Do GH1/2 have card failures ???

C

ChipThome

Well-known member
Another site I watch regularly often has discussions about SD cards failing. Not trying to gloat or anything, but each one of those threads has the word Canon attached to it somewhere.

I don't recall seeing threads here about GHs eating cards. Also a couple of friends have never said anything about card failure in their Panasonics. I haven't experienced it, but then haven't shot that much with my cams. My friend that mentored me in the original GH1 decision told me to use Patriot LX class 10 cards. I have and have no problems. Those threads I mention, the SD cards most referred to, to NOT have problems in those Canons are Sandisk Extremes for $100+ a copy.

So am I missing something, do the GHs eat cards too ???
 
I've never had a card failure in my GH1 or my 6 Canon DSLR's.

As for having more card failures in Canon's, that's to be expected - there's probably 100x more Canon DSLR's + digicams than Panasonic.
 
If this was the in "general" section of the board I am referring to, I can understand your thinking on the volume differences between the two manufacturers being the reason. But these threads I have seen have been posted in a subsection of that board, the subsection that deals with wedding videos. Participation in this subsection is good, but the member list of active posters isn't real long. So among this small group of posters/shooters, there have been a number of card failures discussed already. Proportionally is what made it stick out to me, as if card failures must be a common occurrence.

Conversely in this GH camera centric subsection, I really don't remember seeing threads discussing card failures. The number of active members here is far deeper and this section on GH cams covers everything about them, not just a specific type of shooting.
 
I'm sure GH1/GH2 can have card failures too. All devices are susceptible to them. I did notice the Panasonics do have quite good shutdown safety writing procedures, ie if you're about to run out of battery power or prematurely turn off the camera, it makes sure it finishes writing first
 
SD/SDHC/SDXC cards aren't the most robust, I much prefer my CF's. I guess that's why Hoodman just came out with a line of "stainless steel" SDHC cards.
 
I have never had a card fail. I have had Windows not recognize them properly. However, it has never been the fault of the card. It is always the card reader.

That being said I have had write speed failures in my GH2 even with the fastest Sandisk cards. It does appear that the 24 mb/sec for the GH2 1080p will push the camera to its limits. If you film something like ice skating with lots of people moving in different directions it will cause write errors on the GH2. Everyone expects a hack to up the bit rate of the GH2 to GH13 levels. I don't think that ever will happen. I think the new codec implementation of the GH2 is already pushing the camera to the max supportable limit.
 
Kin Lau said:
SD/SDHC/SDXC cards aren't the most robust, I much prefer my CF's. I guess that's why Hoodman just came out with a line of "stainless steel" SDHC cards.
Click to expand...
I have seen many CF users with bent pins with CF but that is not a problem with SD/SDHC/SDXC that is on over 90% of the cameras out there. It is much less of a problem today since CF is on less than 1% of new cameras coming out now.
Bent Pin in Compact Flash Card Socket on Canon 5Dmk2 Camera


hope this web page helps people. I really do. I hate not knowing stuff, and because of this lack of knowledge something valuable to me may end up damaged, suck money out of my wallet or waste my time. I hope this article saves someone out there some grief!
I have used my Canon 5Dmk2 twice. Once to shoot a movie called “Burial Site” and the second time to snap off a few RAW stills while hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Things went well, I got the camera a little wet while hiking, but everything checked out fine.
I tried to use it for the third time and now the camera is a paperweight. NICE!
Click to expand...

http://www.tomguilmette.com/wp/my-blog/archives/1942

After months of research, deliberation, saving and penny pinching I went out and bought a brand new Canon EOS 5D Mark II (18th December 2010). The day I got it I took about 12 or 14 photos. Got home took out the CF card and transferred the photos with my Transcend card reader to check on my computer - satisfied I carefully put the CF card back into the Camera.
This morning 19th December the camera came up with "Err CF" and a message that I needed to reformat the card. After many attempts the camera simply refused to format the card. I thought somehow the card must be corrupt so ran all over town to buy another CF card only to get the same result. All other functions of the camera seemed okay but for some obscure reason it would not accept a memory card.
Finally after checking the internet and exhausting all my common sense and technical ability I decided to take the camera back to the dealer (a one hour drive). To my horror he checked it and then announced that 1 of the pins in the camera body was bent because I had forced the card into the slot.
Click to expand...
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1032&message=37232225
 
Most of the card failures I have witnessed or read about are a result of faulty manufacturing by the sd card companies.
 
Most people think that a failure to read a card means the card is defective. They forget that the card reader is the other component in the equation.
 
I am seeing my VERY first card failure on a 16 gig transend that I have formatted and recorded on probably many hundred times as well as popped it in and out of devices hundreds of times. Once more than one file gets an error, I toss the card as it's too dangerous to lose footage. If a card goes bad it will not transfer the file over into your computer and you will get a 'file corrupt' error. If you see that - never use that card again. I'm not talking about GH13 lockups either from too much detail - that will corrupt a file too but the card is not bad. I am talking about it looks like everything recorded fine then you go to dump to hard drive and there are errors. Although I think they have a lifetime guarantee or something ridiculous so you could prob send it in and get a new one. The cards are pretty sturdy and I have put a hell of a lot of use on my main GH13 and do wonder about the contacts and constant popping of cards in and out but as I have said - only one card went bad and that's after almost a year of use.
 
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