Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

So, I have a card certainly up to par. Recently I've noticed that the gh2 will randomly stop recording because of the card not being able to keep up, though it is completely random.Sometimes after ten minutes, sometimes after thirty. Could this be a fault memory card? I upgraded to the latest firmware recently that adds the high bite rate option and what not, but i've been able to record 80mb/s hacks before just fine.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Are you reformatting before using the card after filling it up or deleting files? Formatting is the best way to ensure that the card is writing at top speed as deleting files forces the new files to be fragmented as the card tries to fill all available space. Not a problem for photographs but an issue for the high data rate process video needs. That's possibly where the write errors are coming from. Also it could be the card, I have an A-Data card that, despite it's Class 10 rating, can't handle hacks.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

I format mine in the computer every so often just to be safe, but it gets formatted every time it goes in the camera.

If the camera is hacked, the card can get flaky. For instance, a 30mb Sandisk is more dependable than a 45mb. A 64 gig 95mb is more dependable than a 32 gig 95mb.

SD cards do wear out also.

Electronic lenses take resources so changing from a manual lens to an electronic can cause lockups and write speed errors..

A little extra time pays off. This evening I have a shoot scheduled on an old Schooner. Spare cards and regulars are being formatted in the computer and camera in advance.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

A-Data and Patriot have been two of the worst brands for not living up to marked ratings. I've been following this issue since 2008 and have seen more complaints about those two and also Dane-Elec.

If you want to depend on your card get SanDisk from a reputable dealer like B&H. It is the most counterfeited brand on the market.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Not as safe as you think. I've seen many reports of a camera not recognizing a card after it was formatted in the computer. It should always be formatted in the camera it will be used in.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Agree with high probability of card issue... reformat in camera, test with long takes a few times through, reformat again, and if the problem persists, replace the card.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Yeah I went ahead with a sandisk 32gig and i'm going to see how it works vs this one.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

No, Bruce....I format in both. The computer format cleans them up, then the camera format prepares them for use in the camera. If the camera won't recognize a computer formatted card, the card;s flaky and shouldn.t be used.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Hi, Don.

Not trying to be argumentive or contentious here. I don't doubt that you're not having problems the way you do it. But others have and there are other factors than the card being flaky. The reader in the computer may be or it may be going flaky as I experienced with the built in on one computer. In some cases the card the camera would not recognize (after formatting in the computer) would format in the camera. I had this happen once and the card worked fine after that.

In another incident the camera (Canon T2i) still wouldn't format the card so I tried it in a Canon HF100 which did, then put the card back in the T2i and this time it did format in camera. Shortly after those incidents I replaced the computer with a Core i7 based machine, but by that time I was paying attention to the advice both on forums and in camera manuals to format media in the device in which it is going to be used.

It's not an "absolute". But it seems to be somewhat generally agreed on in many forums that formatting in camera is best.

The reader that got flaky on me was built in that first Core i7 machine I got. Before I realized it was the reader it somehow managed to corrupt a whole editing project on the internal drive. Little SDHC readers (that plug in a USB port) sold with some cards continued to work so I ordered an external multiformat reader that also plugged into a USB port and that worked fine until I replaced that computer.

A little bit of interesting reading I found (I don't visit this forum...). Expresses opposing viewpoints

Deleting Images Off Computer vs Camera - PentaxForums.com

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

So I put in a new card the other day, same problem. Randomly stops recording anywhere between 12 and 30 minutes. This time the write speed screen didnt come up. Argh no idea, I'm at the latest firmware, maybe I should try a hacked firmware just to see if it does anything different.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Sorry James, we veered away from the problem a little. It happens here because there isn't any fighting, just information exchanging.

Anyway.....what lens are you using, what hack are you using and what mode does this happen in.

For longer recordings, electronic lenses can and frequently do cause the recordings to time out for a while.
Some settings are worse than others,

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

I'm not doubting you Bruce, hardware issues happen. I have read other opinions in format in computer vs camera. Here's the rationale I and most other heavy disk users use. In some cameras the option for quick or full initialization is available.

