Shoot Expertise: First Look: XDCAM EX

Sony''s new PMW-EX1 XDCAM EX features a dual-mechanism 14X Fujinon zoom, HD-SDI output, and flash memory recording using PCI Express and compact ExpressCard/34 standards.

With Sony set to introduce a new round of HDV camcorders (the low-cost HVR-HD1000 has debuted at IBC) and with 1/2in. XDCAM HD disc camcorders gaining ground with broadcasters (2/3in. XDCAM HD disc camcorders are set to appear early next year), why would Sony introduce its first flash-memory camcorder now?

Sony says its new XDCAM EX line, announced April at NAB, is an extension of XDCAM HD and will not replace HDV or optical disc—making Sony the only pro manufacturer to pursue four recording strategies at once: tape, optical disc, hard disk, and flash memory.

The first XDCAM EX, the PMW-EX1, was unveiled at IBC. It retains the 1/2in. sensor size of XDCAM HD disc camcorders as well as their 25Mbps and 35Mbps long-GOP MPEG2 compression (no 18Mbps) but opts for a smaller Handycam profile. It becomes available in the United States in November at an MSRP less than $8,000. Here''s a first look at features and strategies that went into this camera.

Key features: 3-CMOS comprising 2.2-megapixel sensors with 1920x1080 pixels, full 1920x1080p/i and 1280x720p recording at 35Mpbs including 24p and 50Hz/60Hz field rates, dual-mechanism 14X Fujinon zoom with mechanical focus and electronic focus, a true iris ring marked in f/stops, HD-SDI output, and flash-memory recording using PCI Express and compact ExpressCard/34 standards found commonly in the latest Windows and Apple
MacBook Pro laptops.

Moreover, this is the first palm-held camcorder to emerge from Sony''s Atsugi, Japan, factory, renowned for its Digital Betacam, HDCAM, HDW-F900, HDC-F950, and F23 lines. Previous Handycam-style camcorders have come from Sony''s factory at Shinagawa, Japan, creator of consumer and prosumer camcorders such as DSR-PD170s, HVR-A1Us, and HVR-Z1Us. As a result, present and future XDCAM EX camcorders will carry a CineAlta marque on the outside and Atsugi DNA on the inside.

With XDCAM EX, Sony stakes two fundamental arguments: 1) that long-GOP MPEG2 with higher compression efficiency and slower data rates better fits the capabilities and limitations of flash memory, and 2) that palm-held HD camcorders, no longer second-class citizens, merit professional specs—including larger, full-count HD sensors made possible by adoption of cooler, power-efficient CMOS technology.

Indeed, Sony has shoe-horned so much innovation into the compact PMW-EX1, it''s hard to know where to start. Individual features may parallel those of competitors, but some have no precedent, and the total synergy is unique. Perhaps the best approach to describing it all is to start at the lens and work from there.

All lens settings for the EX1 are visible at a glance—as is Full Auto, the magic button that transforms the EX1 into a consumer camcorder, operationally speaking.

Like Sony''s HVR-V1U and Z1 before it, the EX1 comes with a removable lens shade containing a barn-door lens cap that opens and closes with a lever. A minor feature, but a personal favorite (the little things in life do count). When the cap is detached, inexpensive 77mm-diameter filters can be screwed in its place. Not removable is the 14X Fujinon zoom (5.8mm-81.2mm, f/1.9), built in to enable optical image stabilization—a necessary feature in palm-held camcorders.

The good news is that despite a larger 1/2in. sensor size, the 14X Fujinon''s horizontal angle of view is wider than that of popular 1/3in. HDV camcorders (including Sony''s own Z1) and a tad wider than Panasonic''s 1/3in. AG-HVX200, the current champ. For those in need of an even wider angle, Sony has created a 0.8X screw-in wide-angle adapter with a unique attribute: The EX1 digitally corrects for its chromatic aberrations (similar to Panasonic''s Chromatic Aberration Compensation [CAC] function for 2/3in. lenses—click here for more on CAC).

