What Happen to SxS media echosystem.

[Daniel Goyette]

When XDCAM was created SxS media was the futur but now most XDCAM Camcorders seem to use others media cards as the Sony prefered media choice... it seem XDCAM Camcorders who still use-it are only the very expensive ones but when i select that format (or formats) you have access to a very broad selection.

[Christopher Young]

Quote:

"SxS (pronounced as S-by-S) is a flash memory card format for professional video cameras and was designed for high performance and reliability. It was jointly developed by Sony and SanDisk and is compatible with the ExpressCard/34 standard which was used on high-end laptops of the time".

The SxS format never really took off for laptops as the media was far too expensive. As you say it is still used in the Sony Z280 and the Sony F5 and F55. ARRI also uses it. When the FS7 came out Sony discarded the use of SxS in favor of their own newer and much cheaper XQD cards.
Compare the prices.

SxS
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1514511-REG/sony_sbp120f_sxs_pro_x_120gb.html/BI/2855/KBID/3801

XQD
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1433124-REG/sony_qd_g120f_120gb_qxd_memory_card.html/BI/2855/KBID/3801

No longer produced are the SxS to XQD card adapters from Sony, the QDA-EX1. I guess they discontinued them due to the fact that you can now get Sony CFexpress Type B TOUGH Memory Cards that are now fast enough to serve the needs of the higher bit rate demands of the SxS card cameras. You use these cards in SxS cameras using the Sony MEAD-SD02 SDHC/SDXC Card Adapters.

In the long run, I think SxS has run its course. Very reliable cards but just overtaken by technology and the dropping price of that technology.

Chis Young

[Daniel Goyette]

Thank you for your reply , i have to agree about your conclusion i have buy Sony Z280 XDCAM 4K last year because of all the features and formats supported plus keep all my expensives SxS cards (about 11 cards) so should i now use the camcorder with the Sony MEAD-SD02 (i have two of them) with a new cards collection SDXC of 64gb and 128gb from now and do i lost some formats not officially supported when not SxS , Sony say not supported when not SxS but many say working well anyway are you aware if the camcorder refuse to work on not SxS for some XDCAM Formats do you think i should avoid buying Sony XDCAM Camcorder models using SxS as default cards and go for CF SDXC Sony Models instead.My question is very deep but i trust your experience in real world videography the world have change and maybe i need your perception and experience for future buying of new Sony XDCAM Camcorders in the future to be future ready and protected against obsolesence , thank-you again Christopher.

[Christopher Young]

Ooh! Hard decision. The Z280 is a mighty camera. Even if you invested in two of the SxS cards to cover all codecs and frame rates on the Z280 I think it would be worth it. But search for QDA-EX1 card adapters as they work well in the Z280 with the much cheaper XQD cards which will handle all codec and frame rate options on the Z280. The QDA-EX1 turn up used on eBay every now and again. I use them with XQD cards when using SxS cameras and they work well.

Chris Young

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Christopher Young

. . .they discontinued them due to the fact that you can now get Sony CFexpress Type B TOUGH Memory Cards that are now fast enough to serve the needs of the higher bit rate demands of the SxS card cameras. You use these cards in SxS cameras using the Sony MEAD-SD02 SDHC/SDXC Card Adapters.

Hey Chris, are sure about this? I'm on the road right now for three weeks and can't test it myself, but I'm 99.9% sure that CFexpress Cards (neither type A nor type B) will work with the SD02 adapter which is only compatible with SDHC/SDXC cards. CFexpress cards require special readers as well so I'm sure they aren't going to work in those adapters -- that's why I never bothered to actually test them myself.

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Daniel Goyette

Thank you for your reply , i have to agree about your conclusion i have buy Sony Z280 XDCAM 4K last year because of all the features and formats supported plus keep all my expensives SxS cards (about 11 cards) so should i now use the camcorder with the Sony MEAD-SD02 (i have two of them) with a new cards collection SDXC of 64gb and 128gb from now and do i lost some formats not officially supported when not SxS , Sony say not supported when not SxS but many say working well anyway are you aware if the camcorder refuse to work on not SxS for some XDCAM Formats do you think i should avoid buying Sony XDCAM Camcorder models using SxS as default cards and go for CF SDXC Sony Models instead.My question is very deep but i trust your experience in real world videography the world have change and maybe i need your perception and experience for future buying of new Sony XDCAM Camcorders in the future to be future ready and protected against obsolesence , thank-you again Christopher.

Daniel, I think it is a mistake to let the type of mmeory card that a camera uses be the deciding factor in what camera to buy. Personally, that would be way down my list of priorities. In the long run, investing in a few cards and/or adapters is just a little bump in the road once you have gotten what you need. The other features and functions of a camera are far, far, more important. Compared to what we used to spend on video tape, investing in a few memory cards is nothing at all.

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Christopher Young

Ooh! Hard decision. The Z280 is a mighty camera. Even if you invested in two of the SxS cards to cover all codecs and frame rates on the Z280 I think it would be worth it.

I agree with that advice. I certainly wouldn't count on finding a used QDA-EX1. Sure, you might get lucky and one might turn up on eBay but they are very hard to find and actually sell for a premium that is far above what they cost when they were brand new. Recently I was contacted by a top CBS reality show asking if I could help them locate any, and they were snapping up any they could find -- which mostly they could not find. I'll bet there are better deals to be had on used SxS cards -- and then you will be shooting on the media the camera was designed to be using in the first place. Personally, I do not use XQD or SD adapters in any of my cameras that are designed for SxS. As I have said before, if you can't afford premium gas, don't buy a high-end car that requires premium gas. And in this case, that investment is a one-time expense and not a recurring extra cost.

[Christopher Young]

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

Hey Chris, are sure about this? I'm on the road right now for three weeks and can't test it myself, but I'm 99.9% sure that CFexpress Cards (neither type A nor type B) will work with the SD02 adapter which is only compatible with SDHC/SDXC cards. CFexpress cards require special readers as well so I'm sure they aren't going to work in those adapters -- that's why I never bothered to actually test them myself.

Sorry Doug, you are 100% right. Brain fade on my part. I meant to say SF-G Tough Series UHS-II SDXC Memory Cards. NOT the CFExpress type. The dangers of copy and paste and not paying attention! This time I clipped a jpg of the info.

Chris Young

[Doug Jensen]

Chris, no problem. I've made my share of little mixups like that myself and it is good that we can all fact-check each other. I was hoping you were right! BTW, the Sony TOUGH SD cards are great. I've been using them with my S1H and FX6 and they are really the only SD cards I care to put my trust in. You immediately notice a difference as soon as you touch one, let alone record on it.

[Christopher Young]

Yes mistakes, so easy to make. Look, ever since the introduction of XQD cards, I am of the belief that Sony is producing some of the best recording media across all card formats. All the new media I'm buying is Sony. The fact Sony also makes the best XAVC file recovery software is a nice thing to have in the back of your mind should you need it.

Chris Young

https://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp.../en/index.html