DSandisk vs. Transcend vs. hoodman Raw SDHC cards

Mark Savage · June 25th, 2009, 09:28 PM

I have twelve Transcends with the adapters. I've shot close to 15 hours per card so far with no problems at all. I'd recommend them.

Rodney Minott · June 25th, 2009, 10:10 PM

I've been shooting with two 16GB Transcends, MxR readers. No problems. Am thrilled.

Docea Marius · June 26th, 2009, 06:03 AM

I have two weddings a month and working only with MXR and transcend 16gb, no problems

Leonard Levy · June 26th, 2009, 11:35 AM

Do you guys have a different adapter for each SDHC card or do you change SDHC cards in just a few adapters?

Are there problems using just one adapter with many SDHC cards (aside form download speed being slower in a USB adapter)?

Bruce Rawlings · June 26th, 2009, 11:47 AM

I have an adapter for each card as I would not trust the SDHC connection strip for a lot of use. Also as others have said when out in the field the human error factor needs to be reduced as much as possible.

Rodney Minott · June 26th, 2009, 10:18 PM

Yes, I too am using a separate dedicated adapter for each SDHC card.

Vincent Oliver · June 27th, 2009, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Rawlings

I have an adapter for each card as I would not trust the SDHC connection strip for a lot of use. Also as others have said when out in the field the human error factor needs to be reduced as much as possible.

How do you transfer the clips to your computer?

The SD cards are very robust and cheap enough.

Bruce Rawlings · June 27th, 2009, 01:14 AM

I transfer the cards back at base to 2 hard drives using a Mac Book Pro. For one project I also transfer to HDCAM from the EX1 HDSI output and retain the original time code. This makes a future on-line conform straightforward. For some jobs I keep the SDHC card as well as the cost is not a lot more than HDCAM tapestock. Having recently been commissioned to produce a documentary from 10 year old Digibeta 16-9 material that has been sitting in my library I have found it pays to look after camera originals whether old tape or the new BPAV folders.

Vincent Oliver · June 27th, 2009, 03:32 AM

Thank you for your detailed workflow Bruce. What I actually wanted to know is how you transfer your files, do you use a SD USB card reader or do you use and Express card slot. Either way you are surely going to create wear and tear on cards or reader or computer or even the camera itself.

I personally use a USB reader and place the cards in it, if they wear out then £27 for a new !6gb card won't break the bank. Wear and tear on a tape head is a far more expensive excercise.

Bruce Rawlings · June 27th, 2009, 06:54 AM

I use the express card reader in MBPro. My other reason for using this workflow is so that as each SDHC Transcend 16gb class 6 card is in its own MxR there is consistency that can be traced back to a particular combo if there are any prpblems.

Matthew Hurley · July 9th, 2009, 08:02 AM

I had an interesting experience the other day. I went to my local camera vendor to pick up a Monfrotto magic arm for my smallHD monitor.

I was asked by the vendor about my thoughts on the Hoodman bundled SDHC card and card reader. What i found interesting was the vendors feedback.

The vendor has stated that several(meaning more than 3) of his customers had come back for a refund for their Hoodman card combos.

Reason was, combos continually gave a ( Restore media) warning and or unable to recognize media warning. From a statistical stand point, i think thats a rather high failure rate.

The vendor is seriously thinking about pulling the Hoodman SDHC card combos from the shelf. Guess the comfort level is not there.

Craig Seeman · July 9th, 2009, 08:46 AM

I'm certainly not convinced about Hoodman SDHC. It could have been a bad batch but given that Hoodman is "selling" their QC that's not a good sign.

I have 2 Sandisk 32GB cards I've been using since January and have NEVER had a "media restore."

I think the reason Sony never followed through on their certification is that SDHC card manufacturers have a wider tolerance of acceptable and weren't about to go through the expense to tighten them.

My advice is run your cards through a torture test so you know which make and which need to be exchanged.

Louis Schmidt · July 9th, 2009, 09:44 AM

EX Gentlemen:
Lou Schmidt from Hoodman here...

