Is a Standard Pro Duo Card Fast Enough for AVCHD Camcorders?
 

Is it necessary to get a faster card, such as the SanDisk Pro Duo Cinema model?

I had no trouble with the "regular" MS Pro Duos with the CX7, I've heard that with the latest generation (CX12), it's better to use the higher speed cards because of the 1920x1080 resolution, but haven't tested with a slower card - I'll have to see if I have any still around.

The genuine Sony 8G mark 2 MSP Duos (bought from a legit retail source, not the eBay knockoffs) are coming way down in price, and the Sandisk HD video and extreme 2 versions are also fairly cheap, it's almost not worth worrying about the difference between the "basic" and "high speed" versions... there was only about $10 difference in price even when the Sandisk MSP Duos first hit the street.

Thanks, Dave. I've decided to get an 8 GB SanDisk Video HD Mark II Pro Duo card. SanDisk says it's their fastest of the type optimized for video (whatever that means?). Apparently, it's far faster in writing than any camcorder would need and users say it has very good uploading speed. It's on sale now at B & H for $51.---SanDisk wants $90. for it directly from their online store. I have a SanDisk 2 GB standard Pro Duo card and I'll try using it when I get a new H.264-AVC camcorder, to see if it will handle the bit-rate.

IIRC, BB has had the Sony Mark2 MSP duos at around $40 recently... 8G MSP prices are dropping significantly, no doubt in anticipation of the 16G MSPm2's, and the popularity of the small AVCHD cams.

I think I've got one of those old 2G cards I stumbled across as well, will have to try it out. Got a stack of 8G Sandisk videoHD and Ultra II I picked up cheap ($30-ish), so using those for about everything... SR11/CX12/a350, with adapter... not yet as cheap as tape, but infinitely re-usable!