Your Sticky Post says it all, thanks x

The problem with the "Sticky" now is that the Kensington Card readers are no longer available and there is no worthwhile substitution as of yet. So anyone new is out of luck with this entire thing right now.

John

I'm working on that as well... talking to another company about an Express card adapter based on that same controller but a bit shorter to allow for a closed door on the EX1... more to follow as it develops,

That'd be fantastic!

In the meantime, I was able to order 2 Kensington adapters from the link in the sticky just today.

So apparently the stock is still there, albeit spotty.

I have also been working with a company in China to produce an adapter, still waiting to get a quote.

I contacted Kensington US in October talked to a marketing Rep about making an adapter that would allow you to closed the door on the EX1.
I also ask did they notice an increase in sells on the Kensington adapter for the months of SEP and Oct. She said it’s not a big selling item and at the time it was not on the web site, but the bar code was still active. She also informed me that there budget for this year was almost gone, that’s probably why the adapters are not in stock

Can anyone confirm this definitely works with the EX3?

Thanks

Hmmm..
There are a lot of talented people on this forum.
We have a world of resources!

We will have a working solution (including EX1 memory door close) soon!

I have been in touch with Kensington (UK) today and have been informed that the 7 in 1 card reader is still in production.

So anyone tried A-DATA E-702 Expresscards?
A-DATA support gave me this information: E702 read / write speed is 30MB / 13MB

This is very close to SDHC ultra II speed.

PS. If you have tested some A-DATA cards, make sure before you comment that they don't work, that the one you've tried is 702 since 703 and 704 are only half of 702s speed.

i am living in switzerland and got 11 adapter, so i can make a kit including

1 kensington adapter + pelican case 0910 + up to 4x 16Gb sandisk ultra II SD (the one you can cut).
the pelican case can hold 8 SD card or 4 SD + one adapter.

price without shipment would be around $300 with 4 SD.
unfortunately , shipment overseas would probably represent a significative amount of the total price (at least 30$)

are you talking about Kensington?
 

The Kensington adapter and SDHC card works very well in the EX3 and the door closes ... luckily!!

I just picked up one of these, REV-A seems to work fine. 10 minutes of HQ 1080/60i was no problem, neither was 10 minutes of HQ 1080/24p.

Overcranking HQ1080/p24 to 30 frames caused it to error out after a minute and a half. I did download the above benchmarking program, but couldn't get it to see the Lexar 8GB on the laptop.

EX1 Firmware V1.11

$59.98

I can now CONFIRM the 702 is the model I bought and returned to Frys Electronics.
It had the Mini USB port on it and according to A-Data only the High Speed 702 & 704 have the mini usb port.
A-DATA Technology

Again, It does NOT work and gives a media incompatible error.
This is not a speed related error. I have tried MANY SDHC cards that work, but are not fast enough for sustained HQ mode.

As you all seem desperate for card readers, I will again post that this card reader "successfully" works in my EX3 with Sandisk 16gb Ultra 2's although the door doesn't quite close.
Laptop ExpressCard SD SDHC MS MMC Express Card Reader - eBay (item 360109668380 end time Nov-26-08 19:05:19 PST)
I can't believe there hasn't been more comment on these readers as they are a "real" alternative to the Kensington's!

Cheers, Evan

Thanks, Evan. I ordered a pair last week when you first mentioned them. I still have to get my EX1 upgraded to firmware 1.11 for these to work, right?

Hi Gints, I only have a EX3 so I don't know but I would think so after you upgrade your firmware.

Evan

Hey Evan, I've ordered and will, hopefully, receive mine soon.

We'll see how they stack up against good ol' Kensingtons :)

Evan, thanks for your posts. After my Kensington order failed, I ordered a couple of the "generics" also. I'll report when they arrive.

There appears to be good stock of cards in the UK, maybe I should start an export agency. Ha Ha!

Paul

Thanks, Evan. I know many wrote that you needed the firmware upgrade to 1.11, but since so many people were posting without mentioning the upgrade, I thought I might be lucky with my EX1. My Kensington arrived today. I tried it with a Sandisk Extreme III 16GB , but the EX1 showed the message "unrecognized media". Both card slots were greyed out in the Format menu item.

Looking through the posts within this thread it strikes me that people are prepared to buy a high quality camera (EX1/EX3) but when it comes to the item that matters, i.e. the media on which to record your creative work, then we are looking for a cheap alternative?

I am sure that none of the pro users are going to tell their clients, "actually I have used a low cost media so I will reduce my fee". I know the Sony media is overpriced, but then are so many other things in life, if you want the best then it does come at a price.

