Cant open a file off of my Sony FDR-AX100
 

Hello Everyone!

(One of the worst feelings in the world....not being able to open a file that is for a client project)

Anyhow....This has happened once before on a differnt SD card....it wasnt a big deal so I let it pass...

Now this is happening when I could really use this file and have no idea what I should do.

So while recording the other day I went to check my camera and it said something about a corrupt file and asked if I would like to repair it....I clicked yes and when I went to view the file it wasnt showing up in the camera.

Later that night I checked it on the computer and the file is there...it shows that it is taking up space....but I can't open it....The file also doesnt seem to have any metadata attached with it like the other files.

I was using a class 10 64GB card and was filming in 24fps XAVCHD.

Thanks in advance!

Re: Cant open a file off of my Sony FDR-AX100
 

The recovery process may have corrupted that file even further if the card was unreliable. XAVC-S is 50mbps, this requires a minimum (in my experience) of 45MB/s write speed for reliable writing.

If you were on a Sandisk Ultra, that's likely the issue. The Ultra series cards can only guarantee 10MB/s, but it dips with re-writes being used. You need Sandisk Extreme or Extreme Pro cards. Lexar's cheap equivalent would be the Platinum IIs, you need the Gold Lexar at least 600x.

If you attempt a file recovery again via PC software, you may be trying to recover the data twice. Only do it if you really need the file.

Re: Cant open a file off of my Sony FDR-AX100
 

I always get confused with these card speeds, why do they make it so difficult with printing 600x or class 10 on instead of just the supported write and read speeds, like if the codec is 50mbs then you need a card that supports at least 50mbs write speeds or something like that.

I currently use kingston sda3 64gb card that have 90mb read and 80mb write speed which is printed on the card, I take it such a card should be fast enough for a 50mb or 100mb 4K codec?

Re: Cant open a file off of my Sony FDR-AX100
 

The Kingston would definitely be fast enough for 60mbps. 80MB/s may be burst speeds and not consistent on that card for 100mbps. A higher speed U3 card may be needed.

Mbps and MB/s are different. 50mbps if a card has 20MB/s sustained write is workable, but you never know with today's cards so always aim high for rated write speeds since rated speeds are almost never sustained speeds.

Re: Cant open a file off of my Sony FDR-AX100
 

I had this occur with my X70. I think I pulled the card right as the red LED blinked, and my computer would not recognize it. Put it back in the camera, it asked for the repair, so I clicked yes. That didn't work, so I redid the repair, and everything was fine. :-)

Good luck!

Paul;

Re: Cant open a file off of my Sony FDR-AX100
 

I am so paranoid of that occurring that most often I turn the camera off wait a bit then remove the card.

Re: Cant open a file off of my Sony FDR-AX100
 

This file corruption has happened to be twice. Both times it was because the battery abruptly died. I was using a 3rd party battery and the battery status indicated there were several minutes in reserve and then suddenly the camcorder died. The recording in progress in both cases indicated corrupted files and I have not figured out any way to recover these files. So it appears that any time the camcorder is writing a file and the power goes out, the file will likely be corrupted. From now on I am only using Sony batteries.

jamescho

Re: Cant open a file off of my Sony FDR-AX100
 

Also learned this lesson the hard way last night. If the battery expires, the file becomes corrupt. I downloaded the Treasured App from the Mac App Store and it quickly scanned and displayed some frames from the video in question. A bit expensive to repair the file, but it's a service no one else offers at this time and I'm hopeful it will do the trick. I'll report back with my results, all 43GB of them...

Re: Cant open a file off of my Sony FDR-AX100
 

My experience has been throughout the years that Sony camera's can be picky about the type of batteries used, I have had occasions of a sony camera shutting down mid recording with a full after market battery. Now I only use original Sony batteries, don't care they cost more, they at least are very accurate when it comes to remaining recording time.

Re: Cant open a file off of my Sony FDR-AX100
 

Over 35 years ago I was shooting a wedding and as the event progressed I found myself amazed/impressed that I was getting more than 36 pictures on this one roll of film. A few minutes later I was no longer impressed, nor amazed, but I was starting to break into a cold sweat. By the count of 50, I was in a full panic. The old timers here will recall what happens next. I found the nearest pitch-black closet and did my braille camera examination, only to have my horrors verified. The film had not been loaded on the feed sprocket correctly. The rest of the day is somewhat of a blur in my memory, but I can promise you I still do remember the look on the brides face when I admitted by error. Now, in today's realm of taking 2000 pictures at a wedding, a loss of less than 50 might go unnoticed. But in those days, the final delivery was typically a few dozen 8x10's and a proof album with 50-75 small prints. So it was a big deal!

I no longer do weddings, and haven't for a long time, but when it comes to batteries and media, I do not skimp. It just seems too risky for me, plus I can't understand why someone spends thousands of dollars on a camera and then takes a chance to save $50 on media or a battery.