OT: EX1 arrived today.

Serena wrote on 12/11/2007, 10:42 PM

Good news! Hopefully mine isn't far behind (was supposed to come in last Friday). The 3rd party charger I've been using has only a blinking LED, which is a bit blinking inadequate, but works.

DGates wrote on 12/11/2007, 11:55 PM

From a Digital8 to the EX1? That's quite a leap.

NickHope wrote on 12/12/2007, 12:18 AM

Congratulations Bob!

I'd be interested to know if there's a way to capture meta data about exposure etc. with the video files onto your computer (something we can't do with HDV).

MH_Stevens wrote on 12/12/2007, 1:59 AM

Congrats Bob. Keep posting every little noisence you find. I'm hoping to have one by late January. I see Serena is gretting one too and like me she has an FX1 and I know she wil be thrilled as the EX1 has everything I ever wished for in the FX1 like PAL/NTSC, knee, black strech, 24P and 1080p and not i, more DOF and the histogram!

Mike
edited to add histogram

dhill wrote on 12/12/2007, 2:07 AM

Congrats Bob! I'm jealous. Yes, please keep us posted about all you love and don't. I'm thinking about getting this camera and using V1 as B cam. I decided to wait and hear what the masses say...which right now will be you and Serena. :o) Have fun. Derek

farss wrote on 12/12/2007, 2:16 AM

DGates: I bought the D8 to shoot a holiday adventure. I wanted something cheap that I wouldn't ruin the holiday worry ing about if it got stolen or broken. In hindsight I sometime wish I'd taken something better with me. I've used goodly range of borrowed and rented Sony cameras since then, just never found one I felt I wanted to own that I could afford. The EX1 just said "I'm the one" when I first saw it.

Nick:
Need to put in some quality time with this camera. Shot a few seconds of footage and got it into V8 with no drama, HQ footage isn't too demanding, looks awesome. This camera is a great light sucker. So far I haven't seen the essence markers show up on the T/L, I've seen them show up in V8 during a Sony demo so it must be me. Haven't really tried digging deep into that yet. Need to RTFM tonight, several times I think.

Things I've quickly found I don't like that aren't immediately obvious:

The Camera/Off/Media switch is a slide switch, from hell. Forget operating it in gloves. Half an hour ago I thought I'd switched from Media to Off, picked up the camera and it felt warm, I'd slid the switch all the way over to Camera!
The Menu roller. It takes almost as much pressure to turn it as it takes to press it, the one on the Z1 feels much better. Maybe it needs to run in. The nipple on the top handle is better.
Under the lens barrel is a number of controls. WB, Shutter On/Off and Assign. They're pretty small and the Shutter switch is another slide switch except it's really minute. For a set of switches meant to be used without looking at them not good ergonomics.
The USB/Component/Firewire ports are under a flip up flap behind the handgrip. You really need to rotate the handle to get to them and the protective flap is not going to be there very long. Fortunately you shouldn't need regular access to these.

On the upside, enough guideframes, histogram, lens data, icons, warning messages etc, etc to leave you wondering where what you're trying to shoot went to.

If the little circle with a line though it on the body is the optical centre then this camera is a lens with the rest tacked on, no wonder it's a heavy beastie. I love it.

Bob.

Edit: The fan, what fan?? Totally silent. First time I hit record I thought it was broken, so used to hearing a transport spring to life.

Serena wrote on 12/12/2007, 4:00 AM

I fiddled with the menu roller at the roadshow and it was the same as the Z1/FX -- maybe a lot more people had rolled it before me! People at the roadshow also complained about the small switches etc, and seems they were right. The vertical plimsoll line is the base line for your tape measure when measuring distance to subject; at least in film cameras--- most ENG lenses measurement should be from the front element. Yes, the lens is the biggest and heaviest part of the camera.

ushere wrote on 12/12/2007, 4:20 AM

i'm with dhill, how's it going to cut with a v1?

not jealous yet, no tape so couldn't do the horses with it. but opera might be something else!

good luck

leslie

MH_Stevens wrote on 12/12/2007, 5:12 AM

For me I am going EX1 over V1 because I have never been very good with Zebras only and I want histogram and the luma analysis of the EX1. Anyone used these features yet? Also I need multiple gamma and I don't think the V1 has four gama setttings.

megabit wrote on 12/12/2007, 5:35 AM

I am using the V1, and have the EX1 on order, as well. I can assure you the histogram (also present on the V1) or a couple more cinegamma curves are not the most important advantages of the EX1 over the V1.

But I'm also looking forward to see how well the two intercut...

richard-courtney wrote on 12/12/2007, 6:23 AM

What about remote zoom? LANC?

Should I put my BeBob on ebay?

megabit wrote on 12/12/2007, 6:28 AM

Sadly, yes:(

I'm keeping my V1, and the LANC controllers as well - but I'll have to invest in a much more simplistic, yet more expensive, zoom and start/stop one for the EX1...

