Sony Xdcam Microsite

DV Info Net Sony XAVC / XDCAM / NXCAM / AVCHD / HDV / DV Camera Systems. I can't find the latest revision to CMU on the microsite. June 25th, 2010, 12:00 PM.
I know in broadcast trucks & studios that are sony-based use XDCAM disks for VTs which use the XDCAM codec, that until that changes there it will always be. Level 1 1 point 5 years ago.

Sony Xdcam For Sale
Sony Xdcam 350
Sony Xdcam Microsite
Sony Xdcam Camcorder

Sony XDCAM EX PMW-350K

All of Sony’s XDCAM EX line output 10-Bit Color through their SDI ports. The 2/3”-chip models and the F3 will benefit the most since the large sensors will produce less noise. It is also worth noting that all of Panasonics P2 Card cameras record 10-bit color internally. Three 2/3-inch type Exmor CMOS sensors XDCAM weight-balanced advanced shoulder camcorder with HLG option, improved network connectivity, and low power consumption PXW-X320 Three 1/2-inch type Exmor CMOS sensors XDCAM camcorder recording Full HD XAVC 100 Mbps, with wireless and 16x zoom HD lens options. (PXW-X320L lens-less model also available). Handycam is a Sony brand used to market its camcorder range. It was launched in 1985 as the name of the first Video8 camcorder, replacing Sony's previous line of Betamax-based models, and the name was intended to emphasize the 'handy' palm size nature of the camera, made possible by the new miniaturized tape format.

Sometimes it seems as if little has changed in ENG-style camcorders since Sony introduced the first one-piece Betacam, the BVW-200, at NAB 1989.

The BVW-200 was the first 2/3in. 3CCD shoulder-mount camcorder. By introducing small, solid-state CCDs to replace the fussy high-voltage Saticon tubes of previous two-piece Betacams, Sony shrunk the BVW-200 in size and power consumption. A Sony brochure at the time boasted:

Shoulder weight of 15lbs. 3oz. fully loaded
Perfect balance—adjustable shoulder pad for different lens attachments and batteries
Extremely low power consumption
Shorter length and lower profile for better peripheral vision
Quick startup and improved layout for all operational controls
Uncompromised technical performance that fully exploits the inherent superiority of Betacam SP recording capability
Freedom from daily technical alignment and easy maintenance
Enhanced reliability.

Breakthroughs then and now. The first-ever 2/3in. 3CCD camcorder, a Sony BVW-200 from 1989, and the first-ever 2/3in. 3-CMOS camcorder, Sony’s new PMW-350 with Fujinon autofocus 16X zoom lens.
Photo illustration by D.W. Leitner

Fast-forward to today and substitute the operational weight of Sony’s new XDCAM EX PMW-350, 13.9lbs., and SxS flash-memory storage for Betacam SP recording, and, remarkably enough, you have a perfectly apt description of Sony’s first 2/3in. 3-CMOS camcorder, the PMW-350.

The PMW-350 also happens to be Sony’s first shoulder-mount camcorder with solid-state memory recording. The first with HDMI. The first with no Power Save switch. The first with no color filter wheel, simply electronic presets for color temperature and three steps of neutral density. The first 2/3in. camcorder with autofocus. Ever.

The beginning of a new Sony camcorder era? Let’s take a look.

The PMW-350’s 16X, f=8mm-128mm, f/1.9 hybrid Fujinon HD zoom with autofocus. At $1,400, a stocking stuffer.

The PMW-350’s street price at New York’s B&H is $18,900 with the supplied Fujinon HD zoom lens and $17,500 without the lens. That’s not a typo. The Fujinon zoom adds $1,400—not the usual $14,000 plus.

What’s going on here? The PMW-350 borrows a page from the 1/2in. PMW-EX3‘s book, which introduced a hybrid zoom that, like those of Sony’s 1/2in. PMW-EX1 and 1/3in. HVR-Z7U, can focus either mechanically to permit use of repeatable focus marks or electronically (infinite spin) for autofocus.