Thanks for bringing the media restore issue up for us to respond too. We have a FAQ & troubleshooting link that explains the media restore notice. I have placed a link below for future reference.

Hoodman Corporation Memory Adapter FAQ

Our experience has found three things cause the media restore notice.

First, if you only eject the SDHC card and not the entire adapter... the camera wonders where the media went because the link is broken but the adapter is still plugged in... an easy fix, just eject the entire adapter, insert the new SDHC card and then install the adapter with new SDHC card in the camera.

Secondly, while inserting the adapter into the camera, you may inadvertantly trigger the spring loaded eject mechanism by hitting the back of the SDHC card with too much pressure. Another easy fix... when installing the adapters, just press on the outer corners to avoid ejecting the memory card.

Lastly, if the issue is still present, the adapter will need to be replaced... the contact points are missaligned.

In all three cases, it is not the memory card that has an issue... Since our dealers are going up their learning curve on this new memory solution, we will do our best to help bring everyone up to speed so that they can help you guys out. I would be grateful to Mathew Hurley if you could give me the name of the dealer so we can help them understand what is happening. Please email it to me... Lou@hoodmanusa.com

I encourage everyone to review the FAQ & troubleshooting link above... you will get many details that only come with using the system.
We will be pleased to answer any other questions you may have in detail if you want to give us a call... 800 818 3946.

Thanks for your time!

Craig Seeman · July 9th, 2009, 10:50 AM

That's a good FAQ Louis.
I think you should emphasize the red light green light issue as I think that's a common mistake.

You note 1) Ejection of the card and 2) write speed of the card is too slow.

I think you need to add a 3rd. Going back into record before the card finishes writing the TOC. In other words it's not just ejecting the card but going back into record while red that can cause the issue.

Louis Schmidt · July 9th, 2009, 01:40 PM

Hi Craig,

Thanks for the input... I will add your comments to our FAQ list.

June 27th, 2009, 03:32 AM	#84
Vincent Oliver Trustee Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chislehurst, London Posts: 1,724	Thank you for your detailed workflow Bruce. What I actually wanted to know is how you transfer your files, do you use a SD USB card reader or do you use and Express card slot. Either way you are surely going to create wear and tear on cards or reader or computer or even the camera itself. I personally use a USB reader and place the cards in it, if they wear out then £27 for a new !6gb card won't break the bank. Wear and tear on a tape head is a far more expensive excercise. __________________ Eyes are a deaf man’s ears. Ears are a blind man’s eyes

July 9th, 2009, 09:44 AM	#88
Louis Schmidt Sponsor: Hoodman USA Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Torrance, CA USA Posts: 8	Hoodman Help EX Gentlemen: Lou Schmidt from Hoodman here... Thanks for bringing the media restore issue up for us to respond too. We have a FAQ & troubleshooting link that explains the media restore notice. I have placed a link below for future reference. Hoodman Corporation Memory Adapter FAQ Our experience has found three things cause the media restore notice. First, if you only eject the SDHC card and not the entire adapter... the camera wonders where the media went because the link is broken but the adapter is still plugged in... an easy fix, just eject the entire adapter, insert the new SDHC card and then install the adapter with new SDHC card in the camera. Secondly, while inserting the adapter into the camera, you may inadvertantly trigger the spring loaded eject mechanism by hitting the back of the SDHC card with too much pressure. Another easy fix... when installing the adapters, just press on the outer corners to avoid ejecting the memory card. Lastly, if the issue is still present, the adapter will need to be replaced... the contact points are missaligned. In all three cases, it is not the memory card that has an issue... Since our dealers are going up their learning curve on this new memory solution, we will do our best to help bring everyone up to speed so that they can help you guys out. I would be grateful to Mathew Hurley if you could give me the name of the dealer so we can help them understand what is happening. Please email it to me... Lou@hoodmanusa.com I encourage everyone to review the FAQ & troubleshooting link above... you will get many details that only come with using the system. We will be pleased to answer any other questions you may have in detail if you want to give us a call... 800 818 3946. Thanks for your time!

