Review of a Sony EX1 video camera

Yes, I know this camera is about very old by now (in 2025), it came out around 2007, but I often look up info old equipment, maintain such equipment for people, and I'm sure other people do look up information about them, too.  I get contacted about my analogue equipment from time to time, and that's even older.  And it's still a useable camera, though it should be noted how old it is, you can expect that it will be at the end of its lifespan (failing components), so don't buy one unless it's dirt cheap.  As an example of very basic fault, on this camera the power switch is very touchy, accidentally bump it at the wrong moment and you can shut the camera down.  And you can expect things like a plethora of bad caps in something this old, lots of tiny ones that are hard to replace.

I was given a this camera to experiment with for a while.  It was a disposal from a hire company that had some damage, they didn't want it anymore, and a colleague took it off their hands (as electronic waste).  After some assessment, I've formed the impression that it is seriously annoying to use, even after I repaired a bad fault.  Some of the damage may have been deliberate (in the sense of I don't want to ever use that damn camera again).

It's a three‑chip image sensor camera, with a permanently attached zoom lens.

Recordings are made on SxS cards as the main way of doing things (it has two slots, and will automatically switch over to the second card as the first fills up, for uninterrupted recording).  As far as I can tell (since I don't have a SxS card), they're recorded in an XDCam method (which involves individual MPEG‑2 files for images, and PCM files for each sound channel).  And you install a driver on your computer that combines them together for use in your editing software (on the fly as you read from a card), or you use a specific file browsing software from Sony, or you use Sony camera card reading/editing hardware.  Panasonic's P2 works in a similar manner.  Without that driver you will have separate files that you had to handle individually, if you can (they may not be encoded in a format that's understood by your editing software).

If a SD card to SxS adaptor is used, the recordings are made as MP4 files (combined sound and video), with XML metadata, and some other ancillary text files on the SD card (this seems to be a feature of the adaptor).  Each recording goes in its own folder.  If a recording is lengthy, a new file is started every 3.8 gigabytes.  Which was just under 14 minutes when filming a static object, though I'd expect it be a shorter timespan for live action (moving images will use more data).

Early documentation pooh‑poohs SD cards as being vastly inferior to the SxS cards (probably true, particularly when it comes to re‑using cards over and over, and some will probably not have a fast enough writing speed), and suggests an upper limit of 32 gigs.  Later documentation suggests larger cards can be used if you have updated firmware on the camera.  I found that I could get over four hours recorded onto a 128 gig micro SD card in a full‑sized SD card adaptor, in a SxS card adaptor.

There's something to be said for using smaller cards, it can be easier to manage what's on them when they don't have hundreds of clips.  Though it's also easier to go out filming for the day and not have to keep on changing cards.  And you can just dump it all in one go into your editor.  I'd always used 3 hours tapes when using professional S‑VHS cameras, thirty years ago, for similar reasons (convenience in filming and editing).  Though most of what I shot was filmed in sequence, so having to madly shuttle back and forth through a long tape wasn't an issue.

The camera can be linked to recording devices using Firewire, but there are limitations (it has to be working in a MiniDV‑supported SP mode resolution).  Or, a SDI recorder can be connected, which can record at its normal HQ resolutions.  The camera should be able to start either of them recording when the camera's start/stop recording button is pressed (configuration options need to be set in the camera for this).

Pros

The lens can be fully manually controlled (zoom, focus, iris) with direct mechanical controls.  The lens focus ring can be mechanically engaged with the lens to use it like a professional lens, or disengaged to work as an infinitely rotating electronic focus demand control.  Auto features can be individually used (servo zoom, electronic manual or auto‑focus, motorised iris).  You can plug a zoom stub into it, if you can find one with the appropriate unusual connector (a similar type of plug as used to connect viewfinders to some camera bodies, some lenses to camera bodies, or some title character generators), and I think you really do need one for tripod work unless you never do zoom shots.

