Pmw-ex1 Xdcam

[SteelPicR]

I have a live concert shoot coming up where the client has hired Merle Haggard as the headliner for this event. I have been doing SD shoots all this time and this will be my first HD production. No pressure here! My supplier has recommended the Sony PMW-EX1 XDCAM as cameras. My question is has anyone had any experience with this camera and VT5…any issues on the post side? My shorts are a little tight right now!

Thanks in advance,
Robby

[Tod Cole]

I have admired it but never had a hands on review. heres a dv review:
http://www.dv.com/reviews/reviews_item.php?articleId=196603837
If you get one of these please share how it works out for you.

[D3Cast]

Merle Haggard in HD? Is this a good thing? :D

-s

np: "Mama Tried"

[ted]

You probably know this but...
DO NOT do this gig with a new camera without several test runs.
Eugene should chime in here, but I didn't think the EX1-HD codec works with VT. I honestly get all these Sony Codecs mixed up???
FWIW, we use the HVX 200 with VT-SE.

[SteelPicR]

Yea, I know. I’m kind of stuck here for what to do. I’ve got test footage coming so I can try it out in VT. I have already decided not to do a live switching gig with these cameras and VT. I don’t think I could handle trying to call camera shots and worry about VT at the same time. The main thing I need to know is if I can edit in VT at full res with these cams.

I found the thread where Eugene was talking about this cam after I made my post. Thanks for the warning though.

[ScorpioProd]

I agree with Ted that you should definitely do testing before the gig, but that said:

I'm not an expert on the EX1, which is why I did not comment on this thread earlier. The only testing I've done with EX1 footage was from footage posted on-line and by someone in the forums, and that footage appears to work fine with SpeedEDIT.

But as Ted points out, there are a lot of Sony "variations", which I will enumerate again here.

BUT, before I do that, I need to point out something else... You mention about using it at "full res" with VT. I assume you mean VT[5]. Remember, VT[5] is an SD device. The ONLY HD supported by VT[5] is in SpeedEDIT-VT.

AND, SpeedEDIT-VT does NOT support all the formats that SpeedEDIT stand-alone does, since the stand-alone version has had updates and the VT[5] version has not. I will point out this below as well.

Sony XDCAM and XDCAM HD camcorders can record in the SD format of DVCAM in a MXF wrapper. SpeedEDIT 1.5.5 can edit this, earlier versions of SpeedEDIT, including the version that came with VT[5] can NOT.

Sony XDCAM HD camcorders can record in the HD format in MPEG-2 elementary streams in a MXF wrapper. NO Newtek product can edit these clips.

The Sony XDCAM EX-1 only records in HD. It records a MPEG-2 transport stream in a MP4 wrapper. I don't honestly remember which version of SpeedEDIT stand-alone I was running when I tested the footage, but it worked. But again, for this reason, I can't swear to it working with VT[5]'s SE-VT.

So anyway, that's what I know of it.

Also remember that HD can be harder to edit in general and require more computer power for the same response you are used to, unless you've got a relatively new computer.

And as for the testing of the new camera, I'm sure it has a lot of scene file settings available, like my XDCAM HD does. My camera has a total of 84 pages of menus. And honestly, my camera didn't look that good out of the box, until I got some user supplied scene files from the forums. Although I have heard that the EX-1 is better out of the box, so you might be OK. But again, make sure you get the "look" you want before using it.

Also, unless you are used to shooting progressive, I would recommend sticking with 60i till you get used to the camera.

Oh, and though it doesn't fit my personal workflow, the EX-1 can produce some extremely impressive looking video!

[SteelPicR]

I got a call back from my client and now they say they want to shoot SD. Go figure. Just a little stress to get the blood pumping good. Not the kind of gig I want to cut my teeth on with HD and new cams anyway.

Eugene and guys, I just want to say thanks for taking the time to respond. It is such a great blessing to be able to tap into knowledge from you guys.

[videodoc]

I've spent literally hours working out the bugs in using EX1 clips in SE and I think I have the solution to most of the issues. It's too much for me to type on-line, so if you'll email me a phone # (art@artpolin.com) I'll be glad to call you and share my information. By the way, while I've found this to be an incredible camera, it has a VERY steep learning curve. Hence it would be a big mistake to take it on a real job without getting detailed instruction (would highly recommend the DVD by Vortex: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/529801-REG/Vortex_Media_EX1DVD_DVD_Mastering_the_Sony.html