Sony PMW-EX1 - Camcorder HD XDCAM EX SxS Pro

This camera doesn't cost enough...

I feel as though I've underpaid for what I've gotten, which is saying a lot for a few reasons:

1) This was not a drop in the bucket for me to ...Read complete review

I feel as though I've underpaid for what I've gotten, which is saying a lot for a few reasons:

1) This was not a drop in the bucket for me to buy--quite the contrary.
2) I'm one of the pickiest consumers you'll ever come across. It's unusual if I keep something for more than a year. Most of the time I get rid of things in three months. I'd be in great debt if I didn't have a knack for eBay :).

I only mention these things because I want this to be taken very seriously. I rarely write anything on the Internet unless I feel strongly about it. I think I've only written two other product reviews and I've been online since the days of 2400 baud modems. While this won't be a review glorifying every aspect of the PMW-EX1, I feel obligated to review it because it is one of the very few things I own that actually makes me happy every time I use it. This is in the good company of a few other things I really love: my sandwich press (I don't remember who makes it), an Optoma HD projector-equipped Mac mini, an AKG C535L, Final Cut Pro and Samson Resolv 65a monitors. This also comes with the additional feeling of disbelief--the feeling that I actually own something this nice.

Okay, so let's start by complaining about it :). My number one complaint about the EX1 is that it's a bit heavy. Normally I don't mind the weight of the camera because it generally provides more stability when shooting handheld, but because of the rotating grip it's a little awkward to hold. Despite what everyone else says, you can absolutely shoot single-handed. It's awkward, but you can do it. I'm not some big guy, either. I'm pretty much the opposite, so if I can do it so can...well, pretty much anyone. Nonetheless, being familiar with the Sony HDR-FX1, it's an unfortunate design flaw. Well, it's not so much a flaw as it is an unfortunate side effect of a compact design. The FX1 was much easier to handle, but this works. I'm shooting with a Glidecam 4000 more often these days, anyhow.

The image is amazing. It's not perfect, but it's amazing. Color accuracy, while not perfect, is very good. You just can't get a bad image with this camera. As a test, when I got it, I turned on the bathroom light, which is around the corner from my bedroom. I put a stuffed Snoopy toy on the bed (I used to collect them and still hold on to one I have that is, supposedly, from the late 1950s). Any light in the bedroom came from the light spilling out of the bathroom around the corner. It's enough light to see, but you wouldn't ever expect anything out of a camera. I've really never seen anything work so well without a reasonable amount of light. The video I took with the lens stopped at f/1.9 looked like there was sufficient light in the room. You could only see the grain in the footage when looking at it closely.

Speaking of that, there is something else you can notice when looking closely: compression. It's very minor. I have yet to notice any blockiness (though I hear if you move so fast you can't really see what's going on--because that happens SO often--you get minor compression artifacts). I did notice some minor compression artifacts. This also isn't 4:4:4, so it's not like you're getting a perfect image. It is certainly very close, though. Despite these tiny, minor little things, the image quality is really breathtaking.

I haven't had a chance to spend hours tweaking the scene profile presets (the EX1 can save six for you) but there is an amazing amount of control. I've already made a couple that make some moderate changes to the standard scene profile. In about 20 minutes I was able to get more accurate color and greater detail (not much, but it didn't really need much).

If you have 16-bit image processing plug-ins you'll appreciate how much data the EX1 retains in the highlights and shadows. I took some under and overexposed footage to play with and you can pull in a lot of detail you wouldn't expect to be there. That's a real treat.

That's enough about the image quality. The controls are pretty straightforward. Being very familiar with the FX1, it wasn't much of a jump for me. The controls are probably overwhelming to someone moving from a non-Sony camera (at my current job we have a Panasonic DVX-100 and it took me much longer to get acquainted with it than a Sony since I've worked with Sony and Canon cameras more). About a week after I got the camera I took a couple of hours to really play around with it (this is when I shot most of the test footage I've been talking about). I went through all different kinds of shots, emphasizing different things, in my head and tried them out to get used to the controls. When first getting the camera I was a little intimidated, but I found it pretty easy to get into once I got started.