Single or multi‑frame animation options of manual or interval‑timer (at various amounts of seconds, minutes, or hours apart), taking 1, 3, 6, or 9 frames together.

Selectable over- and under‑cranking frame‑rate values for slow and quick motion (S&Q Motion), but they're only available on the HQ progressive video modes, and won't have sound unless they match a playback frame rate.

Various shutter speed options for filming high‑speed action, or low‑light long‑exposures, and for coping with strobing and interference patterns from electric lighting.

The steady‑shot feature appears to use the lens, rather than an electronic floating window in the image device.  Floating windows usually mean a reduction in video resolution (unless the sensor has spare pixels that are not usually part of the image), and can be fooled by moving images that are meant to be seen moving (interferring with large image movements, versus compensating for actual camera movements).

The electronics has an option to adjust for an optical wide‑angle lens adaptor.  Though since the menu option appears to do nothing, there may be some secret feature to detect that one's attached.  Or it might be that it only changes the way certain features operate.  One blurb suggests this mode optimises the image stabiliser and chromatic aberration compensation to suit the lens adaptor.  I don't use the stabiliser, since I don't do hand‑held camera‑work.  And I don't have a lens adaptor.  I expect that chromatic aberration compensation is only a service menu adjustment.

The DC input accepts 12 volts (centre‑pin positive), allowing the use of various power sources if you can source a compatible EIAJ DC plug (the service manual suggests type 4).

Cons

There's a laundry‑list of things that are annoying with this camera…

It's not ergonomic.  Another of those prosumer cameras which you awkwardly hold in front of your face (with tiring arms after a few seconds of filming), it's front‑heavy, you have very few places you can hold it without putting your fingers on controls, and you may have to awkwardly let go to reach certain controls.  Or, you mount it on a tripod where you can't control the lens without letting go of the tripod (unless you buy a lens remote control), because you need to reach the left and right side of the camera body to operate various controls on the camera (lens, buttons, and switches), so you really do need a zoom stub mounted on the tripod arm to operate the lens controls on the right‑hand side of the camera, and to be able to pan, tilt, zoom, and focus all at the same time.  Unfortunately it uses a custom connector requiring an adaptor or a special zoom stub, I replaced my lens remote socket with a standard fitting.

Another issue with controls that annoys me is putting lots of controls on top of the camera.  Quite often we have to use a camera mounted very high on a tripod, now they're hard to reach, and you can't even see the controls that you need to operate.

In electric focus mode, it has one of those infinitely rotating rings on the lens to act as a focus demand controller.  The operating speed is nasty.  The squishy rubber padding on it feels nasty, and is the kind of material that does deteriorate with age, but can't be replaced.  It's also a problem for people with contact allergies with various kinds of rubber (as is the viewfinder eyecup).  Focussing is a pain, the viewfinders are low resolution, and you're highly dependent on the focus assist features (centre‑magnify, detail edge peaking), but if you're doing close‑ups of someone's face you mayn't have much things with detail on them to pick on.  As expected, the auto‑focus has a tendency to focus on the background behind someone instead of them, which is why no professional uses auto‑focus unless manual control of the lens is damn near impossible (because you can't reach the lens while holding the camera, or a camera has implemented a terrible way to manually adjust focus).  Automatic systems have no way of knowing which part of the picture you're interested in, it gives you no way to set it to concentrate on the centre of the picture (or anywhere else) rather than assess the overall image.  It's far quicker to just set the focus by hand than fight with the automatics, if the camera has a decent focus control.  This one isn't too bad, but some cameras are just damn awful.

It has a servo zoom, but during my playing around with trying to do a slow zoom, it suddenly stops and starts at the slowest speed, there's some threshold that it cuts the motor drive off around the speeds you want to use for a creeping slow zoom.  Using a zoom stub plugged into the lens remote improved this behaviour, so I suspect that it's the zoom rocker on the lens grip that's the problem.