The 16X, 8mm-128mm, f/1.9 hybrid Fujinon zoom supplied with the PMW-350, however, is a 2/3in.-format lens with a standard B4 mount. The lens was designed expressly for the PMW-350 and provides autofocus control as well as lens file data (chromatic aberration compensation, dynamic shading) and metadata (aperture and focal length, stored in the video stream). The only electronic trick it neglects is optical image stabilization (OIS). Sony says virtually every PMW-350 sale to date includes the supplied lens. At that price, it’s a stocking stuffer.

The images created with Carl Zeiss DigiPrimes looked spectacular. Note viewfinder electronically masked to 2.40 “Scope” aspect ratio.
Photo by D.W. Leitner

That first one-piece Betacam from 1989 carried a list price twice as much as today’s PMW-350—with lens, an investment approaching $50,000. It delivered a whopping 550 TV lines of standard definition from CCDs containing 250,920 pixels each. Today’s PMW-350 touts 1920×1080 CMOS sensors with 2,073,600 pixels for “1000 TV lines or more.” It provides all flavors of HD: 1920×1080, 1440×1080, 1440×720, and 1280×720 in the usual interlaced and progressive forms at frame rates of 59.94fps, 50fps, 29.97fps, 25fps, and 23.98fps.

Compression is efficient MPEG-2: 35Mbps VBR or 25Mbps CBR. A huge RAM cache stores 15 seconds for recording before the record button is even pressed.

An ironic touch: This 21st century marvel also delivers good old standard-definition DVCAM format, both 480- and 576-line.

CCDs are thirsty and that first BVW-200 drew 19W, modest compared to brawnier Betacams that followed. (Remember heavy brick batteries?) The remarkable PMW-350, although an HD camcorder, draws a mere 18W even when powering an LCD color viewfinder (more on this in a moment), autofocus zoom, directional stereo mic, and 32GB SxS card. One item it doesn’t have to power is a fan. Cool-running, low-power CMOS sensors bestow utter silence to the PMW-350, which is the only 2/3in. HD camcorder, I think, that can claim no internal motors.

Sony DWR-S01D digital wireless dual-channel slot-in receiver used with the PMW-350. To the left, Sony’s DWT-B01 bodypack transmitter. A sophisticated, expensive setup.
Photo by D.W. Leitner

Imagine my satisfaction upon charging a slim 14.4V Sony BP-GL95 lithium ion battery and encountering, in the viewfinder, a battery life indication of 263 minutes. That’s more than 4 hours of 1080p from a full-size 2/3in. camcorder, folks!

Moreover, the PMW-350’s Exmor CMOS sensors introduce unprecedented sensitivity. (Sony’s unique Exmor architecture arranges on-chip A/D on a column basis for faster manifold output and improvements to dynamic range, rolling shutter, noise, and fixed pattern noise.) Using a standard frame rate, 24fps, and a standard metric, an 89.9 percent reflective gray card illuminated to 2000 lux, a 3CCD Sony F900R rates f/10, a 3CCD Sony F23 rates between f/10 and f/11, and a PMW-350 rates f/13. (A higher f/stop number is better.) I think this is the first instance of 2/3in. CMOS sensors outgunning CCDs in sensitivity.

A note about the lenses I used on the PMW-350: I spent only a matter of minutes with a preproduction version of Funijon’s 16X autofocus zoom. Nonetheless, I was impressed on many levels. It’s compact, light, and well-integrated with the PMW-350. Price point and value are incredible. It outwardly resembles the family of Fujinon autofocus zooms found on the PMW-EX1 and PMW-EX3. If you’ve used them, you know they’re not chopped liver.

I also field-tested a couple of Zeiss DigiPrimes. As expected, they looked spectacular.

The lens I used mostly was a 16X Canon 7.7mm-123mm, f/1.8, with 2X extender—a true HD ENG lens. In Canon parlance, it’s model KJ16ex7.7B IRSD PS12 with eDrive.

