SDHC Brands that work with MxR
 

I have now tried 3 different SDHC (Class 6) 16 gig brands and I only feel comfortable with one brand so far, Transcend. I first purchased 2 Transcend cards while waiting for the MxR adapters and I had immediate success when formatting the cards for the first time. Over the holidays I recorded family home movies using these Transcend cards and they worked so well I started thinking that the Class 6 was the key to purchasing more cards, no so.

I was recently in Fry's Electronics and found 16 gig Patriot SDHC class 6 cards for under $30 and I purchased 6 thinking they should work. I had found that they would NOT format on the first attempt but they would on the second attempt. I tried both A & B slots in both EX1 and EX3 cameras and found they would only format on the second attempt. I also found that after recording for more than about 30 seconds you will need to wait until the red record light stops before you can continue to record the next clip. If you don't wait for the green light then you will get an error that the media needs to restore and you must remove the card and reinsert then restore the card before you can continue. I was successful recording long clips using 1080 24p record modes. I still haven't tested with 30p or any 720 formats. I think I'm going to return these cards. Oh the Transcend cards only have about a 4 second delay for the red record light to turn green. I think this is how we can determine the card record speeds.

I had ordered 4 more PQI 16 gig (Class 6) SDHC cards online thinking it must not matter what brand but as long as it was the fastest Class 6 rating it should work. These PQI cards would NOT format in the camera at all. I even tried formatting in Disk Utility as FAT-32 and nothing seemed to work in the camera. I will be sending them back.

I haven't needed to use any of these SDHC cards for hire yet and I'm going to test more with the Transcend cards before I take that risk. I know from personal experience the 32 gig Transcend Compact Flash cards work properly with the Convergent Design Flash XDR at 100 Mbps and I'm feeling like this brand is among the better brands on the market. I also found the Transcend fits into the MxR better, without such a tight fit as the Patriot and PQI brands.

Sandisk Ultra II 32GB (listed as Class 2 cards).
720p24/44 overcrank worked for 2 minutes duration without an error
720p24/45 resulted in media error with 29 seconds duration (which is about 15 seconds)
So it seems the peak sustained data rate is just over 64mbps which would be about 8MB/s write. The card is rated as 9MB/s write and 15MB/s read.

Generally it seems to take a little over 5 seconds for card light to go from red to green after stopping record.

They always fail format on the first attempt and, after removal and reinsertion, always succeed on the second attempt.

I have done many short clip records without issue.
I have done 118 minute continuous record without issue.
I am currently testing an ultra long record of 236 minutes.

A about a month and a half ago I started testing SDHC cards when I got my Delkin adapters. I spend about 5 hours testing on each card, continuous recording, lots of small clips and quick starts and stops. I had been following this list for a few months so I purchased both the Transcend Class 6 16GB and Sandisk Ultra II 16GB cards. I found that both of these cards work equally well in all tests. I also have purchased 3 MxR adapters but my camera is out at the moment and I have a EX-3 coming but it won't be here for a bit. I think these cards will perform as well as or better than the Delkins so I can't wait. Everyone who has tested other cards pretty much has the same experience, the others just don't work. This is due to controller issues in the adapters and read/write speed of the memory. So I would stick with what has been proven to work over the past months of many testing every card out there. Also I have found you definitely get what you pay for, cheap SDHC cards just don't work. Spend the few dollars more for quality cards. This has also been my experience with CF cards in the 9-10 years shooting with DSLRs.

Good on you Robert, I believe there are more than just a few cards that will work as I think there are only a few manufacturers of these cards to begin with. I know the Patriot cards do in fact work but they are not as fast as the Transcend cards. Also if you need a few extra cards while on the road you just may find one that someone here was tested, or if a client hands you a card you can have an idea of the speed of the card by how long it takes for it to end the recording after you stop the clip. These Patriot cards are plenty good for interviews or even dumping files to for a client. I'm not going to recommend them but I believe it is good to know what works.