It is not in the GH2. It does a quick format and establishes a directory structure. Over time the disk fragments and becomes unstable. A full format corrects that.

Every so often I use a prgram called SD Formater that does a very deep and complete format. This cleans house.

I have 16 game cameras that I get an average of 10,000 images a week on, 12 GoPro's that get heavy use, 5 camcorders, 2 of which are used daily, 2 GH2's again heavy use and a DSLR that mostly gathers dust these days.

Because of that I have hundreds of SD cards and only a couple are paired to certain cameras. Complete formatting is a must.

It's rare I have card problems anymore.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Thanks, Don.

I think I just learned something here. I begin to see the need for that "full format" procedure, I'm still fairly new to working with the GH2.

I've also been very leery of firmware modifications, but about a week ago installed the Sanity 5 patch on my older GH2. It's hard to tell with certainty but I believe I do see a difference in rendition of motion and I certainly appreciate not having ISO limits.

Thanks again

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

You brought up a good point, this only seems to happen when I have my 25mm lumix 1.4 attached.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Still never got to the bottom of this, it really sucks as I have to constantly stay by the Gh2 since I never know when it will randomly have the write issue. Three different sd cards now. Blah

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Was the camera hacked before this ??? Did you install the new firmware virgin, or did you need ptool to get it installed ??? What size are these cards ??? How close to spanning on the files ??? Is this still just happening with your Lumix 25mm or has it happened with other lenses now too ???

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Only happens when im using the 25mm, so odd. Also uh, card size, 64 gb, and two 32 gbs.
Yeah I had the hack before and no issue. I honestly think its the lens. Thats so weird though?

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

OK, this is pure speculation... It's probably not the lens, BUT...

Auto-focus lenses communicate with the camera body computer and also derive power from the camera body for focus and iris control.

It is theoretically possible that a malfunctioning lens, or a lens with a bad connector, could be sending too many messages and/or errors and thus overwhelming the camera's processor. The "write speed" error in that case would only be a symptom. The software sees that it can't keep up, and blames the card, when something else is actually amiss.

It is also theoretically possible that a lens which draws too much power can cause write glitches (writing to a card requires a minimum voltage) and those write errors are being misinterpreted as "write speed".

Regardless, you should keep testing with various lenses and see if it is at all possible to reproduce with other lenses, which would rule out the 25mm scenario. It would also be helpful to borrow or rent a 2nd GH2 which has never been hacked, try the suspect lens on it with a completely new card that has never been in your camera. If the problem still occurs, then it may vary well be the lens!

Finally, when testing for write speeds (as a general case), note that greater motion and image complexity can increase the bitrate. (24Mbps is a maximum variable rate, not a constant. The hacks can go higher of course, but not all the time.) Do your tests by filming complex images such as colorful leafy trees blowing in the wind, or do rapid pans across a complex scene. Lots of detail and lots of motion will tax the system and if there are write speed errors, this will be more likely to reproduce them.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

Building off of Bob's discussion of voltage, the other component to check and eliminate would be the battery. Do you have multiple batteries and if so, any reproducible affects while using one over another ??? In other areas I have experienced where batteries have sufficient voltage but under a draw, they puke out.

Something else to consider as it could be one thing, or a combination of variables, the lens, battery and load.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

I too had problems with Patriot and ADATA card with the hack. Also those card are falling apart on me.

For very important shoots I use the RawSteel card from HoodMan. Works great.

It Is In The Cards » FrugalFilmmakers.com

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

I'm going to be giving both batteries and a second GH2 a try, certainly a good way to rule out the lens. Excellent suggestions.

Re: Issue with GH2 - Stops recording randomly with "write speed" issue..
 

I'm not sure if this has been asked James, but what brand and model card are you using,
If you try a Sandisk Extreme or extreme pro card and are still getting these errors, look elsewhere because it isn't the card.