SxS and EX1R: the ultimate way to save

Just throwing some far fetch ideas. How about going wireless recording or transferring to a hard drive? I was reading some of the wireless backup/record hard drive and if one can figure out how to transfer the data from the EX1 via the USB port wireless, it might just work. Of course, the hard part is getting EX1 to see the hard drive wirelessly.
 
Credit where its due

Credit where its due

I think its only fair that the real genius for working this out is Marc Aeon Bradley. The guy that sells the sexyhdr units on ebay. Without his work none of us would know about how to do this. An actor of all people! ( I googled him ) I found this thread when looking for ideas on mounting. What I will say is yes fair enough some of the guys who copied Marcs idea ( all of the above ) have saved money from buying one BUT speaking as someone who has no idea about format and what NTFS is etc the support I got from the guy was out of this world. I looks like the price has been dropped anyway. The item number for the current sale on ebay is 220899300399 which is worth looking at because they have made a video on how to set it all up. I didnt mind buying off Marc because in the end, everything was tested, worked perfectly as you have all found out and more so, was still way cheaper than an SXS card and without the hassle of buying all the bits myself. I just dont have the time. I have 3 of the sexyhdr units and will buy another before he finally stops selling them. Hats off to the man I say.
 
...yep, one can buy it from eBay, or one can assemble it yourself. On other hand, one can sell it on eBay for near 1000% profit, , or one can share the knowledge with other, with no profit at all. Than again, one can pith the product here, posting link to eBay. Frankly, the only contribution Bradley added to the idea was a home–made sticker on the face of the adapter, which (sticker) sucks, bot what is even worse, it peals away from the adapter as a result of generated heat.
And, jonbroadway, if you anxious to do the “hats off dance” – you better dedicate it to these guys from e-films (http://e-films.com.au/shoppingcart/products/e%2dHDR-(Hard-Disk-Recorder).html). At least they are clever enough to include usb cable with angled connectors.
And one more word about "(...) the hassle of buying all the bits": when I started this tread I mentioned that (un)sEXy drive thing, all of its advantages and limitations. Among other inconveniences, I mentioned looong transit time from UK to California. It took less time to collect and combine parts by myself.

p.s.
“I have 3 of the sexyhdr units and will buy another before he finally stops selling them”
– let me know if he is sold out, I’ll sell you mine for ½ price :)
 
Yea

Yea

What you said is like saying, the bloke who invented the wheel made no contribution to the car. At least Rolls Royce added tyres.... All I'm saying is that without Marc Bradley none of you would have been able to copy his research and none of you would be making any kits because it was him that worked it all out, as for selling them for a 100% profit, who cares. Lots of us dont know ( didnt know ) how to upgrade the firmware, partition a drive, format it etc and get it all working, fine if you have good knowledge but for old dogers like me Marcs 100% profit paid for the support I got from him, many times over.
 
What you said is like saying, the bloke who invented the wheel made no contribution to the car.
– this is just your imagination. Do not read between the lines. Read lines instead!


All I'm saying is that without Marc Bradley none of you would have been able to copy his research and none of you would be making any kits because it was him that worked it all out.
Sounds like rubbish: e-Films (e-films.com.au) came with idea of using express-card to USB adapter in conjunction with external USB drive. If anybody should take credit for invention – its them. Aesthetically, the kit they came with looks like it is up to the sticker price of $199.00. Coming up with sEXy drive, Bradley "invented a bicycle," so to say. Not re-invented anything.You can call him an "entrepreneur", you can call him "salesman", you can even call him "thief",– anything, but "inventor" and "researcher".


(…)as for selling them for a 100% profit, who cares.
Well, I do.
We all see that most everything in XDCAM EX area is overpriced by big guys. They selling parts and accessories for 10+ times what they worth. It even looks like they do modifications here and there just to insure we will need to upgrade our accessories.I don't have to list things i am talking about. But when there is a chance to save some money,I think we have to consolidate our collective thoughts for benefits of all.



