P2 field memory devices
- Thread starter ggrantly
- Start date
Steve Eisen
Well-known member
You are better off buying more P2 cards. These units cost more than the P2 cards.
Phenixone
Well-known member
Hi! I use the Nexto video Pro and I am really happy with it.
It is a wonderful machine, allowing you to get the footage really fast. Also it is organizing the files in a way that Final Cut Pro can read them easily, classified with one folder per memory card. Folder name is yyyymmdd.xxx (x being an incremental of the number of card offloaded on the day) (eg : 20091210.003 is the third card offloaded on December 10, 2009). The only "problem" is that the P2 (PCMCIA) port is an adapter to plug in the SxS (express card) port. the transfer speed is really good. I then dump the folder on a backup hard drive and always try to have at least one copy of the footage as backup. Backup is very important especially with an HDD that you carry around in your back pack! I have never tested the usb sync feature as it was deactivated in the previous firmware (it is now back on and stable). The screen is a nice feature to reassure you that the export was well done, also the quality of the image is so bad it is not useful for anything else, colors are wrong, highly pixelated, wrong aspect ratio, and speed... tut still a nice feature that was missing on the p2store.
If you have any other questions about this device, let me know, it would be a pleasure to test it for you.
V.
PS: I recently tried with more than one camera for a concert and dumping every camera on you own drive right after the show is priceless !
It is a wonderful machine, allowing you to get the footage really fast. Also it is organizing the files in a way that Final Cut Pro can read them easily, classified with one folder per memory card. Folder name is yyyymmdd.xxx (x being an incremental of the number of card offloaded on the day) (eg : 20091210.003 is the third card offloaded on December 10, 2009). The only "problem" is that the P2 (PCMCIA) port is an adapter to plug in the SxS (express card) port. the transfer speed is really good. I then dump the folder on a backup hard drive and always try to have at least one copy of the footage as backup. Backup is very important especially with an HDD that you carry around in your back pack! I have never tested the usb sync feature as it was deactivated in the previous firmware (it is now back on and stable). The screen is a nice feature to reassure you that the export was well done, also the quality of the image is so bad it is not useful for anything else, colors are wrong, highly pixelated, wrong aspect ratio, and speed... tut still a nice feature that was missing on the p2store.
If you have any other questions about this device, let me know, it would be a pleasure to test it for you.
V.
PS: I recently tried with more than one camera for a concert and dumping every camera on you own drive right after the show is priceless !
Consider this: NEXTO DI NVS2500 sells for $1999.95 with 500 GB storage. A single "E" series P2 card, 64GB, sells for $929.00 (current B&H price). To purchase the P2 equivalent in storage would cost $7255.49 and, of course, both are erasable and reusable.
That said, with the above logic in mind, I have recently purchased the aforementioned NEXTO device to use with my HPX170 and HPX300 and love it! Transfer is quick and easy. Of course, the work flow may not suit every style of shooting given the time it takes to copy a card, however brief that may be, but it's clearly cost effective in view of the above computation plus, there are other benefits such as backup and more.
Hello Listers,
Thanks for the responses. I am getting ready to buy a new cam, or two and am considering going to P2 cams. Also being Mac based, I have read about all the weirdness with transferring files. The idea of packing a laptop just for field transfer isn't something I can embrace. The cost of the Panny P2 store (used) is just about low enough to use it for a transfer interface and you get some storage in the bargain. Like others have said, it is a shame it isn't larger. The cost factor on the NVS2500 seems pretty high. The P2 gear option is really the way to go, but that is pricey also and lacks an internal drive. I think I would be more likely to buy one of the SSHD flash units and just transfer from the cam.
Sorry to ramble on out loud, but I know most everyone has struggled with these same issues.
Grant
Thanks for the responses. I am getting ready to buy a new cam, or two and am considering going to P2 cams. Also being Mac based, I have read about all the weirdness with transferring files. The idea of packing a laptop just for field transfer isn't something I can embrace. The cost of the Panny P2 store (used) is just about low enough to use it for a transfer interface and you get some storage in the bargain. Like others have said, it is a shame it isn't larger. The cost factor on the NVS2500 seems pretty high. The P2 gear option is really the way to go, but that is pricey also and lacks an internal drive. I think I would be more likely to buy one of the SSHD flash units and just transfer from the cam.
Sorry to ramble on out loud, but I know most everyone has struggled with these same issues.
Grant
F/VESCO
Well-known member
Grant,
Shoot me an email if you end up going wth the P2 Store (PCS060). We have a number to get rid of.
Scott: sschneider@fvesco.com
Shoot me an email if you end up going wth the P2 Store (PCS060). We have a number to get rid of.