Moving the footage over to my computer wasn't as obvious. Normally I might say I should've read the manual, but that wouldn't have helped me. Having a MacBook Pro, I stuck the SxS card into the ExpressCard slot. The computer recognized it but couldn't read it (yet it can read it with the camera hooked up via USB). I installed the driver and clip browser via the included CD. Everything worked great after that, except there was no way to bring the clips into Final Cut Pro. Knowing FCP Studio 6.x (x being equal to whatever the compatible version is--I want to say 6.1) is compatible with the XDCAM EX (which I checked before buying), I was quickly able to find the installer for Final Cut import. When you get to Sony Pro's download site, it's not obvious what you're supposed to download because the XDCAM EX support comes bundled with the software for another XDCAM model. It says on the site, but it's not readily apparent. I found it pretty quickly, but I wanted to mention this so people don't get confused if they go looking for it and don't see it right away. I downloaded and installed the software. I think I restarted, but I don't remember for sure. Afterwards, I went into Final Cut Pro to import my test footage. I've always felt tape-based footage was overly time-consuming, so I knew this would be a step up. Nonetheless, having a Sanyo HD1000 and knowing that grabbing and editing footage from a card can often times mean there is a conversion process involved, I wasn't expecting a completely seamless footage acquisition process. Boy, was I mistaken. You specify the folders where you want to store the footage. You pick the clips you want. You name them if you want to. You tell the browser (which shows you thumbnails and lets you watch the clips) to import and it imports--FAST. I assume this would be much slower over USB, but if you have an ExpressCard 34 reader you are in for a treat. While I was only copying over 1GB of footage, it got there before I even realize it had finished. It is so, so fast. You can hit import, go to the bathroom (#1 for the 8GB card, #2 for the 16GB card), come back and start editing. You can start editing immediately because Final Cut wraps the footage in a Quicktime-friendly format (you can watch the files in Quicktime Player, which I love to do) on the fly. I thought I'd have to convert to ProRes422 (which I may decide to do at some point anyway) to do any real editing but that's not the case at all. It's so easy, so fast, and I am so spoiled now :).

How about sound? Well, the built-in mic is surprisingly decent. I've always thought the built-in mics were pretty good on the higher-end cameras but this is a little bit better than average. Of course, you're not really ever going to use it and it does pick up a lot of body noise. Nonetheless, it's nice to know you have it. While I haven't tested a ton of external mics (because I don't have a ton of external mics), the Sennheiser ME 67 sounds lovely. I wasn't ecstatic about the pre-amp on the FX1. The EX1's pre-amp is much better. Since there are two XLR inputs (the FX1 only had one stereo 1/8" input jack) you get separate channel controls. Obvious, but nice :).

Going back to image quality for a moment, I feel like I should address the nice, shallow depth of field you get with the three 1/2" EXMOR sensors. I've seen footage with a Letus35 hooked up to an EX1 and it's stunning. Nonetheless, if you can't afford one or don't want to buy one for whatever reason, you get an acceptably shallow DoF without it. I'm very happy shooting at 50mm. It looks very nice. I feel like I'm using my Canon EOS 20D (with a portrait lens) for video, only the images are noticeably sharper (which makes me think I need to start saving for an L lens).

I apologize for the scattered order of this review, but I want to go back to controls again :). Manual controls are fantastic. You have rings for everything and they require a little force so you can really feel what you're doing. For servo zoom, you can set the speed to an unnoticeable specificity. While I generally prefer to use the zoom ring, when I want to have the occasional extra-slow zoom it's really nice to just hold the button down and know how long it's going to take to go the distance (and know I'll get there perfectly and smoothly).

What haven't I talked about...

The LCD and viewfinder! The high resolution LCD is wonderful. The viewfinder is a little disappointing. You really get more detail with the LCD, and with the expanded focus button (you see a cropped zoom of your shot at a 1:1 pixel ratio) you can get a perfect focus easily. Also, when shooting in sunlight, you don't need the backlight on the LCD. I can't tell you how nice this is. In my early days of using the FX1, when I used the LCD to gauge exposure in bright sunlight (bad idea), I ended up with underexposed footage. No more problems there. I wish my laptop LCD could do that. Also, the ease in which the LCD flips out from under the camera is nice. It's easy to get out and stays in place just fine.

You probably already know this, but there are two SxS card slots. You can switch to the other by pressing a button you can press easily without looking for it. Since my free 8GB card (via the Sony promotion) hasn't arrived yet, I only have two cards (which is plenty, really) and therefore haven't had the chance to swap one out in the middle of production. Honestly, I think I'll be fine with a 16GB card and an 8GB card. I rarely go over 65 minutes in a day, and the "max" is 75 minutes with 24GB in the camera. I say "max" because 50 minutes (16GB card) and 25 minutes (8GB card) is really the minimum recording time you'll get. I seem to get 3-4 extra minutes on the 8GB and 8-10 minutes extra on the 16GB card, thanks to the variable bit rate of the footage. I'm sure there are instance where I'd get less, or maybe even a bit more, but it's good to know that in most cases I'll get a few more minutes than promised. It's always nice to get more than you expected, which seems to be the theme with the EX1.

Lastly, battery life. Battery life with the FX1 was unbelievable. The EX1's battery life is a little more believable. I actually have to remember to charge the battery sometimes. I have a standard BP-U30 (about 2 hours) and an extended life BP-U60 (about 4 hours). Four hours is plenty, but I certainly liked how I'd get between 8 and 9 out of the FX1's extended battery. I'd charge it every couple of months. In this case, I have to charge the battery occasionally :). Not a huge drawback--I'm good about charging batteries--but I'd certainly love twice the capacity on the high end battery. On the bright side, the charger included with the EX1 is external (so I can have one charging while the other is in use).

There's not a whole lot more to say. Overall, I have few complaints about the EX1. It is absolutely wonderful, and I am so grateful I've been able to make and save enough money to afford it. While I'm not really familiar with higher-end equipment, I can't imagine anyone being disappointed in this camera. It's just incredible.