But hey - who said "professional" is cheap?

Bill Ravens wrote on 12/12/2007, 6:35 AM

Bob...

Congrats...that looks like one beautiful camera.

Spot|DSE wrote on 12/12/2007, 6:39 AM

The EX cuts very well with the V1 assuming good and identical light. If the light is poor, the EX is more saturated.
re; battery charger, you'll see another third party charger that has a series of "guage lights" indicating 25/50/75% charge levels. Not as nice as the old Sony chargers, but very nice.

re; origami. Open the box from the bottom, not the top. It makes repacking easier.

megabit wrote on 12/12/2007, 8:09 AM

Spot,

This sounds great; in low light I'm cranking colour saturation up to 3-5 on my V1E anyway, while compressing blacks.

What I'd appreciate is to point me to some graphical representation of all the gamma curves available on the EX1. The pdf brochure shows the 4 cinegamma curves, but I can't find the standard 4 anywhere. Have posted this enquiry on the DVINFO, but nobody responded. TIA

Piotr

PS. I am hoping to test your "origami" advise next week - just before Christmas!

PS. PS. Bob, congratualtions! Of course, as anybody else, I'm looking forward to your impressions, including the vignetting test - fingers crossed.

MH_Stevens wrote on 12/12/2007, 8:45 AM

Megabit said..........
"am using the V1, and have the EX1 on order, as well. I can assure you the histogram (also present on the V1) or a couple more cinegamma curves are not the most important advantages of the EX1 over the V1.

But I'm also looking forward to see how well the two intercut..."

See my erlier post for the other advantages (relevant vs the FX1.

Bob told me the V1 had no histogram so I will check this out.

Mike

UlfLaursen wrote on 12/12/2007, 11:40 AM

Congrats Bob..!! :-D

I know the feeling of getting new stuff - great.

/Ulf

MUTTLEY wrote on 12/12/2007, 12:45 PM

Doh, just saw your post on the other thread so editing this one, thanks for the heads up. =)

- Ray

farss wrote on 12/12/2007, 1:16 PM

"origami. Open the box from the bottom, not the top. It makes repacking easier"

Now you tell me! I think there's be a market for a training video "How to unpack / repack your EX1". The trick to some parts of the packaging (the part that holds the cables) are little tapered tabs that are pushed in to hold the compartment closed. Very ingeneous but not immediately obvious.
I have to congratulate Sony for their packaging, it protects the contents very well and is still 100% recyclable.

Bob

farss wrote on 12/12/2007, 1:18 PM

"Bob told me the V1 had no histogram so I will check this out."

The V1 has a histogram with a marker whose position is set by the setting of the zebras.

Bob.

CorTed wrote on 12/12/2007, 2:01 PM

Did some quick checking on the sony site to look at the Sony EX1 camera.
Why do the have this download available on the acessory page???

"
Final Cut Pro/XDCAM Transfer v2.1 Update
Free Download
"

They don't even mention Vegas Pro 8 software for use with this camera.

Does the camera side of Sony know there is a software side of Sony developing video editing software???

Ted

farss wrote on 12/12/2007, 2:37 PM

They don't need to mention Vegas, Vegas just 'works' with the camera. Download the bog standard clip browser, export to XDCAM mxf and drag the mxf files onto the V8 timeline. I didn't have a PC with an Expresscard slot so I connected the camera via the supplied USB cable to the PC. XP did it's usual flag waving about finding new hardware and then I opened the clip browser I'd downloaded weeks ago.
Used it to d/l the clips onto the local HDD, closed clip browser, opened V8 and dragged clips onto the T/L. During the local roadshow Vegas was there, the demo was very convincing.

Just one thing, to use this camera with Vegas you don't use the XDCAM browser in Vegas, well not from what I can see, that's for the XDCAMs with optical drives running in FAM.
It would be nicer if the clip browser was built into Vegas and Vegas opened the mp4 files natively, that'll probably happen eventually but for the moment the experience is very good and fast.
Bob.

Bob.

Spot|DSE wrote on 12/12/2007, 3:46 PM

I swear, there are Masters Degree classes at some uni in Tokyo to engineer how these boxes pack.
Mega, I'll try to get time to post some comparisons. I'm leaving Asia today for the US, so it'll be a few days til I see my EX again.
In the mean time, here are some pix of mine :-)
One

Two

Spot|DSE wrote on 12/12/2007, 3:51 PM

You've got it right, Bob, the XDCAM browser isn't for EX.
Notice that you're editing in Vegas at 1920 x 1080? I love seeing the look on even the Sony rep's faces when they see that. Had one actually argue with me in Singapore, saying that there are no NLE's that can support the 1920 format from the EX at this time. Man, it was fun taking the SxS card from the camera and in real, live workflow, showing it differently.
Sony should put us on the road to demonstrate an actual workflow, vs paper training.