First time buyer

[Edward Kiernan]

Hi,

I'm about to upgrade to a Sony EX1R. This is a whole new world of camera for me having previously just used a little JVC GY HM-100.

I know that the SxS memory cards for the EX1R are quite expensive, between £650-700 for the 64GB cards. I know that there is now an adapter that lets you use the cheaper SD cards, but I've heard this can sometimes cause problems in the recording.

I was wondering if it made more sense to simply stump up the extra cash for the nanoFlash and two 64GB compact flash cards?

Do you still need an SxS card in the camera or can you simply record straight to the nanoFlash through the HD-SDI output?

Thanks for your help. This is forum really is a wealth of information.

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Edward,

Having an SxS card in your Sony EX1R has some advantages.

You can record reduntantly.

You can use Record Run timecode in the EX1R so both start and stop recording simultaneously.
But, you typically need one or two SxS cards with enought capacity to record the entire length of the event. Otherwise, when the camera stops recording when the card(s) fill up, the timecode stops, and the nanoFlash stops.

If you do not trigger the nanoFlash on incrementing timecode, then when the camera stops running the nanoFlash continues to record. But you will have to manually start the nanoFlash.

And the disadvantage is the cost of the SxS cards.


Yes, you can record on the nanoFlash without the camera being in record mode.
As long as the camera is on, and the HD-SDI output is active, you can record on the nanoFlash.

[Garrett Low]

Hi Edward and welcome to the forum,

As an EX3 and nanoFlash owner I'll give you my two cents. First, the adapters and SDHC cards work great for me. I have only had a couple of problems and that was before updating to the latest firmware. Since updating my camera I haven't had a single problem. Another thing to consider is that the new SxS -1 cards are about half the price of the SxS Pro cards. I would recommend having enough cards to be able to capture whatever length of program you need without having to cycle cards on location. That, in my opinion, is the number one place where problems will occur.

When shooting to my nanoFlash, which is approximately 95% of the time, I always simultaneously record to SxS (or usually Adapters using SDHC cards). This isn't so much because of error concerns but more for peace of mind and I'm a nut for redundant systems. I've never had a problem with the footage from either but it's a practice I'll keep doing.

The main reason I use the nanoFlash is for the quality gains. I shoot a lot of independent movies and or fast action events with a lot of colors so the quality advantages of the NF are apparent in most of the stuff I shoot. With that in mind, I almost always shoot I-Frame only at 220Mbps or 280Mbps. That means that the per minute cost of CF cards is actually higher than SxS cards. It's amazing how fast those 64GB cards get filled up.

I don't think there is actually any costs savings by using the NF (remember you need to also get new batteries to power the NF or NF+Camera) but for me the quality improvement is worth it. I recently shot a dance recital using the NF. The studio had set up a large flat screen monitor in the ready room that was receiving a live feed of stage. That was how the dancers and helpers know where they were in the program. During a break between shows I decided to check some footage and plugged my NF to watch a few seconds. Several of the mothers and dancers were still hanging around and saw it. They were blown away by the quality. One lady said that it was the most lifelike thing she'd ever seen on a TV. If you ever want to be blown away just do that, take a feed directly into a large monitor from the NF. With the EX 1/3+NF you'll be amazed.

Also, as a side note, CD has the best customer service I've ever experienced from any manufacturer.

-Garrett

[Edward Kiernan]

Hi Dan and Garett,

Thank you guys so much for the info.

Garrett - Good to hear that the adapter works well with the SDHC cards. Is there any particular brand of SDHC card that you would recommend? Or are they all pretty similar?

If I have to buy both the memory cards for the camera, the nanoFlash + cards and the batteries (I'd forgotten about those) I may have to wait on the nanoFlash. Still I look forward to one day being amazed by the footage that EX1 and nanoFlash produce.

Again you guys have been most helpful. As a newcomer to this forum I really appreciate all the time and effort everyone takes in replying to questions.

