[Marek Bilski]

Version 1.04 is pretty old firmware, and in firmware version 1.10 Sony has fixed SDHC compatibility issues. The repercussions of using an earlier version of v1.04 will be occasional media errors, that will also depend upon the memory card used as well. Not all memory cards are the same so it will be really hard to assess which latest memory card might work correctly with that firmware…

Our advice is to upgrade to atleast v1.10 so you can use any memory card available on the market. You can always email us and we can help you out.
Regards,
Marek

MxM Express

[Marek Bilski]

Hi there,
Def. not the EX1 or EX3 for cache recording however, the EX3/2 version might have it.

Marek

MxM Express

[Marek Bilski]

OK, I can see from the firmware versions, that you shouldn’t have a problem with colour having 2 different firmware versions, however, you might have problems swapping media between the cameras. You’ll most likely have media errors and some other issues with 2 different older firmware versions.

You should go to the minimum 1.20v on EX1.
Regards,
Marek

MxM Express

[Marek Bilski]

What firmware versions do your cameras have?

Marek

MxM Express

[Marek Bilski]

Using a Sony authorised service centre to do a firmware upgrade, will provide a certain level of security and it’s a good idea.

In Sydney, where there is a population of over 4M, from my knowledge, there are only 2 centres which will provide the upgrade for a fee, and if you consider that Sony can bring out up to 2 upgrades per year, the exercise of upgrading your firmware each time, can become an expensive exercise! So you can understand how a lot of people, like ourselves, will upgrade their firmware themselves successfully.

Of course, you have to stick with the basic rule that you should only attempt this if you have reasonable knowledge of how computers work, after all, the bulk of the technology inside the Sony camera is based on it.

Yes, we have heard of bricking Sony cameras but, in our view, most of the time it is caused by the user not understanding the correct procedure or on occasions, the camera being faulty without the owner’s knowledge.

MxM Express

[Marek Bilski]

Hi Bob,

Unfortunately, we are not in a position to advise Sony eg., 1.26v firmware is not publically available… But be assured Sony is aware of our tested media page and adapters.
We prefer to list the tested working memory cards which are compatible and working (d/d Aug 28, 2011) on our site, and we will soon be updating this information again.

Regards,
Marek

MxM Express

[Marek Bilski]

Hi Bob, Happy New Year!

We’ve tested PhotoFast 32GB Class 10 which we found occasionally produced a media error…same applies to Lexar 128GB Class 10 as it also produced a media error (infrequently).

Some non-branded memory cards with a Phison IC had issues.

We know that Sony’s firmware can be selective as to which memory’s IC will work best…

Regards,
Marek

MxM Express

[Marek Bilski]

Hi Bob,
We found in our tests that certain SDHC memory cards will not work as well as the previous firmware version. There is nothing to imply but that is what our test results produced.

Marek

MxM Express

[Marek Bilski]

Also, in regards to having the latest firmware version on your camera to give you the best compatibility, it is not necessary true, for the best results.

We’d like to clarify what we have learnt about firmware versions…

Initially when the EX1 was released, Express34 USB 2.0 adapters were not supported by the camera’s firmware version.

Then, in late 2008, when Sony released their new USB 2.0 hard drive recorder, they made a new firmware version to support Express34 USB 2.0 adapters, but not necessarily SDHC memory cards.

There was initial success with some memory cards working, but due to constant manufacturer’s production inconsistency – this caused instability on Sony EX cameras.

At that time, we managed to convince ATP to re-write the firmware on their memory cards which gave great stability and success!

Sony realised that users would not abandon the SDHC adapter therefore, they introduced their own adapter and released firmware in March 2010 where stability of memory cards was increased. Even consumer grade memory cards will work without media error, of course, though, there was always the issue of durability.

On the EX1, that firmware version was v1.20 and following up with v1.25. These 2 firmware versions in our testing are the most stable versions to have, in our view, the most stable and compatible with SDHC media.

Upgrading to the latest firmware version will not necessarily give you an advantage and in some cases will make your media incompatibile with your camera.

MxM Express

[Marek Bilski]

Thanks Craig for your input. I’d like to confirm that yes, we test the majority or memory cards that we can get our hands on. Lately we have been testing, and testing to us means hundreds of hours or recording; a lot of ATP Pro UHS-1 which are very fast and reliable and even more recently with SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-1 32GB 95MB/s version…with great success.

As Craig said, SDHC memory is very reliable, provided you stick to professional grade memory cards eg Hoodman’s Raw Steel. We have supplied ATP for almost 3 years (since mid 2009) with no issues or problems whatsoever. Out of the 1,000s of ATP supplied we may have had 2 or 3 returns during this time…but we test everything. Our camera has recorded over 9,500 (almost 10,000) hours of testing media and in general if you stick quality media, you won’t have any problems.

Adapter quality is equally important. We see and follow the forums, and see too often consumers having cut corners by buying memory cards from companies which memory cards are targeted at a consumer level (meant to be used occasionally) rather than for professional use, with the incorrect camera’s firmware version….

We accummulated a lot of information in regards to how the adapter/memory card and Sony camera successfully interact.

MxM Express