Question for the EX-1 users give me some advice :-)

J

Jonathany26

Active member
I had two Panasonic HPX170's and I sold one and I am selling the other, 75% of my work lately has been documentaries, cable commercials and some music videos. The other 25% of my work is corporate and industrial. I loved my HPX170's but I just got a Panasonic AF100 and a Panasonic GH2 as a b-cam to the AF100. These 2 cameras will give me the cinematic look and the depth of field look I want. The HPX170 is not sharp enough for me, I love the look of the EX-1 and how sharp it is, I know that this is because the EX-1 has 1/2" chips opposed to the HPX170 1/3" chips. I was debating on picking up a used EX-1 or waiting 6 months or so when the new Panaonic HPX250 is released, the new HPX250 is still 1/3" chips but they are CMOS instead of CCD, I am wondering if this new cam by Panasonic will be as sharp as the EX-1. The reason I would wait until the fall is because the HPX250 would be newer technology, but if the picture won't be as sharp as the EX-1 I would just get a EX-1 now. I know that the new HPX250 will have the same chips as the Panasonic HPX300 and the HPX370, just like the P2 cards I see that the Sony SxS cards are expensive also. I could rent the EX-1 whenever I need one from a post house until the HPX250 or I can just get a used EX-1 right now if this new camera with the 1/3" CMOS and AVC-Intra will have the same sharpness as the EX-1. If anyone has any experience with the HPX370 and both the EX-1 or EX-3 can you shed the insight?

thanks
 
Jonathany26 said:
I love the look of the EX-1 and how sharp it is, I know that this is because the EX-1 has 1/2" chips opposed to the HPX170 1/3" chips.
Click to expand...

The EX-1 is sharper because it has a higher resolution chipset, not because of the 1/2" chips. Since the HPX-250 is not out yet there is no way to know about detail level but an educated guess would say there would be minimal difference between the HPX-250 and the EX-1 in the detail category.

If you plan on using the AF-100 along side the smaller chip cameras I would wait for the HPX-250 as the colorimetry will match with all of the Panasonic cameras. You can bend the Ex pretty far but it will never be as close as the same company's products.

If Panasonic would embrace 1/2" chips it would really do some damage instead of always trying to measure up and defend against the EX-1 which will be around as a contender for quite some time.
 
Jonathan... You seemed to answer your own question. The EX1 is a far superior camera to all those Panasonic's. You seem to be a Panasonic guy, so you've got to decide to make the break or not. The Sony and Panasonic cameras have such a different "look" that they don't inter cut well in post. In every shoot-out I've ever attended with the EX1 and a similar class Panasonic camera... the EX1 always wins, hands down.
 
I got the Sony EX-! :-) WOW!!!! beautiful picture and sharpness!! coming from my HPX170 (which I gladly sold) I now need to get another battery for my EX-1 the guy I bought it from did not have a manual so I will have to buy or download one and it came with a 8gb SxS pro card, I will pick up a 16gb SxS card and that will be all I need because I plan on getting the Atmos Samurai device when it comes out this summer and I will shoot to the SxS cards as well as the SDI out port to the Samurai
 
I've been a Panasonic fan since 2006, but I have to concur with Jonathany26. After a bunch of DVX100s & HMC152's, I got my first EX1 about 3 months ago. This camera is a dream come true for me (I shoot events) I'm now considering selling my 2 week old AG-AF100 and getting another EX1.
 
If you think it looks good on SxS, just wait til you have a HD-SDI capture device that can record 4:2:2 10-bit. It looks way better than out of the can EX MPEG video!
 
Don't have one yet due to the exhorbitant prices at the moment, but have seen footage and still frame comparisons between SxS and SDI-captured footage. The latter doesn't have to apologize to ANYTHING. It's really superb and more than good enough to shoot a motion picture release with.
 
If you have used HPX170's ,stick with Panny P2 cameras.P2 DVC PRO HD recording codec kills Sony's S X S . The new HPX 250 shoots on the even higher and cleaner AVC Intra 100.
Theres no competition in that price range.
If your wondering about picture quality hire or borrow a HPX 370.The 250 has the same sensors and recording only in a light weight HPX 170 size camera.The 300/370 is Panny's full shoulder job.
The only difference in picture quality between them would be if you got some super sharp prime lens and put it on the 370.Because the 300/370 has an interchangable mount.

If you are going with a Sony EX1 or 3.Factor in a external recorder like a Nanoflash or Ninja.Some jobs require higher res and some editors call for them.

I myself own 2 HVX 200's and I love em and I am buying 2 250's as an upgrade so I am in the same boat as you.I started a thread and called for others to join me in petitioning upgrades for the HVX.
Videographers and I called for a new and improved CMOS sensor with better low light,a full raster chip.A better recording codec, and a few other things on a wishlist.Well Panasonic delivered.This company has listened to many of our recommdations .

This camera will be a vicious Indie filmmakers camera.For 6500 $ and it may be discounted at around 6000 even, knowing the trend when it finally arrives.

