Which SDHC for the $$$

J

jbcon

Active member
I am awaiting the arrival of my GH1 which I plan on using for both Video and photo... most likely I will shoot photos in Raw and video in AVCHD 1080/24p once I do the firmware update....

The manual indicates approx. 1 hr per 8GB card for video... is this about right?

If so, I know class 10 SDHC are overkill, but all things being equal between Class 6 and Class 10, what about brands. It looks like you pay a premium for Sandisk, etc. What about other brands like Alldata, Patriot, generic?

I am looking at some 8gb Patriot Class 10 cards which are pretty cheap (relatively). I have used Patriot memory for years and have a SSD by them with few issues.....
 
There's plenty of data around in threads and in the permanent FAQ's on what cards to use. I would just offer a few comments:

1. Manual says 1hr per 8GB of AVCHD video, but the whole purpose of the hack is to increase the amount of data that the camera is producing. So throw out what the manual says, with the hack SDHC cards will store fewer minutes of video and that's how you want it, since higher quality video generally takes up more space. Not sure, but I think the high bitrate MJPEGS may give just 10 or 15 minutes per 8GB. AVCHD by its nature has more efficient bitrate but but maybe 20 minutes or so at high quality of AVCHD with hack. Someone can give you more exact numbers than I can, I'm sure.

2. Class 10 SDHC is not generally overkill. It may be for some settings but for the best quality settings with the hack the SDHC Class 10 cards may well be the limiting factor. I.e., if faster cards became available the hacked GH1 would give fewer errors and/or reach higher bitrates.

3. Best SDHC card right now is the Sandisk Extreme Class 10. They are also the most expensive. Transcend Class 10 are probably a decent choice for bang-for-the-buck, but they are not as fast as the Sandisk and will not perform as well at the highest settings. E.g., using the published "C" settings you're likely to do better with a Sandisk Extreme card than with a Transcend.

4. If you already have some Patriot Class 10 cards then you may as well test them. They will almost certainly work with some of the hack's settings. They will likely not work reliably with the highest quality hack settings. If you find they aren't working reliably then buy something better.
 
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I am using a 32GB class 10 Patriot card. It works fine. I use the "C" AVCHD settings in the hack, 24Pn
mjpeg set to 1080 with
Q1=400, T1 = 4
Q2=300, T2 = 4
Q3=250, T3 = 4
Q4=169, T3 = 4

I have had no problems with these settings using AVCHD and only one write speed error using mjpeg -and that was a static shot of grass. -This after shooting a wedding and a WestFest entry. (I didn't have the same settings for west fest, but again we only had one lost clip and that was on a different card and probably more due to the insane heat of the mojave desert)
 
So to recap: one lost clip that was of something I would never purposefully shoot other than to see if it would overload the mjpeg settings. Hundreds of other great clips, perfectly usable.

For a card that cost me less than a hundred dollars, I'd say it's worth it.
 
majikfraug said:
So to recap: one lost clip that was of something I would never purposefully shoot other than to see if it would overload the mjpeg settings. Hundreds of other great clips, perfectly usable.

For a card that cost me less than a hundred dollars, I'd say it's worth it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, the price is right on these but we'll have to see..... wish I didn't already have four class 4; 8gb cards...Guess they will be my photo cards and the Class 10's will be my video
 
If you're doing the firmware hack, get the very best, fastest cards you can. That means Class 10 and either Sandisk Extreme 30mb/sec or Panasonic Gold.
 
My SanDisk ultra IIs (class 4, but a good class 4) have been working fine for me on C settings shooting run-and-gun ENG type stuff.
 
I have had very good with success with transcend cards. My class 6 16gb handled 1080p 24p n C setting except for crashing once... the class 10 has never crashed yet. They are very affordable cards.
 
edsonkwushu said:
Hey Ben, are you referring to these cards in this link:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/SanDisk+-+Ultra+II+16GB+Secure+Digital+Memory+Card/9142171.p?id=1218033631187&skuId=9142171&st=sandisk%20ultra&cp=1&lp=1

The reason I ask is because the cards only list a 15mb write speed. Isn't that way lower than the Gh-1 hacked "C" settings write speed? I'm probably missing something here.
Click to expand...
The cards Ben was referring to are Sandisk "Extreme", not Sandisk "Ultra". (Edit: Actually Ben was referring to Ultra, see his post below. . . ) The Extreme have rating of 30MB/s. Here's link:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/SanDisk...uId=9141877&st=sandisk extreme 16gb&cp=1&lp=3

The linked Best Buy Sandisk Extreme are "Extreme III" cards. Not sure what difference is from regular Sandisk Extreme, which is also rated at 30MB/s and costs much less at, e.g., Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-16GB-...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1279122096&sr=8-2

Edit: Looking a little more carefully I see that the Sandisk Extreme III at Best Buy is Class 6 card, although they rate it at 30MB/s. The Sandisk Extreme card I linked from Amazon is a Class 10 card, which they rate at 30MB/s.
 
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Barry_Green said:
If you're doing the firmware hack, get the very best, fastest cards you can. That means Class 10 and either Sandisk Extreme 30mb/sec or Panasonic Gold.
Click to expand...

Read this advice like your life counted on it.

Coming from a P2 background I cannot abide any issues with media. And initially I was recommended kingston for the GH1; result - problems after 3 or 4 sessions.

