sensor's 1920x1080 output to compact flash cards in 4:2:2 color space, so you get the benefits of higher resolution and more color information, captured in as Sony MXF (or if you prefer Quicktime) at much better compression rates.

But yes, it would not improve the HV20's dynamic range. And it would add an extra piece of equipment to the mix, one with its own power and configuration requirements.

(Contrary to appearances, I don't work for Convergent Design... I'm just debating between replacing a couple of HV20s or buying a Nanoflash to pair with the aging cameras and my EX1. :happy:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top