Where the 14X Fujinon leaps from the pack is its novel mechanical design, with independent focus, zoom, and iris rings. As with any other pro video camera, the zoom ring is marked in millimeter focal lengths and the iris in f/stops. But wait: When was the last time you saw an f/stop ring on an all-in-one camcorder?
(Answer: never.) This is the first clue we''re not in Kansas anymore.

The second clue is that the focus ring is marked in both feet and meters. The third clue is that the zoom and iris rings are geared externally like a conventional B4 mount zoom, which is how they''re motorized. Now notice that the focus ring, which has a rubber surface for gripping, slides fore and aft. Slide it towards the lens shade to activate either autofocus or servo manual focus (where the focus ring spins endlessly). Alternatively, slide the focus ring backward towards the viewfinder to achieve something more familiar to professionals: a meshed-gear mechanical focus with meaningful feet/meter markings. Yes, remarkably enough, the Fujinon 14X has two separate mechanisms for focus control. Yet because it''s a built-in lens, there''s no need for backfocus adjustment. Ever.

And, as Steve Jobs is fond of saying, there''s one more thing. Sony and Fujinon''s collaboration on the EX1 has produced another camcorder first: an active depth-of-field display along the bottom of the viewfinder. As focus, zoom, and iris rings are adjusted, you can watch depth of field dynamically shrink or grow against a distance scale. This function is assignable to a user button, so you can turn it on or off at will.

Control switches for the 14X Fujinon are organized in a column between the zoom and iris rings. From top to bottom: zoom manual/servo, iris manual/servo, macro on/off, focus manual/auto, and push autofocus. I mention this layout because it''s ideal. All lens settings are visible at a glance. On the other side of the iris ring is the ND switch: clear, 1/8, and 1/64. Further to the right, along the bottom of the camera body, are conventional three-position mini-toggles for gain and white balance (preset includes “ATW,” or auto-white balancing—also assignable to a user button). Directly above is a row of recessed on/off push buttons for zebras, peaking, and Full Auto—the magic button that transforms the EX1 into a consumer camcorder, operationally speaking.

North of these buttons is a trio of user-
assignable buttons (their defaults are Lens Info, Battery Display, and Histogram), and just above, directly under the handle, is a set of buttons dedicated to Sony''s invaluable Shot Transition feature, which now tracks gain, shutter speed, white balance, and color matrix as well as the original focus, focal length, and iris settings. (A fourth assignable button is hidden under the lens.)

At the rear of the EX1 are gathered audio switches and volume dials as well as menu controls and the camcorder''s on/off switch, separate from the handgrip''s start/stop button (as is the case with all pro cameras). Below is a horizontal battery slot (like HVX200) for the new
BP-U30 and BP-U60 Lithium-ion batteries that incorporate a “fuel gauge” to indicate remaining charge. These were designed especially for the EX1, which consumes 13W plus at 11V to 17V compared to 8W max and 7.2V for the Z1 and V1. (Sony indicates five hours of continuous recording for the larger BP-U60.)

The EX1''s handgrip is unusual in that it rotates up to 90 degrees to accommodate the angle of the operator''s wrist in various shooting positions, from waist-level to overhead. As is the case in the V1, the handgrip''s center is placed forward, towards the lens, for better balance. The zoom control rocker switch, typically puny on palm-held camcorders, is of normal professional size and sensitivity. Hallelujah!

As you hold the EX1 using the handgrip, note the location of the iris ring. Speculate how far beyond the iris the big 1/2in. prism block must extend into the camera body. Notice, as a consequence, how compact the nearly cube-shaped section of the camera is—like a miniature F23. Total weight of the EX1 is 4lbs. 13oz., a mere 3oz. heavier than a Z1. It feels balanced and light.

At the front of the EX1''s handle is a built-in omnidirectional mic, cantilevered over the lens like the Z1''s mic. (A built-in mic is another first for Atsugi.) At the side of the mic are attached an accessory mic shock mount and two XLR inputs. Directly behind the mic''s screen, atop the handle, is a set of controls for clip playback and thumbnail navigation, including a rubber joystick thingy that looks like the Trackpoint “rubber eraser” pointing device on a ThinkPad. From the underside of the mic comes a surprise. Like a Transformers toy, the mic''s bottom half swings out and flips up to become a 3.5in., high-res 16:9 color LCD positioned in a camera-
forward, eye-level position similar to that of a Z1. It''s a positioning that many, myself included, regard as optimal.

