Posted by: Coach Ruth | April 25, 2010

What about that little Sony MC 50?

Since returning from APTRA Prep and NAB, I had a job interview and a job offer all within the same week!  So if you’ve been waiting for an update to my NAB adventures, I apologize.  Someone reading my blog asked me to elaborate on Sony’s upcoming HXR-MC50.  Like I said previously, the Sony rep I spoke with said the camera won’t come out until June.  When I returned to the Sony booth the next day (Tuesday, April 13) and asked another Sony rep for written specs on this new camera, she said there wasn’t any (since it just announced early that week.)

While there isn’t any MC50 specs on the Sony Broadcast website right now, take a look at Sony’s VideOn site of showcased Sony products at NAB (Video on Sony’s MC50 is under the heading “Affordable HD – NXCAM, HDV & Studio Configs.”)  Here’s some Flip Video of the MC50 I took at NAB, up close and personal.  I forgot to mention that the Sony rep with whom I spoke with initially said the camera doesn’t shoot in 24p, which shouldn’t be a deal breaker for videojournalists on a shoestring budget.

Sony HXR-MC50

Sony HXR-MC50

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Posted by: Coach Ruth | April 12, 2010

Playing with Techie Toys at NAB

NAB_April 12, 2010

NAB_April 12, 2010

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I met my dream camera this morning, the Sony HXR-NX5U!  This morning, Sony announced that they’re coming out with the HXR-MC50E, which is much smaller and similar to the NX5U…BUT it’s only a 1/3-inch single chip camera.  So with just one chip, how would light sensitivity be on the MC50E?  (The NX5U is 1.5 lux.)  I was surprised to find out from the Sony rep that the MC50 will have a light sensitivity of 3 lux, the same light sensitivity as some of the three-chip Panasonic P2 cameras.  Anyway, I still need to get more details on this new “techie toy”.  Sony says the MSRP is at $2,300, but will probably retail between $1,600-1,800.  It’s small, folks…you’re going to need a stabilization counterbalance like some of the ones we saw at the Stedi-cam booth.

More on this later…we have to go back to the Expo.  See you soon! :-)

Two summers ago, San Diego City College partnered with the San Diego Roots Sustainable Project and San Diego and Garfield High Schools to create the Seeds at City Urban Farm. They composted an underutilized campus lawn and turned it into a productive, sustainable farm.

I shot, edited and produced this story on the Urban Farm in late-March.  Since then, I’ve started composting the lawn (grass and weeds) in my backyard with the idea of eating better and connecting more with the earth.  Last night, we ate beet greens (steamed and boiled), roasted beet root, and various lettuce greens, all from the Urban Farm.  (I attend City College so buying produce there from the the school’s farmers’ market every Tuesday is convenient.)  Honestly, I never thought beet greens and stalks could be so tasty, much less edible (they don’t look appetizing at the supermarket).  My family enjoyed the freshness and taste of the Urban Farm produce.

The whole organic farming concept has inspired me to learn more about becoming more self-sustaining.  Right now, I’m reading Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon’s book, Plenty:  Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet.”  The idea of understanding where our food comes from, how many miles it must travel from farm to plate, and what impact those choices make on the environment appeals to me.

Seeds at City Urban Farm

Seeds at City Urban Farm

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