Flavors of Sony SxS

[Bob Cole]

Excellent points. If I were an Arctic explorer my question would be solved. But you do solve it anyway: [Don Greening] “100,000 cycles as opposed to 10,000”

At a guess, I currently run about 300-400 hours of tape a year. A pair of 32GB cards will hold 3-4 hours, requiring at most 100 cycles a year. In 100 years, I’m going to have to replace those cards. So, in 2111, I’m going to regret being such a cheapskate.

Thanks Don. I hope that my math is correct, and that my attempt at humor doesn’t sound sarcastic — I’m just trying to put this in perspective. I really appreciate your taking the time to put this all in black and white.

The only question I have left is whether it’s smarter to have a bunch of 16GB cards vs. half as many 32GB cards. Is it better not to have as many eggs in one basket, or is better to have fewer eggs to manage?

Oddly enough, I went about this tapeless revolution backwards. Expecting to launch fully into it after my first experience with an EX3, I bought an LTO backup system to store the media. Now, I’m finding that there are just as many issues at the outset.

Bob C

[Don Greening]

S’okay because I too am a sarcasm aficionado.

Your question about the too many eggs in one basket is a good one and oft asked. If you’re shooting with SxS I’d recommend larger cards and fewer of them. If you’re talking SDHC then I’d say smaller sizes and more of them. It’s all about risk factors. I’ve never had recording /transfer issues with SxS. Ever. I could also say the same thing about SDHC…….because I’ve never used them.

– Don

Don Greening
Reeltime Videoworks
http://www.reeltimevideoworks.com