Scott: sschneider@fvesco.com
wgzn
Veteran
there isnt really any "wierdness" to it. its just a different mind set than using tape. ive been using P2 for 3years now with no problems whatsoever... i cant imagine going back to tape now. yes, having a laptop on set can be viewed as cumbersome. but unless you are a one-man-crew its not anything unbearable.
and you simply cant beat a cheap laptop for a cost-effective card offload solution. you can pick up an old powerbook G4 or el cheapo windows pcmcia enabled laptop for $400 - $500 just about anywhere and they are [typically] way bigger than any P2 offload/storage device and half or less the price. and it never hurts to have a computer on set ; )
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SantaCruzMichael
Well-known member
The NEXTO Pro looks nice.
How rugged is the card adapter that's needed for P2? It seems like in extreme shooting environments, a card adapter sticking out of the SXS slot could get tweaked pretty easily. If that gets bent in the back of a jeep in the middle of Zimbabwe, for example, then I'm screwed.
(Last week, in a rare bonehead moment, I dropped a P2 store on a tile floor. DOH! The sound of the impact was cringe inducing, but not a scratch on the thing. Still works fine and spins quietly.)
Maybe in a subsequent version they'll the improve the NEXTO's display, but I bet the problem lies in the file conversion needed for the LCD, not the LCD unit itself. Imagine all the formats this device has to be able to deal with!
How rugged is the card adapter that's needed for P2? It seems like in extreme shooting environments, a card adapter sticking out of the SXS slot could get tweaked pretty easily. If that gets bent in the back of a jeep in the middle of Zimbabwe, for example, then I'm screwed.
(Last week, in a rare bonehead moment, I dropped a P2 store on a tile floor. DOH! The sound of the impact was cringe inducing, but not a scratch on the thing. Still works fine and spins quietly.)
Maybe in a subsequent version they'll the improve the NEXTO's display, but I bet the problem lies in the file conversion needed for the LCD, not the LCD unit itself. Imagine all the formats this device has to be able to deal with!
Phenixone
Well-known member
Duel adapter is not working with Snow Leopard and I broke 3 of those with this stupid cable in the middle twisting and braking.
Yes the adapter on the side is a weakness, but overall, the drive is smaller than a computer. just put is somewhere safe (eg. inside your camera bag/flightcase) during export and unplug it after, is is the size of the Nexto so you can fit it flat facing the drive while storing it.
For the Tile floor drop, I'm sorry I'm not going to try this with Nexto
but it has some rubber parts that you put at both ends, and the global design seems pretty solid (thick striped plastic all over) of course, it has a HDD inside and HDDs are not fail safe. Maybe I'll check into changing it to a SSD as soon as an affordable 500G. (I don't even know if you can change the drive)
Anyway Nexto has two great points that were issues with my previous workflow (and I do both fiction and documentary)
- Transfer with a Mac. Now the mac only reads a FAT32 formatted hdd through FireWire/usb/e-SATA with a great file structure classified by card per day.
- OnTheField offloading without a computer or power outlet and with out the camera !!!!
The bad things about this device are
- Pricey, but not as much as the same amount of memory in P2 cards
- The P2 adapter (now this is the only real thing that bothers me)
- The OTF backup is usb ONLY ! and USB=slooooooowwwwwww. I usually backup as soon as I reach my computer, simply dumping the card folders, (and not the CONTENTS folders by themselves) to a backup drive, sometimes two if it is critical footage.
Yes the adapter on the side is a weakness, but overall, the drive is smaller than a computer. just put is somewhere safe (eg. inside your camera bag/flightcase) during export and unplug it after, is is the size of the Nexto so you can fit it flat facing the drive while storing it.
For the Tile floor drop, I'm sorry I'm not going to try this with Nexto
but it has some rubber parts that you put at both ends, and the global design seems pretty solid (thick striped plastic all over) of course, it has a HDD inside and HDDs are not fail safe. Maybe I'll check into changing it to a SSD as soon as an affordable 500G. (I don't even know if you can change the drive)Anyway Nexto has two great points that were issues with my previous workflow (and I do both fiction and documentary)
- Transfer with a Mac. Now the mac only reads a FAT32 formatted hdd through FireWire/usb/e-SATA with a great file structure classified by card per day.
- OnTheField offloading without a computer or power outlet and with out the camera !!!!
The bad things about this device are
- Pricey, but not as much as the same amount of memory in P2 cards
- The P2 adapter (now this is the only real thing that bothers me)
- The OTF backup is usb ONLY ! and USB=slooooooowwwwwww. I usually backup as soon as I reach my computer, simply dumping the card folders, (and not the CONTENTS folders by themselves) to a backup drive, sometimes two if it is critical footage.
Phenixone
Well-known member
Keep in mind that it is still a hard drive, once correctly stored it is hard to brake (if you really go to critical locations, get a small pelican case and put it there better safe than sorry. also it is a spinning hard drive, vibrations are still bad (thinking of the moving jeep) All I can say is : it is tougher than a mac with duel adapter just don't leave it by itself when offloading, just keep an eye on it. Maybe you can buy an extra adapter for the drive in case you are too far away from a circuit city shop.