EA50 and Class 4 SDHC

[Jody Arnott]

Hey guys,

I got my EA50 today! Here is my first of what will probably be many questions :)

What type of SD cards does everyone use? I picked up a couple of Sandisk 32GB SDHC cards today, and it wasn't until I got them home and opened the packets that I realised I stupidly picked up class 4 cards instead of class 10.

Class 4 is good for 32mbit/s according to Wikipedia. At 1080p/50, the EA50 records at 28mbit/s I believe... so theoretically it should be fine. But just to be sure, does anyone successfully use Class 4 SD cards with their EA50

Thanks :)

[Noa Put]

All my cards are class 10 and while class 4 might do, I wouldn't be using it on a paid shoot.

[James Manford]

Jody just take a loss and re-sell them on ebay.

Get class 10 and nothing less for video. Especially paid shoots!

[Jody Arnott]

Yeah that's what I was thinking. However, I was reading the EA50 manual last night and it does recommend Class 4 or higher SD Cards..

I might do some testing. Thanks guys.

[Iain P. Johnston]

I have two Sony NX5s and a Sony PMW 320 and now as NEX 50 and only use Sandisk 32 Gig Class 10

I had a bad experience and lost footage on a Transend Card, so pay a little bit more and get good cards!

[Bill Koehler]

Even if the cards you have work flawlessly, they will also be slow to transfer footage to your computer. You really will be happier with something faster.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Jody

In theory Class 4 were suggested for cameras up to 17 mbps ... I shoot a lot of stuff at the lower bitrate when I do Realty Condition Reports as they don't have to be sparkling HD quality but I still use Class 10 cards anyway.

Maybe use them for a few test shoots and non important stuff if you can't sell them or keep them for emergency backup?? I think I would be quite happy to have a Class 4 card if my Class 10 failed rather than absolutely no card at all. They might also work well in your still camera??

Chris

[Jody Arnott]

I've been doing some testing today and haven't run into any issues. But you're right, it's not worth the risk when doing important work.

Speaking of important work.. After using dual SD cards for so long, it makes me a bit nervous only having one. I wonder if those mirrored memory sticks are worth looking at...

[Chris Harding]

Hi Jody

They are pretty pricey!! So far I haven't had any issues on either camera but it seems to make more sense to buy the FMU 128 rather than have a batch of Mirror Cards.

If you are interested I have two 16GB Sony mirror cards that have never been used ?? Just bear in mind that used in mirror mode the card capacity drops by half so you would need a 64GB card to get back to 32GB

From Global Media in NZ the FMU is AUS$599.00 and of course, they are reusable!!!

The Duo 32GB cards from them are quite pricey at AUS$185.00 each so 8 of those to get to 128GB (in mirror mode) would be a LOT more money even in standard mode compared to the FMU price!!

Chris

[Marlon Martins]

SD card class specify the minimum velocity it can achieve. i have used some old class 2 cards with no problem (at 28mbps). when changing the card/power up, the camera do a speed test to make sure the card can keep up. if not, it will trow a error.

use a program like h2testw to test write speeds. some cards are much faster than the class it is.

[Dmitri Zigany]

Not sure what class they are but I use ones that are labeled as "45mb/s".
The faster they are, not only do they work better in camera, but the faster I get them into the computer afterwards!

[Peter Rush]

I took a deep breath and bought the FMU - Ridiculous price for what it is but... the peace of mind is worth it - I record to the FMU and a 64GB SD card - I can film all day worry-free whereas before I split across several cards to minimise the risk.

The FMU is a better alternative to the mirroring cards - certainly cheaper and the data copies across nice and quick :)

Pete

[Bill Koehler]

Originally Posted by Marlon Martins

use a program like h2testw to test write speeds. some cards are much faster than the class it is.

And I have a couple cards that while adequate, are slower than labeled.

[Steven Digges]

I not only use fast cards, I do not buy discount no name cards. Because several years ago I had two cards fail on me in the same day on the same shoot. They were made by in/out data. I was able to recover the images (stills) but I learned my lesson. I usually get SanDisk or Lexar now.

Believe it or not I still have two IBM Micro Drives. A one gig spinning CF II sized spinning hard drive. They were $400.00 each at the time. Anybody remember those? I don't use them but they still work :)

Steve

[Phil Goetz]

Long live Delkin Devices and Hoodman brand cards.