Transcend Cards, MLC vs SLC/ 2 different class 6 cards

[Anthony McErlean]

Thanks everyone, I'll look into that.

Are these the cards we should now be buying?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001V9NUF...mp-1-759170-21

[Craig Seeman]

Matt on the second link you post if you click in the Available In link on the right the 4GB, 8GB, 16GB have the Green Stripe and the 32GB has the Red background.

[Craig Seeman]

I see Dolgin, now the MxR distributor in the USA sells 32GB Transcend with the adaptor.

MxM site seems to recommend ATP ProMax both 16GB and 32GB

Hoodman, MxM distributor in USA sells their own Hoodman 16GB (higher than other 16GB cards).

One might contact Dolgin and see which 32GB Transcend cards they're selling (if there's more than one). Dolgin I believe is on this forum so maybe if he sees this post he can drop and answer this question.

[Bo Skelmose]

all mine transend cards has the red stripe and I never had an error....
(Kensington)

[Paul Kellett]

My supplier sells the 16gb 150x Transcend , howerevr in the write up it says the card is MLC, when really we want SLC, maybe it's a missprint, the other 150x Transcend seem to be SLC. When they get some more of these cards in stock i'll have a look myself and post back.

16GB Transcend SDHC Class 6 SD Card High Speed Memory on eBay (end time 01-Oct-09 15:10:08 BST)

Paul.

[Anthony McErlean]

Thanks Paul.

I made a few enquires this morning and got given this link

http://www.transcend-uk.com/Products...o=1&Func2No=13

But its not SLC. If i need a SLC 150x card its £47 plus vat but it is only a 8gb. (Transcend's TS8GSDHC150)

So where do we go from here?

[Paul Kellett]

Hi Anthony.

Ok, i went to my supplier the other day and had this card/package in my hand

8GB Transcend SDHC Class 6 SD Card High Speed Memory on eBay (end time 11-Oct-09 12:07:42 BST)

Now on the spec of this on the website it says MLC chip, but i read the packet myself and it definitley said SLC.
I'll go back to the shop in the next few days and recheck, they're currently getting some prices for me for Transcend 150x SLC in 8gb and hopefully 16gb.
They're a trusted source to buy from, my colleague has had 2 of the newer red stripe Transcends fail and they've exchanged them without a single problem, they just grab one of the shelf and hand it to me, proper customer service.

I'll keep posting any info and prices.

Paul.

[Anthony McErlean]

Thanks again Paul, I'll keep watching.

[Marcus Durham]

Originally Posted by Anthony McErlean

So where do we go from here?

I think we all need to look at other cards. (this is going to be long so go get a beer)

I've been lurking here from before I got my EX1 in July and the whole reason I splashed out on an EX1 was because the media was affordable. As a small video production company it was a big decision to buy an EX1, batteries, bag etc. Splashing out another 2 grand on SXS cards (I'd have needed at least 4 ) would have been a big ask.

So I was overjoyed to read about the alternative media options. A much respected friend (and fellow poster on here) had been shooting on them for months with no issues at all.

So I order some MXR cards and also get hold of one Sandisk and a few Transcend 16GB cards (the exact products recommended on this very forum). I tested all the cards and yes, although they were slower than SXS they did the job. Red light would go out after 5 seconds. No big deal.

After the initial teething problems with forgetting about "red light spells danger" I settled into a workflow that worked well. No problems no faults.

However since then I have had some problems. First up the Sandisk had a problem where the Mac would lose the card when the clip transfer reached a certain point on a specific clip. Interestingly the transfer rate would slowly decrease towards the point of the fault.

The second fault was a Transcend that the camera simply could no longer see. Had been working find then plugged it in one day and the EX1 just ignored it.

The third fault happened on a Transcend on Friday. 45 minute seminar piece, the card recorded without complaint but the clip had corrupted 20 minutes in. Transfer wouldn't recognise it and came up with an error message, as did Final Cut. Managed to play the first 20 minutes off the camera via HDV and then recover the rest by clipping around the fault in Clip Browser and then buying the Calibrated Software mp4 codecs to enable FCP to read them.

Now you may be thinking, "well this moron has pressed record before the red light went out". But I can assure you I didn't. In fact on Friday I counted to 10 after the red light went out because it was a seminar and I wanted to put a recording break in (and it's very lucky I did as the next clip was fully intact).

