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Sony

XDCAM EX High Definition Camcorders

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Sony Broadcast (Southern Calif.), Sony Professional

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Check This Out Sony Cameras

Sony XDCAM EX High Definition Camcorders

Special Notes: this product differs from the  XDCAM HD Family of Products in that the media used is an Express-type SxS Pro Memory Card, the modes/profiles are different in some settings, and the file system is not .MXF.
Sony XDCAM EX

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Sony PMW-EX1
XDCAM EX High Definition
Camcorder

Purchase from VTP

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Sony PMW-EX3
XDCAM EX High Definition
Camcorder with removeable
lens, Gen Lock Input, TC I/O,
semi-shoulder mount, new
single viewfinder arrangement,
SxS slot cover supports
optional future Express
Card recorder attachment.

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SxS PRO Memory Card Media;
Use Professional SxS SBP
Special Formatted
Express Card Media;
2 ExpressCard
/34 Slots;
Switchable Compression
25/35 Mb/s 8-bit MPEG-2 4:2:0
Compressed High Definition
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Clip Browsing Software
and SxS Driver for PC
(XP SP2, Vista)
or MAC (OS X 10.4.10 or later);
is included with the
PMW-EX1 and PMW-EX3.

PMW-EX1 Supplied Accessories:
USB Cable; A/V Connecting Cable;
Component Video Cable; Large Eye
Cup; Lens Hood; BC-U1 Battery
Charger; BP-U30 Battery; Shoulder
Strap; IR Remote Commander;
Ops Manual; XDCAM EX Clip
Browsing Software; and
SxS Device Driver Software.

PMW-EX3 Supplied Accessories:
14x zoom removeable lens
(VCL-614B2X) 1/2" lens;
EX adaptor (conditional attachment);
USB Cable; Component Video Cable;
Lens Hood; BC-U1 Battery
Charger; BP-U30 Battery; Shoulder
Strap; IR Remote Commander;
Ops Manual; XDCAM EX Clip
Browsing Software; and
SxS Device Driver Software

PMW-EX1 BP-U30 Battery Capacity:
28 Wh; charge time 130 min.
PMW-EX1 120 Min. or less;
PMW-EX3 100 Min. or less

PMW-EX1 BP-U60 Battery Capacity:
56 Wh; charge time 170 min.
PMW-EX1 240 Min. or less;
PMW-EX3 210 Min. or less

Note: BC-U1 Charger cannot power camera and charge a battery at the same time
XDCAM EX SxS PRO Memory Card Media Camcorders
The SxS PRO Memory Card Media Camcorders PMW-EX1 XDCAM and the new PMW-EX3 for High Definition express media recording incorporate three 1/2" Progressive/Interlace Switchable Exmor™ CMOS Sensors, each with an effective pixel count of 1920 (H) x 1080 (V) for image capture.  The PMW-EX1 has a built-in Fujinon 14x Zoom Lens.  The PMW-EX3 has a Fujinon 14x Zoom removeable lens arrangement (with EX Mount), Gen Lock Input, Time Code I/O, a semi-shoulder mount with chin brace, a new single viewfinder arrangement, 8-pin Sony control system port for optional Sony RMB control, and its SxS slot cover supports an Optional future Express Card Recorder attachment.  Both cameras have an audio headphone input (stereo mini-jack) and a 5-pin battery input.

Both of these SxS camcorders use MPEG-2 High Definition codecs to compress and write to the .MP4 file system format. Audio is recorded as two-channel 16-bit 48-kHz linear PCM*.  On the PMW-EX1, Standard Definition is available at the SDI OUT, A/V OUT breakout, COMPONENT OUT breakout connectors** based on down convert settings (Letter Box, Squeeze, Edge Crop Center Cut).  On the PMW-EX1, a monitor output (BNC) is available for standard definition analog, which can be used to send to another camera to lock its gen lock input, and a COMPONENT OUT breakout connector is available, along with RCA Ch1/Ch2 audio monitor output (there are no audio speakers in the PMW-EX3).  Neither camera supports S-Video output (the PMW-EX3 does support the Y output portion)..

*HDV-2 recordings follow the HDV standard as compressed MPEG 1 Layer 2 Audio at the iLink Interface and at this output are not Linear PCM uncompressed.  In all modes of recording, only 2 Channels of Audio are supported. Other limitations apply.  **There is no standard definition recording in these camcorders, in all cases of the camera output down convert, the field rate is either 59.94 or 50 depending on the camera settings used to make the recording, NTSC or PAL, meaning also that pull down is forced for 23.98 frame rate high definition recording on the down convert output, effectively making it 29.97 frame rate with mixed field frames (with possible dual TC number in mixed field frame), and there is no standards conversion.

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Using SxS PRO Memory Card Media 16GB media (SBP-16), recording times of up to 50 Minutes with HQ Mode (1920x1080 MPEG-2 MP@HL Long GOP VBR with a quantization of 8-bits at a sampling ratio of 4:2:0) can be achieved. The PMW-EX1 and PMW-EX3 each have two ExpressCard/34 Slots*.   Extended recording and playback times can be set across formatted and correlated SxS PRO Memory Card Media between the first and the second slot in the same camera. Continuous clips longer than 4GB within the camera are auto correlated in the Clip Browsing Software.