I've never come across a lens so susceptible to lens flares before, and from so close to alongside the camera (light smeared across the whole image from side light spill about 80° away from dead ahead).  A lens hood is virtually a requirement (it was missing, since replaced).  I suspect it's due to the shape of the front element which is almost flat on the outside.

The only standard output signal is SDI.  There's some tiny custom multi‑pin connectors for analogue composite or Y/C video (neither of which anybody uses anymore), and no HDMI.  So to connect to other equipment (such as monitors or mixers) you need pro gear that has SDI, or an adaptor box.

It has no genlock or timecode input.  Oh yes, they are important for multi‑camera shoots, even if your mixer can resynchronise asynchronous sources.  You want cameras to stay in lock‑step with each other, without any drift.  And with optimal advanced synchronisation with the mixer for minimal switching problems and audio synchronisation delays.  Likewise, you want timecode to be identical between cameras for any post‑production work.  Sure, you don't need that for editing, but it makes it a lot easier.

The internal mikes don't have very good sound quality.  Their bass response is lacking, even with the wind noise low‑cut filter disabled.  I'd certainly want to avoid using them for any music recording.

I discovered its XLR mike inputs really don't like XLRs where the shell is connected to pin 1 (at the camera end).  A quite noticeable amount of noise is picked up depending on various circumstances (other things connected to the camera, like video monitors, or placement of mike leads near other cabling and devices).

There's only two audio channels.  Other XDCam technology has four channels, which makes it very useful for acquistion of signals for post‑production work where you want to individually control not just one thing, or one stereo thing.  For journalistic type of work, it's very handy for certain channels to always be the camera mike, another the journo's mike, and another an interviewee's mike.  You don't have to swap a channel between different uses, you don't end up with silent recordings because someone forgot to switch back to the other use of the same channel, you don't have to mess around with sound level controls as much (you can probably leave the camera mike levels preset, the journo's mike level preset, for most of the production.  For sports, you can have wild stereo sound for ambience (which always sounds nicer than a mono signal), and a separate channel for a host.  For theatrical recordings, you can record the ambience in stereo, and take a direct feed in stereo, both separate from each other.  The editor can always find what they want in a known spot, and only has to fine‑tune levels.

Only the external mike inputs has gain/attenuator/sensitivity controls (and you have to wade through menus to change them), internal mike and line inputs only have level controls.  You can face a problem where ambient sound is much too strong or weak for the level control to adjust for a useful level from the internal mike.  Likewise with the external line inputs.

It has the worst audio AGC that I've ever heard.  Not that I'll use it, but I tried it out, and the results demonstrated exactly why I don't use AGC:  It has ridiculously fast time‑constant in lifting and lowering the gain.  It has the same effect as I've heard in something a colleague (who pays scant attention to audio) shot of a football match, filming outdoors with few people around them, but it sounded like the mike had been thrown into a crowded pub of people all gabbling on at the top of their voices for the whole length of the recording.  The sound might as well have been faked, it didn't sound like anything associated with the pictures.  It was horrendous to listen to for a few minutes, never mind an entire match.  With no sense of the sound dynamics of actually being there, with moderate hubbub during most of the match, and an excited crowd during the appropriate moments.  What it should have had was a decent limiter, allowing the use manual fixed gain for normal sound levels, with distortion free control of overs for those odd moments when something goes super loud.

Memory card writing speed will dictate various things.  Such as what resolutions you can use, and how long you have to wait for it to finish writing after you've stopped recording before you can start recording again.  So far I haven't struck this problem with this camera (it's less than half a second before you can start recording again, so you couldn't rapid‑fire edit in‑camera like a cine camera, but it's much faster than tape‑based recording), but some people will use SD to SxS card adaptors, and try to use a too slow SD card.  I have seen delays when you want to start reviewing the last recording, and a lesser delay when it finished playback, but that could be down to the camera mode switching rather than the card speed.  And I notice you don't get an instant start when you start recording, though whether that's down to the memory card, or the camera actually needing some pre‑roll time, I don't know.  It's confusing that the viewfinder status alternates between showing you ⚫ REC when it's recording, or STBY when it's paused.  Until you're used to that, you think that you're being told to stand by waiting for it to get ready.  I would prefer REC or PAUSE text, and reserve the use of STBY for those times you have to wait for it to be ready.  But to be honest, a prominent red LED (or two) around the edge of a viewfinder is far less intrusive (and obvious) than writing REC on top of the viewfinder image.

