Difference between MxR and MxM adapters
 

Can any of the users of these adapters tell me what the difference is? Is one better built, more reliable, or more compatible?

John

I cannot say anything about the newer (lockable) MxR adapters (don't have any), but I prefer the MxM (both old type, and lockable). They work flawlessly with MxM-approved SDHC cards, and even are a better fit physically (the original MxR were a bit fat both outside and inside, so sticking them into my EX1 slots required some considerable force - just like inserting an SDHC card into them).

Also keep in mind that the Hoodman adapters are actually MxM.

I now personally prefer the lockable MxM adaptors. Their service is great as well. They managed to ship their cards from Australia to the UK in a quicker time than the standard delivery options from many UK retailers.

MxM also sell the ATP cards which are my weapon of choice in terms of SDHC cards.

In terms of performance, back when I tested there was a difference (the MxM lockables were faster than the MxR standard cards) but I would doubt if that is still the case.

I like the idea of the lockable adapters to avoid ejecting the SDHC card when you push the adapter in. The Hoodman version of the MxM cards don't have that feature. I don't have that problem with my six Kensington adapters because they don't have a spring eject, but of course they stick out preventing one from closing the media door on the camera.

John

I have the MxR adapters and they have worked well. Comfortable fit in the EX1, so I guess Piotr had earlier versions. I see that e-films (MxR) have a HDD kit for US$199 (supply own HD) and MxM are finalising their own version.

I saw that HDD kit also and thought I could make one myself for my EX1R. So I got an ExpressCard USB adapter and an HDD enclosure from DealExtreme for about 25 €. Combine those with a 500 GB 7200 rpm 2.5" SATA drive for about 75 € from a local computer shop and now I can record footage for almost 30 hours straight (or as long as there is power available). Overcranking works fine too. The HDD is powered through the USB cable.

So far I haven't had any problems with the 10 € ExpressCard SDHC adapter also from DealExtreme and 16GB Transcend class 6 SDHC cards (no overcranking though). It does stick out so the door on the camera cannot be closed.

--AOK--

I'm a huge fan of Deal Extreme in terms of buying interesting cheap tat, but do be careful if using any of their kit for pro use. It's often the cheapest Chinese stuff you'll see and the quality of cables and connectors can be very poor even through they look fine to the eye. You really wouldn't want one of the connectors to break mid-shoot.

That said with the disclaimer out of the way, that sounds very interesting.

Antti,

DealExtreme seems to have a lot of different ExpressCard USB adapters, Hard Drive enclosures, and ExpressCard SDHC adapters.

I was wondering if you could link the three specific items you bought so we can find them on that website?

Thanks a lot.

John

Sure, I got these:
USB adapter
HDD enclosure
card reader

The HDD case is a little flimsy, but it's nice to be able to connect to PC with the faster eSATA interface too.

--AOK--

Thanks Antti.

John

There's a number of comments on the Deal Extreme site about how fragile the enclosure is which is slightly concerning (especially given how forgiving most Deal Extreme reviewers are in my experience).

Marcus,

For $16 USD I'll reinforce it if it works as well as Antti says.

John

Update:

The glue that holds the small circuit board to the inside one of the cases came loose when I pushed in the DC Power Plug (the DC jack is soldered to the circuit board). I cleaned out the remaining (hot melt) glue and put it back in with some Epoxy Resin. That has been the extent of the problems I have had with these units.

Again, I have two of them, powered by a USB hub instead of the camera USB power (nervous about using that). In fact the E-Films recorder has a separate power adapter for each recorder so my 4-port USB hub eliminates one power adapter if one wants to compare.

With the 84GB limitation on the EX1, the total record time is 268 minutes for slot A and 268 minutes for slot B.

John

Like Marcus, I've now started buying MxM.

Had one little incident: someone put an MxR card into my camera, shut the door, and somehow (probably because whole finger pushed the whole card in rather than using fingertip on adaptor only), the card popped out of the MxR card and came to rest on the sliding door. Result: couldn't slide the door open.

The solution was to find the right stiffness of plastic sheet (from a document binder IIRC), cut a little strip, get it through the door, up and over the card, and with a little application of a miniature Vulcan Nerve Pinch action, got the door open.

Never happened before, never happened since, but if handing camera over to another shooter, I'll hand them SxS or MxM, saving the MxR for me.

Re: Difference between MxR and MxM adapters
 

So what are the tips for pushing in the adapter without ejecting the SDHC card?

John