(If you haven’t encountered a Canon eDrive zoom lens, you’re missing a treat: motion control in a handgrip. EDrive handgrips contain high-resolution rotary encoders from Canon’s copier business, granting microprocessor control over all lens motor functions. There’s a four-way toggle switch on the handgrip with a user interface window and all sorts of ways to control zooming speed, acceleration/deceleration, and zoom range. Canon eDrive zoom lenses can remember various lens parameters at various focus lengths and perfectly repeat prior zooms, much like Sony’s Shot Transition feature on HDV handhelds. EDrive zoom lenses perform the slowest, crawliest zooms in the business.)

The 16X Canon eDrive zoom lens looked great too, but it’s lengthier than the 16X Fujinon autofocus zoom and threw off the balance of the PMW-350. At the same time, I inadvertently added counterweight with a Sony DWR-S01D digital wireless dual-channel slot-in receiver inserted in the tail slot of the PMW-350. (Paired with a Sony DWT-B01 bodypack transmitter, this is a terrific—if terrifically pricey—dual-channel system for dropout-free digital transmission/reception. I lust for one.)

The sliding shoulder pad with quick-release rebalances the PMW-350 when lenses and accessories are changed.

To tweak the balance of the PMW-350, I loosened the latch under the shoulder pad and slid the pad back and forth—per Sony, the greatest margin of adjustment in any shoulder-mount camcorder—until I found that sweet spot of perfect balance. What a difference it made! The PMW-350’s low center of gravity is not yet the equal of an Aaton, but it’s getting there.

The PMW-350’s superb 6500K color viewfinder deserves a review of its own. (6500K is the white point of pro broadcast monitors.) If you read Leitner’s Cinematography Corner, No. 3 back in October, you’ll remember my excitement at the time: “Two features will leap out immediately to operators everywhere: a new … Fujinon lens with hybrid auto/manual focus … and a new viewfinder based on the 3.5in., 920,000-dot LCD introduced on the EX1/EX3 series. For me, viewing through it was like looking directly at a studio HD monitor. All I could say was, ‘Wow … who needs peaking?'”

Not your grandfather’s viewfinder. Good enough to adjust with color bars?
Photo by D.W. Leitner

Having now used the color viewfinder quite a lot, I stand by my initial impressions. I viewed many PMW-350 images—near, far, daylight, tungsten, bright, dark—directly on a huge 46in. Samsung LED display (exploiting the PMW-350’s handy HDMI output) and simultaneously in the viewfinder. While minimal peaking does aid fast focusing, I found that dialing in any amount of peaking coarsened the PMW-350’s viewfinder image and separated it from the recorded image. Alphanumeric indicators in the viewfinder also grew blown-out and garish with peaking. With no peaking at all, however, the viewfinder image closely matched the camera’s output yet remained easy to focus by eye. The “Focus Mag” 2X magnification function proved useful as a check.

After 20 years of camcorder viewfinders that failed miserably to achieve fidelity to the images they were framing, never coming within miles of delivering the aesthetic experience of a 16mm or 35mm viewfinder—even black-and-white master Ansel Adams viewed hi-res color images in his optical finder!—we at last have an electronic color viewfinder that’s worthy of being set up to the SMPTE RP 219-2002 bars generated by the PMW-350.

I know it’s a tiny LCD screen with a generic tendency to crush blacks. I know there’s no hue or color phase adjustment (we have to trust Sony on that). Nevertheless, there exist brightness and contrast knobs on the front of the viewfinder. Thankfully, in the VF Setting menu there is a B&W mode useful for adjusting contrast and setting blacks with the +2 percent and +4 percent black bars.

In the same VF Setting menu there exists another item, Color, with an arbitrary -99 to +99 range. The manual says that Color “adjusts the density” of colors in the viewfinder, and I presume this refers to chroma or saturation. Why not give us the equivalent of “Blue gun only” to facilitate this adjustment with accuracy and repeatability?

In other words, why not take the PMW-350’s color viewfinder seriously, as we would any professional monitor? We’ve always been told, don’t make critical color and exposure decisions in the viewfinder, it’s not meant for that. But with a viewfinder this good, why not?

