SDHC substitute for SxS cards

[Evan Meades]

Hi Gints, I only have a EX3 so I don't know but I would think so after you upgrade your firmware.

Evan

[Alex Raskin]

Originally Posted by Evan Meades

... this card reader "successfully" works in my EX3 ...
I can't believe there hasn't been more comment on these readers...

Hey Evan, I've ordered and will, hopefully, receive mine soon.

We'll see how they stack up against good ol' Kensingtons :)

[C.S. Michael]

Evan, thanks for your posts. After my Kensington order failed, I ordered a couple of the "generics" also. I'll report when they arrive.

[Paul Newman]

There appears to be good stock of cards in the UK, maybe I should start an export agency. Ha Ha!

Paul

[Gints Klimanis]

Originally Posted by Evan Meades

Hi Gints, I only have a EX3 so I don't know but I would think so after you upgrade your firmware.
Evan

Thanks, Evan. I know many wrote that you needed the firmware upgrade to 1.11, but since so many people were posting without mentioning the upgrade, I thought I might be lucky with my EX1. My Kensington arrived today. I tried it with a Sandisk Extreme III 16GB , but the EX1 showed the message "unrecognized media". Both card slots were greyed out in the Format menu item.

[Vincent Oliver]

Looking through the posts within this thread it strikes me that people are prepared to buy a high quality camera (EX1/EX3) but when it comes to the item that matters, i.e. the media on which to record your creative work, then we are looking for a cheap alternative?

I am sure that none of the pro users are going to tell their clients, "actually I have used a low cost media so I will reduce my fee". I know the Sony media is overpriced, but then are so many other things in life, if you want the best then it does come at a price.

When I first started out as a stills photographer, I purchased a Nikon camera and then looked for a cheap lens (Vivitar or Tamron). In the long run it was a false economy, the images lacked that extra something. OK, so I eventually had to dig deeper into my pocket and buy Nikkor lenses, but having confidence in your equipment has to be a high priority.

Yes, there are several combinations of SDHC, readers that don't work and a couple that do, trawl through this thread and you will find them. Just remember that when you have your shot set up and your talent waiting for the "ACTION" cue, will you be confident that you are going to have a trouble free capture.

I have had a complete U-turn on my thoughts since first looking at this thread, I will be buying Sony media in future, just because it gives me peace of mind - I have enough to think about on a production without having to worry if I am going to get an ERROR message on my next take.

[Peter Kraft]

A guy who later became a close friend to me told me a sentence after I had learnt
English for three years only at school. I shall never forget his words:

There is no such thing like a free meal.

[Raul Rooma]

Mainly you're right ..and I think most of EX1-3 users agree with it. Of course SXS is always safer and we all do important recordings on it. As my dealer said - memory card for EX1 must be taken as part of camera - When you gonna purchase camera take it with memory what you think you need anyway. And that's the price of your system. But thanks to nice community we have little another option... maybe for just safe to know that you have more recording time.

best regards

Raul

[Dean Harrington]

The vast majority of my work is done in standard frame rates. I'm using SDHC for much of that now and I'm tickled pink that I can do so. The whole point is to have as many reliable recordable cards as possible! I use SXS for slowmo.

[Andy Wilkinson]

There are some (two) early reports on the web that this might work for all but overcranking in a similar way to the Kensington. More information will come no doubt come soon (or just google it).

Expresscard Multi-card Adapter

[Alex Raskin]

Originally Posted by Vincent Oliver

I will be buying Sony media in future, just because it gives me peace of mind - I have enough to think about on a production without having to worry if I am going to get an ERROR message on my next take.

Is there statistical data available that shows SxS to be more reliable than SDHC if you do not overcrank?

I'm not aware of such, and my experience shows SDHC to be completely error-free so far.

As for emotional approach, here's another story that may be quoted. (Very applicable to the current economic situation, too, unfortunately.) JP Morgan (the person, not bank) was once asked by a panicked investor, "What should I do with my stocks? I'm so nervous I can't sleep at night!" - to which Morgan replied: "Sell down to the sleeping point."

So yeah, if you are uncomfortable with SDHC, by all means do what feels right to you.

Back to the technical side of it, so far I haven't seen any practical evidence of SDHC being inferior in reliability to SxS though.

[Harm Millaard]

I got a bit worried about the posts that the Kensington's might be discontinued, especially since the B&H site mentioned explicitly that the card reader was discontinued. If there is any truth to those rumors, where can I get them in the future was my thinking? Ordered 4 from Dell and 4 from another company and I now have 8 Kensington's for two cameras. Even if one breaks or malfunctions for whatever reason, I will be good for a long time and possibly have an additional safeguard against losing those small SDHC cards, since I can keep them inserted in the Kensington's.