Michael Palmer

Sony SxS-USB Reader won't work with MxR/SDHC
 

Just a note as I found my Sony SxS USB reader doesn't read the MxR/SDHC card. Has anyone ever made this work?

No, and I doubt anyone will. These are, internally, two entirely different types of media.

Just to throw in a couple more data points here, I have both a SanDisk Ultra II 16G and 32G, both listed as Class 2 cards and as of now only a single MxR adapter (second one in the mail).

The 16G works fine recording 720p60/30 and 720p60/24 for at least the few minutes that I've tested it. The 32G, however, fails as the previous poster mentioned inside of 5-10 seconds of real time for me.

If I order any more SanDisk cards, I'll probably get the 16G so I don't have to worry about whether it'll fail with S&Q recording.

I just recorded a major "Town Hall" event close to three hours on 2 Sandisk Ultra 32GB (class 2) non stop recording. No problems at all. Used MxR adaptors.

That's great to hear. That means we'll have to be careful of S&Q recording on the 32G (and perhaps on the 16G with extended periods of recording) but otherwise it's a rock-solid recipient of two hours of 35Mb/s video. Great!

Thanks for the additional data point.

Has any tried these cards yet?

Panasonic 32GB
Panasonic | 32GB Secure Digital (SDHC) Memory Card

Delkin Devices 32GB
Delkin Devices | 32GB eFilm Secure Digital | DDSDPRO1-32GB | B&H

The Panasonic is supposed to be the fastest 32GB card available right now.
The Delkin has a pretty good price.

What is the difference between SLC (Single Level Cell) and MLC (Multi Level Cell)?
 

On the Transcend FAQ I found this.
What is the difference between SLC (Single Level Cell) and MLC (Multi Level Cell)?
There are two different technologies in manufacturing flash memory, SLC (Single Level Cell) and MLC (Multi Level Cell). SLC memory cards stores one bit in each cell, leading to faster transfer speeds, lower power consumption and higher cell endurance. The disadvantage of Single-Level Cell is the manufacturing cost. MLC memory cards stores two bits of information per cell. MLC cards achieve slower transfer speeds, higher power consumption and lower cell endurance because of storing more bits per cell than SLC. The advantages of MLC cards are the lower manufacturing costs.

I can understand why better cards cost more money however I didn't find out what technology was used for the Transcend or the Sandisk cards.
I'm guessing if you look at the specs of the voltage then the lower the requirements the better the card.

http://www.transcendusa.com/Support/FAQ/FAQpics/9.jpg

Find Answers

This link from Sandisk KB might bel helpful since it lists the different modes and how they limit speeds. It might give a clue why the cards can't overcrank to their maximum rated speed.
Answer - Extreme IV and Extreme III CompactFlash read/write speeds and UDMA information

I have a four FujiFilm SDHC 16GB Class 4 Cards that I've used with my Panasonic Camcorder. I am waiting for my MxR Adaptors to arrive so I can test these cards out! Has anyone tried these ones at all? They were quite a bit cheaper when I originally purchased them!

I have 4 MxR adapter with Transcend SDHC 16GB cals 6, works perfectly

Craig,
This link you provided tells even more of the story. I wonder if these cameras will ever get UDMA.

Is this the one you got Docea ?
SanDisk | 16GB Ultra II Secure Digital (SDHC) | SDSDRH-016GR

Just wondering what would make any of the SDHC cards incompatible with the M&R setup outside of speed?

I thought SD memory was standardized.

no, I tested these cards from Transcend 16gb sdhc clas 6, I am very happy with them ..

Amazon.com: Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6: Electronics

I tried two sandisk Video HD 16Gb cards and neither one worked with the MxR.
I then picked up two sandisk Ultra II 16Gb cards and a sandisk Extreme III 8Gb card and they all worked fine with the MxR.

Best UK Price of Transcend 16GB
 

What the best UK price for the Transcend that you guys can find?
7dayshop are selling it for £20 delivered, can anyone better that?

