What software

Okay so I am going to rent the Sony PMW-EX3. I was wondering what software I need to to edit the footage. Like do I need something special to transfer the footage? Right now I have Vegas Movie Studio HD 11 for windows.
 
"Transfer" is the term that Sony's software uses on its proprietary software. Some computers can import the EX3 files but the files aren't usable by an editing program unless they're imported with a transfer utility. They show up as BPAV files.

Crackerfunk, my guess is you're not very familiar with the EX line. The idea of a thread like this is to an answer the OP's question and also lay out the info needed for anyone who else who has the same question. And in such case, it's important for anyone using an EX3 or EX1 to know about workflow... about how the SxS cards aren't automatically understood by all computers. If someone is hustling to a separate location with freshly record SxS cards while someone else is still using the Sony camera back on set, the first person needs to know what kind of set up will be needed to make that transfer of footage possible. It's a common situation.

Uhh, yeah, I'll refer you to my previous post. The OP is editing on PC, and he's using SONY SOFTWARE. And according to the user manual, when you simply plug the camera in, it will be recognized like any other drive.

Which is how all modern cameras work with all modern PCs.

Dude. I understand that SxS cards are not recognized by all computers. But I'm not talking about plugging the card into any computers' built-in reader (which probably needs a driver). I'm talking about plugging-in the damn camera, and according to the user manual, it needs no driver. It will be read as a drive.

Which is how all modern cameras work with all modern PCs.

My guess is that you're not very familiar with PCs. Seriously, dude. You're talking out of your Mac-hole. :P
 
Nice try at being slick, but, no, I'm not actually using a Mac. To the point, though, if you think that all PC editing systems will work as they should, then you haven't been around video editing enough. Any number of hardware or software conflicts can occur. And when they do, it can be daunting to a new user.

And once again, since you seem to like overlooking this point, I'll reiterate that I typed a general response -- a general one -- so that anyone who encounters issues, even while on a Sony-based editing suite, which has been known to perform erratically, will know that there is an easy link to download a solid transfer program, should they run into software snags and devolve into a panic. It was a definite issue for EX1 users and it's occurred in some EX3 workflows. Sony, Mac, Adobe, FCP, etc. They all experienced it. The computer recognizes the camera, but the imported files aren't usable. The best blanket guidance is to use the Transfer program. It's small. It's free. If someone doesn't need it, great. But everyone who's trying the EX line should at least know about it.

Your posts seem defiant, mate. Not sure if you're frustrated by the outside world and you see these threads as a place to vent, but you need to lighten up. This is all about trying to provide helpful information to a wide range of people. You seem to enjoy showing off your edginess rather than objectively creating solutions.
 
Having worked with EX- footage in the past, I can tell you it's quite often not as simple as simply opening up footage as you would DSLR. It is reminiscent somewhat of P2 footage. Yes, the drive gets seen as any other drive - I've used an SxS card reader with Alexa footage and that's exactly how it comes up - just as any other drive would. That's great, but the issue is when it gets to the edit. With an Alexa, you simply have ProRes Quicktime files that go straight into FCP or Avid via AMA. With EX cameras, you havea BPAV files that you generally need to conform in some way to your editing program. Avid will work with it natively via AMA, in FCP you need to Log and Transfer. In Vegas, I'm not sure what the procedure is but it is quite possible that you would need to go through the same process to be able to use the footage. Yes, dumping the footage is just like any other drive, but actually being able to use and edit the footage is often a different story.

Now, as Vegas is Sony software, I would imagine it would play well with Sony footage, but as I've never used Vegas with those cameras, and tbh haven't used Vegas in over 5 years, I can't speak with much authority. All I can speak of is my experience, and knowing that both myself and others have encountered issues with not being able to simply use the footage (as it is not simply MOV files) I can only point to a possible issue. As always, YMMV, but IMO it is folly to disregard potential problems as things that 'probably won't cause an issue' - to me that's unprepared filmmaking, you should always have a solution to everything that could go wrong, and your post path should not simply be 'the computer should be okay with the files - I've never tested or tried it but it's probably okay, some people on the internet said so'.

So, test the workflow yourself before you shoot anything.
 
Nice try at being slick, but, no, I'm not actually using a Mac. To the point, though, if you think that all PC editing systems will work as they should, then you haven't been around video editing enough. Any number of hardware or software conflicts can occur. And when they do, it can be daunting to a new user.