Cinematographers complain that video cameras have far too many things to fiddle with, and I tend to agree.  Generally speaking, they only had to contend with lens, shutter, and motor, for how they wanted the camera to shoot.  There's choice of film stock, too, but that's not really the camera.  My original professional video cameras were not that much different, lens, gain, filter, and electronic shutter when CCDs came out (and what kind/length of video tape, or other recording media, you were going to use).  But there's a myriad of things on video cameras, many that aren't really needed to be fiddled with, the default choices aren't always that great, and hired cameras need you to reset the previous hiree's configurations, then put in your desired settings.  And for you to learn about the conflicting options, and where they're all hidden.

There's a plethora of things spread about the camera wherever they could cram them in, rather than try to logically group things together.

There's a bunch of things that you virtually need the manual to get things right, but the manual is too long to refer to out in the field.  You really need a shortened cheat sheet of options you want to use, and common problems you're likely to have to resolve, that you can keep with the camera.

There's a lot of wading through a bunch of menus, that aren't all that well organised, have options that need more explaining than their names reveal, using two buttons and a scroll wheel that has a tendency to click on things while you're trying to scroll it.  Maybe it's spring had more tension when it was new, but it's very touchy now that it's old.

There are conflicting menu options that you don't know are conflicting, unless you study the manual.  We lost the SDI output, and assumed it was a technical fault.  Nup, the camera can only output SDI or FireWire alternatively, not simultaneously, yet the options are completely separate, and give no indication that one has been disabled by the other.  A more logical approach would be a singular output mode selector menu, where you choose between the various possible output modes, rather than individually turn ones on or off, unaware that they effect more than just themselves.  Enabling FireWire (iLink) disables various features that you wouldn't expect it to interfere with.

This is a high‑definition‑only camera, in that it only shoots at either 720 or 1080 pixel‑high screen modes.  There is one 1080i mode where the width is 1440 pixels, between the usual 1280×720 or 1920x1080 resolutions, though you need to study the manual to know that's the SP mode because the resolution setting menu only lists the screen heights.  And those SP modes are the only ones that will allow digital video when using the Firewire connection.  The SDI and Analogue Component outputs can scale the video output down to standard‑definition modes, and do so without affecting the recording mode.

The viewfinder is cluttered with information superimposed on top of the picture.  The opportunity was not taken to create the screen bigger than the image size, and put the status info around the picture.  While you have some options about what is displayed, you would want at least some of the statuses showing because they're controlled by menu options and you cannot simply look at switch positions to see what they are.  You end up having to switch status displays on and off to find the information you need, but not have it messing up the view of what you're filming all the time.

The viewfinders are not full‑resolution (the flip out screen is only 640×480, the eyepiece screen is just 1120×225 with some terrible plastic optics), virtually requiring electronic focus assist options (screen magnification &/or excessive edge peaking), or adding an extra monitor (I see that kind of thing a lot, a Frankenstein abomination of accessories attached to an inadequately designed camera, that need removing for packing the camera away in a case, and they wobble about and upset the balance of the camera).

While the lens has a macro feature, it can only be used when the lens is electronic focus mode (manual or automatic), it can't work when the lens is in full mechanical focus control.

There's a full‑auto option that controls a plethora of parameters automatically (iris, AGC, shutter), however you lose the manual controls that you need to set up shots as you need them to look.  And, as before, auto systems don't know what to do when something in shot changes (usually you do not want any exposure level changes to occur when something bright or dark moves through a shot).  There's very little point in buying pro‑style cameras if you're going to run things in automatic modes.