The screen is an all-new transmissive/
reflective hybrid LCD (works backlit or by reflection in bright sunlight). While the Z1''s hybrid LCD boasted 250,000 pixels, the EX1''s displays a whopping 921,600. Like the Z1 and V1, the EX1 provides an expanded focus function that magnifies the center of the image about 2X. The EX1 goes a step beyond, however, matching the 2X magnification pixel-per-pixel to the LCD''s native resolution to create a true 1:1 pixel display, available during recording for on-the-fly focus checks—a Handycam first.
(Panasonic''s HVX200 got there already).

At the rear of the EX1''s handle is a 0.54in., 252,000-pixel color LCD viewfinder like that of the V1. Notably, both LCD and viewfinder display a full HD raster. There is no underscan or overscan in the EX1.

The EX1''s imaging engine is the Exmor Full-HD sensor, another audacious CMOS technology from Sony (hot on the heels of the V1''s innovative ClearVid CMOS sensors with their 45-degree angled pixels).

Additional focusing aids include peaking in four flavors—white, red, yellow, or blue—and a new intelligent mode called MF Assist, which supports electronic manual focusing. As you turn the focus ring to bring an object or area of detail into rough focus, MF Assist locks onto the nearly focused object and takes over to ensure perfect focus. (It should be obvious that
MF Assist is not available when the sliding focus ring is in the mechanical focusing position.)

This is a welcome development; 1/2in. sensors bring about less depth of field than the 1/3in. HDV camcorders many have grown accustomed to. With so many camcorder operators opting to use LCD panels over viewfinders—particularly younger ones lacking experience with 16mm or 35mm optical viewfinders—the arrival of intelligent digital focus-assist, while not intended to supersede conventional focusing skills, could cut down on soft HD shots and improve usable footage yields. (Images at smaller f/stops will be sharper too, on account of diminished diffraction due wider iris diameters of larger 1/2in. sensors.)

The EX1 is no doubt also destined to see lots of action in dim, minimum-depth-of-field circumstances. When variables of gain, turbo gain, and slow-shutter accumulation are cancelled between the EX1 (1/2in. 3-CMOS) and its XDCAM HD cousins, the PDW-F330/350 series (1/2in. 3CCD), minimum illumination needed for 1080i/60 is roughly the same. When maximum lens apertures are factored—f/1.9 for EX1, f/1.4 for F330/350 (almost a stop faster)—the EX1 arguably comes out ahead.

(A gripe in passing. Sensitivity comparisons would be more useful if manufacturers were to express minimum illumination at practical settings minus the artificial boosts: no pads such as gain, turbo gain, or slow-shutter accumulation. For example, at 1/60-second shutter speed, 0dB gain, and maximum aperture, a PD170''s minimum illumination is 8 lux, a Z1''s is 24 lux, and an F950''s is 40 lux [1/48 second]. Divide by 10 to get approximate footcandles. What could be simpler?)

The EX1''s imaging engine is the Exmor Full-HD sensor, another audacious CMOS technology from Sony (hot on the heels of the V1''s innovative ClearVid CMOS sensors with their 45-degree angled pixels). Comparing EX1''s Exmor CMOS sensors to the F330/350''s 1/2in. HD Power HAD CCDs underscores what makes them special. Each Exmor CMOS has a density of 2.2 megapixels (1920x1080) compared to the Power HAD CCD''s 1.56 megapixels (1440x1080). The EX1''s sensitivity at 2000 lux is rated f/10 compared to the F330/350''s f/9 (EX1 wins by a fraction of a stop). Both camera systems share a superb 54dB S/N. While Power HAD CCDs tout a low vertical smear level of -120dB, remarkable for an IT sensor, Exmor, being CMOS, has no vertical smear.

