$$$ High Rollers: hold onto your SxS cards

Michael B. McGee

Michael B. McGee

Well-known member
For you high rollers out there, don't jump on the bandwagon and start trading in your SxS cards for SDHC alternatives. the soon to be released Arri Alexa will have 2 SxS slots. so, start saving your pennies because those expensive SxS cards might just have a viable use after all.
 
I'm trying to get my self to let go of 800.00 for a 32 gigger. It must be done but it hurts. I have two ex1s and I want to be able to record a live show. That's roughly 3 hours with 2 cameras....

I think I'll get the 32 gigger now, then eventually I'll man-up and get a nanoflash for 3 grand. Then I can put all my cards with camera 2, and nano on camera 1. It's just disgusting that media costs as much as buying a decent camera. There is nothing special in the SxS cards. They just have us by the balls and charge top dollar because they can. I'm just a little pissed because media is such an un-sexy purchase, unlike a new mic, or software or a camera.
 
I am with you on that Chad.

It is almost as disgusting as paying 300+ a year for catfood for 2 cats.
10x32gig cards here would buy you another EX3.

I also am thinking of going for a 32gig card though.
 
Chadfish said:
I'm trying to get my self to let go of 800.00 for a 32 gigger. It must be done but it hurts. I have two ex1s and I want to be able to record a live show. That's roughly 3 hours with 2 cameras....

I think I'll get the 32 gigger now, then eventually I'll man-up and get a nanoflash for 3 grand. Then I can put all my cards with camera 2, and nano on camera 1. It's just disgusting that media costs as much as buying a decent camera. There is nothing special in the SxS cards. They just have us by the balls and charge top dollar because they can. I'm just a little pissed because media is such an un-sexy purchase, unlike a new mic, or software or a camera.
Click to expand...

Chad, for less than $800 you can get 4 MxM lockable adapters with 32GB ATP Promax SDHC card in each of them. Place them once inside and treat like SxS cards...
 
xpycm said:
Chad, for less than $800 you can get 4 MxM lockable adapters with 32GB ATP Promax SDHC card in each of them. Place them once inside and treat like SxS cards...
Click to expand...

I have a Hoodman adapter already. But I do video professionally. There have been too many people frantically posting on forums when their adapter card has some error and they can't retrieve the footage. I can't afford to risk that with a clients work. Right now my Hoodman is the last card in line for emergency use only.
 
We do video professionally. We have never, ever lost a clip on our SD cards since taking the precaution to check for a green light very carefully. just no problems, ever. That's 3 terrabytes of footage later.
 
LeavingTheCandy said:
I have a brand new, unopened, 32GB Sony SxS card that I'll let go for $600. I "man'd-up" for a KiPro! ;-)
Click to expand...


Where were you last week! I would have gone for it.

What made you go for the KiPro over the NanoFlash? It seems the Nanoflash is more versatile and cheaper.
 
I have to echo what Robert said... Being careful to make sure the Green light is on before we hit the record button...we've never had a problem with MxM adapter and SDHC cards. However we do use the higher end cards...no cheapies.
Will soon be posting how we got back footage from an SDHC card when I accidentally hit the Delete All Clips selection. Eight Sony engineers said it couldn't be done, but we found a way... Thats a teaser!
 
I'm with Chadfish on the MxM/adapters... I can't afford to have lost footage. It's simply not worth the savings and yes I did have lost data, one time was enough.

Sandisk just discontinued their 8gb SxS cards so that sweet deal from B&H for $159.99 is gone. Ebay appears to be the best deal right now.
 
Madp said:
Sandisk just discontinued their 8gb SxS cards so that sweet deal from B&H for $159.99 is gone. Ebay appears to be the best deal right now.
Click to expand...


Really??!!! That was the BEST SXS deal out there. At least I got one.... But now I have a 32 gigger to hold me over until I can get a NanoFlash.
 
Yeah, I just discovered today that B&H didn't have the SanDisks any more. I managed to get one when I first got my EX1, but I really need some more 8gig cards. I really hoped that the new shorter-life SxS cards from Sony would have been a lot cheaper but that didn't happen.
 
i understand your arguments, but I think a reliable SDHC card like the Sandisk Extreme Class 10 cards will provide you with enough confidence to shoot with. ("or your money back guaranteed")
 
nobody can afford to have lost footage but it's a reality with ANY media. film gets flashed. tapes get eaten. P2, SxS, SD, CF, and hard drives fail too.

with that said, i only shoot SD cards with an adapter on the ex1 and have never lost a frame. however, once when shooting on a real SxS card with a rental ex1, i did lose an entire card worth of footage when the card decided to die. all the sudden i got an "unknown media - please change" message. card shot. footage gone. sh*t happens...
 
Well I am like Chad going to get a 32gig SxS in the next few months until I can get a nanoflash.

I think having the SxS cards/nanoflash for jobs like Weddings where there is no second takes is essential.
The SDHC cards are great for my other jobs like Property Videos where you can go back.
 
Yes it's possible for SxS cards to die just like it's possible for your EX-1 to die. These are hardware failures.

However, the difference between an SxS card and an adapter, I can create a data failure just by pushing a button too quickly or turning off the power too quickly on an adapter without a hardware failure occuring. As said earlier in this thread.

" We have never, ever lost a clip on our SD cards since taking the precaution to check for a green light very carefully."

If it is your preference to have an order of operations like this and make sure your careful, etc. then that's fine, go ahead, that's your preference.

I am not going to deal with that because I have more important things going on then very carefully having to check a green light. Instead I'll just buy a few more SxS cards.

Bottom line, it's just about personal preference.
 
I think this comes down to your specific EX-1. Seriously.

Before the latest SD card firmware, I had two media errors on separate cards on shoots. This happended during a recording, not a start and stop. The camera just stopped recording and flashed media error shooting 720p60.

I know a lot of people posts about no errors, but this behavior was not my experience and prompted me to get a Nanoflash because it was a better value than the previously expensive SxS cards.

The camera seems better after the .20 firmware, but I am still shy of using the SD cards.
 
Bassman2003 said:
Before the latest SD card firmware, I had two media errors on separate cards on shoots. This happended during a recording, not a start and stop. The camera just stopped recording and flashed media error shooting 720p60.
Click to expand...

SD cards cant handle 60fps. That's why they failed in this case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top