Does EX1's firmware version matter if your sticking with just the 16GB cards?

I think I've got 1.05

ALL SDHC solutions requires 1.11 in EX1.

Ridata 16gb SDHC class 6
 

Any luck with these? Supermedia is selling for $26

Ridata 16GB Lightning Series Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Memory Card

These have been tested and are cheaper but I can't vouch for the seller.
Amazon.com: Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6: Electronics

I'm testing the new Sandisk Extreme III 30 MB/s Edition 16 GB SDHC.
It supports every resolution, now I'm testing the overcranking, but it seems having the same issues like the Extreme II.
So, don't waste extra money for the Extreme III series! At this price you can buy 2-3 16 GB Extreme II (or almost one 32 GB)

I'm in the states, but I tried Google UK shopping and came up with this:

TS16GSDHC6 - Google Product Search

John

So, actually, is there SDHC ready for overcranking ?
 

And what 32 GB SDHC works without any problem ? (just for long recording, and not overcranking).

Don't you think we can make an Excel sheet in this forum with Good/No Good/Overcranking ?

Regards,

William.

For what they cost, you can buy a bunch of 16GB cards and adapters and just keep switching them as the second one fills. Not sure what real advantage paying an arm and a leg for a 32GB card serves when so far there is no proof (AFAIK) that they are that reliable yet.

John

Sandisk 32GB Ultra II have been reliable for me. They always take 2 attempts to format but once formated they go forever. In many long shoot situations that I do, changing a cards is a real pain ranging from camera jiggle to putting one away and digging out another.

Problems with MxR card read and SanDisk Ultra II Class 4 16GB
 

Hello Everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced any problems with the MxR and SanDisk cards. I've had the cards for a few months now, and I have now had my third major problem.

The first incident occurred while shooting on a reality television show. The card showed no problems during shooting (I never got the Restore Media message), but when I tried to import on a MacBook it was unreadable. I tried several data restoration programs, and went so far as to have the Geek Squad take a look. Unfortunately, there were no salvageable files. I contacted Sony to see if they might be able to help, but obviously because it is a third party product they were unwilling. This was a pretty big disaster and although we did not lose a lot of footage in did cost me a client.

I talked with Ross from eFilm and he deduced that most likely it was a faulty SanDisk card. This seemed plausible to me, but the part that bothered me was that I had used the card successfully for a couple of weeks before the failure.

Currently, I am in Rwanda shooting a documentary. Last week I had another card fail. This time the card did appear in the XDCAM Transfer but several clips were corrupted. They each played for a few seconds, but would always stop at the same point. Once again it seemed plausible that the card simply had a bad sector or two. Still, I was bothered because it was a card I had been using for several weeks without a problem. I immediately took this card out of my usage rotation.

Today, I have had yet another problem. The card is readable in the XDCAM transfer program, except for a 17 minute interview clip. (Unfortunately, this is a one time only interview with a convicted murderer/perpetrator of the '94 Genocide here in Rwanda). When I try to import the clip it goes to 87 percent complete and suddenly ejects the card.
Because the clip is visible and plays partially I'm hoping that it is salvageable to some extent. When I insert the card in the camera it gives me the Media Restore message but the restore fails at 22% every time.

The failures have occurred on three separate SanDisk Ultra II Class 4 16GB cards purchased at separate times at separate retailers. I have a few Sony SxS cards that I use as well and I have never had a problem with them so I'm certain the camera is fine.

I don't feel like the MxR is necessarily to blame. However, I'm beginning to feel that if it is possible to use the SD cards recommended by the makers of the MxR and still have these types of problems I don't see how the MxR can be suitable for professional use. As I said before these were cards that I've been using for some time. Each time I've purchased an SD card I have set the camera up and recorded through the entire card TWICE and transferred these clips to insure there would be no hidden problems.

