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I don't think it's my imagination, but I'm suddenly seeing a whole lot more of Sony's new IMX format on television productions around town. One look around the sets and locations of NBC's Fear Factor and MTV's The Real World confirms the arrival of the MSW-900, a serious new IMX-based camcorder, in what has been staunchly analog Betacam SP territory for years.
Wexler Video, a major rental facility in Los Angeles, reports a near total migration to the IMX format among its reality program-based clientele. One likely reason is a simple matter of production workflow. The efficient format offers faster-than-realtime transfers in PAL and NTSC between IMX servers and VCRs. The format also supports the transfer of files via MXF files, a boon to reality-show producers who require editorial teams (typically consisting of twenty editors or more) to execute multiple operations simultaneously.
From a shooter's perspective, the MSW-900 is a lightweight and robust ENG/EFP camcorder that fits nicely into this new and enhanced workflow. The efficient MPEG-2, 50Mbps, 4:2:2 system underlies the camera's other compelling advantages for the pro-level shooter and craftsman.
At the basic level, the MSW-900 is a camcorder with three 2/3in. CCDs that offers true 16:9/4:3 capability in both progressive 30p and interlaced 60i modes. The camera's high performance may be attributed in part to Sony's latest-generation Power HAD EX CCDs. The new chipset in itself ought to make the camera of significant interest to higher-end ENG and "reality show" shooters.
I recently put the MSW-900 camcorder to work on a challenging shoot for St. Joseph Communications of Tehachapi, Calif. Entailing a series of low-light interviews inside an historic chapel, the project demon-strated admirably the superior imaging capabilities of the new IMX model.
12-bit A/D quantization
Looking at sheer performance, the camera's low noise and high sensitivity allowed for a more natural...