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Lower cost alternative to P2 cards and Firestore?
Is there a lower cost to using either P2 cards or a Firestore drive?
Can you use a laptop and external drive somehow? Before I can afford any P2 cards or a Firestore, I need some work, but I can’t get any work without the GD cards or drive! Melbourne, Florida is terrible for getting any video work!Thanks,
PhilPhil Lister
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22 Replies
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Get at least one P2 card and carry an old laptop that can read it to backup (you may need to install the drivers).
You may buy a used P2, if you don’t care taking the risk of getting a damaged one. I did it and has not fail me.
This is good for a planned production. In a social event like weddings this is not a solution because download times to the laptop can be long. You’ll need to get at least two cards and an assistant that download one while you record in the other.
I hope this helps.
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Uh…well that didn’t answer my question really. You mean to tell me, that there’s nothing else out there cheap, that you can connect to the GD camera??? WTF????
Phil
Phil Lister
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The only options are P2 or Firestore. That’s it. You can try to send a signal via firewire to your laptop, but that is NOT trustworthy by any means. The computer can stop recording because of dropped frames, the cord might fall out, the drive might stop. I have seen too many complaints on the Cow about people doing this and something happening to say that it is a good option.
a 32 GB P2 card is $425. 64GB is $650. 32GB can hold 30 min of 1080…and over 80 min of 720p 23.98. 64GB holds an hour of 1080, and 160 min of 720p.
Why would you invest in a camera if you couldn’t afford the recording media? There are other options. The HMC-150 shoots AVCHD and to SD cards. a 32GB one holds over an hour, and is under $100.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Because it is used and it fell within my price range. Besides, I thought by now, the GD card prices would have dropped…a lot!!
Phil
Phil Lister
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They did. It used to be $1600 for a 4GB card. Now it is $650 for a 64GB card. And when the 32GB cards first came out, they were $1600…now they are 1/4th that.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
$354.95 for a new 16GB card doesn’t sound that crazy to me.
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You’re nuts then! How can they justify the price???
Phil Lister
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I think the original price was based on the R&D it took to make them. Now, it’s on what’s inside. P2 cards contain four SD cards that are raided together in a unique way, so that they can record DVCPRO HD, and AVCIntra, that is 4:2:2 color space, and in the case of AVCIntra, 10 bit, full raster.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Hehe- you should have seen the prices when P2 first came out. That said, AVCHD/SDHC card cameras like the AF100 and AC160 are in my opinion way more bang for buck than P2 unless you really need that extra edge of quality from DVCPROHD.
Noah
Call Box Training.
Featuring the Panasonic GH2 and GoPro HD Hero. -
Sell your camera – go the SD card route.
Chris Tompkins
Video Atlanta LLC
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