Changed to Panasonic Class 10 - end of problems full stop.
 
jbcon said:
I am awaiting the arrival of my GH1 which I plan on using for both Video and photo... most likely I will shoot photos in Raw and video in AVCHD 1080/24p once I do the firmware update....

The manual indicates approx. 1 hr per 8GB card for video... is this about right?

If so, I know class 10 SDHC are overkill, but all things being equal between Class 6 and Class 10, what about brands. It looks like you pay a premium for Sandisk, etc. What about other brands like Alldata, Patriot, generic?

I am looking at some 8gb Patriot Class 10 cards which are pretty cheap (relatively). I have used Patriot memory for years and have a SSD by them with few issues.....
Click to expand...

I think everyone agrees that you should buy the best card that you can afford.

Panasonic cards are awesome. No question about that. If you are doing paid work, and you can afford them, buy 'em. If not, there are cards that are almost as good at a fraction of the price.

Using the settings that you say you are intending to use, I have had no issues on my Patriot Class 10 card with over 6 hours of footage recorded. With some mjpeg settings, I have had issues -but not with "C" AVCHD.

I based my purchase on what I could afford and what my fellow DVXusers recommended. If I had $399 to spend instead of <$99 I might have sprung for the Panasonic cards but, then again, I might have spent the other $300 on another lens instead :)
 
edsonkwushu said:
Hey Ben, are you referring to these cards in this link:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/SanDisk+-+Ultra+II+16GB+Secure+Digital+Memory+Card/9142171.p?id=1218033631187&skuId=9142171&st=sandisk%20ultra&cp=1&lp=1

The reason I ask is because the cards only list a 15mb write speed. Isn't that way lower than the Gh-1 hacked "C" settings write speed? I'm probably missing something here.
Click to expand...
MB are megabytes; byte is a predominant UoM in computing world. In A/V world the predominant UoM is bit (well, the multiples of it anyway). 1 byte = 8 bits. 15 MB/s write speed is therefore 120 Mbps. However, these are typically burst speeds useful in photography, where data is written in short bursts. In video applications, where data stream is written at fairly constant speed over a period of time, the only useful characteristic is Class Speed Rating, which is the minimum write speed card is capable of sustaining on non-fragmented (empty) SD card. Class 6 is 48 Mbps vs 80 Mbps in Class 10. I have seen AVCHD bitrates go over 50 Mbps in test shooting high detail static scenes. Taking into account some inevitable "overhead" padding you can see that Class 10 card is required when shooting with Gx13 at high bitrate settings.
 
edsonkwushu said:
Hey Ben, are you referring to these cards in this link:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/SanDisk...1187&skuId=9142171&st=sandisk ultra&cp=1&lp=1

The reason I ask is because the cards only list a 15mb write speed. Isn't that way lower than the Gh-1 hacked "C" settings write speed? I'm probably missing something here.
Click to expand...

hsitz said:
The cards Ben was referring to are Sandisk "Extreme", not Sandisk "Ultra". They have rating of 30MB/s. Here's link:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/SanDisk...uId=9141877&st=sandisk extreme 16gb&cp=1&lp=3

The linked Best Buy Sandisk Extreme are "Extreme III" cards. Not sure what difference is from regular Sandisk Extreme, which is also rated at 30MB/s and costs much less at, e.g., Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-16GB-...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1279122096&sr=8-2

Edit: Looking a little more carefully I see that the Sandisk Extreme III at Best Buy is Class 6 card, although they rate it at 30MB/s. The Sandisk Extreme card I linked from Amazon is a Class 10 card, which they rate at 30MB/s.
Click to expand...

svecher said:
MB are megabytes; byte is a predominant UoM in computing world. In A/V world the predominant UoM is bit (well, the multiples of it anyway). 1 byte = 8 bits. 15 MB/s write speed is therefore 120 Mbps. However, these are typically burst speeds useful in photography, where data is written in short bursts. In video applications, where data stream is written at fairly constant speed over a period of time, the only useful characteristic is Class Speed Rating, which is the minimum write speed card is capable of sustaining on non-fragmented (empty) SD card. Class 6 is 48 Mbps vs 80 Mbps in Class 10. I have seen AVCHD bitrates go over 50 Mbps in test shooting high detail static scenes. Taking into account some inevitable "overhead" padding you can see that Class 10 card is required when shooting with Gx13 at high bitrate settings.
Click to expand...

I am referring to the SanDisk Ultra II...yes that is the card...what you're missing is...see above. It's MB not Mb. Anyway my cards have been working fine with high detail scenes and longer clips, but I haven't done a huge amount of systematic testing. Also I'm not using 24pn.
 
Well...did some tests (pointed the camera at a high shutter speed into some bushes and whipped it all over the place, tried a few shutter speeds, my logic was that higher shutter speeds would mean more information as less of it was just turning into motion blur) and never once got a card speed error with a Sandisk Ultra II and C settings, no 24pn.
 
Ended up with a pair of Patriot LX 16GB class 10's, so far so good. After about a week of shooting at various bit-rates, up to about 48k SH/FHD I have had no freezes in anything but SH at this speed, and that was yesterday.

Was filming my niece water skiing in both 1080-p/24 and 720p/60 and when I switched over to 720 while panning and her skiing past me on the end of the dock at a fairly high zoom, I got a write error that froze the camera, but other than that no problems with either card.

I do want to try a Pani Gold, or Sandisk at some point and see if I can get over the 50K point.... but so far there is little need, but I do need to film some more action shots
 
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