And once again, since you seem to like overlooking this point, I'll reiterate that I typed a general response -- a general one -- so that anyone who encounters issues, even while on a Sony-based editing suite, which has been known to perform erratically, will know that there is an easy link to download a solid transfer program, should they run into software snags and devolve into a panic. It was a definite issue for EX1 users and it's occurred in some EX3 workflows. Sony, Mac, Adobe, FCP, etc. They all experienced it. The computer recognizes the camera, but the imported files aren't usable. The best blanket guidance is to use the Transfer program. It's small. It's free. If someone doesn't need it, great. But everyone who's trying the EX line should at least know about it.

Your posts seem defiant, mate. Not sure if you're frustrated by the outside world and you see these threads as a place to vent, but you need to lighten up. This is all about trying to provide helpful information to a wide range of people. You seem to enjoy showing off your edginess rather than objectively creating solutions.

How was I being slick? You kept mentioning Macs and Mac software, it's a pretty easy assumption that you work on Mac.

The OP didn't ask a general question. He asked a specific question, and your "generalized" response was misleading, because you were answering the question from the perspective of someone editing on Mac. I've been upfront in explaining that my response does not come from having used this camera, but from reading the user manual. What's wrong with that? How is it bad for me to relay that according to the documentation of the camera, there should be no issue dumping the footage onto the computer? And as far as importing the footage into Vegas, there also shouldn't be any issues, because it's the same damn company!

I've had private communications with the OP, and based on the hardware he's working with, I've advised him to transcode the footage with Cineform. And that will definitely be easy to import into Vegas.

I'm answering specific questions that have been asked by one specific person. How is that tantamount to being either defiant or edgy or venting? I'm helping the dude. You're not.

I also don't appreciate what appears to be a personal attack against me. That's not cool.

Desperado, the SxS card is your removable memory card. Also, you totally could have googled that. :P
 
Have you never used the EX-3 before? I hope you're not planning on operating it yourself. Spending that money on renting a camera, like that, which definitely requires some getting used to, without having someone with experience to operate it is a bad idea.

I agree. Without the expertise needed to take full advantage of a camera like this, a less-expensive, more easily-accessible camera will produce the same results.
 
Ok so I was reading last years official rules. And the technical part says: Video files must be provided in one of the following file formats: .MPEG; .MOV; .AVI; or .WMV

Is that a problem with the camera I choosed?
 
I'm helping the dude. You're not.



Once again, you're wrong. You think you're helping and you think I'm simultaneously not helping....... but you actually have no firm idea whether workflow will function as you instructed. You could be setting someone up for disaster; whereas I'm encouraging this guy (and anyone who poses a similar scenario) to play it safe when choosing the Sony EX line. The safety exists in opting for the course of action that so many EX users have adopted....... to utilize the free proprietary transfer software. Unless, I can be on site to troubleshoot when this guy's workflow goes sour, I want to give him (and others like him) the statistically best possible chance to succeed. You have the myopia to claim that my advice is me "not" helping him. Open your eyes. Learn how productions work.



I also don't appreciate what appears to be a personal attack against me. That's not cool.



I wasn't attacking you. I was noting how antagonistic your remarks are and theorizing as to why this may be the case. Rather than taking your negative behavior personally, I chose to give you the benefit of the doubt. You're welcome for that courtesy.

All in all, it's laughable that you're telling me what's "not cool" considering that in a recent thread you questioned my neutral comments by hitting me with an unprovoked "Fuck me in the ass!" comment. You want start advising people on what's cool? First demonstrate that you can control your own belligerence.
 
It's so frustrating to read this, because both of you are making perfect sense but seem to refuse to accept that you're both offering sound advice.

And, either way, your advice is likely to be redundant, because the Sony EX-3 is not the perfect camera to jump in with (especially not for a 48 hour film project). I was using it every day for a couple of months and I was still not wholly confident about the footage I shot with it. It's not *difficult* as cameras go, but don't expect to master it in a weekend.
 
All in all, it's laughable that you're telling me what's "not cool" considering that in a recent thread you questioned my neutral comments by hitting me with an unprovoked "Fuck me in the ass!" comment. You want start advising people on what's cool? First demonstrate that you can control your own belligerence.

