The Sony PMW-EX1

One of Sony’s awesome new production tools is its PMW-EX1. This HD cam has been on the market for a short time and is already turning heads in the production industry. What doesn’t Sony turn heads with in the world of HD equipment these days though, right? This information is taken from Sony’s website.

XDCAM EX - New Generation HD Recording System

The PMW - EX1 is the first in a new range of professional HD pro ducts - called XDCAM EX - which record on to memory - based SxS ExpressCard media. Designed from the ground up to exploit the ultimate high performance of SxS PRO memory cards, the PMW - EX1 combines a state - of - the - art, non - linear XDCAM work flow with simply the best HD quality yet seen in a compact camcorder. It is also the first hand held camcorder to carry the legendary Cine Alta 24P brand with multiple frame rate recording capability such as 59.94i, 50i, and native 23.98P, as well as being 1080i/720P switchable.

There is also a choice of a 35Mb/s High Quality mode or a 25Mb/s, HDV 1080i compatible mode. To take advantage of this high performance recording capability, the PMW - EX1 uses a n all - new imaging system consisting of three 1/2 - inch type CMOS sensors, each with an effective pixel count of 1920x1080 to produce images in full HD resolution. In addition, there's a purpose - built Fujinon Professional HD 1/2 - inch 14x lens and a unique dual focus ring mechanism.

In fact, there are innovations in every detail of the PMW-EX1, from its IT-friendly MP4 file recording to advanced creative features, such as selectable gamma curves and 'Slow & Quick Motion' capability.

To maximise recording time, the PMW-EX1 has two memory card slots which means with a pair of 16 GB SxS PRO memory cards, it can record up to 140 minutes of HD footage.

For more information on Sony’s product, click here.

I have shot on professional Sony HD models for several years now and can tell you that they shoot a stunning picture. The colors are just so incredibly vivid that the overall quality really is surprising. The camera settings, such as the auto and manual iris control, focus, gain, and audio, allows you to set up shots and spend time getting crisp clean images and sound while having fun taking shots (when good mics are setup and being used of course) .

I saw this video of a West Texas sunset that a friend of mine, James Lane, shot with his Sony PMW-EX1. Keep in mind he did not spend much time tweaking settings. He was working and just set the camera up and let it run. Enjoy!


Another One Minute Sunset from James Lane on Vimeo.