Sony has announced the new PMW-320, which fits right between the EX3 and PMW-350 in the EX lineup. The PMW-320 has a 1/2″ CMOS sensor (the same as found in the EX3), with the form factor and feature set of the PMW-350. The camera will ship in two configurations – body with no lens, or packaged with a 1/2″ Fujinon lens. This packaged lens is very similar to the EX3 lens, but with a standard 1/2″ mount. Many of our clients have asked for a shoulder mounted EX3, and this is it. The PMW-320 will be available in August of this year.

Sony recently released a new version of their XDCAM EX Clip Browser with a couple of great new features. If you aren’t familiar with the software, it is Sony’s free tool for working with XDCAM EX clips. It allows users to download, subclip and add metadata to clips. It’s the best tool out there for working with EX material…and it’s free.

In this latest release, Sony added a Flash Band correction function. This will scan your clips and look for banding created by flashes. It is very similar to what the Panasonic HPX300 does in-camera. This is an important function for anyone shooting live events, or anywhere where there’s flash photography.

…continue reading New Features in Sony’s EX Clip Browser 2.6

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I recently traveled to Chicago to shoot a music video on an Sony PMW-EX1 camera. Much of the shooting was on greenscreen so I brought along the nanoFlash from Convergent Design to increase the quality of my recording. While the EX1 records excellent quality video, I really needed the bitrate and color sampling improvements that the nanoFlash offers. I shot both to the EX1 in XDCAM EX at 35Mbps, and to the nanoFlash in XDCAM 422 at 160Mbps. The quality difference between the two versions was significant, and I found that the nanoFlash footage was very easy to key. Watch the video to see my review of the nanoFlash, and the difference between the XDCAM EX footage and what the nanoFlash recorded. Update: The latest firmware for the nanoFlash also offers 24P pull-down removal.

Philip Bloom has put together a nice review of the new JVC HM700 on his site. I had a chance to see the camera the other day and was impressed by the build quality, huge LCD, and functionality. This really is a nice camera and it records to SD cards in the XDCAM EX codec. These clips are recorded directly in MOV files, so you can start editing right away. You can also get a SxS adapter for it, which attaches to the back. This adapter allows for SxS recording in MP4 files. Come see the camera in our booth at NAB.

Click here to see Philip Bloom’s Video Review of the GY-HM700

Also, here is a very short clip shot with the camera to check out. This was shot in 720P in slow motion – 60 FPS. It’s Matt from our Sales Department doing some ninja moves.  You’ll need the latest version of FCP installed (including updates) to play it. Download it here (right click to save).

Since its release, the EX Clip Browser has gone through some major overhauls. The latest version adds some function to enhance interoperability with the XDCAM HD (optical disc) format. Clip Browser 2.5 adds support for XDCAM HD disc browsing, playback, and copying. They also added the ability to copy MP4 clips from an SxS card directly onto a XDCAM disc. Using the PDW-U1 or a PDW-HD1500 deck, you can drag files from the SxS source right over to the disc. Whenever it sees the MXF structure it will automatically start converting the data to MXF. But, there are some limitations.

…continue reading Sony Releases Clip Browser V2.5

It appears that the Sony EX cameras exhibit the same form of IR sensitivity that the Sony F35 and the Panavision Genesis do. Therefore the best filter for these cameras is not an IR Hot Mirror but instead a Tiffen IR ND non-Hot Mirror filter. This filter set was created for the F35 and Genesis. It is also less expensive than the Hot Mirror type filters such as the Formatts we sell for the RED.

Please note that different types of cameras and sensors require different type of filtration. The Formatts remain the recommended solution for the RED but the Tiffen non-Hot Mirror product is best for the EX1/EX3.

Art Adams over at ProvideoCoalition.com is doing an IR Filter Shoot Out to see how filters from three manufacturers work with the RED, F35 and EX Cameras. You can check those tests out here.