Alternative to P2 cards

A

Albano

Member
Hi,

I'm planning on buying a new camera and i'm actually between the HMC150 and the HVX200.
The HVX200 is definitly better and doesn't cost much more, but require p2 cards, which a too much expensive for my saddly little bank account.

I was looking on ebay for cheaper cards and I found this

http://cgi.ebay.com/Firestore-DVCPR...4|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50
Focus enhancements FS-100

Far cheaper than p2 cards if you consider the size of the hard drive.

Does someone already worked with this kind of thing?

Where is the hoax?
 
There's a TON of people on here that have used firestore... Not a hoax at all, just a little bit of a different workflow. I was thinking of getting one myself, but can't really afford it right now. Although I've heard a fair bit of people saying they prefer P2 to FS. But It's really your only other option other than P2. I believe Citidisk makes a similar product, but I haven't heard very good reviews of it
 
In which way is the firestore's workflow different?

Do we lose quality when we transfer to computer?

My real question is why people still use p2 cards if FS is cheaper and holds more stuff?
 
Just the fact that instead of swapping out P2 cards to offload to a computer, you're recording to a harddrive. No, the quality isn't affected. As for your last question, that I can't answer since I don't own a firestore. But I think I remember hearing some people were having problems with it, not sure what..
 
Many people have reported that FS tends to have issues when there is a lot of movement or vibration, and sometimes people have said dropped frames are an issue. Even more importantly, it's an extra thing, whereas the card fits neatly into the camera. This means that the Firestore drives are not very effective for documentary style projects, some handheld shots and small crews. P2 cards are built specifically for that job, and the camera is built to use them. Also, you may end up with larger source files than if you used a PN mode (which doesn't work with anything connected via firewire). I don't know that one for a fact.

There are a lot of reasons to use P2 instead of FS if you can afford it and do not require long takes. Personally, I offload to a laptop and use small cards, which is much cheaper than either big cards or an FS drive.
 
I can, and that's why I don't use it anymore.

Once the 32gb cards came out I never looked back.

Why would you buy a P2 camera and not use P2 is beyond me.

You get what you pay for.
 
Okay, this thread made me realize something.... Can the P2 just go right into the PCMCIA slot?

I've been working for over year transferring footage with a firewire to my dell, then to a external hard drive.

Two questions:
1. Is it possible to just put the P2 card straight into the PCMCIA slot?
2. If so, how big of an idiot am I?
 
Jdorsey,

I won't call you an idiot but yes, P2 cards fit right into the PCMCIA slot. You just need the P2 drivers installed and away you go. It is MUCH faster than using the camera to read the cards.

Dan
 
Thanks, Dan. I downloaded the drivers when I got my P2's--just thought it had something to do with transferring the files so they wouldn't get corrupted on the PC.

Well, I feel like an idiot, but it's probably one of those things that's so basic, no one ever tells you...and I NEVER assume anything when it comes equipment that's expensive as these things can be.
 
They don't make that very clear, no. There should be more mentiones that P2 is PCMCIA sized and compatible.

Anyway, I forgot to mention another one: the FW port on the HVX is incredibly weak and loose, being the inferior four pin. I wouldn't trust it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top