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The XDCAM EX1R: Overview.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited down to talk to the XDCAM product manager at Sony amid much secrecy. I was told that Sony would launch 2 new cameras at the Satis Technology show in Paris. The two cameras were the XDCAM EX1R and the PMW-350 (Not to be confused with the PDW-F350).  Last weekend I was given one of each to use on a real job, not just a test shoot, but a real world shoot filming an airshow at the Imperial War Museum site at Duxford. In this brief article I’m going to go through some of the key points of the new EX1R.

HD and SD Recording.

The headline new feature is that the EX1R will now record both HD and SD. In SD mode the camera records DVCAM AVI (AVI type 2) files onto the SxS cards or even Sony Memory Sticks thanks to a new adapter. This is a very welcome addition to the EX product line. For me personally SD is not a big deal as shoot everything in HD these days, but there will be many people that will benefit from having Standard Definition recording. I did shoot some test clips in SD and was really very pleased with the pictures. The camera can shoot both interlace DVCAM as well as progressive DVCAM using PsF (progressive segmented frame) recording to store progressive pictures in an interlace stream.

New HD shooting modes:

There is also a new HD recording mode, this is 1440×1080 interlace or progressive at 35Mb/s. This new mode was one that I requested from Sony. It is 100% compatible with XDCAM HD, so if you want you can shoot on an EX1R (or PMW-350) and then write the files to a PDW-U1 or other XDCAM HD device without the need to do any transcoding.

S&Q Preset Button:

Further function changes include ATW hold, cache record and S&Q user preset. The S&Q user preset gives you the option to set a preferred S&Q mode (slow and quick motion for slow-mo etc). Whatever shooting mode you are in, you can now simply press the new S&Q button on the side of the camera and the camera will go directly into S&Q at your preset frame rate. Then pressing the button again returns the camera to your preferred regular shooting mode. This is really useful for occasional slow-mo shots. Before you had to go into the menus and it was fiddly.

Cache Record:

Cache record gives you a memory buffer that stores up to 15 seconds of video prior to you pressing the record button. This is a really useful feature for shooting sports or anything else that is difficult to predict. I use it a lot for shooting lightning.

Talking of lightning and flashes, there will be a new version of the Clip Browser software with the ability to automatically correct partial frame exposure or “flash bands” caused by strobe lights.

Audio Improvements:

The response of the audio limiter has been changed quite dramatically. The rise time has been increased, so it responds much faster and the hold has been by a third so recovery is now quicker.

Other Firmware improvements:

ATW Hold (didn’t try this).

Image Inversion. flip horizontally and/or vertically. (for use with 35mm DoF adapters and 3D mirror rigs).

Add “OK” markers in camera mode, not just file mode.

New white balance preset (didn’t try this).

Copy all clips from one card to another.

External Changes:

The bulk of the changes to the EX1R are however ergonomic external changes. It has had HDMI out added (you can have either HDMI or HDSDi selected but not both), the A/V connectors have been moved onto the right side of the camera towards the rear and are protected by a rubber flap. The power switch is in the same place but is a completely new switch with a small center green locking tab that locks the switch in the center (off) position. The scroll wheel is now raised above the back of the camera and is much easier to use as a result.  In addition the menu button is now on the back next to the wheel. A raised bump at the mid point of the ND filter switch has been added making the switch easier to operate and less likely to flip all the way to the top or bottom. This is an improvement, but could still be better. I prefer rotary wheel controls as on the PMW-350 or even the Z7 HDV camcorder.

The other change to the ND filters is improved filtering of near infra-red to eliminate the red contamination of some black man made fabrics under certain lighting conditions. I wasn’t able to test this as I had two cameras to put through their paces over the one weekend and to be honest I spent most of my time playing with the all new PMW-350.

The zoom rocker on the handle now has a soft start/stop option in the menus to smooth out the beginning and ends of zooms performed with this rocker which makes it much more useful. The original EX1 membrane switches below the handle have been replaced with real buttons making them a lot easier to find by touch.

Improved Hand Grip.

The hand grip has been modified to include a momentary auto iris button and to improve hand holding of the camera, they are only small changes but it is now a lot easier and more comfortable to hold for extended periods.

It is still fairly heavy so does still want to tip to the left but the larger, raised hand grip really helps, especially if you rotate the grip by a couple of notches so your hand is not in the straight up position. The palm of your hand now sits in a deep recess in the bottom of the larger hand grip and the wider strap now sits much higher across your hand which stops the camera from falling away to the left like the original EX1. In the pictures the grip doesn’t look very different, but in use it is a massive improvement. You can see the difference more clearly in my YouTube video review.

The NEW rear viewfinder.

The other big external improvement is the rear viewfinder. The old EX1 finder was terrible, I never used it as I couldn’t tell whether the camera was exposed correctly or in focus. The new viewfinder has been taken from the HVR-Z5 and Z7 HDV camcorders and is a huge improvement. It’s still not as good as the beautiful EX flip out LCD screen, but at least now you can accurately judge exposure and see the peaking function at work. This makes this viewfinder much more useable and will help stabilise the camera during handheld work by keeping the viewfinder up against your face. It has the equivalent of 852×480 pixels which I found gave a quite reasonable image despite the screens very small size. I tried to take a photo of the screen but failed miserably… sorry.

New Tripod Fixing Plate.

There has been a lot of discussion about the small size of the tripod fixing plate on the bottom of both the EX1 and EX3. It really was too small. The EX1R now has a much larger plate with two 1/4″ threaded holes. This is much more appropriate for a camera of this size and with most pro tripods 2 screws can be used to secure the camera which prevents it from twisting around.

User Updates.

The firmware on the EX1R can be upgraded via the end user. There is a “version up” routine in the cameras firmware that will read a firmware update package off an inserted SxS card and automatically upgrade the firmware. I have also seen a presentation that seems to infer that all XDCAM EX firmware updates will be available to end users for self installation from the end of the year. This will be especially useful for those wishing to use the MEAD-MS01 memory stick adapter. To use this adapter you need a firmware update to original EX1′s and EX3′s.

What’s it like in use? Fast Start Up.

In use the camera wasn’t that different to my own EX1. It was certainly more comfortable to hold and the small ergonomic changes to the switches made it easier to use. Turning it on with the new power switch led to a pleasant surprise as it now takes half the time of the original EX1 to start up. HD picture quality is un-changed, so it’s as good as ever. The rear viewfinder was very useable although I did have to remind myself to use it, as I have become used to ignoring the one on my old EX1. All in all this is a great upgrade, I’m not sure that I will be rushing out to trade in my trusty original EX1 as I rarely shoot SD, but if your in the market for a new camera this one has got to be worth considering, especially as the price is going to be the same as the original EX1.

Tentative suggested price is 6,566.14 Euros, with dealer discounts it should be around the same price as the original EX1. First shipments expected December this year.

Further details of the camera can be found on the Sony web site.