It seems Sandisk changed their manufacturing specs many months ago. Since then the cards have been inconsistent. The 32GB Sandisk Ultra II cards I bought last January have been flawless for me. If I were to buy as 32GB card today it would be the ATP ProMax cards. It's what MxM recommends.

unfortunatly we cannot buy this brand in Hungary.
Maybe Transcend class6 worth a try?

As I've detailed elsewhere, I ordered an ATP from MxM in Australia and it was with me quicker than one of my UK suppliers would deliver!

You can chance your arm with the Trancends, but there is a very good reason why my 6 cards are all sitting in storage rather than in adaptors. You might be alright, or you might get a bad card. Is that a risk you consider worth taking? I don't.

SDHC cards and Kensington adapters
 

In response to Scott, I have been using SDHC Class 6 Transcends and Sandisk Ultra II's for a long time on my EX3. Then my friend got some class 4 Sandisks (from B&H as well, because we avoid dodgy retailers) and what do you know, one of them failed on the field, had to re shoot the days work.

I would like to know if there is any combination which does work.

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Manish, firmware makes a lot of the difference. EX1 with 1.2 will handle SDHC that 1.11 will not. I think the safest bet is to go with the new Sandisk Extreme Class 10. ATP Class 6 cards have a good reputation as well. I would NOT use Transcend especially if you're not on the latest firmware. Also Sandisk other that the current Extreme seems to be hit and miss with some people.

I'm using EX1 firmware 1.11 with Sandisk Ultra II Class 2 cards (yes, Class 2) and they have been flawless for 18 months and counting. You can not get those cards anymore. Seems they were only around for a few weeks before Ultra II Class 4 came out which were problems.

Generally though EX1 firmware 1.2 has resolved most of the SDHC issues although nothing can help poor QC from a card maker though.

SDHC cards
 

Thanks Craig.

I need to find out what firmware is on my EX3 now.

Kind regards
Manish

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Manish, try Transcend 16gb class10, about £34 from Amazon. I have been using a couple in MxM adaptors for a couple of months, no problems at all. I have been using Transcend class 6, both red and green belt for over a year, never had a problem with these either. You can see from the many posts on card reliability, that it makes sense to use the tried and tested cards. But the new firmware has certainly made the EX1 far more compatable with a much wider range of cards. It really boils down to finding a make of card that you find reliable, as we see from the posts, many people use many different cards with great success.

I don't think we can completely discount the MxM adapters as a factor as well. I have been buying and using both the Transcend 16GB and Sandisk 16GB on my EX1 with firmware 1.11 without a single problem. That includes recently purchased cards and older cards. Both have worked flawlessly. But I am still using my 6 Kensington adapters (I really don't care that the door doesn't completely close). I wonder if some of my working cards might have issues in an MxM adapter. Not that people shouldn't like the MxM adapters, but with all this discussion I don't think we can completely rule the adapter/card combinations as a potential factor.

John

Hi Manish,

The Sandisk Ultra Class 4 cards should be avoided for use in EX cameras. They have proved to be unreliable in use, and at other times completely losing data. The Sandisk Extreme range has has no reported errors, apart from imcompatibility with some earlier firmware versions, which have been completely cleared up by the latest revision.

We have been recommending Transcend 32GB Class 6, and now Class 10 16GB, and have had from memory one person have a problem with a 32GB card, and none so far with the Class 10.

ATP 16GB has also been tested and is recommended.

In the compatible but not yet rigorously tested areas are:

Silicon Power, Class 6 and 10, 16GB and 32GB
Delkin Class 6 and 10, 16GB and 32GB

These brands have worked but we have not had enough people testing them yet to give them the stamp of recommendation.

There are many memory brands out there to choose from, and I wouldn't be looking amongst the cheapest brands to record something you may not be able to re-shoot.

Which ever brand you go with:

1. Ensure your firmware is up to date.

2. Use the old tape technique of "striping the card" before use. Always run a card right to the end before you do any paid shooting on it.

3. Follow the rules of recording on flash, stop recording before your camera runs out of power,
don't eject the card before the green light comes on for the slot.

My "dodgy" red stripe Transcend class 6 cards behave the same in my MxR or MxM adaptors.

I had a phonecall a few weeks back from a chap who had corrupted footage and who wanted advice. He was using Fuji SDHC cards which I've never heard of anyone using.

I've said it many times but if you are using SDHC solutions for goodness sake use the recommended card and adaptor combos. ATP and Sandisk Extreme cards may be expensive and hard to get hold of but how much do you value your footage?

Class 10 SDHC?
 

I've been using 2 MxM and 5 Class 6 Transcend 16Gb cards in my EX3 for six months - no problems.
Just looking to buy a couple more cards and I see "Class 10" Transcend 16Gb - this is new to me, but should I now buy these rather than the class 6 ones I've used successfully? Would they will let me over-crank a little more without having to resort to my 8Gb SxS (which over-cranks perfectly, of course)? - just curious on this point really.
Thank you.

I have been using a 2 Transcend 16gb class 10 for a couple of months now, no problems whatsoever. They are only a £ or 2 more than class 6 from Amazon

Ross, is there any performance difference between your lockable and non-lockable adaptors?
I believe Marcus had seen benefits in the lockable version.

Also what's the concensus about the Hoodman adaptors and 16GB SDHC cards?
They use the MxR adaptor too don't they?

Hoodman use MxM cards I believe. So the only difference is the label on the front.

The lockable MxM cards I've tested did have a speed advantage over the MxR's I purchased on the previous firmware. I have not had time to test the new EX1 firmware with the adaptors. However I believe there have been revisions of the hardware on both sides since anyway.

I do prefer the lockable MxM's because there's no risk of accidental ejection. Seems a no brainer to me as you can then treat the card as you would an SxS card. You have one SDHC card and adaptor married up permanently.

I've also been using a Class 10 ATP 16gb card in a lockable MxM and have been very pleased with the results

Hi Duncan,

Over 12 months ago we changed our manufacturer from where the original MxR (the one with the Grey and Orange label) and MxM were made, as we were unhappy with the amount of hand working they were doing on the cards, as well as their overall QC. We approached a specialist Expresscard manufacturer who has been of great assistance in helping us develop new products, and helped us revise the chipset in the MxR.

The MxR (with the Purple and Black label), and the e-LCR (Lockable Card Reader) have been using the revised chipset now for over 12 months, and both work faster than the original MxR, as well as running with a wider range of SDHC cards including all 32GB tested so far. And now with the latest revision of the firmware we are seeing cards that previously were throwing "Media Restore" messages, happily running at 60fps under PAL 25p.

We do not, and never have sold OEM copies of our product to any other company, so any other product by MxM or the rebadged Hoodman product have no relationship with our own.