XQD memory cards

[Doug Jensen]

In case anyone is interested, I've been using one of the new XQD memory cards with my F3 and it works great. Even for overcranking. Sure is a lot more ruggedly constructed than an SDHC card -- and no visible pins or contacts. I just wish my Mac had USB 3.0 so ingest would be even faster.

If you don't want spend the money for real SxS cards, I'd say XQD is definitely the next best thing.

This is the combo I've been using:

Sony SOXQD16GB 16GB XQD Memory Card
Sony SOXQDCA XQD ExpressCard Adapter
Sony SOXQDCR XQD Card Reader

I should mention that it does NOT work with my old EX1 even though it has the latest firmware.

[Jack Zhang]

Your wish is granted. Just announced at WWDC, the new Macbook Pros just got USB 3.0.

Really? It doesn't work on the EX1? What about the EX1R? If not, that would mean we'll have to wait for a firmware update.

[Doug Jensen]

I don't have an EX1R any more so I can't test the cards on that camera.

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Jack Zhang

Your wish is granted. Just announced at WWDC, the new Macbook Pros just got USB 3.0.

Unfortunately, that was not my wish. I edit 99% of the time on my MacPro and even the newer version Apple just announced today still does not have USB 3.0. Nevertheless, I'll be ordering one this month anyway because I have been putting off an upgrade waiting for the new version as I get ready to migrate to Avid. Now that the new MacPro is here, it's time to pull the trigger. I'm just happy they did not kill the MacPro altogether. Now I've just got to find the time to make the transition and learn a new NLE.

[Jack Zhang]

Still, those getting the newer Macbook Pros will be able to offload faster on location thanks to the USB 3.0 upgrade.

[Chuck Fishbein]

The current macbook pro has Thunderbolt which will interface with Avid via AJA's IO express or something similar giving you a way to use a regular monitor, as well. We got the one with a flash drive and it's a rocket.
Fastest booting macbook we've owned. No need for a separate XDCAM card reader, either.

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Jack Zhang

Still, those getting the newer Macbook Pros will be able to offload faster on location thanks to the USB 3.0 upgrade.

Do you think a USB 3.0 and an external reader will be faster than the internal Express Card slot in either of my 17" MacBook Pros? I doubt it.
I guess if I was going to start shooting regularly on XQD cards it would make a difference, but that was just an experiment last week to find out how they would work. I'm still firmly committed to genuine SxS cards.

[Jack Zhang]

Correction: Offload to External HDDs should be faster with a Thunderbolt Expresscard reader copying to a USB 3 hard drive or RAID on these newer Macbooks. Of course, a real Expresscard port copying to internal drives is guaranteed to be fast no matter what.

In a perfect world, we'd have a 2nd SATA port on the laptop which you convert into eSATA to connect your external hard drive to and copy footage direct from Expresscard to eSATA, but no Mac laptop has eSATA, and add-on cards occupy your Expresscard port.

[Alister Chapman]

USB 3 is twice as fast as an Express Card slot. USB 3 can reach 5Gb/s, Express Card is 2.5Gb/s. That's why Sony are using USB 3 for the new SR Master card reader for the F65.

[Doug Jensen]

Good to know. Now I am dissappointed the new MacPros don't have USB 3.0.

I remember when we were all thrilled with 6x ingest speeds. Now that isn't good enough. We're so spoiled. Hey, anyone remember the joys of logging and batch capturing Betacam?
Those were the good old days!! :-)

[Alister Chapman]

Express Card is pretty fast and you never reach the theoretical max speeds anyway. Of course you will be able to use the Belkin Thunderbolt Dock with any thunderbolt equipped computer and that has USB 3, extra firewire, ethernet and esata ports as well as thunderbolt pass through.

I worked as an online editor and colourist for a couple of years at a big facilities company and I remember very well spending whole days batch digitising from CMX EDL's either to Digibeta tape or into the first generation DigiSuite system. It's hard to believe that it was only 8 years ago that P2 (SD) was launched and EX SxS only 5 years ago. I haven't used a tape other than HDCAM SR for 6 years.

[Doug Jensen]

The last time I used any kind of tape or shot anything in standard-definition was March of 2006 when I got my first F350. After that, my Ikegami Betacams and Z1U were never used again. Anyone want to buy a Z1U that has been sitting in Portabrace bag for 6 years?

[Dennis Dillon]

Doug,
It seems the new Mac book pro has USB 3. Worry no longer. I have ordered one.

MagSafe 2 power port
Two Thunderbolt ports (up to 10 Gbps)
Two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps)
HDMI port
Headphone port
SDXC card slot
Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (sold separately)
Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter (sold separately, available July)

[Doug Jensen]

Hey Dennis, good to hear from you. Long time no speak.

The problem is I'm not looking for a new MacBook Pro. I already have two 17" and one is only a couple of years old. 17" has been discontinued and the Express Card slots are gone too, so I'll be making what I have last as long as I can. I can't imagine using a 15" notebook!! What is this, 1990?? I'm tempted to buy another 17" now while I can still get one and put it on the shelf, unopened, to have in the future.

I'm planning to replace my 4 year old MacPro soon that I use for editing, and even the newest models do not have USB 3.0.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Doug,

After a bit of an uproar about the minor Mac Pro refresh yesterday (including from one of it's original designers who now works at Google) there have been a number of reports that have emmerged over the last 18 hrs that a new Mac Pro (i.e. a "next generation" one - I hope) is "likely to be coming in 2013". These of course are rumours so I won't be linking to any of them - and it sounds like that might still be too far into the future for you anyway.

I never base any business upgrading decisions on what Apple might do (the Final Cut debacle taught me that the hard way! - but thanks to that I'm now a VERY happy Adobe user and FCS2 is now mostly history!) but let's hope there really will be a next generation Mac Pro within 12 months or so (which may be too long for you by the sounds of it).

In the meantime, I'm just embarking on some "heavy upgrading" of my 2009 Core Mac Pro (8 Core Nehalem) this summer to maximise it's capabilities for Adobe Production Premium (32GB RAM and a new NIVIDIA Graphics Card) and that will hopefully see me right for another few years. I'll also continue to nurse my pristine 2008 MBP (15 inch) with its oh so valuable Expresscard slot for SxS unloading. This is because an EX3 is still my main cam - it may not be as "fashionable" now as some of the newer cams but it's absolutely the right tool for 90% of what I do. A Canon 7D and lots of good glass and TM900 covers the rest. I love the images from the EX3 (and more importantly, so do my clients).

Keep up the good work Doug!