:lol:

I knew you were taking this accross threads. My comments in that other thread are an extreme expression of disbelief. Maybe you don't like the colorful language, but it's definitely not an attack on you, as a person. Some of your comments in this thread are negative comments about me, personally. There's a clear distinction.

To get back on topic, Desperado, I think Nick is offering really good advice. A different camera might be more advisable (besides being more affordable). And the Doritos challenge is notorious for accepting submissions that don't have the greatest production values. Ironically, you might actually produce better results with a less-expensive, more easily-accessible camera. It's something to consider. :)
 
I know everyone is wanting me to get a new camera but I want this camera. Yea I am not going to master it in a day. No I am not going to know what every button mean. But I am going to give it my all to get the best shots. I have all of you guys here for help lol. You gotta start somewhere and I am starting with this camera and project. I don't think Taratino or Robert Rodriguez ( the one man band) knew anything when they first started. It is something I want to do. Something that I will learn from. So thanks for all the advice. And trust me if I run into any problems the day I am shooting, you guys will be the first. Also Cracker Funk and MarkKnightRises please stop fighting. Thanks
 
As is always said, it is not the camera body, it is ther artist behind it. You could rent an Alexa and you still wouldn't get great footage. IMO, it is folly to spend money renting a camera if the image at the other end is going to look no better than what you could've shot on your iPhone for free.

As well, Rodriguez began working on 16mm, so he needed at least a grasp on light and how light worked, how to expose etc. 16mm cameras are relatively easy to use as well, and as long as you have a ight meter in your hand it's pretty damn simple to get useable results.
On a Sony EX series, I couldn't say the same. Hell, I've seen $40k broadcast cameras sh*t themselves when the iris hs been left on auto (sunny day, camera couldn't figure out what to expose for so it was constantly switching from one aperture to the next; cameraman had never used the camera before and didn't realise one tiny switch changed to auto aperture, footage was completely unuseable), let alone Sony EX-series.

Yes you have to start learning somewhere, but there's no reason that learning has to start with an outlay of money to rent a camera. Using your iPhone or borrowing your friends DSLR will at least get you thinking about light, without worrying too much about how to use the camera. On the day, you want to be worrying about how the image looks, and getting everything shot. You don't want to spend 45 minutes trying to figure out how to turn the auto iris off.

Just my 2c.
 
Desperado, if you're determined to make the EX3 work for you, I'm sure you'll succeed. Just give yourself at least a full day to shoot test footage and then tinker with it in post. You'll then learn the limits of what your camera can do visually, how easily you're keeping things in focus, whether tight shots jitter too much for you off sticks, etc. The key is to understand the menu -- where to find things like frame rate, frame size, audio channels. Also you'll want to know about servo zoom, manual focus, etc. Certain outside buttons are in odd places. White balance, presets, and so forth. Try to learn enough about the layout so that if you suddenly discover your audio meters are reading zilch on set, you can quickly toggle the appropriate setting. The EX3 is pretty simple in its default modes, but once you bump something out of default, you might have trouble navigating Sony's odd menu choices to remedy the problem.


To Crackerfunk, your attempts to justify your rude behavior while crying foul about your own supposed mistreatment is beyond hypocritical. As with your other posts, a pattern is emerging where you're clearly more interested in appearing right than being right. It's obvious you won't stop wasting space until you feel you've been awarded the last word. So, like we did before, I'll let you have the last word. In the unlikely event that you actually make a relevant point about using equipment you've never truly used, I'll honor it with a reply. Otherwise, my silence indicates you're still not qualified to be dishing out film advice.
 
And there's another personal attack. MarkKnight, have you noticed that not once have I said anything disparaging against you?

The only claims I've made are ones that can be verified as true.

I claimed that, according to the documentation, he should need no software to dump the footage onto his hard drive.

I claimed that it's very likely that Vegas will handle the footage, though I have not seen this in any documentation, nor have I pretended that my assertion that it will most likely work is from anything other than a guess, based on the fact that they're both Sony. Nor have I made any gaurantee that it will import the footage.

I did, however, assure the OP that Vegas WILL import and edit the footage, if he transcodes to Cineform first. And since his computer isn't all that powerful, it will be a really good idea to transcode anyway.

How is any of this advice bad? Stop making personal attacks, dude.
 
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