Fear of SDHC cards

[Craig Seeman]

Ultra II Class 2 are rock solid. It’s the Class 4 that’s giving everyone problems. Too bad Sandisk changed their manufacturing process. Amazing that Class 2 works and Class 4 (supposedly faster) does not.

[Rod Minott]

Thanks Craig and Michael.

[Akbar Ukani]

I am sure you read my post about my Sandisk SDHC card taking a huge ass dump on me 45 minutes into the shoot… look into the Sandisk 8Gb SxS cards…they are a little more expensive than the (card+adapter)….but if you ask me that extra cost is justified since you won’t have the stress of making sure you hit the record button after 5-7 seconds every single time…and I rather go with 8Gb instead of 16 or 32 primarily because that way you are not putting ALL your eggs in one basket

well I am down bout $500 if not more trying to get contents off my SDHC card…..hopefully the data is there..if not all of it then majority of it……If not then I am down $4k and a bad rep for my business…

Akbar

[Craig Seeman]

If you look at the history of human error because one has to carry a laptop and offload SxS cards during a shoot with the pressure on and the meter running, you’d find SxS a VERY risky business. You can have a stack of reliable SDHC cards and shoot all day and even give/sell the client the card if they want to walk with the “master.”

The ONLY risk with SDHC is buying untested brands or when manufacturers change something. It became obvious very quickly that when Sandisk changed the Ultra II from Class 2 to Class 4, that Class 4 had issues.

Transcend Class 6 has been very reliable. Hoodman now had their own QC’d cards which, while more expensive than others, are still magnitudes less expensive than SxS.

I find the entire SDHC workflow much more reliable than SxS. It’s not just the card one must evaluate but the risks in the entire workflow.

While I never had a mishap with SxS I can tell you that first year I was using SxS only was a nightmare having to deal with a laptop and offloads during a shoot . . . especially the longer ones. I can now go to a shoot with no laptop and even no need to change cards (nearly 4 hours with two 32GB) which GREATLY REDUCES RISK for me.

[Akbar Ukani]

Craig…..after what happened to me with the SDHC card (human error or not), I respectfully disagree with you but that is not to say that you are wrong

from my perspective and my situation, I think we are more prone to make human errors while on the shoot primarily because of being under the stress of making sure that we capture the moment in a split second……atleast that seems to be the case for someone like me who is into corporate videos and weddings (unfortunately my 16Gb card error is associated with a wedding which I was covering)….and given those circumstances I certainly would not want to worry about making sure that I have waited 5-7 seconds everytime I stop recording before hitting the record button again…..waiting a couple of seconds with an SxS card is certainly going to reduce the potential for human error far significantly I think…

Sandisks are selling the 8GB SxS cards for around $250 bucks while the Sony 32Gb SxS are around 800 ..which is expensive no doubt but think about it…you have spent $6k-$8k on the camera…might as well $2k more…besides I am not a big fan of 32Gb..why put all your eggs in one basket

[Craig Seeman]

Almost all my shoots are news (either run and gun or long speeches/press conferences). My shooting style but I never have a need to stop and start quickly. If I think something’s going to happen I keep it running. I couldn’t do that with SxS because I feared getting caught in an offload when the cards ran out.
Opening a laptop disrupts me and the event I’m shooting. With two to four 32GB cards there’s no reason to be in a hurry to stop recording. 8GB cards were a complete nightmare given the frequent offloads.

[Bob Mark]

Sounds like you have a good system in place. Are these the cards you use?
Transcend TS32GSDHC6

Bob

[Craig Seeman]

Actually using this

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/563180-REG/SanDisk_SDSDRH_032G_A11_ULTRA_II_SD_.html

Sandisk 32GB Ultra II Class 2. It’s the Class 4 version that’s giving everyone problems. I’m not sure if the above is an old product shot though. I thought the Class 2 had been replaced by Class 4.
That’s a great price especially when you include an additional $25 rebate.

[Bob Mark]

Thanks for that info. So get sandisk class 2 instead of 4?
Any idea if Transcend is more reliable?

Bob

[Martin Phillips]

It’s very interesting reading everyone’s experiences here. I think that it boils down to what works for you. My experience has been tarnished by 2 problems with these SDHC cards, which in the end were not catastrophic. Anyway, that was enough for me not to risk them any more. I decided that £800 for 2 16Gb Sony SxS cards was a price worth paying for the greater peace of mind and using the cards that were specifically designed for the camera. Let’s face it the camera costs £6k for starters, so why economise on such a vital component?

The other day I accidentally switched the camera off whilst it was still recording (an interview got interrupted). Realised as soon as I had done it. Switched back on (in media mode) and footage all fine. Had I done this on an SDHC card who knows what would have happened to the previous 30 mins of footage? In the heat of the moment these things do happen – the 10 sec rule would catch me out too, I know.

So, yes, I had my fingers burnt and will not risk them again. Just my experience, for what it’s worth! Martin.