Lots of us dont know ( didnt know ) how to upgrade the firmware, partition a drive, format it etc and get it all working,
Actually, lots of us do, and these who don't are coming to forums, like this, to find answers. For free. As you stated in your first post, you found this thread when looking for ideas on mounting. Well, this issue razed for you because your man Bradley didn't care to add anything to e-films idea.For the price he charged you, he could add some mounting collation, but he didn't. So, you have to research it by yourself. And you came here. You read. You joined this forum as a member. Than you made two posts: you mocked this tread in on of them, the other was placed in marketplace with the direct link to eBay item. How related to mr. Bradley are you?..


(…) fine if you have good knowledge but for old dogers like me Marcs 100% profit paid for the support I got from him, many times over.
LEARN.
 
And you can, if the shots are really really critical, run two setups and have the camera write to two drives at once for redundancy.
 
And you can, if the shots are really really critical, run two setups and have the camera write to two drives at once for redundancy.
This is NOT A TRUE STATEMENT. You CAN NOT record on both slots at the same time, not on EX1R. On the other hands, using this (see the post on the top of this thread) setup for almost a year now, I had not a single problem, not a slight glitch. As soon as I'm back from the shoot, I am backing up my EX drives, as I call them, with ShotPut and do all transfers and re–encodings (to ProRes, for editing) from these back–ups.
 
Hey guys!

I'm shooting an event for 12 days, I need to record 6-8 hours of footage on 2 EX1s (so 12-16 hours a day). My EX1 is at version 1.05. I don't have enough time to send it in to have the firmware updated so it's going to cost a ton to rent enough 16gb SxS cards.

Is there an option for someone using a Sony EX1 at version 1.05 on the firmware?

-Jeremiah
 
Hey guys!

I'm shooting an event for 12 days, I need to record 6-8 hours of footage on 2 EX1s (so 12-16 hours a day). My EX1 is at version 1.05. I don't have enough time to send it in to have the firmware updated so it's going to cost a ton to rent enough 16gb SxS cards.

Is there an option for someone using a Sony EX1 at version 1.05 on the firmware?

-Jeremiah

I updated the firmware my self and it only takes about 5 or so minutes. So far it works fine with SDHC memory card + adapter. I have also tried over crank and it works fine too.
 
Hi abereut,

Every time someone comes up with a great idea, especially on how to save money, there is always someone else out there in the woodwork to criticize or find fault. Don't pay any attention to those kinds of people. I too, would love to be able to just buy a system all set up, but not for 10 times the cost.

I have an EX1 with Firmware V1.11. Can I use your set up with that version, or do I "HAVE" to upgrade? I ask, because if I do have to, I would rather send it in to Sony for that. Too many horror stories from others that have tried it themselves. I can't risk a $1,500.oo repair bill.

I am very excited about putting together your set up, because we've had a lot of failures lately trying to do extended shooting with a Hoodman RAW SxSxSDXC Adapter using a Sandisk Extreme 32GB SDHC Card. Shortly after shooting begins I keep getting a "media failure". This could be partly due to the fact that we've been letting the camera run until the card fills up. It could also have something to do with the fact that the card is only a 30MB/s and the camera downloads at 35MB/s, so maybe the card is just not quite fast enough to absorb the data.

I am hoping your system with overcome all these problems.

Thanks.

.
 
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(...)Every time someone comes up with a great idea, especially on how to save money, there is always someone else out there in the woodwork to criticize or find fault.(...)

Lets keep things straight: the idea to combine EX1R with USB to express card adapter and HD is indeed a great one , but it is not mine. My contribution is to show INEXPENSIVE way to implement it.

(...)I have an EX1 with Firmware V1.11. Can I use your set up with that version, or do I "HAVE" to upgrade? I ask, because if I do have to, I would rather send it in to Sony for that. Too many horror stories from others that have tried it themselves. I can't risk a $1,500.oo repair bill.(...)

Having EX1R cameras, I was only experimenting with EX1 once, last May. It had 1.2 firmware and the set-up worked on 80GB drive. Look: eventually, you will upgrade your firmware anyway. So right now, I wouldn't wait to order a couple of USB to Express Card adapters. I am sure you can easily find a usb–powered drive and appropriate cable within your stuff or among friends so you can give it a try. If it works – fine, you're in. If your camera will not see the large drive attached – here where firmware upgrade will help.
The question most users ask themselves "Should I do the upgrade by myself or should I sent the camera to Sony for it?" is a good one. From my experience, the procedure of upgrading is well documented and pretty straight forward. That was the first thing I did after my cameras were delivered from B&H. At that point I was not aware yet about multiple horror stories. Well, may be this is the case when the absence of knowledge helps, but I upgraded firmware on two cameras in no time and without any problem.
Take a look at this video (http://vimeo.com/10106072). It might bring back your confidence.