DayGlo orange behind switches on the PMW-350, left, and new PMW-EX1R, right, make settings easier to read.
Photo by D.W. Leitner

Note to Sony concerning future placement of Peaking, Contrast, and Bright dials and Mirror, Display, Zebra, and Tally switches at the front of the viewfinder: I know it’s traditional—every shoulder-mount camcorder ever made has done it this way—but why exile these critical viewfinder controls to the one place least visible to the operator? Every time I adjust them, I, the operator, have to put down the camcorder and move around to the front to see what I’m doing. Why don’t these dials have detents or setting markings like any pro monitor?

I suggest the following: Move these important controls around to the rear of the viewfinder block, in full view of the operator. (You’ll be the first kid on the block to boast of having done this.)

Many noteworthy features and functions of the PMW-350 I’ve had to skip over in this brief review: genlock, timecode in/out, and HD-SDI for starters. In closing, I’ll single out a few of my favorites.

As on the new PMW-EX1R, Sony has placed DayGlo orange behind all black sliding switches. Now it’s a cinch to glimpse their position in dim circumstances. A simple improvement but terribly helpful. Theholidayspot.com calendars.

Wonders never cease. A focal plane mark below the new electronic color temperature button.
Photo by D.W. Leitner

Also simple but terribly helpful: a focal plane mark! It’s something no film camera would be without, yet it’s as rare as hens’ teeth on video cameras.

There are seven, count ’em, assignable switches, eight if you include the RET button on the lens handgrip. (I like to assign RET to “Focus Mag” to magnify the image 2X for fine focusing.) The seven include a mini-toggle, a sliding switch, two buttons on the handle, the electronic Color Temp switch, and two unassigned buttons on the side. The last three glow with an orange light when engaged.

As in other Sony CMOS camcorders, a useful histogram is available in the viewfinder, as well as a “Lens Info” indication which dynamically displays depth of field along the top of the image. (It worked great with the Canon eDrive zoom.) Both functions are assignable either to buttons or switches.

Dual SxS slots accept new Sony adapters that permit alternative use of economical Memory Sticks and SDHC cards.

Lastly, Sony has recently announced adapters to permit use of cheap consumer SDHC cards and Sony Memory Sticks in XDCAM EX camcorders. The Sony MEAD-SD01 SD Card adapter and MEAD-MS01 Memory Stick Pro adapter will arrive in this month for about $120. A PMW-350 will require a firmware upgrade to use the latest Class 10 SDHC cards from Panasonic and SanDisk, but fortunately the PMW-EX1R and PMW-350 are Sony’s first-ever user-upgradeable camcorders (via SxS card). For information on this and future upgrades, click on the Resources tab at Sony’s XDCAM EX microsite.

At 20 years and counting, Sony’s one-piece shoulder-mount camcorder remains a classic. Pointed squarely at the future, the new PMW-350 uniquely distills these decades of design and field use into a mature bread-and-butter product for the 21st century.

As for HDCAM cassettes, is it me, or are they starting to feel as outdated as VHS cassettes? If only someone could figure out how to archive the growing mountain of digital video files, to make them as secure and long-lasting as film …

bottomline

Company: Sony
pro.sony.com
Product: PMW-350
Assets: Light, well-balanced; records to SxS solid-state memory as well as less-expensive SDHC or Memory Stick Pro cards with adapter; Exmor CMOS sensors offer unprecedented sensitivity and low power consumption; included 16X Fujinon lens is first-ever 2/3in. zoom with autofocus; color viewfinder one of the best yet; DayGlo orange behind switches improves readability.
Cons: None. State-of-the-art from stem to stern.
Price: $22,000 (list)

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Camcorder Geek » Sony

Sony today unveiled a first for its lineup of Handycam^® Teamviewer portable old version windows 10. camcorders – a waterproof model that makes capturing your precious memories in high-quality video or still photography easy and worry-free in almost any environment.

The new HDR-GW77V camcorder can capture full HD video and 20.4-megapixel photos in extreme conditions, so that indoors or out, this stylish compact camcorder can keep up with any family’s active lifestyle. Waterproof down to 16 feet, the camcorder’s 3.0” (16:9) Xtra Fine LCD™ touch screen (921K) remains fully operational when submerged and it also has an “Underwater Mode” which adjusts the white balance for underwater conditions to make colors appear natural.

