Sony PMW-EX1 Hi-Def Video Camera

Posted on: Thursday, September 13th, 2007
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Videomaker has a good review of the Sony PMW-EX1 putting a finger on the heart of the video-making matter: the challenge of independent video producers is to balance image quality with the cost of the gear with most often quality being lost in the process. Videomaker points out where the EX1 succeeds and misses.

The stars of the EX1 are the three 1/2″ Exmor CMOS sensors that handle the camera’s imaging. A first for this form factor, 1/2″ sensors give you higher resolution and a shallower depth of field than the 1/3″ or 1/4″ sensors normally found in this level of camera. Before CMOS, 1/2″ CCD’s were too hot and power-hungry to fit into a small form factor camcorder.

Sony claims a horizontal resolution of an astounding 1000 lines, and while our charts went only to 800, I have no reason to doubt that claim. This camera delivered astoundingly sharp and detailed images, which you can download at the end of this article.

The CMOS sensors give true progressive frames at various frame rates and sizes:
1920×1080 rates are 60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p.
1280×720 rates are 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p and 24p.

The EX1 is HD only without any ability to shoot SD (NTSC/PAL) modes.

The first camcorder to record to Sony and SanDisk’s SxS memory card format.

Videomaker Camcorder Review: Sony PMW-EX1 XDCAM Camcorder