When I first started out as a stills photographer, I purchased a Nikon camera and then looked for a cheap lens (Vivitar or Tamron). In the long run it was a false economy, the images lacked that extra something. OK, so I eventually had to dig deeper into my pocket and buy Nikkor lenses, but having confidence in your equipment has to be a high priority.

Yes, there are several combinations of SDHC, readers that don't work and a couple that do, trawl through this thread and you will find them. Just remember that when you have your shot set up and your talent waiting for the "ACTION" cue, will you be confident that you are going to have a trouble free capture.

I have had a complete U-turn on my thoughts since first looking at this thread, I will be buying Sony media in future, just because it gives me peace of mind - I have enough to think about on a production without having to worry if I am going to get an ERROR message on my next take.

A guy who later became a close friend to me told me a sentence after I had learnt
English for three years only at school. I shall never forget his words:

There is no such thing like a free meal.

Mainly you're right ..and I think most of EX1-3 users agree with it. Of course SXS is always safer and we all do important recordings on it. As my dealer said - memory card for EX1 must be taken as part of camera - When you gonna purchase camera take it with memory what you think you need anyway. And that's the price of your system. But thanks to nice community we have little another option... maybe for just safe to know that you have more recording time.

best regards

Raul

The vast majority of my work is done in standard frame rates. I'm using SDHC for much of that now and I'm tickled pink that I can do so. The whole point is to have as many reliable recordable cards as possible! I use SXS for slowmo.

Delkin Express Card 34 Adapter (6-in-1)
 

There are some (two) early reports on the web that this might work for all but overcranking in a similar way to the Kensington. More information will come no doubt come soon (or just google it).

Expresscard Multi-card Adapter

Is there statistical data available that shows SxS to be more reliable than SDHC if you do not overcrank?

I'm not aware of such, and my experience shows SDHC to be completely error-free so far.

As for emotional approach, here's another story that may be quoted. (Very applicable to the current economic situation, too, unfortunately.) JP Morgan (the person, not bank) was once asked by a panicked investor, "What should I do with my stocks? I'm so nervous I can't sleep at night!" - to which Morgan replied: "Sell down to the sleeping point."

So yeah, if you are uncomfortable with SDHC, by all means do what feels right to you.

Back to the technical side of it, so far I haven't seen any practical evidence of SDHC being inferior in reliability to SxS though.

I got a bit worried about the posts that the Kensington's might be discontinued, especially since the B&H site mentioned explicitly that the card reader was discontinued. If there is any truth to those rumors, where can I get them in the future was my thinking? Ordered 4 from Dell and 4 from another company and I now have 8 Kensington's for two cameras. Even if one breaks or malfunctions for whatever reason, I will be good for a long time and possibly have an additional safeguard against losing those small SDHC cards, since I can keep them inserted in the Kensington's.

The question really is, are we not overly influenced in our behavior and purchasing decisions by these kind of rumors? I feel I may have been overly cautious by getting 8 of them.

Then you've missed the point altogether. This is enabling technology. The camera (and the media) are enabling amateur or indie pros to shoot VERY high level HD footage at a reasonable price. Nothing more, nothing less.

The "best" what? My clients define best as what they see on the screen. Never once have they asked me what brand of media I am shooting on. And as far as reducing my fee, there is no need. However, if my clients want me to shoot 3 hours of footage in HQ 1080p then I can either use SDHC and accept the work, or tell them they must hire out (which they cannot afford to do). So for my clients, it's a matter of me either accommodating their needs, or not being able to.

How on earth is this even a fair or relative comparison? I'll pay you US$1M if you can tell the difference in the 1080p or 720p footage I capture on SxS versus SDHC. I have the UTMOST confidence in my gear. If I didn't, I wouldn't shoot with it. Period.


Yes. I am confident. And in the dozen or so jobs I've shot on SDHC, not once have I had a moment's concern that it was not going to work. Much of my work is event work. If I don't get it the first time, I don't get it. And I am VERY pleased with the SDHC solution. MUCH more so than I was with tape, or even my Firestore which I still use for long-form recording.

If Sony media gives you peace of mind, then have at it. I'd be far more worried about an actor blowing a line, a boom mike getting into frame, or a bulb blowing on set, than my SDHC solution suddenly throwing an error message. Not to say it won't happen, but it happens with ANY recording media. Ask any film operator how many times they have seen or heard of film mis-registration, breakage, or other malady. Or those who recorded onto tape dealing with mangled tape in harsh environments or cold. None of the technologies is perfect.

What I find utterly ridiculous is the idea that somehow the storage media in SxS is somehow different than that in SDHC. The actual memory is being produced by the same people at the same company. The same Sandisk Ultra2 cards we are using are used by countless pro still photographers to capture once in a lifetime shots. Do you think they have sleepless nights about using Sandisk and only use Nikon or Canon branded Sandisk memory cards? Sony even alludes to the fact that they are not producing the memory cards you're so enamored with. But somehow you feel that because it has a Sony label on it, it's clearly superior?

