P2 card size

D

dmc

Well-known member
Okay, so today, after a ridiculous amount of deliberation, I finally ordered an HPX170 - woohoo!

Sooo...

I thought I ask around a little a see what existing P2 users/owners feel is the sweet spot in terms of more/but smaller VS less/but larger card capacities as it relates to your production workflow.

Most of the shooting will be shorter form narrative and music video projects.

I'd also love to hear opinions on direct from camera to battery powered HD offloading in the field.


Inquiring minds...



dmc
 
I use a 16 and an 8, and it's enough for most any job; I'd rather have two 16s though. If you're doing shortform stuff that might be enough for any likely job; a 16 gives you 42 minutes of 720/24pN recording.

I offload using a Windows laptop, a Lenovo "R", to external USB hard disks and simultaneously to the internal drive.

Offloading using the camera directly can work, but it shuts down the production while you wait, so it's usually something you'd only want to try during the lunch break, etc.
 
I just took the dive as well. Bought an HVX200a with the 16gb card. After much deliberation, I picked up a 32gb card as well. 53min of recording... pretty sweet. Offloads quick if you forgo the data verification (I don't recommend doing that though). I used firewire from through the cam but just ordered a duel adapter for my mbp. So far I am a happy man.
 
thanks for the feedback guys.

I guess that in some respects I'm leaning towards an odd number of total cards for exactly the reason that you describe Barry. The rub comes in that I can get a 64 gig card for almost exactly the same price (in Canada) as three 16s. Two 32 gig cards are about 1k more than the 64 gig.

While the extra capacity is certainly welcomed, the other side of me finds the shorter (but more frequent) offloads appealing.



dmc
 
benbixby said:
I just took the dive as well. Bought an HVX200a with the 16gb card. After much deliberation, I picked up a 32gb card as well. 53min of recording... pretty sweet. Offloads quick if you forgo the data verification (I don't recommend doing that though). I used firewire from through the cam but just ordered a duel adapter for my mbp. So far I am a happy man.
Click to expand...



Just out of curiosity Ben, what were your deciding factors in selecting the 200a versus the 170 given that you seem to be committing to P2?


dmc
 
If you think you're going to need 64GB, the 64 is pretty sweet because it offloads faster than the other cards (when, and this caveat is important: when connected to hardware that can take advantage of its additional speed! It's not going to offload any faster if you're transferring it to a USB drive, of course, but if you go to a multi-disk SATA RAID, I've seen a 64GB card offload at 6GB per minute).

I'd rather have two 8's than one 16. I'd rather have two 16's than one 32. But I am pretty sure I'd rather have one 64 than three 16's...
 
Four 16GBs and two 4GBs. I use the 16GBs in the 500 and 200 for all-day shooting and the 4GB for short projects or where I want very short offload times.

e
 
again, thanks for the info guys!

much appreciated - I'm leaning towards the 64.


: )

d
 
I use two 16 gig cards and it's the perfect workflow. You can swap out and offload the one that's not being used while still shooting and hardly skip a beat.
 
I still have a DVX100B and I don't have to deliver in HD all the time (although I'd love to do so - but I shoot with both when I have time). I guess there's just that extra security blanket that in the one in a gabillion chance that the P2 system screws up, I have the tape mechanism as a backup. That and I really have had my eye on the HVX200 for awhile, and finally followed through - even though the 170 is a solid camera (I just wish the 200a had a locking firewire). Plus, the cost of the 200A was less than the 170 by about $200.

dmc said:
Just out of curiosity Ben, what were your deciding factors in selecting the 200a versus the 170 given that you seem to be committing to P2?


dmc
Click to expand...
 
Nexis said:
I use two 16 gig cards and it's the perfect workflow. You can swap out and offload the one that's not being used while still shooting and hardly skip a beat.
Click to expand...

thanks Nexis.

That is exactly the combo I was originally thinking about!

However, a 64 gig card for only another 1k might just be too tempting to refuse.


I need a beer...


dmc
 
Just got a 32 from B&H and stamped on it reads "A Series". On dvinfo.net Jan says "The "A" series denotes an uptick in the record and transfer speeds, it is now 800Mbs up from 640Mbs."

So I guess a 32 is at 800Mbs Barry.
 
For commercial and music video gigs, I have worked with many who prefer multiple smaller cards over one large card.

Though I use larger-capacity cards for my documentary work, I still keep and use the 4GB cards. A DP I worked with recently actually prefers the 4GB cards, so we used them. He says the commercial crew & cast are more accustomed to the shorter recording times. In this case, the cast and crew determined the P2 card capacity.

Best,
Andrew
 
hey barry ,the 64 gb p2 transfers at 6gb a minute? wow, can i grt that speed through my duel adapter to my mac book pro or from my hvx170 -firewire 400 to manbook? whats the fastest with the 64gb p2 card. i have a 32gb and 2 x16gb p2 cards.
 
Sorry OT -

I have two Duel Adapters and neither works with my MBP (the first used to work fine, the second never worked and Duel customer service was very unhelpful) - any tricks I should know of?

Back to T

I don't know if I'd like something as small as the 4gb's, but I would take the three 16gb's over the 64gb simply for flexibility. Of course having all of them would be sweet!
 
benbixby said:
I guess there's just that extra security blanket that in the one in a gabillion chance that the P2 system screws up, I have the tape mechanism as a backup.
Click to expand...

True story, We got hired for an out of town HD gig. The producer confirmed they could use the .mxf files.
When we arrived at the shoot I double checked with the producer about the files. He had me call the editor in New York to make sure. The editor said they would not have access to the HD Edit bay but If I had a DV cam available they would be OK with that.
HA! We simply recorded on the DV deck of the HVX and got the job done. Got paid, and the producer called back after the post and said it was some of the best looking footage they ever got from a vendor.
Point being, Yes the HVX's DV deck has saved the day a few times. We've had enough gigs that specifically needed Mini-DV to pay for the camera. Not saying it's right for everybody, but it's nice to have options.
 
2 8GB and 2 16GB cards here. 126 minutes total at 720/24pn, with ample card-swap/dump/backup time in the plan via Powerbook G4/FCS2/FW800 drives. Seems pretty comfortable to me.

On the other hand, someday, when 128 GB cards are $200... : )
 
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