Sony’s latest camcorder addition is not only convenient to use in wet surroundings, it is also shockproof and dustproof making it durable enough to withstand an accidental drop from up to approximately 5 feet and suitable for just about any situation. From mountains and forests to pools and beaches, now users can document their adventures without stress anywhere and anytime, even if they face mud, snow, rain or grime while shooting.

“As we continue to reinvent the category, we’re always looking for ways to make capturing memories hassle- and worry-free without sacrificing style,” said Hidenori Toyoda, director of the camcorder business at Sony Electronics. “This lightweight waterproof Handycam camcorder sports an innovative design and allows consumers to focus on the moment rather than fret over protecting their gadget.”

Slick, Durable and Feature-Packed

To help realize high-quality video and photos, the waterproof camcorder was developed with advanced technology. Its back-illuminated Exmor® R CMOS sensor improves image clarity and drastically reduces grain to capture beautifully detailed, low-noise footage even in low-light conditions. If needed, a built-in flash will shed light on your subject in dark areas.

For the first time, Sony introduces Intelligent Sweep Panorama™ mode for still photo into the camcorder family. The popular feature found in Sony Cyber-shot^® cameras reaches beyond the traditional wide angle lens and lets you capture expansive, breathtaking shots of landscapes or cityscapes just by pressing the shutter button and panning the scene with a sweeping movement. Using Face and Motion Detection, even people and objects that are moving will be reproduced naturally without blur.

The Extended Zoom feature digitally boosts the camcorder’s 10x optical zoom range to a powerful 17x maximum magnification, letting users get even closer to the action while maintaining HD image quality. And with 16GBof embedded Flash memory, it can record and store up to 4 hours of high definition video content (HD LP mode).

Another standout feature is Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization with Active Mode which compensates for greater degrees of camera shake to deliver stunningly smooth video from wide angle to full telephoto shooting. To further balance movement, 3-Way Shake-Canceling adds electronic roll stability for even smoother video capture.

Along with these features, the high-end camcorder offers the best of Sonyimaging with its professional-quality G Lens. Engineered for superior optical performance, Sony G lenses deliver brilliant, accurate color reproduction and sharp, detailed images. In addition, the 29.8mm focal length in Photo Mode and Video Modes offers a broader perspective for enhanced wide angle shooting.

An ideal travel companion, the feature-rich HDR-GW77V camcorder also employs a built-in GPS receiver and NAVTEQ® maps. The receiver gives you the ability to view your current location on the LCD map display, automatically 'geotag' your shooting locations, and view the geotagged content using a Map Index function on the camcorder or once downloaded to a computer using the supplied PlayMemories Home™ software.

The Camcorder also includes the following technologies:

Sony Xdcam For Sale

iAUTO – automatic selection of optimal camcorder settings in different environments; up to 99 scene combinations possible
Tracking Focus – extension of Face Detection to choose an object by touching the LCD panel and having the focus follow the selected object
Self Portrait Timer – setting that ensures properly framed, clearly focused arms-length photos of you and your friends
Highlight Playback – mode to identify and compile key scenes into short, entertaining movies complete with music and transitions
Event Browse – conveniently groups your images and videos together for easier viewing; can be used with Highlight Playback to create and share a highlight reel from your event

Storage and Post-Shooting Options

Sony Xdcam 350

Sony’s new camcorder can record video and still images directly to Memory Stick PRO Duo™ media, Secure Digital (SD), or SDHC media card (all sold separately) in addition to 16GB of embedded memory.

PlayMemories Online™service, a Sony network service that just launched this Spring, allows users to view their content from various devices such as a smartphone, tablet, PC, or connected TV at any time. Simply upload all photos and videos to PlayMemories Online cloud service and enjoy viewing them virtually anywhere, anytime.

The camcorder is compatible with both PC and Mac^® computers. Mac users can transfer AVCHD™ content and edit video clips in HD quality using iMovie^® software. For PC users, the PlayMemories Home™ software enables viewing, editing, organizing and uploading images to many major video and photo sharing Web sites.

The HDR-GW77V Waterproof Handycam camcorder will be available later this month for about $700, at http://store.sony.com, Sony retail stores and other authorized retailers nationwide.

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