Memory card and external recorder for PXW-Z90.

[Bill Ackerman]

Agreed with all those who agree about using the two internal cards. If you imagine all the different scenarios for failure with an external recorder vs. internal cards, my bet would be that the connectors and cable between the camera and the external recorder are the weakest links. I've never had a card failure that resulted in a loss of critical footage (even the time when an SD card fell in a mud puddle when ejecting - I was still able to recover everything). But I've had at least a dozen cables go bad - the connectors and cables are constantly exposed to abuse.

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[Anthony McErlean]

Thanks for the sound advice Ricky and Bill.

[Jeff Pulera]

I don't have access to camera or cards at this moment, but the Sony you linked to looks like what I use. I have the 64GB cards. I actually do NOT use dual-recording, and have never lost any footage recording to one SD card.

As for card size to use, there are arguments for and against large cards. One can use 2 or 3 smaller cards throughout the day, maybe 1 for preps, 1 for ceremony, and 1 for reception, the idea being that IF a card goes bad, someone runs off with camera, or it falls in the lake or whatever...at least you have SOME footage on the other cards. Although you then have to make sure you don't misplace the little buggers!

If you use 1 large card for the entire day, and card gets corrupted, damaged, or lost, you have NOTHING. Unless of course you are dual recording. And camera is not lost/destroyed.

SD cards became the recording medium of choice for still photogs long before SD was common for video recording, and I guess based on how photogs I worked with were handling their media, I took a liking to the idea of changing SD cards throughout the day and hiding them, such as in the car or in a card wallet on your person. If you put all the SD cards in a camera bag and a thief runs off with it, camera gear is replaceable but the footage is not.

I don't have all the answers, as each person will have their own methods and preferences of securing data. There are now portable hard drive units that have an SD card slot, allowing user to remove card from camera and immediately copy to HD without needing a laptop. That's another backup/safety option.

While I enjoy using Atomos recorder units for stationary shooting (stage events using tripod), I would not want to run around hand-held with such a unit tied a small camera!

Thanks

Jeff

[Anthony McErlean]

Hi Jeff, thanks for all that, if I bought the camera, I would be thinking along the lines of dual-recording and a 128GB card in the 2nd slot as backup and swap out a few 32GB cards until wedding recording was complete. I like you, don't want to have all the eggs in the one basket :)

Thanks everyone for all the advice.

How long does one battery last on the Z90?
I'm used to my vlock battery's.
One battery would last me most of the day on my PMW320.

[Cliff Totten]

Recording to two quality SDXC cards at once is reasonably reliable. The odds of one card going bad are somewhat slim but the odds of two cards going bad at the same time is very slim.

You are probably more likely to trip over the bride's dress and destroy your camera in the fall than losing two good cards on the same recording.

I have a fantastic app I found that will do a write and verify diagnostic for SD cards. This app will literally look for and identify any bad memory cells that your card could have. It takes about an hour to map and test one 64gig card but its worth it to see the cards health.

Im in the airport heading home from NAB so Ill post the testing app when I get home.

[Anthony McErlean]

Hi Cliff, thanks goes to you too, well, if you don't mind that would be great, thanks.

Anthony.

[Jeff Pulera]

I should clarify that I don't actually own the X70 - my buddy owns it, and I get to use it whenever needed, which is several times a year.

In regards to this comment - "dual-recording and a 128GB card in the 2nd slot as backup and swap out a few 32GB cards" - not sure it works that way. There are complex folder structures on the SD cards and files are written a certain way to them. Since dual recording writes the same info to both cards, not so sure you can do it the way you intend, rather you would use two same-size cards and swap them in pairs. I could be wrong, but makes sense to me. I really don't know for certain.

As for battery life, on the X70 the larger battery shows about 3 hours I believe? Not bad at all, I can make it through a wedding day on two batteries usually.

Thanks

Jeff

[Anthony McErlean]

Originally Posted by Jeff Pulera

...rather you would use two same-size cards and swap them in pairs. I could be wrong, but makes sense to me. I really don't know for certain.

OK, you could be right there, that makes sense. and the battery life isn't too bad at all.

Thank you Jeff.

[Dan Gunn]

I will probably start an argument here with my comment! The ONLY PLACE I buy cards or batteries is B&H and I only buy the OEM brand. I have received counterfeits twice from Amazon. I have a counterfeit Sony FV100 battery sitting on my desk as I type. It failed last week. Amazon will take care of me but what if I had been shooting a wedding and it failed during the wedding vows. It takes a few seconds or longer to change a battery. Now, we will hear all the success stories about cheaper batteries and discount sellers. It is just not worth the gamble to save money. I have been sued. Luckily, I had insurance but It still cost me a lot of money and time. BTW, I always set my camera to record to both cards simultaneously.

[Ricky Sharp]

I am the same; only name brand items and all my gear comes from B&H. Doesn't matter that one can pick up equipment for much less. I personally like piece of mind and knowing exactly what I'm getting.

[Doug Jensen]

That is a good point about B&H. It's important to purchase cards from known retailers because there a counterfeit cards out there that are not what the label says they are.