If the Af100 had 10 bit intra recording I would have bought that.But the amateur AVCCAM is not good enough for me and I personally hate attaching externals.Intra 100 is a beautiful in camera reay to go recording near the quality of uncompressed.
Plus I have a have a heap of P2 cards (bullet proof) and I'm keeping the 200A's as 2nd's and back up.

Cheers Rick
 
I went with the Sony EX-1 and I LOVE LOVE the look and the lens! I really miss the waveform I had on my HPX170, I also bought a Panasonic GH2 which is a cool for depth of field shots I need, I will also get the AF100


reticulan5 said:
If you have used HPX170's ,stick with Panny P2 cameras.P2 DVC PRO HD recording codec kills Sony's S X S . The new HPX 250 shoots on the even higher and cleaner AVC Intra 100.
Theres no competition in that price range.
If your wondering about picture quality hire or borrow a HPX 370.The 250 has the same sensors and recording only in a light weight HPX 170 size camera.The 300/370 is Panny's full shoulder job.
The only difference in picture quality between them would be if you got some super sharp prime lens and put it on the 370.Because the 300/370 has an interchangable mount.

If you are going with a Sony EX1 or 3.Factor in a external recorder like a Nanoflash or Ninja.Some jobs require higher res and some editors call for them.

I myself own 2 HVX 200's and I love em and I am buying 2 250's as an upgrade so I am in the same boat as you.I started a thread and called for others to join me in petitioning upgrades for the HVX.
Videographers and I called for a new and improved CMOS sensor with better low light,a full raster chip.A better recording codec, and a few other things on a wishlist.Well Panasonic delivered.This company has listened to many of our recommdations .

This camera will be a vicious Indie filmmakers camera.For 6500 $ and it may be discounted at around 6000 even, knowing the trend when it finally arrives.

If the Af100 had 10 bit intra recording I would have bought that.But the amateur AVCCAM is not good enough for me and I personally hate attaching externals.Intra 100 is a beautiful in camera reay to go recording near the quality of uncompressed.
Plus I have a have a heap of P2 cards (bullet proof) and I'm keeping the 200A's as 2nd's and back up.

Cheers Rick
Click to expand...
 
Hey Jonathan,

I'm glad you're loving your new EX1. I'm still in love with it too, LOL! And it'll be getting some "plastic surgery" when I get an HD-SDI capture device later this year.

Instead of the Sony manual, I recommend http://www.vortexmedia.com/FIELD_GUIDES.html . Just download the EX1's manual off Sony's site if you really want to read it. I lost mine, bought the Field Guide and it's so much better.

As far as waveform just get used to setting exposure with zebras and the histogram. When zebras are set to 70 and they are *just* hitting people's skin (typically on the forehead and upper cheeks) that's the spot. Works like a charm every time! If shooting a non-caucasian subject I'll iris down just a tad so there aren't any zebras at all.

If you want that shallow depth of field film look there's always adaptors you can buy for it. When I first read the reviews on the EX1 I knew it'd be a workhorse that'd last. The HVX200 was good for it's time but the EX took a dump on it in terms of shooting time, image quality, low light sensitivity and a better internal microphone. Not to mention the HD-SDI output which I'll finally be taking advantage of! I will drive this sucker into the ground, that's when I'll stop using it.
 
The EX1 still amazes me after having it for over 2 years. It's amazing to think that the big competitors like Panasonic and Canon, after two+ years, are still releasing new 1/3" chips and don't have half-inchers. Sony made a product way before its time here at an amazing price-point... I think it will go down as one of the best cameras for the price ever designed.
 
Well said by many of you. The image coming out of it is pretty great. Has a nice build quality that I don't seem to get with other gear in its range. It has been doing very well in the important "test of time".
 
is the EX1 still worth buying?

is the EX1 still worth buying?

I have two HMC150s, had an EX1, had a bad one, sold it. now kind of yearning to go back
and sell one of my Pannys. I am doing more than just weddings now, and I am not sure
if I need the true raster of the EX1 vs the pixel shifted HMC150. My kit would be 7D, EX1 and HMC150 vs 2xhmc and 1 7d.
 
The EX-1 and the HMC-150 are great value cameras. I think the HPX-250 will be a tour de force as well but I do a lot of live event shooting and to be honest, 100mbps just creates too much data for long events. The price of the P2 memory to be able to cover 4-5 hours is still more than the cost of a Nanoflash with 4 32GB CF cards. I use Nanos at the 50mbps data rate and find the file sizes to be more manageable. In my opinion Panasonic would benefit from a 50mbps 4:2:2 AVCHD installation. The now existing 50mbps AVC-Intra is not full raster and has not been talked about at all by users.

If Sony would put the 4:2:2 codec in an EX-5 the gauntlet would be thrown down. As I think it will need to be if Scarlet ever shows up. A 2/3" raw shooting scarlet could make the small cameras out today look a little weak.
 
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