Sony has expanded its line of XDCAM EX video products to include two new camcorders designed to deliver new levels of creativity and flexibility for solid-state digital production. The products include the shoulder-mount model PMW-350, Sony’s first 2/3in CMOS memory camcorder, and the PMW-EX1R, which adds DVCAM recording capability and other enhancements directly resulting from customer feedback.
The PMW-350 has three 2/3in Exmor full HD 1920 x 1080 CMOS imagers, and a sensitivity of F12. It is studio-configurable, with timecode in/out, genlock in, and HD-SDI and HDMI out. The camcorder also features a DVCAM recording option.
With the lens-packaged model, PMW-350K, users can easily switch between auto and manual focus with a 16X zoom 2/3in bayonet mount lens. It also offers automatic lens aberration compensation (ALAC); independent focus, zoom, iris rings, auto focus mode, manual focus assist and a focal length of f 8~128mm (31.5 ~ 503mm on 35mm lens).
The PMW-EX1R is the successor to Sony’s first entry into memory recording — the PMW-EX1. It adds DVCAM recording capability, as well as an HDMI output, a higher-resolution viewfinder, cache recording and one-push auto iris. Like its new shoulder-mount counterpart, the PMW-EX1R features a range of ergonomic enhancements, including an improved hand grip for better balance, one-click S&Q mode and easy-to-access switches.
Additional features of the EX1R include: smooth handle zoom start/stop, and an image inversion feature that reverses an image upside down and left/right for a depth of field adaptor. To enhance editing interoperability with Sony’s XDCAM HD 422 camcorders, both the PMW-350 and PMW-EX1R camcorders feature 1440 x 1080 recording mode at 35Mb/s.