NAB07: Sony XDCAM EX Camcorder Plays Follow the Leader

Sony finally followed Panasonic's lead by introducing a prosumer-level camera that records to a flash drive. But not just any flash drive, the XDCAM EX records high-def video directly to two ExpressCards. That's good news for MacBook Pro owners as they'll be able to pop the card into that snug slot and edit away.

Budding Spielbergs will marvel at the camera's small size that can capture video at 1080i, 1080p, or 720p at variable frame rates. This means you can do graceful slow motion shots, or crank the speed way down to get some fast frenetic action. So when is this coolCam shipping, and at what price?

Sony's PR guy told us the camera would ship later this year, probably in the fall, with a price somewhere in the neighborhood of $8000. Of course all of this is speculation at the moment, but the company's Z1U camera retailed at that price when it was introduced three years ago. Sony was quick to point out the EX was not a replacement for the Z1U or the V1U but instead an intermediate camera between those two and the high-end HDC-950.

With its small size and solid state technology, just imagine how great the skateboard videos and shots of guys getting hit in the nuts will look on YouTube in high definition. – Stephen Schleicher

1:26 AM on Mon Apr 16 2007
By Charlie White
21,375 views
14 comments

Comments

endless at 12:40 AM on 04/16/07
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as much as i dislike sony in general.

the general specs on this camera look rad.
Qwiggalo at 01:53 AM on 04/16/07
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"With its small size and solid state technology, just imagine how great the skateboard videos and shots of guys getting hit in the nuts will look on YouTube in high definition."

I'm imagining it'll look the same as all the other videos since YouTube compresses the video and audio.
daftrok at 02:05 AM on 04/16/07
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8 grand is pretty cheap for a movie quality camera. I wouldn't be surprised if some directors used this for low to medium end films.
deusdiabolus at 02:19 AM on 04/16/07
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Wow, you mean Sony developed something that doesn't record to a proprietary format?
direktor at 02:54 AM on 04/16/07
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This is an intermediate camera between the V1 and the PDW-330/350, not an HDC-950.

PDW=$15k to $35k with lens.

HDC950=$100k with lens.

This article also did not mention it uses 1/2" chips, which makes drastically better pictures than a Z1 or V1. How do I know? I own the PDW-F350 with 1/2" chips.
Duffasaurus at 05:47 AM on 04/16/07
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It's going to downscale the video for youtube. You won't notice much difference.
aussie at 06:05 AM on 04/16/07
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This camera is too fantastic! The price, wow!
StackyBotrus at 06:19 AM on 04/16/07
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HOLY POOP. Im gonna shoot my download all over her laptop. Which is what bill and steve said.
UpIrons at 08:01 AM on 04/16/07
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I consider 1080P the holy grail of prosumer video and I am blown away at the price this sucker is going to come out at. Yeah $8K may sound like a lot to some but the specs on this thing are incredible for under $10K and you know it will come down even more when it is actually released. As much as I try to avoid Sony of late, I can't help but appreciate their video camera expertise.
javed at 08:48 AM on 04/16/07
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I was thinking of buying a Z1 later this year but stil comparing it to the HVX202 but my prayers have been answered. I get the functionality of the 202 with the size/weight familiarity of the sony with bonus express card support instead of those insanely expensive P2 cards.
ekornblum at 01:58 AM on 04/20/07
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Meh. I'd rather stick with one of the Panasonic HVX200's.

The DVC-PRO-HD codec is 100 Mbit and all i-frames, so it's easier for editing.

The XD-CAM HD is 18 Mbit mpeg-2. Basically it's HDV. Lower data rate/quality & slower editing...
petetownshend at 12:32 PM on 04/25/07
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The Panasonic AG-HVX uses 1/3 CCD's. If the XDcam EX uses 1/2 CCD's then it is the clear choice if one can afford the $8,000 price tag. I understand the compression argument for those in the Panasonic camp, but 1/2" ccd's would allow for more depth of field control than the 1/3" ccd Panasonic, as well as a better overall image.
alaskacameradude at 03:16 PM on 05/07/07
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That's wrong! XD cam HD is 35 Mbit MPEG-2 with VBR. What does that mean? Well it means it looks really really good. And it doesn't have the low pixel count of the HVX.....using pixel shift to get to the amount of pixels needed. Most people I know prefer the look of the sony 350 HD-XD cam to the look of the HVX 200....and this cam looks to be using the same chip set at the 350. The only downside I see is the extra computing power needed to edit with the format....but with more powerful computers that isn't much of a downside anymore.
Ejody at 09:19 PM on 09/07/07
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There is NO comparison between the XDCAM EX and the Panasonic HVX 200 or even the HVX 900. It is not about the compression. Sony has clearly shown their 1080-line F350 XDCAM HD creates superior images to the 720-line Panasonic cameras. And Sony isn't playing "follow the leader"-- they ARE the leader in tapeless recording. This camera will kill P2, plain and simple.

(And to call this "prosumer" is like calling a Barrett .50 sniper rifle "a good squirrel-hunting gun"...)

I own an XDCAM HD F350 and an F900R HDCAM ($100,000). I can hardly see the difference between the two, and in my tests with the XDCAM EX for Sony before 2007 NAB, it looked as good as my XDCAM HD!

Editing will be simple (I've already done it.) And with 35 mbp/s you don't need "more computing power." Any new-ish laptop will do great.

This is why every high-end HD D.P. I know in Hollywood can't WAIT to get their hands on one of these.

Adios P2.