Best P2 card combo 64GB + 16GB?

[davidnssbm]

Hey friends,

I just ordered a bunch of film gear, HPX170 included but I have held out on a P2 card because I wanted to get your input first.

Obviously the camera comes with a 16GB, but you need 2 cards to shoot uninterrupted. My question is, is there DOWNSIDE to combining a 16GB with a 64GB? (I will be getting E-series obviously) Money is not an issue here, although I would prefer to only purchase 1 extra card so as to have 2 (unless someone highly recommends, say, (3) 32GB cards for instance)

Also, my camera should arrive any day, and I am currently freelancing (with no jobs lined up at the very moment) so I seem to be okay waiting until august for the P2 card, but what if something comes up? I would be stuck with ONLY a 16GB... keep this in mind.

I will be using my powerbook G4 as a transfer device. It's a few years old and thus has the PCMCIA slot on the left side. I have 2 laptop batteries (though one is slowly dying) so I should have enough for a hypothetical all day shoot in the field (especially if I put my monitor display on the lowest brightness)

So, how long does it take to transfer data via PCMCIA? I know that P2 is so much better than tape because it doesn't have to play in real time, but what about transfer time? If I fill up a hypothetical 64GB, and am shooting on a 16GB, is there potential to fill up the 16GB while the 64GB is still transferring, thus leaving me without a card to shoot on?

Also, one last question, I see Fuji released new e-series cards too, but I can't find them online anywhere. When are these available, and are they different at all besides the name? I just feel slightly skeptical using Fuji on Panasonic.

Thanks so much for your help,
David Nussbaum

 

[capt chuck]

is there potential to fill up the 16GB while the 64GB is still transferring

Yes, I think that is a very real possibility (especially at 1080i) at 720pn or standard def you have a better chance. I like working with matched sized cards because I always have enough time to offload before the free card fills up. If I were in your shoes I would add 2 32GB cards to the 16 you're getting with the camera. This gives you two matched cards that will work for offloading well and a spare 16GB in case something in the workflow slows down. This will cost a bit more than your plan.

I bet others will have different suggestions to ponder as well.

 

[jrmiller_entertainment]

depends if you think you think you'll shoot more than 2 and a half hours (64+16 at 720 30pn) in a day or before you have some down time. If you throw the 16 in the top slot you have technically over 3 hours because you can dump the 16 and throw it back in before the 64 fills up.