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Optional SxS PRO Memory Card Media 16GB
(SBP-16)

*It is not possible to simultaneously record to both slots.  Recording automatically rolls over to the second slot if media was mounted and recognized, and there is available space, and if there is available power.  Operator intervention to use the slot select button while recording forces a changeover under the prior mentioned conditions (other conditions apply).  An optional  PHU60K drive (for the EX3) or SxS card cannot be removed from the slot once recording starts in that slot without the camera going into pause, and without the volume needing to be "restored/recovered", in which case at least the last few seconds will be unrecoverable (other conditions and limitations apply).

Scanning mode is switchable between 1920x1080, 1280x720, and 1440 x 1080 resolutions.  Frame rate is also selectable from interlace and progressive - 59.94i, 50i, 29.97P, 25P, and native 23.98P*.   In addition, 59.94P/50P/25P, and native 23.98P progressive recording is available in 1280x720 mode.  The SxS PRO Memory Card records on non-written portions of the memory card, and can hold a mixture of multiple files of different recording formats available in this camcorder, so its media is highly flexible and allows for fast response during camera set up.

*Native 23.98P is available for the 1920x1080 HQ Mode.  In the SP Mode 23.98P is recorded as 1440x1080 PsF and through means of 2-3 pulldown.

Features of the PMW-EX1 and PMW-EX3 include:
Slow and Quick Motion Function (knob on the outside of the PMW-EX3, Menu only on the PMW-EX1); Slow Shutter Function; Selectable Peaking; Shutter Angle Settings; Frame Recording Function; Interval Recording Function; 4 Selectable Sony Cine Gamma Curves; Shot Transition™ Function; Depth of Field Indicator; Brightness Level Display; Histogram Indicator; Picture Profile™ Feature; Auto Tracing White Balance; Freeze Mix Function; Skin Tone Detail Control; Low-key Saturation; and Selectable Gain.

Operational Features include:
Three Independent Rings (Focus, Zoom, and Iris), slide focus ring for switching between Auto Focus and Manual Focus modes, or full Manual Focus Mode; Auto Focus Assist; Manual Focus Assist; Expanded Focus; Optical Image Stabilizer; SDI Out (HD-SDI and/or SDI selectable depending on Modes of operation*).  Rotational Grip Handle up to 120 degrees; 3.5" Diagonal LCD Flip-out Screen on PMW-EX1 only (PMW-EX3 has the same size 3.5" DiagonalLCD, but it is not flip out,and it has a removeable eyecup assembly); Four Assignable Buttons; Built-in Stereo Microphone with Two-Channel Audio Input for connecting external professional balanced microphone or line sources; On-handle Zoom Switch and REC Start/Stop Button; .54" traditional Color LCD Viewfinder on PMW-EX1 only (PMW-EX3 does not have this) ; and HDV iLink** (for HDV-2 SP recording mode input/output); new power system utilizing BP-U30/BPU60/BC-U1 Lithium-ion Battery products designed exclusively for the PMW-EX1 and PMW-EX3 camcorders.

*1080/23.98P recordings are output as1080/59.94i signals via 2-3 pull-down, and HD-SDI is not output when 1920x1080 25 CBR SP Mode is selected, other limitations apply.   **There is no DV/DVCAM down convert available on the HDV-2 iLink, the input/output is only active for matched HDV-2 25Mb/s CBR SP Modes, and when the port is active, there is no HD-SDI or SDI output.  Other limitations apply.


Special Transfer Capability for SxS Media
 
Use the Windows/MAC SxS Driver and the Clip Browser for file transfers from the PRO Memory Card.  Formatting is done in the cameras only. 

Optional PDZK-P1 Version 2.0 or higher XDCAM Transfer Utility is available from a Sony website as a plug-in for Apple Final Cut Pro.

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This is the Clip Browser Software (now Version 2 or higher) that is included with the EX Camcorders for PC apps. 
The Optional PDZK-P1 for Final Cut Pro is for MAC*
(*requires MAC OS X 10.4.10 or later)

Thumbnail Search and Clip Selection in Camcorders
Although the LCD arrangements differ physically between the PMW-EX1 and the PMW-EX3 models, the built-in 3.5" color LCD screen on the cameras enables thumbnail search and scene selection functionality. These functions enable quick random access to each clip and the capability of creating shot marks, copies of clips on the SxS card, and split clips.  Selected clips can be played back seamlessly out of the camcorder video interfaces accordingly, in a linear, or random fashion.

VEGAS Pro8 XDCAM EX Workflow

Optional Vegas Pro 8 software enhances NLE PC editing (files are to converted/rendered to .MXF via the Sony Windows version Clip Browsing Software for import into Vegas 8 by read support for the .MP4 file system used by the XDCAM EX system).


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Three Independent Rings (Focus, Zoom, and Iris)

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Slide focus ring for switching between Auto Focus and Manual Focus modes, or full Manual Focus Mode

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4 Selectable Sony Cine Gamma Curves

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Different LCD viewfinder arrangement of PMW-EX3 is shown above

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3.5" Diagonal LCD Flip-out Screen of PMW-EX1


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Optional Sony Vegas 8 Software

Optional Sony Vegas 8 can import .MP4
files of XDCAM EX into .MXF for Vegas
native MPEG editing through rendering
in the Sony Windows version Clip
Browsing Software XDZP1V2000
or former version XDZP1V101
(XDZ-1) Windows version.


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Updated 08/11/08