HPX250: So microP2 adapter will work from what I have read?

rzr219

rzr219

Well-known member
So I am guessing the new microP2 Adapter card will work like normal in my 250 using the P2 micro card? Is this correct as it will be much cheaper than a standard P2 card (once you have the adapter card)
 
rzr219 said:
So I am guessing the new microP2 Adapter card will work like normal in my 250 using the P2 micro card? Is this correct as it will be much cheaper than a standard P2 card (once you have the adapter card)
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That's my understanding plus you can use the higher end SD cards as well but you are limited to 50Mb/sec. If you buy the adapter and and a 64 mini P2 card you save about $100. But then you could feed more mini cards into the same adapter.
 
Yes, the adapter allows the use of top-end SD cards but only at a maximum of 50mbps. For an HPX250, that would mean 1080i or 1080p at AVC-Intra50, or 720/30pN at AVCI-100, or DVCPRO50.

When using a genuine MicroP2 card with the adapter, you should be able to use any of the HPX250's recording modes.
 
FWIW, I received two 64GB MicroP2 cards and adapters from B&H this week. I had already updated the firmware last week in preparation, and everything works as expected in my HPX250.
The adapters are very light, much lighter than P2 cards, and have their own spring-loaded eject mechanism for the MicroP2 cards so that you never have to eject the adapters themselves. I'm now offloading the MicroP2 cards using the SD card slot in my Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook. Using the USB 3.0-based MicroP2 drive would be faster, but speed isn't an issue for me right now and the convenience of not lugging around another piece of equipment outweighs the speed benefit.
 
Barry_Green said:
Yes, the adapter allows the use of top-end SD cards but only at a maximum of 50mbps. For an HPX250, that would mean 1080i or 1080p at AVC-Intra50, or 720/30pN at AVCI-100, or DVCPRO50.

When using a genuine MicroP2 card with the adapter, you should be able to use any of the HPX250's recording modes.
Click to expand...

Good to know, thank Barry.
 
I haven't tried it because my workflow has changed. Back in the HVX200 days I was offloading using a PCMCIA/PCCard-equipped laptop, when I retired it I switched to offloading through the camera's USB port. I am now offloading by putting the MicroP2 cards into the card reader built into my current laptop, which is faster than a USB connection limited to 480Mbps (theoretical max). Using the USB 3.0-based MicroP2 drive would be even faster because it has additional electrical contacts to take full advantage of the MicroP2 throughput (2Gbps). Bear in mind that MicroP2 is not a simple SD card even though it can be read in a SD card reader -- to get the full benefit of the extra speed, a slot with a second row of electrical contacts is needed.
 
The downside of SDHC form factor is that it's simply too small and light weight. You literally have to be extra careful and can't neglect these quarter-size SDHC/Micro P2 cards. I almost lost them by putting in a wallet and not securing it with a zipper.

It's a great option for heavy multi cam shoots where P2 media is almost 1.8x more expensive than micro P2 ($640/$355=~1.8 ratio). Fewer field P2 offload is always a great thing.
 
I think it would be nice if Panasonic offered the cards in another color besides black -- day-glow orange or yellow for instance. It may seem tacky but has definite advantages in some situations.
 
Just as I made plans to buy all micro P2 in the future, Panasonic support told me that only in their best interest camcorders and decks can support the micro P2 adaptor. The Panasonic AG-MSU10 will not have any new firmware to support the micro P2. So premium P2 cards will not be obsolete after all. Laptopless offloading has been super efficient. It has been an indispensable tool. It appears that P2 will still be in use in conjunction with microP2 for those who don't need high volume, multicam shoot. And too bad you can't span P2 and micro P2. It seems too good to be true. There's a show-stopper with micro P2 after all. There's no escaping in paying the premium, full price for the media.
 
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Do we need the Panasonic USB 3 card reader or any USB 3 sd card can do for max transfert speed ?
 
You need a UHS-II compatible card reader with a USB 3.0 interface, since USB 2.0 would be the bottleneck.
 
I'm not currently using a separate card reader, I'm using the SD card slot built into my Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook. It is not UHS-II compatible and achieves a read speed of about 18MB/sec. Offloading an entire 64GB card would take almost exactly one hour. It takes longer to fill the card up in the camera, so two cards still provide essentially unlimited recording capacity.
 

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So it's compatible with any sd card reader but not as fast as with the panasonic card reader...

Thanks THoff for the answers .
 
For what it's worth, the card reader built into my laptop uses an internal USB 2.0 connection, so the speeds are comparable to what you'd get with an external USB 2.0 SD card reader.
 
This is yet to be determined as each camera firmware is unique. Just a month ago during NAB2013, the PX5000G couldn't span P2 and micro P2. Now it is changed again. I do not see that small "*" denoting not be able to span anymore. Maybe they already figured out to work around this problem. Their stand alone deck (AJ-PD500) is still questionable on spanning P2 & micro P2. I do not have concrete data on HPX250 just yet in its ability to use P2 and micro P2 seamlessly.

Whatever the case, micro P2 has to be studied and reviewed on a frequent basis
http://pro-av.panasonic.net/en/sales_o/p2/microP2/

There are definitely limitations to micro P2 vs P2. I feel by paying ~1.8 cheaper than P2, full functionality of a regular P2 has to be compromised. It cannot and will not be the same as a regular P2. In the long run, micro P2 may cost more than what it worth in terms of being able to fully record at 1080/60p via the micro P2 adaptor for example. MSU10 not being able to read micro P2 via P2 adaptor is a definite no go for me regardless unless there's a new MSU model. And from past experiences, I don't think any Pana would want to pro users to completely abandon their premium P2 cards. As of this point, I'd let them finish up the final specs before jumping in.
 
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Got an official reply fr Panasonic that micro P2 and P2 spanning is now possible with HPX250, HPX2000-3700 series. Just a few months earlier it wasn't. So this is good news. But still, Micro P2 will not be 100% compatible w/ all of their products prior to 2013 with the adaptor.

No plans to upgrade the MSU10. I'll test out a cheap $250 netbook PC w/ built in SDHC reader and see how it performs. You can't do a one-click offload. Battery life on these cheap netbooks are not so great. And once again I misplaced another SDHC card today. It is just so small and light that can easily slips away if you get distracted. Luckily it dropped off the right pocket and still in the car's passenger seat. Close call again. But I do see a lot of potential media loss with these tiny SDHC cards in the future. Micro P2 is no exception.
 
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