Best,

Ed

[Garrett Low]

I have a few different ones I use. But mostly I've stuck with the Sandisk Extreme Class 10 cards. All my cards are 16GB which seem to give a good length of record time. Not too long but long enough so I don't have to swap cards at inopportune times. I've also got a few Kingston CL6 cards that have not failed me.

There are a number of different posts on here talking about which cards people have used with success.

The other thing I forgot to mention about the NF is that you'll need a way to mount it to your camera. I use Westside AV's mounting arm (made be fellow DVInfo member Olof Ekbergh). There are a number of options out there but it's another cost to add to the fun.

For my NF I use Photofast and Transcend 64GB cards. Can't wait until the 128GB cards come out and drop a little in price.

-Garrett

[Gints Klimanis]

Check the Sony XDCAM forum for the threads on SDHC :
Sony XDCAM EX CineAlta Forum at DVinfo.net

There is a lot of talk on SDHC cards, but I favor quality : the Sandisk Extreme (Class 10) series with write speeds of 30 MB/sec or greater

Transcend was a favorite until it became impossible to distinguish their quality product (Single Level Cell - SLC) (green stripe) from their inferior product (Multi Level Cell - MLC) (red stripe). As customers, we have no idea as to the cause of the Transcend quality control problems and when/if they were resolved.

Most of the problems with the SDHC adapters were caused by user error in which recording was stopped and restarted before the EX camera had finished writing to the device. I would wager that higher-speed flash cards have larger in-card fast memory buffers and top notch memory controller chips that would help speed up the data flushing process.

[Edward Kiernan]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the info. I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time on the Sony XDCAM forum.

It hadn't occurred to me that I would need an extra mount for the nanoFlash. I'd assumed that it would go on the front mount of the camera. But then of course there would be times when I'd need that for a mic receiver or a maybe a light. More fun things to ponder.

Cheers,
Ed

[David Schott]

Hi Edward,

We use the Hoodman SXS adapter and SD cards, they work well. We haven't ahd any problems so far with them. I also have a couple extra sandisk extreme cards. I think the MXM adapter will now allow 64GB SD cards, not sure about that though. It might be worth checking out. The Hoodman adapter is maxed out at 32, although I haven't tried using 64's...

Hoodman Link: RAW SxSxSDHC Memory Adapter-Hoodman Corporation

[Edward Kiernan]

Thanks David, I'll check out the Hoodman's as well.

[Simon Wood]

Originally Posted by Edward Kiernan

Hi guys,

Thanks for the info. I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time on the Sony XDCAM forum.

It hadn't occurred to me that I would need an extra mount for the nanoFlash. I'd assumed that it would go on the front mount of the camera. But then of course there would be times when I'd need that for a mic receiver or a maybe a light. More fun things to ponder.

Cheers,
Ed

I always have a light mounted on my cameras hot shoe, so mounting the nanoflash there is not possible (though my camera has a plate on the back that I will modify to do the job).

One simple alternative might be a hot shoe extension bar, that allows you to mount 2 accessories (you'd just have to work out the optimum placement to balance them). If you search for 'hot shoe extension' in ebay you'll find some examples.

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Friends,

If I remember correctly, the EX1R has two Hot/Cold Shoes.

The one on the back of the camera is just perfect for mounting the nanoFlash via a Hotshoe Ball Mount, which is included in our nanoFlash Bundle.

[Garrett Low]

The EX1/r and EX3 all have two shoes. They can definitely be used to attach the nanoFlash using any standard shoe to 1/4x20 mount such as the one included in the bundle. For me, I wanted to get as much weight as I could back behind the camera so when I do use it shoulder mounted it's better balanced. I also like having it farther back when on a tripod so I can easily see the NF display from behind. The rear shoe is also where I typically like to have my wireless receiver so that one is usually taken.

Alternative mounting hardware is not a must get item when purchasing the NF so it's something you can take your time and really research how each option would best suite your shooting style.

-Garrett