At this point, I have lost all faith in the MxR's viability for professional use. Even if the problem is with the SD cards I don't see how the work flow can be usable in a professional environment. The real issue as I see it, is that these cards have failed after several dozen successful uses. If they had simply failed out of the box, upon testing, I would be more convinced of the MxR's viability.

Previously, I owned an HVX200 which I used to shoot extensively throughout Asia and Africa and I never lost a single clip. The MxR was a big factor in switching to the EX1 (not to mention the sweet resolution). At this point I'm pulling all of the MxR cards out of usage and ordering additional Sony SxS cards and having them overnighted from the US.

I'm extremely curious if anyone else had had any problems like this. I'm open to any suggestions for salvaging my latest card.

Scott

I'm using Silicon Power Class 6 16gb cards. no problem whatsoever.

o don't do overcrank, and also after "pause" a recording, must wait about 4 seconds to record again, or will give the classic "media need to be restored"

im using a realtek-based card reader, unload 16gb in 15-16minutes.

Sandisk are no longer reliable. They've changed their manufacturing process. I've been using 32GB Class 2 Sandisk cards since January and NEVER had a problem. People have been complaining about Sandisk Since February so it seems.

Transcend SHDC Class 6 cards are now "the" reliable card although like the above person people are finding other viable cards as well.

my friend Gabriel Soares got the silicon power first, i believe due to tests made:

Charts, benchmarks SDHC Memory Card Charts, Minimum Write Transfer Rates

as it worked fine for him, i bought also ;)

transcend are quite hard to find from a reliable source here, and silicon power are cheap ;)

I just bought 8 Transcend class 6 cards from Amazon (not a third party) and checked Serial #s. They are plagued with "Media Restore" problems. So I'm not sure I'd call them reliable anymore. Quite frankly I don't know if there are any reliable cards right now. Something seems to have happened to the SDHC supply.

I am curious - was it your practice to leave the cards in the same MxR adaptors or take them out for downloading into the computer and then reinsert them into the adaptor?

I'm not Scott but I've been using 2 32GB Sandisk Ultra II CLASS 2 (not 4) cards since January without issue. I always take them out of the MxRs and us SDHC to USB reader.

It seems shortly after January Sandisk changed something about the cards and the new cards seem to be CLASS 4 and some have reported them problematic.

My point was that I have seen some posts on here where people had problems when they were constantly taking out and reinserting cards into the adaptors (perhaps bending the contact areas). A number of people (myself included) put the cards into the adaptors and never take them out - using an express-card-USB adaptor to download.

I just wanted to point out that I have been taking them out of the adaptors to transfer for nearly 7 months no and not even one single issue ever.

Note that using Clip Browser is the way to go. If you drag and drop it is possible for the OS to write back invisible files which may result in a media restore since these files are outside of the expected file structure.

brand
 

Hi,

my friend has an EX1 (latest firmware) with MxR adapter and with 2 Sandisk Ultra II 16GB card (class 4).
One of them has produced "media need restore" message in the first usage after few minutes, the other worked perfectly over many hour. He work in 1920x1080@60i at 35Mbps.
He call me just now, that the cards doesnt work anymore. He even cannot format, and use it like before. How can this be?

So our questions:
- in the first time why need one card media restore and not the other? isn't the two card the same?
- WHY is this media restore when so many people recommend this brand and ultra II speed?
(spec. was 15MB/sec, but maybe its just for reading speed?)
- 35Mbps is just AVERAGE bitrate, and when he pan quickly maybe this bitrate will go over 40-50Mbps, and then he got the error message?
- can we kill these cards only because writing for long time at 30-40Mbps?

What do you recommend now? A class 6 card doesnt have this error? He like to do wedding videos, no overcrank, just SAFETY recording in 1080@60i.

thx,
Marton

People did recommend the Sandisk cards. However that was a while ago and according to the MxM website there have been inconsistencies reported since then.

The card you want is the ATP Pro Max.