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Recently, Abel hosted a pair of seminars exploring Sony’s new XDCAM EX camera models. The events at Abel’s New York and Burbank facilities showcased the 2/3” CMOS EX350, which joins Sony’s popular XDCAM EX family. Each of the cameras in the line—the EX1R, the EX3 and the EX350—has a different feature set and form factor, which makes it ideally suited to a particular application. You can read more about these applications on abelcine.com.

At each event, Abel’s Andy Shipsides presented an overview of the XDCAM EX format and gave an EX350 camera tour. Filmmaker (and Abel Rental alumn) Ben Bloodwell joined Andy at the New York event to give his impressions of the EX350. He screened footage from a recent documentary on cyclist Lance Armstrong shot with the EX3. Veteran Network News Magazine shooter Dennis Dillon then spoke about combining the EX cameras with nanoFlash recorders and XDCAM optical discs.

Director of Photography Tim Paterson was the special guest at the LA event. He shared his thoughts on the EX350 and discussed his experiences shooting the recent documentary Michael Jackson’s This Is It with the EX1 and EX3.

Browse the image gallery above to see images from both events.

By the way, we are now taking pre-orders on the EX350, which will begin shipping right after the New Year.

A complaint often expressed by Sony EX1/EX3 owners is the infrared or far red contamination frequently seen on dark fabrics. Sony’s EXMOR sensors are designed to see a huge amount of color, or what Sony calls “broad spectrum colors.” This is a great thing, because these Sony cameras can capture more color than ever in a digital image. The negative effect of this, however, is that they’re also able to see some red colors that our eyes cannot see. This shows up particularly in dark fabrics, where the red contamination turns greens into muddy brown and some blacks will turn magenta…not a good thing. Up until now there was not much you could do about it, but thankfully Tiffen came up with a solution. They have created the T1 IR filter, which is designed to reduce this contamination but still maintain the wide range of colors. I’ve done some tests to compare an EX1 camera with and without the filter, and the difference is quite obvious. In short if you are an EX1 or EX3 owner, the T1 IR Filter is a must have. Keep reading to see comparisons and how the new EX1R and PMW-350 perform.

…continue reading Tiffen T1 Far Red Filter & the Sony EX Cameras

Today Sony announced two new XDCAM EX cameras. The first is a new version of the EX1 camera called the PMW-EX1R. The R stands for revised, and that’s exactly what it is. It has the same sensor and functions as the EX1, but with several improvements including SD recording, HDMI output, and revised buttons and switches. Sony has taken user feedback to heart, and the EX1R is proof of that.

The really big news though is the 2/3″ PMW-350. That’s right – it’s a 2/3″ EX camera. The sensor block has three 2/3″ Exmor CMOS sensors with F12 sensitivity. It is a full-sized shoulder-mounted camera with all the outputs and inputs you’d expect, including TC in/out, Genlock, HD-SDI, and even HDMI. The camera records to two SxS cards in all the same formats as the EX3, which also includes variable frame rates. The codec options are also the same but now will also include a SD recording mode. It comes equipped with a new full color LCD viewfinder, and it will also accept other Sony B&W viewfinders. What makes this package even more exciting is that it comes with a 2/3″ 16x Fujinon lens. The lens is a standard 2/3″ lens, which uses the B4 style lens mount. The camera will except any 2/3″ lens, but the fact that it comes with one is really fantastic. The camera body, VF and lens has a MSRP of $22,000, or it is available without a lens for $20,500. This is very big news, and will no doubt change the 2/3″ video camera market. Look for the camera to be released in January 2010.

…continue reading Sony’s New XDCAM EX Cameras