Now if you want to lay issue at the feet of the adapter card, well then maybe you have something there. Maybe the Kensington card isn't as reliable as a Sandisk or Sony SxS media. Those of us who shoot job after job using them might well disagree. But until I see some evidence, either statistical or empirical, to the contrary, I am going to say my SDHC solution is every bit as viable and reliable as the SxS solution in *my* use.

Thanks, Andy -- here's the Delkin ExpressCard 34 Multi-Card Adapter at B&H:

Delkin Devices | ExpressCard 34 Multi-Card | DDEXP34-MULTI-1

and at Amazon:

Amazon.com: Delkin ExpressCard 34 6-In-1 ExpressCard 34 Card Adapter: Electronics

I haven't heard about that Delkin adapter - is it confirmed that it works with EX1?

Is it shorter than Kensington so door would close with it?

Vincent, I think you may have missed some of the points made in this thread. If SDHC simply meant exactly the same workflow as SxS then you may have a point, all that SDHC would mean would be that the overall total capital cost of the system - camera plus memory - would be somewhat less. (Well, quite a lot less, but...)

But it means far more than that. It conceivably means the difference between a user having to download in the field to free up card space, and being able to do it under more controlled conditions, because they can afford a lot more card space.

It conceivably means the difference between having to download material to give to client, and being able to simply treat the SDHC cards like tape or disc and hand them over in the way you would with a tape. I've seen 16GB cards (50 minutes) for well under £20 now - to my mind that's consumable pricing, and the pricing is likely to get better still.

It also begins to mean that all the active archiving issues (with the possibility for error) go away. Shoot, download to NLE (with all the tapeless advantages), then put the card on the shelf.

Conceivably, true SxS may be a trace more reliable than SDHC, but my gut feeling is that that difference is completely blown away by the chances of something going wrong come download time - especially if it's being done in less than ideal conditions. Take that sort of human error factor into account, and SDHC may actually be far MORE reliable overall than SxS.

David's got a good point. I am organising a foreign travel shoot that will be costed on taking plenty of SDHC cards for shooting with no hassle of carting around MBP and hard drive. The cards cost the same as HDCam tape now so client pays without hassle.

David,
I cannot second your oppinion up to the end. While I see your point, Vincent had made it clear that quality and security only comes at a price. Professionals would be dumb to pay more if something really went for less. Quality and security only come at a prime - how much that has to be is another question, I agree.

Put blantly but without the slightest offense - SDHC is tinkering compared to SxS. Given the situation with new Kensington readers or supply from other manufacturers - how do you want to base a business or profession on such a business model? I am not talking about how well SDHC works but just supply of necessary material - the reader.

SxS is not less secure then SDHC when it comes to transfers of raw material into an NLE.
However I'll go as much Solid State as possible within my workflow and replace the HDD of my laptop with a SSD 2.5" format. Transfers with that "container" are much faster then to an HDD. And if you have nothing but hourlong takes to record, take more Sxs cards or an HD recording unit. The possiblities are endless. But "cheap" and "low price" must not be a deciding factor. Either the client pays for what he expects or let somebody else do the job.

Just my 0.02.
P.

According to information on the website, this adapter can handle 17MB/sec of write speed. Theoretically will work for HQ mode, if paired with a Class 6 SDHC Card that worked with other readers...

....and, for those of you with EX1 (and with the 1.11 firmware on it) the best bit is that the web reports suggest THE DOOR WILL CLOSE....:-)

If you have an EX3 this is irrelevant of course - as the launch firmware and door arrangment with more headroom means you are good to go anyway :-)

It's very early days (and I stress this is not my information/personal experience) but it's out there in the ether. You guys (that can) please try and get this Delkin Adapter. Test it out to confirm and let us know.

It would appear that Steven Thomas reported that Delkin adapter was a no-go - or am I misreading this?

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/934247-post103.html

You're talking 2 different adapters. The Delkin Expresscard 34 6-1 does work.

Expresscard Multi-card Adapter

The Delkin adapter you link to is the CF card to Expresscard adapter. It does not work.

Ronn, is this the correct link to Delkin adapter that is reported to work?

Yes. See Chris Hurd's msg #1109.

OK just got the best deal possible on these cards for people in the Uk and Europe.


Ebay number: 220308876354

Price was $34.95 plus only $25 postage to the UK for two cards. Ordered and paid for.

Delkin in the UK want to charge £50 an adapter plus postage!

Sorry if I have broken any rules in showing the ebay seller. If I have I am sure it will be removed!