As indicated above, Exmor CMOS sensors are progressive/interlaced switchable. All images originate as 1920x1080. When 720p is required, Exmor captures at 1080p—in effect, oversampling—then downsamples to 720p prior to signal processing and MPEG-2 encoding. In this manner, EX1 lays claim to both native 1080 and 720.

Sony''s Exmor sensors introduce a new A/D strategy too, with pixel charges sent on a column basis to built-in A/D converters, akin to CCD shift registers. They scan at a wide range of frame rates. As in prior Sony CMOS camcorders (A1, V1), they make possible an active graph in the viewfinder called a histogram, which depicts the distribution of image brightness on the basis of pixel count. (In a heartbeat, I''d trade a histogram for an actual luminance waveform overlay, but I''ll cover this more in a future field review of the camera.)

The EX1''s two other exposure-assist features are zebras, adjustable from 50 percent to 107 percent (all cameras'' zebra settings should dip as low as 50 percent—truly useful) and something Sony calls “brightness-level display,” a video-level read-out averaged from a small area in a little box in the viewfinder''s center—regrettably not as tight as Panasonic''s Y GET center marker system, which better matches the 1 degree of my classic Minolta Spot Meter.

Gain levels are selectable in standard intervals from -3 to +18 dB. For those who would like to tackle greater dynamic range, EX1 provides in addition to four standard preset gamma curves, four CINE Gamma curves identical to those in the F330/350 and, for that matter, F900R and F23. (Where they''re known as
HyperGamma curves 1-4. For some reason, the ordering is scrambled in the F330/350 and EX1. CINE1 with a 108-percent white clip is the same as HyperGamma 4. Regardless of the label, however, these are useful tools for finessing delicate highlight and reluctant shadow detail into view.)

Just like XDCAM HD''s 1080-only F350 disc camcorder, EX1 offers over- and undercranking, which Sony calls Slow & Quick Motion. Except that EX1 does it better. Where F350 offers 4fps to 60fps in one-frame increments with reduced vertical resolution from 31fps to 60fps, the EX1 offers 1fps to 60fps in one-frame increments in 720p, and 1fps to 30fps in 1080p, with no resolution penalty at higher frame rates. In addition, EX1 borrows a page from the F23 (taken in turn from film cameras): “shutter angle” can be set in Slow & Quick motion to adjust dynamic resolution—exposure time of each frame—to reduce blur or soften flicker effect. The reverse function of this—shutter angles larger than 360 degrees, for a blurred, streaked, or ghosted effect—is available in EX1 as Slow Shutter, which is expressed in terms of “frame-accumulation periods” of two to eight frames, 16 frames, 32 frames, and 64 frames (same as F330/350).

As to be expected of a professional camcorder recording to a nonlinear medium, EX1 is thoroughly versatile when it comes to time-lapse “Interval Recording” and “Frame Recording”
used for animation and Claymation. Both 720p and 1080i/p are fully supported.

A single 16GB SxS Pro card will record 70 minutes of 25Mbps (constant bit rate) and at least 50 minutes of 35Mbps (variable bit rate).

In marrying long-GOP MPEG-2 to flash recording, Sony insists, correctly, that MPEG-2 encoding is a moving target that has steadily improved over time. (It''s the decoding of MPEG-2 that involves fixed techniques.) That''s one reason Sony chose MPEG-2 over MPEG-4 when it introduced XDCAM HD in early 2006. But in launching XDCAM EX, Sony has boldly jettisoned the MXF file container format used for XDCAM HD and instead embraced the rival MPEG-4 container format known as MP4. In other words, XDCAM EX records MPEG-2 in an MPEG-4 wrapper. Got that?

This will impact mainly those who attempt direct file transfers of 1080p/i or 720p MP4 files from EX1''s flash memory to PC or laptop via an ExpressCard/34 slot or USB. Adobe
Premiere Pro 2.0 reportedly already handles EX1''s MP4 files with aplomb—drop ‘n'' drag style—ditto Canopus Edius Pro. Apple
Final Cut Pro 6 (FCP) users will want to download an upcoming FCP plug-in called XDCAM Transfer 2.0 from Sony. Vegas 8 may require a rewrapping of MP4 files to MXF using Sony''s new Clip Browser, a free software program (Windows and Mac versions!) that Sony is bundling with EX1. In addition to MP4-MXF conversion, Clip Browser also provides instant viewing and copying of native MP4 clips. Avid Xpress? Currently, an editor can use Sony''s Clip Browser software to view and select a clip, then select Export to MXF. The application then re-wraps the media into an MXF file for import to the Avid editor. Avid says it plans to support the format natively in the future, but it doesn''t have a specific date to communicate.