If you've got this far then thank you for your patience! I now have 3 SDHC cards that I'm not willing to use for shoots. Now I have noticed that the newer Transcends have significantly slower write rate from the cards I purchased in July. The July cards would shut off the red slight in 5 seconds and overcrank to 45fps for 2 minutes or more. The newer cards struggle to reach 35 fps without error and take 7-8 seconds to clear the red light.

These newer Transcends are all from the same reputable UK video supplier as my older cards.

But here's the odd thing, both of my Transcend failures have been on the "faster" cards. The Sandisk problem I can't explain. It's a fast card also but somehow it corrupted that clip. I haven't had chance to do significant testing on the three cards yet. Can anyone recommend some free software that can stress test a card for consistency?

Where do I go from here. SXS? Well I've heard horror stories about those as well. They are horrifically overpriced and aren't as reliable as some may believe by all accounts.

I read on one website that ATP Pro cards might be worth a shot. They certainly cost more than Transcend cards but are hard to find in the UK. I've ordered a couple up to see how well they work out.

It's entirely likely that Transcend have lowered manufacturing quality in order to sell cheaper cards. If that is the case we may need to look elsewhere. I'm suggesting that these ATP cards might be worth a shot.

[Anthony McErlean]

Originally Posted by Marcus Durham

I think we all need to look at other cards...

Thanks Marcus, we most certainly do, have to look at something else, but what card?

I don't have my EX3 that long, just a few months and like you I checked this forum and seen that it was possible to use the SDHC cards and thats why I bought the camera.
I've recorded quite a few weddings with the EX3 and SDHC cards and thankfully no problems, yet but I am starting to loose faith in the SDHC cards.

[Marcus Durham]

Originally Posted by Anthony McErlean

Thanks Marcus, we most certainly do, have to look at something else, but what card?

I don't have my EX3 that long, just a few months and like you I checked this forum and seen that it was possible to use the SDHC cards and thats why I bought the camera.
I've recorded quite a few weddings with the EX3 and SDHC cards and thankfully no problems, yet but I am starting to loose faith in the SDHC cards.

Well I'm going to try the ATP Promax 150x cards but I'll probably get some Hoodman cards across at some stage as well. Since I've managed to locate a source of ATP cards in the UK they are the easiest and cheapest way to have an experiment. MXM appear to be recommending them over other brands.

I have 2 cards arriving tomorrow so I'll do some tests in the office. But I suspect the real test will be in using them remembering the fact that my problem on Friday was on a card that I had used 8 or 9 times previously!

[Anthony McErlean]

Originally Posted by Marcus Durham

...I've managed to locate a source of ATP cards in the UK they are the easiest and cheapest way to have an experiment. MXM appear to be recommending them over other brands.

OK Marcus, its worth a try and thats what I'm afraid of as well, even after using a card 7/8 times error free its no guarantee it wont let you down.

Can you say where you buying the ATP cards.

[Marcus Durham]

Originally Posted by Anthony McErlean

OK Marcus, its worth a try and thats what I'm afraid of as well, even after using a card 7/8 times error free its no guarantee it wont let you down.

Can you say where you buying the ATP cards.

The only place I could find any was Amazon as everywhere else is out of stock. Of course you could order from the USA as there are loads of places online selling them but in the UK Amazon was the only place I could find.

I believe forum rules prevent me from posting a direct link to the URL on Amazon.

However I did snatch the last two from Amazon so there's no knowing when they will have stock.

[Anthony McErlean]

Originally Posted by Marcus Durham

I believe forum rules prevent me from posting a direct link to the URL on Amazon.

Thats OK Marcus, I understand. You have given me enough info.
Thanks.

What about a backup recording,was there a harddrive for the EX1/3.
Nanoflash sounds ideal but expensive I'm sure.

[Marcus Durham]

Originally Posted by Anthony McErlean

Thats OK Marcus, I understand. You have given me enough info.
Thanks.

What about a backup recording,was there a harddrive for the EX1/3.
Nanoflash sounds ideal but expensive I'm sure.

A hard drive is ideal for cosy conference shoots. Don't fancy using one around a factory, hanging off a roof, doing handheld work in harsh environments etc. The thing about flash based media is that it is quite robust (aside from our issues with SDHC).

Running around on location, a spinning HD with heads levitating a hairs breadth from the platter? No thanks!

Nanoflash, nice but expensive.