The question really is, are we not overly influenced in our behavior and purchasing decisions by these kind of rumors? I feel I may have been overly cautious by getting 8 of them.

[Perrone Ford]

Originally Posted by Vincent Oliver

Looking through the posts within this thread it strikes me that people are prepared to buy a high quality camera (EX1/EX3) but when it comes to the item that matters, i.e. the media on which to record your creative work, then we are looking for a cheap alternative?

Then you've missed the point altogether. This is enabling technology. The camera (and the media) are enabling amateur or indie pros to shoot VERY high level HD footage at a reasonable price. Nothing more, nothing less.

Originally Posted by Vincent Oliver

I am sure that none of the pro users are going to tell their clients, "actually I have used a low cost media so I will reduce my fee". I know the Sony media is overpriced, but then are so many other things in life, if you want the best then it does come at a price.

The "best" what? My clients define best as what they see on the screen. Never once have they asked me what brand of media I am shooting on. And as far as reducing my fee, there is no need. However, if my clients want me to shoot 3 hours of footage in HQ 1080p then I can either use SDHC and accept the work, or tell them they must hire out (which they cannot afford to do). So for my clients, it's a matter of me either accommodating their needs, or not being able to.

Originally Posted by Vincent Oliver

When I first started out as a stills photographer, I purchased a Nikon camera and then looked for a cheap lens (Vivitar or Tamron). In the long run it was a false economy, the images lacked that extra something. OK, so I eventually had to dig deeper into my pocket and buy Nikkor lenses, but having confidence in your equipment has to be a high priority.

How on earth is this even a fair or relative comparison? I'll pay you US$1M if you can tell the difference in the 1080p or 720p footage I capture on SxS versus SDHC. I have the UTMOST confidence in my gear. If I didn't, I wouldn't shoot with it. Period.

Originally Posted by Vincent Oliver

Yes, there are several combinations of SDHC, readers that don't work and a couple that do, trawl through this thread and you will find them. Just remember that when you have your shot set up and your talent waiting for the "ACTION" cue, will you be confident that you are going to have a trouble free capture.

Yes. I am confident. And in the dozen or so jobs I've shot on SDHC, not once have I had a moment's concern that it was not going to work. Much of my work is event work. If I don't get it the first time, I don't get it. And I am VERY pleased with the SDHC solution. MUCH more so than I was with tape, or even my Firestore which I still use for long-form recording.

Originally Posted by Vincent Oliver

I have had a complete U-turn on my thoughts since first looking at this thread, I will be buying Sony media in future, just because it gives me peace of mind - I have enough to think about on a production without having to worry if I am going to get an ERROR message on my next take.

If Sony media gives you peace of mind, then have at it. I'd be far more worried about an actor blowing a line, a boom mike getting into frame, or a bulb blowing on set, than my SDHC solution suddenly throwing an error message. Not to say it won't happen, but it happens with ANY recording media. Ask any film operator how many times they have seen or heard of film mis-registration, breakage, or other malady. Or those who recorded onto tape dealing with mangled tape in harsh environments or cold. None of the technologies is perfect.

What I find utterly ridiculous is the idea that somehow the storage media in SxS is somehow different than that in SDHC. The actual memory is being produced by the same people at the same company. The same Sandisk Ultra2 cards we are using are used by countless pro still photographers to capture once in a lifetime shots. Do you think they have sleepless nights about using Sandisk and only use Nikon or Canon branded Sandisk memory cards? Sony even alludes to the fact that they are not producing the memory cards you're so enamored with. But somehow you feel that because it has a Sony label on it, it's clearly superior?

Now if you want to lay issue at the feet of the adapter card, well then maybe you have something there. Maybe the Kensington card isn't as reliable as a Sandisk or Sony SxS media. Those of us who shoot job after job using them might well disagree. But until I see some evidence, either statistical or empirical, to the contrary, I am going to say my SDHC solution is every bit as viable and reliable as the SxS solution in *my* use.

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Andy Wilkinson

There are some (two) early reports on the web that this might work for all but overcranking in a similar way to the Kensington. Expresscard Multi-card Adapter

Thanks, Andy -- here's the Delkin ExpressCard 34 Multi-Card Adapter at B&H:

Delkin Devices | ExpressCard 34 Multi-Card | DDEXP34-MULTI-1

and at Amazon:

Amazon.com: Delkin ExpressCard 34 6-In-1 ExpressCard 34 Card Adapter: Electronics

[Alex Raskin]

I haven't heard about that Delkin adapter - is it confirmed that it works with EX1?

Is it shorter than Kensington so door would close with it?