woodcarver
Well-known member
I'm wondering if you format your SSD to work for direct recording from a GH6 can you still use the SSD to store other files or does it have to be dedicated to recording GH6 video?
GH6 SSD recording and editing video
- Thread starter woodcarver
- Start date
NorBro
Major Contributor
If you don't receive a clear answer then it's best to try it and test it well.
Back in the day, software/hardware was more finicky and something like that simply wouldn't have even been possible, or if it were possible it could have resulted in some type of corruption, but things are more sophisticated now in which multiple "worlds" could co-exist in one place without really acknowledging each other (as long as they are able to function where they are being set up/placed).
With that said, there is really no reason to be using a drive that's dedicated to recording for anything else (not even cost savings).
Back in the day, software/hardware was more finicky and something like that simply wouldn't have even been possible, or if it were possible it could have resulted in some type of corruption, but things are more sophisticated now in which multiple "worlds" could co-exist in one place without really acknowledging each other (as long as they are able to function where they are being set up/placed).
With that said, there is really no reason to be using a drive that's dedicated to recording for anything else (not even cost savings).
woodcarver
Well-known member
I agree that in an ideal world you wouldn't use your SSD drive for recording and for editing. However, I teach video production to undergrads. We require that they purchase an SSD for storing and editing their footage. They edit on school computers and we don't have a server based system. Recording directly to an SSD instead of an SD card would eliminate a step for them and an expense for the department.
Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
What about backups and archiving? They only have ONE copy?
And what if someone starts their edit, but then needs to go out for another shoot, are they going to take that SSD out into the field again? This seems like a really dumb idea and sets a very bad example for the students.
SD cards are cheap enough these days (unless you need a fast one for HFR) that you don't even need to reuse them if you don't want to. Treat them like tape stock. Use once . . . transfer the footage to an editing SSD and a cheap backup drive for safety . . . and then set the original card aside and never use it again. Or make a 2nd archive copy to a 2nd cheap drive and reuse the card as needed. Either way, you're safe.
Editing direclty from the media you use for recording is just plain dumb. Cards and drives are so cheap these days there is no excuse not to follow proper protocols. And that is especially important for students to learn.
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Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
Shooting on ordinary SD cards is just plain easier, too. Why muck around with an SSD onboard the camera if you don't have to?
BobKo
Well-known member
I have personally tried what you are asking and the answer is, "Yes." I have a couple different SSDs that I've used on the GH6, and they work fine on Win10/11 computers once they have been formatted on the GH6. You can save any other file on the SSD once it has been formatted by a GH6.
I don't know about Macs... the formatting could work differently there. But Windows 10/11 PCs use a GH6-formatted SSD like it is any other Windows storage. In File Explorer, Windows will give the GH6-formatted disk the name "LUMIX"... that makes it easier to keep track of your disks.
BobKo
Well-known member
There are formats that the GH6 has that can not be recorded to an SD card. For example, none of the ProRes formats can be recorded on an SD card -- the GH6 will not permit it. You can record ProRes only to a CFExpress card or an SSD. Since CFExpress cards are much more expensive than similar-sized SSDs, an SSD is your low-cost alternative to recording in ProRes on the GH6.
FWIW, I have only recorded on the GH6 in ProRes to test the function, but it was a smooth editing experience afterward.
woodcarver
Well-known member
Easy there, Doug. Although I do my best to teach professional practices, there is a limit to what one can do with undergrads who may never take another video course again in their lives and don't plan on ever becoming video professionals. Sure, backing up is obviously important, but for many students an $80 SSD is a significant purchase and they're just trying to get through the semester so mulitple drives are a no go. And anything that simplifies the workflow for non-professionally oriented students is worth considering. And, as BobKo pointed out, the more advanced students would likely use this workflow anyway since recording direct to ProRes makes a lot of sense for our equipment. At any rate, it's certainly an approach worth considering even if we don't end up going this way. In an ideal world we'd do things very differently, but we don't live in that world.
I'm just mentioning all this as a way of saying that you might want think twice about calling an idea "just plain dumb" especially if you don't know the full context.
BobKo
Well-known member
I don't know if this will work for your students, but the GH6 will record onto USB-C thumb drives, treating them just like an SSD. Here's a video I posted on YouTube about using a $20 256GB thumb drive on the GH6 -- and I have since tested that thumb drive by recording 648Mbps ProRes, and it worked fine:
Here's a link to that flash drive on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-Type-.../dp/B09WB2NL8W
I don't know if 256GB is big enough for your students' projects. At 648Mbps ProRes, that is about 50 minutes of record time.
Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
I read your explanation and I stand by original post. Dumb idea.
Learning proper workflow, choosing appropriate media, making safety backups, archiving, should all be part of any class on video production regardless of the student's financial situation or intentions for doing more video production in the future or not.
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Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
Hey. I'm not saying not to shoot with an SSD. But it is asinine to suggest that the same SSD should be used for editing in post. If you can't afford a drive or two to do things properly, then the students should choose a different codec than ProRes. ProRes is a wasteful codec for acquisition anyway.
woodcarver
Well-known member
That's a really useful video, Bob, thanks!
BobKo
Well-known member
You're welcome. I mentioned in a comment above that a 256GB flash drive can record about 50 minutes using the ProRes 648Mbps encoder. That's in 4K, of course. If your students can work in HD and you want them to use a ProRes encoder, 256GB will go much longer... maybe more than 3 hours, depending on the data rate. Should be good for student projects if HD is acceptable.