Can anyone recommend the best cards for the NX5? I prefer to go the SDHC route but have read about buffer error issues and wonder if Sony's own cards are a better bet. Are there any cards/brands that seem to be problematic?

Also is class 10 worth having over 6? I often work abroad for 2-4 weeks shooting daily. My own workflow is to copy everything onto two external hard drives each night, so speed could be an issue.

Incidentally I know the FMU might be a more cost effective option, but given the type of projects I work on cards have certain advantages.

Finally roughly how much footage can you get onto a 32Gb card. I know this depends on what you're shooting, but what is the ballpark?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

I can't speak to any other cards but I have been very happy with my Patriot class 10 32GB cards. It's all I use (no Sony 128GB) and I have had ZERO problems with them. I only paid $100 for each of them. not much more than a quality class 6. I get 170min out of it in Highest quality.

I've not had any buffer overflows while using Sony MemorySticks, but this might just be coincidence.

I've also not had any problems with SD cards when used on their own, without the FMU128 unit attached.

MemorySticks download a little faster than SD cards.

Cheers

Adam

Thanks Adam. When you say Sony MemorySticks which version are you using since all of the following will work in the NX5 apparently:

Memory Stick PRO Duo
Memory Stick PRO Duo (High Speed)
Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2)
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX

Can anyone recommend the best cards for the NX5? I prefer to go the SDHC route but have read about buffer error issues and wonder if Sony's own cards are a better bet. Are there any cards/brands that seem to be problematic?

Also is class 10 worth having over 6? I often work abroad for 2-4 weeks shooting daily. My own workflow is to copy everything onto two external hard drives each night, so speed could be an issue.

Incidentally I know the FMU might be a more cost effective option, but given the type of projects I work on cards have certain advantages.

Finally roughly how much footage can you get onto a 32Gb card. I know this depends on what you're shooting, but what is the ballpark?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.
hi Nigel.
ATP Pro or Transcend class 6 cards. you wont go far wrong with either of them. A lot cheaper than Patriot, (which are very thin on the ground in the UK) or other class 10 cards, and both are more than up to the job

While Class4 is the recommended, they will work just fine provided it's a SDHC card. Class-6 is "safer" and class-10 is "faster," "faster" means the time to transfer to the computer. The Class speed has nothing to do with the recordation as the cards will max out to that of the camera's write speed.

Sandisk, Kingston, Transcend, Delkin, Patriot, Verbatim.....and countless others, most will do just fine. Your best bet is to find out what others are using and if they have good results, follow that as well.

I said it before, but this is the right thread.
So, I use:
- Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2) (2 pieces of 16 GB and 3 of 8 GB)
- Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX (2 pieces of 8 GB)
Had one small "write error" but nothing more. Filled up all the cards about 4 times until now.

I can't speak to any other cards but I have been very happy with my Patriot class 10 32GB cards. It's all I use (no Sony 128GB) and I have had ZERO problems with them. I only paid $100 for each of them. not much more than a quality class 6. I get 170min out of it in Highest quality.

Where did you get your cards from Benny?

Google the following: "Patriot class 10 32GB cards"

Most retailers seem to be around the $100 range for these cards, similar in price to the Transcend 32GC6 as well.

Where did you get your cards from Benny?

Frys Electronics $100

Nigel

I've used a 16GB Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX without any grief -- cept they're fiddlier to get into the card slots than SD cards.

Adam

Because I use another camcorder that takes SDHC I'm considering getting a 32gb Sony Pro Duo card and an 32gb SDHC card and running one in each slot. Will the NX5 cope well with this or should I get identical cards?

Cristian,

Could you give us more details on the small error you've got.

If the data error occurred while you were using the camera it's need to be known. If not, it's not a concern.

I did not have a buffer overflow, but had data error myself ans since then I am always worry it will happen again.

This make me not trusting both of my NXU5 cameras and will have a uge impact on my workflow. I have two big contract in few weeks and no longer know If I should only use the camera to feed me with the video signal or to start recording on the media as well.

As service I have to offer both MPEG2 files and HD files to my clients. This camera offer this, but if it crashes, I can no longer offer this. It has to be reliable in all time. I currently have a workflow which is 99% reliable, I need the same if I am going to use the camera to record files on the fly.

I may, at some time, used four of those camera simultaniously and all of them has to be reliable.

Maybe not int this tread, but in the http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-nxcam-hxr-nx5u/474369-data-error-message.html you once contributed.


Regards!

I recently wrote to Sony asking them what cards they recommended for the NX5 and to comment on the speed differences between Memory sticks and SDHC cards. I also asked whether they knew of any issues with either card format connected with the buffer error discussed elsewhere. This is their verbatim response below (note it came through someone in their 'help desk' dept who had to refer it to a technician elsewhere):

I have been advised that the fastest memory stick is the PRO-HG Duo HX, and that they do not recommend anything below the ‘mark 2’.

I have also been advised that “Class 10 is a faster card than the PRO-HG Duo HX. Currently the Memory sticks are around 30% cheaper than the SDHC class 10 cards.”

He has also noted, “That the issue reported on the forum may not have anything to do with the type of card used and is currently being investigated in Japan, in Europe, we have had no reported issues of this kind”.

So can you use SDHC and memory card together in the NX5 and will a recording switch simultaneously from one to the other?

I have been using a Patriot 32G class 10 card with the FMU since I got my NX5U several weeks ago with no problems. The only long recording was of a two act play with Act 1 about 1 hour and Act 2 47 mins. No problems. Recording was 1080i at max rate with LPCM audio. I have kept recording each day with varying lengths to see if I have the problem that people report but so far nothing. I am careful to wait for the activity lights to go off before switching off power. The SD card activity light lakes a lot longer than the FMU activity light to go off.

Ron Evans

Have you tried editing that footage in FCP yet?

I was hearing problems that there were problems trying to log and capture long recording times, actually I was doing a time lapse video and it never imported properly in FCP.

I was told to switch the audio to Dolby and turn the GPS off and it would be fine but I never had a chance to try it, so I was wondering with your (1 hour) Act 1 footage how did you fair with editing?

See my comments on this http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-nxcam-hxr-nx5u/474960-nxcam-how-keep-avchd-version-quicker-ingest-into-fcp.html#post1507439 thread.

Have you tried editing that footage in FCP yet?

I was hearing problems that there were problems trying to log and capture long recording times, actually I was doing a time lapse video and it never imported properly in FCP.

I was told to switch the audio to Dolby and turn the GPS off and it would be fine but I never had a chance to try it, so I was wondering with your (1 hour) Act 1 footage how did you fair with editing?

Hi Fred
I edit on a PC with Edius or Vegas so do not know what FCP would be like but the posts from Daniel would be more useful for you. I tranfer to PC with the supplied Content Management software then either edit native in Vegas or at the moment convert to Canopus HQ for editing in Edius. Edius 5.5 will come out at NAB with full native playback support in multicam just like Edius Neo. Transfer of the 1 hour and 45 min show took 9 mins from the FMU and conversion took 45 mins. File sizes for Canopus HQ are much like ProRes since they do much the same in changing from a GOP format to single frame encode.

Ron Evans