first time copying over footage from SD card in SxS adapter. Advice please.

[Malcolm Hamilton]

Hi there,
Sorry to have to ask such a simple question, but it's the first time I've used an SD card in a Sony XDCAM adapter in my PXW-X200. Now that I'm back in front of my computer, do I put the adapter card (with the SD card in it) into my Sony (SBAC-US30) reader so that I can copy over the files? Or should I take the SD card out and pop it into an SD card reader?
Maybe it doesn't make a difference. But I thought I'd ask, in case (somehow) the 'structure' of the BPAV folder is only maintained via SxS download.
Thanks for any advice,
Malcolm

[Leslie Wand]

pop it in a sd card reader and use an approved app to import, eg. the free sony browser / catalyst prepare or similar to maintain folder integrity.

[Bill Ward]

If you've already got the SBAC-30, just keep the card in the adapter and use it.

[Malcolm Hamilton]

thank you Leslie and Bill. I've got the SBAC-30 so I guess I'll do it this way.
I appreciate the prompt replies.
Malcolm

[Marshall Staton]

I pop out the SD card and use the built in slot on my MacBook Air. I also make it a habit to flip the write protect switch to read only while in anything but the camera. I use Catalyst Browse 99% of the time to transfer the clips.

[Doug Jensen]

You don't need to use any special software to ingest cards. As long as you move the entire root folder on the card you can just use the Finder to drag and drop everything to your location of choice.

[Dave Sperling]

I have a couple of older SDHX/SDXC SxS adapters that I seldom use -- only when a client wants me to record to their SD card. So I'm not constantly using it, but...

Two very good points earlier in this thread:

1 - Yes, the BPAV file structure will exist on the card - and you should keep that file structure intact by transferring it whole and not breaking it up. Finder or Windows Explorer will work fine, as well as the various Sony software such as Catalyst or Content Browser, or something like Shotput Pro

2 - Using the write protect (lock) switch is a good idea - particularly on a MAC, which will want to write spotlight indexing files on the card. In addition it keeps you from erasing by mistake.

And a couple of comments of my own:

1 - Verify your file sizes after you make the transfer!!! Some programs will do checksum verifications - which may slow things down slightly, but are a good idea.

2 - I may be wrong about this, but I think my card adapters use a USB2 protocol for transferring data. If you are using very fast SD cards and have a computer or SD card reader that runs at usb3 speed, removing the card from the adapter to place in computer or other usb3 adapter may result in significantly faster transfer speeds. You should do a test!

And remember -- Make Extra Backups from your original cards!!! This may seem like additional work, but over the years in dealing with probably 50TB of camera data, the one time I ever had a problem with a transfer (caused by someone pulling and replacing power on the laptop during transfer and resulting in a glitch) I was fortunate that I had made a second copy separately. The first copy had a glitch, but the separately copied backup data was fine.

[Paul Anderegg]

When I had an SBAC, I remember that I got USB 2.0 import transfer speeds off of the SD card when used with the adapter...it was speedier to just jack the SD card into the computer or SD card reader! I don't believe you get to take advantage of the PCIE interface speeds when using SD cards, and the MEAD02 SD adaptors don't provide USB 3.0 interface either.

Paul