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Which is the best prosumer camcorder?

J

Jason Joseph

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Hi, yes i realise this forum is not the best place to ask this question.

but in your opinion which is the best prosumer camcorder?(1/3", SD/HDV) in the league of sony's Z1. Looking to buy a replacement for our Z1, was looking at the Z5 or Cannon XL H1.
any ideas/reviews ? :)

regards
jas
onedash
#3434
 
For a fixed lens auto everything/manual anything option, you'll go a long way to beat the Sony EX1. I don't like prosumer cameras and particularly don't like Sony cameras, but having just shot a couple of jobs with an EX1, I've got to say the little plastic camera produced a pretty decent image.
 
+1 on Liam's suggestion.

My last camera was an XH-A1. Fine little camera, but the ex series (I'm now shooting an EX-3) just blows it out of the water. For an all in one the EX-1 is hard to beat.

Steve
 
We shot our last short on an EX-1 and were pretty happy with the results. We also used and HVX-200 on the one before with good results. Personally I like the EX-1 best right now as I wait for Scarlet.
 
At the moment, I'd probably say:

First Class: Sony EX-1
Business Class: Canon XH-A1
Coach: Canon HV30

JMHO, but I haven't been all that impressed by any pro-sumer Panny since the DVX.
 
IMHO and as a daily user, I must admit, this is really a pro-camera.

Most dop's I know don't want to hear this and ignore the camera because of it's price and compression. But from what I've seen what it is capable of , it's hard to beat, even in the higher price range. There aren't that much camera's out there except for RED that have much more to offer.
 
Probably doesn't make sense to argue whether or not it's pro or prosumer. To me the difference is in who is using it. If you don't know what you're doing, the EX1 will look amateur-prosumer. But, it is absolutely good enough for "pro" shoots with good lighting and a good op.

That said, we have the RED, a Canon H1 and A1 and just recently purchased the EX3 and EX1. I can say without question, the EX series (especially the EX1) is an incredible value for it's price. It's hard to beat the LCD. It's hard to beat the speed of their SxS cards (or others using adaptors). Their codec is excellent. It's great in lowlight...we're getting used to lowering our exposure compared to the Canon's...it's that much of a difference.

So...I personally wouldn't consider another camera under $7k right now other than the EX1 or the EX3 if under $10k. They really rock.

Kevin
 
Thought I'd add a link to something I shot with the RED AND the EX1. Check it out and let me know what you think:

http://vimeo.com/4520998

Obviously, when shooting on white backdrop, DOF is a smaller issue. I thought the EX1 held it's own quite well, especially for work that will mostly show on the web.

Kevin
 
We used the EX-1 as a backup device when we were shooting a documentary for TV with a famous German rock-star on our new RED last year (build 15). The RED let us down a few times (faulty battery contacts) and once we were shooting below a cliff in England and decided not to carry down all the RED gear over the steep footpath.

So, quite a few shots from the EX-1 made it into the final product, and a few collegues from camera department knew it. They tried to point out those scenes in the final broadcast (non HD) and were wrong in quite a few cases! BTW, probably the first RED material ever broadcast on German TV.

We did some serious grading, though…

So, IMHO the EX-1/EX-3 is currently the best camera in it's class. Now that our RED has been working reliably since firmware 16 and a few contacts adjusted by hand, it get's less work, but is our trusted b-camera.
 
I'd concur with Erik's assessment. I've used them all -- and the Red of course. I'd say EX1 is definitely the most camera for the money out there at the moment. But the Canon A1 for half the price is still pretty sweet if you can't afford the EX1.
 
Agreed on the EX1/3 front. I´ve shot for the BBC (EX-3, an interactive online program, so not bound by their broadcast rules) and Channel 4 (EX-1, for broadcast) with them, and they´re not at all bad. They are a little prone to blowing out highlights, the zoom ring is total shite and you can´t get into macro on the lens with the hard stops engaged (plus there´s a hefty ramp going from macro to normal), but other than that, there´s really very little not to like. I love the variable framerate select knob on the EX-3, it´s killer...

BTW, they are both 1080p/720p switchable, not 1080i/720p switchable, although you can also shoot 1080i if you want/need to, I believe.

HTH,
Dom.
 
Liam Hall said:
It is a PROSUMER camera because it is aimed at both professionals and amateurs. That has as much to do with price point as picture quality and ease of use and is NOT a reflection on the user.
Click to expand...

It's Cinealta It's a pro camera, It is XDCAM, XDCAM is pro not prosumer.

Sony does not sell Prosumer cameras on it's broadcast and professional website.

The fact that Canon and Panasonic sell prosumer camera's at this price point does not make the EX1 or EX3 or even The V1P prosumer cameras.

Sony has a line of prosumer cameras and these cameras are not listed along side them they are listed with high end broadcast cameras.


Also I thought The Red guys told us that "Scarlet is not a prosumer camera it is a pro camera"
 
Sorry to dissapoint guys but the EX1 (plus the peripherals you would need to go the XDcam route) is out of my budget range for a "prosumer" camera. We have a red too and we have a z1 which has served us fairly well for the past 3 years. whether or not the the EX is pro or prosumer is really in the eyes of the beholder i guess.

another reason for not going the EX or tapless way is because we do alot of outdoor overnight military type shoots where we will not have access to a downloading bay or media wrangler.

anyone used the z7 or z5 with any good reviews?
 
I think a real key here is to test these various consumer and prosumer camcorders with component signal out to something like the AJA Ki Pro rather than the compressed signal typically recorded to HDV tape, DVD, CF of disk. Portable component to Pro-Res recording devices are going to resurrect a lot of cameras that have otherwise been written off due to compression issues that can now be bypassed. The lens and sensor on the HVR-Z1U for example provides a significantly better HD image through component out than you'd ever think possible by evaluating the HDV compressed footage recorded to tape.

-michael zaletel
(shooter)
 
I'm thinking that too, Michael. We just got an EX3 and EX1 to replace our Canon H1 & A1, when not shooting RED, of course. Now, I'm rethinking selling the H1 for next-to-nothing, as it has HD-SDI out. Go straight into the AJA unit for live event shooting (great 20x zoom lens) and we're back in business as a pretty darn good signal. I've never had a problem with Canon's glass...just that darn tape and codec. :-)

Kevin
 
I think it is pretty amazing what you can get out of the Canon XH-A1...


(click the image for full HD res)
 
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