Unlike XDCAM HD camcorders, EX1 doesn''t record DVCAM. Nor can it output DV of any sort. On the fly, it can convert HD to SD through
SD-HDI or analog component cables, adding letterboxing if desired. That''s it as far as standard definition is concerned. When recording at 25Mbps (called SP mode), format choices are further limited to 1440x1080 and 60i, 50i, or 24p—in other words, HDV. (It is possible to parallel-
record HDV to both SxS and an external hard disk drive at the same time.) Put another way, all 25Mbps is recorded as either 60i or 50i, which in the case of 24p requires addition of standard 3:2 pulldown. In contrast, 35Mbps (called HQ for high quality) is recorded as native 24p, 25p, 30p, 50i/p, or 60i/p. HD-SDI output of these native frame rates, however, similarly requires transport as 60i or 50i with 3:2 pulldown where necessary. Note that when recording in 35Mbps mode, EX1''s 1394 port has no signal. An omen?

Which brings us, at long last, to SxS (pronounced “S by S”), the flash-memory cards co-developed by Sony and SanDisk for XDCAM EX. They''re almost half the size of Panasonic''s P2 cards because they conform to the PCMCIA''s new ExpressCard/34 standard, the one that supersedes the CardBus PC Card that P2 is based on. ExpressCard/34 (because it''s 34mm wide) has fewer pins—26 vs. 68—yet claims big hikes in speed and bandwidth because it connects directly to a computer''s system bus over PCI Express instead of a PC Card controller.

Smaller also means that the EX1''s two SxS slots, co-located with the controls on the operator''s side of the camcorder, take up less real estate. Which means the camcorder''s body can be more compact.

There is, however, an ExpressCard/34 version that interfaces internally over USB 2.0 instead of PCI Express. It looks identical to the PCI Express version, but according to Sony, its reduced throughput is not suitable to
XDCAM EX. For this reason and others, Sony requires, for now, use of ExpressCard/34 cards certified by Sony or SanDisk for XDCAM EX. They''ll be marketed by both companies under the logo SxS Pro. (This restriction could change with time and experience.) Presently available are 8GB and 16GB SxS Pro cards (pricing to be announced).

Flash recording is, of course, a trail Panasonic
blazed, and the EX1 confers many of the same advantages: instant-start recording, no timecode breaks, continuous recording between cards, hot-swapping, dead-silent operation, display of 12 thumbnails at a time for clip playback and management with marking, deleting, and grouping of clips together, and instant playback of overcranked or undercranked clips. Sony even adds a few wrinkles of its own: file names that can be preset; a Rec Review handgrip button for confidence playback at the end of a take (programmable for two seconds, 10 seconds, or an entire clip); and the ability to mix 1920x1080, 1440x1080, and 1280x720 clips, both progressive and interlaced, at various timebase frame rates on a single SxS Pro card.

A single 16GB SxS Pro card will record 70 minutes of 25Mbps (constant bit rate) and at least 50 minutes of 35Mbps (variable bit rate). It''s interesting to compare this to an XDCAM HD disc, which holds 23.3GB, records 90 minutes of 25Mbps or 60 minutes of 35Mbps, and costs $30.

Only the disc has a good answer at hand when the inevitable question of archiving is raised. Neither P2 nor XDCAM EX is equipped to tackle this issue. From this standpoint, reports of the death of videotape are greatly exaggerated. But anyone who follows the bullish development of NAND flash-memory technology in East Asia, an industry targeting mass replacement of hard drives in laptops, knows the era of flash recording has only has just begun. It''s fantastic that Sony has joined Panasonic in pioneering this sea change in our industry.