(...)I am hoping your system with overcome all these problems.

What problems..? That suppose to be my line!..
:)
 
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Dear Abereut,

I cannot thank you enough for the information which lead to me being able to set up this external hard drive to our Sony EX1. As you said, everything cost me less than $100.oo and it was so incredibly easy to put together and set up, it's amazing. "Easy" and "simple", are the methods more needed in this age of overwhelming technological complications.

I needed something that would give me longer recording times, and this is definitely the answer. I can get 5 hours out of this system, non-stop, and that is exactly what I wanted.

Getting the card adapter into the camera slot the first time was a little tricky. It took a little stronger of a push than I would have liked, but it finally went in and now works great.

The way I have set it up, and the way it works, reminds me of our Red-One with the Red Drive perched on top of the camera.

Before I could do all this, I had the firmware upgraded three levels to get it to v1.25 (it was v1.11), as you had suggested.

Anyway, I have high hopes that this system will now give me the kind or recording time I need for our projects without breaking down and faulting like so many of these other "technological wonders" do now days.

Now, the only thing that remains is if I can come up with a method to increase the quality of the footage coming from our Sony EX1 "without" spending the kind of money required to purchase a nanoFlash.

Thanks again, and my best wishes to you.

.
 


Lets keep things straight: the idea to combine EX1R with USB to express card adapter and HD is indeed a great one , but it is not mine. My contribution is to show INEXPENSIVE way to implement it.



Having EX1R cameras, I was only experimenting with EX1 once, last May. It had 1.2 firmware and the set-up worked on 80GB drive. Look: eventually, you will upgrade your firmware anyway. So right now, I wouldn't wait to order a couple of USB to Express Card adapters. I am sure you can easily find a usb–powered drive and appropriate cable within your stuff or among friends so you can give it a try. If it works – fine, you're in. If your camera will not see the large drive attached – here where firmware upgrade will help.
The question most users ask themselves "Should I do the upgrade by myself or should I sent the camera to Sony for it?" is a good one. From my experience, the procedure of upgrading is well documented and pretty straight forward. That was the first thing I did after my cameras were delivered from B&H. At that point I was not aware yet about multiple horror stories. Well, may be this is the case when the absence of knowledge helps, but I upgraded firmware on two cameras in no time and without any problem.
Take a look at this video (http://vimeo.com/10106072). It might bring back your confidence.




What problems..? That suppose to be my line!..
:)

Well, I didn't want to take any chances, so I had TEK Media, in Southern California, upgrade the firmware for me, at a ridiculous cost of $285.oo, because it had to go up three levels. Next time, I "will" do it myself. We all live and learn.

On that note, I just want to say to anyone interested, that while TEK did the upgrades fast, their return shipping methods suck big time. I was VERY unhappy with the way they packaged my EX1 for the return. It was sloppily, loosely packed, and barely padded with bubble wrap, and by the time the box got to me it looked like someone had sat on it. If my camcorder is not damaged I will be truly amazed, but time will tell. When I send equipment in to a company to be repaired, I expect professional equipment to be handled professionally by professionals, but this was NOT the case. Their treatment of my camera shows a complete disregard and lack of consideration for their customers. I will NOT be doing business with them again.

Anyway, thanks again for everything.

.
 
Will someone recommend a good and reliable portable hard drive for this? I'm thinking about it.
 
Lor,
Please read the top of this thread. It has all information you might need. And more.
 
...Just want to inform everyone who is interested that after updating EX1R firmware to v.1.30 my camera is still very happy with 320GB 2.5" Hitachi Travelstar attached, no oddities to report.
Happy shooting!
 
I have a wing permanently attached to the baseplate on my camera where I normally mount my Nanoflash on a cold shoe. Putting this recorder on it would be a slide in affair.

View attachment 34541

There have to be a dozen other options too.

That is some rig you have there. It's absolutely loaded with wish list items. How did you find the sg blade? if that is an SG blade adaptor.
 
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