PMW-EX1I won’t start a thread here about the new camcorder from Sony. This new generation is based on XDCAM and records on « SxS » cards, which are express-cards with pcie speed connection. As HDV, the XDCAM-EX format is recorded as MPEG-2 Long GOP (encapsulated in a MP4 file) with 4:2:0 subsampling.

Ugly you said ?


In fact no. The key is that you won’t edit this file as is. What you will do is convert the footage as Apple ProRes 4:2:2 10 bits. You will then be able to edit with full quality. What is the difference with HDV so  ? This camcorder have 2 main features than no HDV camera have :

  • It records at full frame 1920×1080 using 3 CMOS chips of 1/2″

This is bigger than any sensor of this camera size. It’s also far better than the HDV resolution which is 1440×1080, at best. Last, this camcorder can also do speed up or slow down motion, recording every frame. For example, you can shoot a project at 25p, then have a special shot at 30p for slow motion, or down to 1p for speed up. Changingthe resolution to 1280×720 you can go up to 60p !!

  • It have a HD-SDI output

This will enable you to have a large 24″ full frame on set and be able to get the exact picture you are recording. This will also give you a way to get full 4:2:2 native HD resolution footage if recording with a HD capture card (like the one from kona, aja or black-magic decklink). I ordered mine, which will be shipped with 2x 8Gb cards, which can record up to 52 mins full quality (HQ as they say).I hope to have it next week, depending on Sony and the transport strike here in France :)