Sony Professional announces that they are extending the choice of flexible media options for the entire XDCAM EX range to suit all budgets and applications.
This new firmware allows you to choose the recording media that best suits your requirements from the widest selection of applicable solid-state media. We currently use 16GB and 8GB Sony SxS Express media cards. The cost of these cards means they stay with the camera and don’t leave with the producer. Our simple workflow allows us to transfer the video files to a hard drive while the shoot wraps. Now, Sony has made it easier and cheaper to shoot with the same great results.
Adaptors allow the use of readily available consumer Memory Stick & SD Card media, perfect for situations on location where a lot of media is required, or for cost-conscious clients. The new media options have some limitations, however. While possible, there have been mixed results when using the SD card media for undercranking and overcranking to create fast- and slow-motion.
The overwhelming majority of shoots are shot in “standard” frame rates like 24p, 30p and 60i, so the results from the popular and inexpensive SDHC cards will be on par with Sony’s standard media. The really interesting part, because of the low prices (about $50 for nearly an hour of media), clients and producers may now start providing their own media or just leave the shoot with these little cards in a pocket…giving rise to the potential problem of producers misplacing them with their pocket change and keys.
That’s a far cry from a producer with a box of tapes trying to get through the airport security screening.
