SDHC cards-questions

[Marek Bilski]

We recently upgraded our equipment with the latest camera firmware.

As it turns out, the issues users experienced in the past with SDHC memory,(not all mind you) with the prior firmware (1.20 & 1.10) appear to be solely caused by Sony’s firmware limitations. The previous firmware obviously was causing instability in recording, and adding to that, SDHC manufacturers were also changing their firmware and manufacturing processes which were not helpful at all. So it was really an uphill task for memory manufacturers to stabilize the incompatibility of Sony’s firmware and create a memory card to be compatible with Sony’s camera.

I’m sure Sony was sitting on the fence and waiting to see if companies like MxM were going to fall over or have enough complaints, blaming them for problems and waiting for public support to switch back to Sony’s SxS memory. But fortunately, as it turned out, there was enough support, and memory cards on the market working flawlessly for Sony to take notice. In the end they had no choice but to join the SDHC memory market with their own version of an adapter, but they had to improve and stabilize the firmware.

So what are the preliminary results from the newest firmware?

We’ve tested all memory cards which previously had issues with the older firmware and guess what? Over 20 different brands of memory cards are now working. We even tested the cheapest generic Chinese brands which work to a certain extent but display a general lack of durability after about 10mins of recording…

There are no more media errors, suddenly they have mysteriously disappeared! You can record with the red light indicator still on, without corrupting media…the lag between start and stop has improved and the best part, even on a certain class 4 & 6, you can fully over crank to infinity!

Another bonus intended or not – now you can switch slots manually during recording, just by pressing the slot selector button, which with the previous firmware, you could not do this. I don’t know whether this is a bug or not…has anyone tried this yet???

As well, we did 6 hours of full over cranking @ 60 fps on a certain class of memory card…not that I would do this all the time…

The point is, with the release of the latest firmware for EX series, the dependency on SxS memory cards has become less and less justifiable…Why would anyone use an SxS card when you have the choices of memory cards at a fraction of the cost, which perform exactly the same as SxS, except have a slower download to PC….then again I may be wrong…who knows.

You can buy these days a very decent combo with a 16GB class 10 for under $90.

Obviously, durability and reliability of the new crop of memory cards will be determined over time.

MxM Express

[Craig Seeman]

Marek, GREAT commentary but I have a couple of questions:[Marek Bilski] “As it turns out, the issues users experienced in the past with SDHC memory,(not all mind you) with the prior firmware (1.20 & 1.10) appear to be solely caused by Sony’s firmware limitations.”

The current firmware for EX1 is 1.20 so I assume you mention those as current versions or do you have access to another firmware we are not aware of?

[Marek Bilski] “As well, we did 6 hours of full over cranking @ 60 fps on a certain class of memory card…not that I would do this all the time… “

I’m a bit confused how you derived 6 hours. Two 32GB cards would yield a bit under 4 hours.
Also when you mention 60fps the base frame rate is a factor on what the card is handling 24/60 is a higher data rate than 30/60. Given your in a PAL compatible country maybe you mean 25/60. Can you please clarify?

[Tim Kolb]

Hi Marek,

I have MxM adapters…

Can I ask how volatile a process upgrading the firmware on an EX1 actually is? I’ve seen forum posts indicating the camera never completes the restart in the middle…Sony repairs now needed, etc.

I hate to mess with it if it’s not dependable… On the other hand, I’m aware that following instructions is usually helpful and that can be where problems arise for some…

Thanks

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Craig Seeman]

Tim, I had the same concerns.

I contacted Sony.
See my post here ($135, 5-8 day turnaround)
https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/142/870299

[Don Greening]

The post below is from another thread that was first started in June of last year:

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/142/870293

Re: Please Help Me..Error Media Needs To Be Restore
by Steven Gladstone on Mar 26, 2010 at 4:51:35 am

Thanks for the explanation. I’m using the Sony made/branded adapter with the Memory Stick Pro HG Pro card with the HX labeling. I did a test where I just turned on the camera and left it recording. Walked away and left the room. Media error at 26 minutes. Restored the card. Continued recording. Got two more errors, before I stopped the test. This is shooting a still life, with no movement of the camera at all.

Very unsettling.

Steven Gladstone
https://www.gladstonefilms.com

[Marek Bilski]

“with the prior firmware (1.20 & 1.10)” Sorry, it should have been prior to 1.20 & 1.10…my current firmware is 1.20

I’m a bit confused how you derived 6 hours
I used 3 x 115 minutes 32GB memory cards which give you just under 6 hours, which actually translates to exactly 5 hours and 45 mins. I could have kept going, but I wanted to test during S&Q recording, that the camera would switch automatically from slot A to B, which it did twice. Obviously, not all 32GB capacity is equal, so the duration will vary between 112mins to 115mins depending upon the brand, ours was 115 mins.
Also, the new firmware upgrade has caused a loss of duration of approx 2mins on 16GB and 4mins on 32GB.

maybe you mean 25/60
Here in Australia, we use PAL system, so the base frame for over cranking would be 720p/25fps and over cranked to 60 fps.

GREAT commentary
Yes it does feel like that sometimes…

MxM Express

[Craig Seeman]

Thanks for the clarification. I was thinking you had a secret stash of “prerelease” 48GB SDHC cards from some unknown manufacturer. I just test with two cards and record straight through.

[Marek Bilski]

Hi Tim,
“Can I ask how volatile a process upgrading the firmware on an EX1 actually is?”

Tim, it can be very simple or it can brick your camera.

My computer knowledge is rather extensive, mainly hardware, so I feel very comfortable around PCs or laptops. To upgrade, all I did was make sure I read the instructions and followed them and used a laptop without any software or hardware issues.

I suggest if you don’t feel confident, take it to an authorised repairer.

MxM Express

[Will Eccleston]

I just upgraded my firmware from 1.11 to 1.20 using a Mac Pro running OS 10.5.8 and it worked fine for me. A couple of things to note:

Initially the upgrade app wouldn’t recognize that the camera was connected. An internet search revealed that you don’t use the regular USB port that you would use to transfer card data. Right beside it is a tiny panel held in place with 1 screw. Remove this to find another “maintenance” USB port. Amazing that this is not mentioned anywhere in the upgrade software.

Also, at 3 points throughout the upgrade I received a warning about unplugging a USB device. Hit OK and ignore this.

After upgrade, overcranking in 720p24 mode at 60 fps to my Delkin SD card still resulted in a media error after about a minute (but would’ve failed after a few seconds with the old firmware). It still stored the clip as shot until the error occurred, and did not result in “media needs to be restored”. With my Sandisk 16GB card, I was able to fill a completely empty card in full overcrank without stopping. It then switched to the other slot, which still had the Delkin in it, and again failed with the Delkin. Excellent results though!

Will Eccleston
Kinetiscape Films

[Oliver Hermannstadt]

Hi,

I googled a lot to find out if the new Sony MEAD-SD01 works with other SDHC-Cards than the Class10, recommended by Sony. As I found no result, I decided to give it a try.

I just recieved a Transcend Class6 16GB SDHC Card (from Amazon) and I can testify that it works with the MEAD-SD01 on my firmware1.10-updated Sony EX1R.

I did normal recording – no overcranking, as this is not supposed to work – and it worked fine.

It would be nice if someone could try a 32GB Class6 Transcend.

Oliver