An upside‑down gain switch.  The switch is organised so that you flick it up to switch the gain down, and flick it down to switch the gain up.  The complete opposite of what you'd expect, and from what most other cameras have done.  This is just plain stupid, there's no other way to describe it.  Fortunately you can reprogram it, but then the switch markings make no sense.  I've heard various silly reasons why people think Sony puts them upside‑down.  I really do not think it's to prevent accidental knocks.  In 40 years of operating cameras in all sorts of positions, I've never accidentally knocked a gain switch.  Even on cameras that don't recess the controls (which most do).

And with that three‑position gain switch:  It only has high, medium, and low settings, yet the camera has 7 options (−3, 0, +3, +6, +9, +12 & +18 dB).  You can program the switch for which gain setting is used in which position, but that's fiddly, and means going in and out of menus if you need to change things.  How about the gain switch being simply a momentary up and down sprung switch, and you get to step through all the gain options?  A lot of camera work is not studio‑based, doing everything at your own pace, but filming things on the fly with only once chance to do it.  Menus are too slow for this.

The high‑speed electronic shutter is similarly cumbersome.  There's an on/off button on the camera, but you have to wade through menus to select its speed.

Up is down, and down is up, is more than just a stupidity with the gain switch.  There's a few menu options where the scroll wheel works in the opposite direction than you'd think.  For scrolling through menus, up is up, and down is down.  But for some menu items where you set a number, up is down, and down is up.  This is stupid.

Black camera bodies.  They quickly roast in the sun when filming outdoors in Australia, or even just in the car while travelling to a job.  They become too hot to touch, and the electronics performance seriously suffers, not to mention that cooking the components does shorten their lifespan and create faults.  Unfortunately the simple notion of putting a jacket on the camera smothers its cooling abilities.  They're also difficult to use in the dark (seeing where the controls are).  While I understand that black is often picked as a minimising reflections option, very dull grey cameras was a common alternative that worked fine (and video cameras didn't usually get that close to the subject, and they're often too big to do that).  Even if the front of the camera was dark, the sides were something that you could see.

I had to disassemble parts of the camera to free a stuck battery eject button, and that was a major pain.  It was like a Chinese puzzle box, with several unrelated but overlapping parts that had to be removed before I could get to the panel I wanted to remove.  You also discover that boards are next to unrepairable (thanks to extreme miniaturisation), about the only option is complete board swaps (while they're still available), and that stuck button was going to stick again because it has two wedge‑shaped plastic edges that slide against each other and get damaged by friction.

I found it chewed through batteries very quickly.  I don't have the original types of small 14.4 volt Lithium Ion batteries that slot in the back, I was using large 12 volt 7 Ah gel cell bricks connected via the DC connector.  For which my 1990s camera, which used more power, could run for a couple of hours straight, under comfortable temperature conditions (performance was shortened when cold or hot).  At best, this camera could run for about an hour on one of them (timed by just leaving the camera recording).  Admittedly, this battery was a bit old, so it wouldn't be at peak performance.  According to other information, its own batteries last for a few hours, so an educated guess is that the slightly lower battery voltage didn't help, either.  Later tests with a brand new 12 volt 9 Ah battery managed about 4 hours of straight recording (the camera left locked off, no fiddling with the lens or other features).

The DC input is one of those small EIAJ (type 4) DC connectors.  Not the most robust of things, and poses a limitation on the size of wiring that be fitted into them.  And by the looks of things, it will be a circuit‑board‑mounted socket, which won't like taking knocks.  Sockets mounted to panels with flexible wiring from them to boards are far more robust.  There's several very good reasons why professional gear use 4‑pin XLRs for power (robust, easily repairable/replaceable, and standardised—any reasonably powerful 12 volt supply can power any camera that needs 12 volts).