July 9th, 2009, 01:40 PM	#90
Louis Schmidt Sponsor: Hoodman USA Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Torrance, CA USA Posts: 8	Hoodman Thanks Hi Craig, Thanks for the input... I will add your comments to our FAQ list.

June 25th, 2009, 09:28 PM	#76
Mark Savage Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Los Angeles, CA USA Posts: 49	I have twelve Transcends with the adapters. I've shot close to 15 hours per card so far with no problems at all. I'd recommend them.

June 25th, 2009, 10:10 PM	#77
Rodney Minott Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Francisco Posts: 35	I've been shooting with two 16GB Transcends, MxR readers. No problems. Am thrilled.

June 26th, 2009, 06:03 AM	#78
Docea Marius Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Romania Posts: 175	I have two weddings a month and working only with MXR and transcend 16gb, no problems

June 26th, 2009, 11:35 AM	#79
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	Do you guys have a different adapter for each SDHC card or do you change SDHC cards in just a few adapters? Are there problems using just one adapter with many SDHC cards (aside form download speed being slower in a USB adapter)?

June 26th, 2009, 11:47 AM	#80
Bruce Rawlings Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK Posts: 410	I have an adapter for each card as I would not trust the SDHC connection strip for a lot of use. Also as others have said when out in the field the human error factor needs to be reduced as much as possible.

June 26th, 2009, 10:18 PM	#81
Rodney Minott Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Francisco Posts: 35	Yes, I too am using a separate dedicated adapter for each SDHC card.

June 27th, 2009, 01:14 AM	#83
Bruce Rawlings Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK Posts: 410	I transfer the cards back at base to 2 hard drives using a Mac Book Pro. For one project I also transfer to HDCAM from the EX1 HDSI output and retain the original time code. This makes a future on-line conform straightforward. For some jobs I keep the SDHC card as well as the cost is not a lot more than HDCAM tapestock. Having recently been commissioned to produce a documentary from 10 year old Digibeta 16-9 material that has been sitting in my library I have found it pays to look after camera originals whether old tape or the new BPAV folders.

June 27th, 2009, 06:54 AM	#85
Bruce Rawlings Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK Posts: 410	I use the express card reader in MBPro. My other reason for using this workflow is so that as each SDHC Transcend 16gb class 6 card is in its own MxR there is consistency that can be traced back to a particular combo if there are any prpblems.

July 9th, 2009, 08:02 AM	#86
Matthew Hurley Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Atlanta Georgia USA Posts: 77	I had an interesting experience the other day. I went to my local camera vendor to pick up a Monfrotto magic arm for my smallHD monitor. I was asked by the vendor about my thoughts on the Hoodman bundled SDHC card and card reader. What i found interesting was the vendors feedback. The vendor has stated that several(meaning more than 3) of his customers had come back for a refund for their Hoodman card combos. Reason was, combos continually gave a ( Restore media) warning and or unable to recognize media warning. From a statistical stand point, i think thats a rather high failure rate. The vendor is seriously thinking about pulling the Hoodman SDHC card combos from the shelf. Guess the comfort level is not there.

July 9th, 2009, 08:46 AM	#87
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	I'm certainly not convinced about Hoodman SDHC. It could have been a bad batch but given that Hoodman is "selling" their QC that's not a good sign. I have 2 Sandisk 32GB cards I've been using since January and have NEVER had a "media restore." I think the reason Sony never followed through on their certification is that SDHC card manufacturers have a wider tolerance of acceptable and weren't about to go through the expense to tighten them. My advice is run your cards through a torture test so you know which make and which need to be exchanged.

July 9th, 2009, 10:50 AM	#89
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	That's a good FAQ Louis. I think you should emphasize the red light green light issue as I think that's a common mistake. You note 1) Ejection of the card and 2) write speed of the card is too slow. I think you need to add a 3rd. Going back into record before the card finishes writing the TOC. In other words it's not just ejecting the card but going back into record while red that can cause the issue.