Patriot LX 32GB SDHC -Anyone Try it yet?
 

Has anybody used teh Patriot LX 32GB SDHC cards in the EX1 or EX3 yet? They are Class 10 cards going for around $105. I've been using the Patriot class 6 1GB cards with only one problem so far.

Thanks,
Garrett

The MxM adapter site list a type of 32GB Patriot as failing with their SDHC adapter.

MxM Express Tips – memory cards

I'm not buying anything except for Sandisk anymore.

I got a 8GB card last year to test with my EX3...and after a bit I got the "error" in the view finder....try at your own risk.

William, was that the Class 10 card? Until recently I thought that Patriot only mad up to a Class 6 card.

I did email MxM and got a really quick response. The card they tested was the Class 4 card. They have not tested the new LX series (Class 10 cards) but said they would test them once they were able to get their hands on one.

I may try to order one and test it. $105 is a really cheap price for 32GB. But then I know the old saying, "if it's too good to be true....".

Garrett

it was a class 6..it now sits in my Nikon digital still camera....

If flash memory is much cheaper, you are most likely buying lower quality, error-prone Multi-Layer Cell (MLC) product with a high (4) number of layers. These products wear out faster, sometimes after a couple *hundred* write cycles per bit, but since there are more bits due to the higher capacity, each is used less often.

Is anyone complaining about Sandisk products? I'd buy the highest quality products, but like tape, there are better ways to ensure the reliability of the recording than simply buying the most expensive product. Nanoflash recording the HD-SDI out stream is an excellent primary recording medium while the EX1 SDHC is the backup. Though, if you're buying that, you probably have the budget for nearly the best flash cards.

I agree Gints. The NanoFlash is what I'm currently trying to attain which is why I don't want to spend a lot on SDHC cards. That's also why I haven't invested a lot into SxS cards. I do have a few 16GB cards that have done very well and am probably going to try to make them last until I save enough for a CD. But even then I'm looking at a bunch of money on quality CF cards.

Just thought that I'd see if anyone has had any luck with these cards as a short term solution.

Garrett

I would stick to the cards that are proven to work. When Transcend can't even keep their specs up to last year's production quality it seems that it is not worth saving a few dollars to have all the stress of will it? won't it work? with lesser known brands. It seems that some Sandisk and ATP Pro cards are the ones to use without hassle.

transcend vs patriot both class 6 fat32 32K cluster
Read max 19402 19942 kB/sec
Read average 19165 19752 kB/sec
Read min 18913 19517 kB/sec
Write max 4114 12438 kB/sec
Write average 3816 9156 kB/sec
Write min 3073 5814 kB/sec
CPU usage 2 5 percent

guess which is the patriot :-)
this is just ONE test and test type, and does not define anything
i have used both of the chips in my PDA and the patriot has always been slower, but not terrible. but they both claim the same class, and the real transcend AND the real sandisk have always been faster.

Read max 19397 20067 kB/sec
Read average 19121 19841 kB/sec
Read min 18867 19621 kB/sec
Write max 2151 8862 kB/sec
Write average 2041 7057 kB/sec
Write min 1835 4066 kB/sec
CPU usage 5 5 percent

i would hope that thier CLass10 would improve thier write speeds enough to be a Usable video card, but right now i wouldnt BUY into that unless somone tested it first.

32GB worked fine.
 

I used a borrowed one yesterday in my T2i.
Average clip length was 8 min.
Shooting 24p went without a hiccup.

I now have the Patriot LX 16GB class 10 card and it works just fine, so the 32gb should work as well.
I used mine on a shoot last week, and I got not a one error warning and was happy to have a class 10 card.

hth....

I have used the Transcend Class 10's and they've been reliable.

I just shot a feature over 10 days and primarily used 1 x Patriot 10 (16G) and a bunch of ATP's. I did also use original SxS's (8G) and some of the older, reliable Class 6 Transcends.

Still, even with reliable cards in hand, I'm against using 32G cards with 2 hour capacities.

Am I alone on this position??

I'm not comfortable carrying 2 hours of valuable footage when it is easily offloaded, and flipping to a new card is so convenient.

I used to feel the same way about longer tapes. Didn't like them. And my paranoia was often justified.

I just want reliable 16G cards.

Perhaps there are a couple of jobs that justify very lengthy cards, but I've yet to do any shoot with a 2 hour take.

A new 150x ATP 16gb has just popped through my door . I'm very much looking forward to testing this new card out as it promises much.

I only use these ATP-s, both 16 and 32 Gb. Never let me down so far in any situation, overcranking to the max also not an issue with them. Using them in dedicated in MxM adapters, never remove.

Marcus, if you meet the guy who pops them through doors, please give him my address - he might pay a visit and pop something in my neighborhood, too :)

Same here!..

Hey Marcus, where did you get the ATP Cards ? They seem to be drying up here in the UK. The only well known supplier is now shipping Patriot cards with MxM adaptors.

I have long given up on the UK suppliers. The one I was dealing with was happily selling Transcend cards with adaptors that caused me no end of problems.

I now only buy from MxM direct. And here's the beef, MxM shipped to me quicker than the UK supplier despite the package coming half way around the world. And the shipping was hardly any more expensive!

Yes you'll get stung for the customs charge but in the grand scheme of things that's a small price to pay for the confidence from buying direct from people who actually know their products.

I was about to ask Marcus the same question :)
I see proactive are selling the ATP cards, did you try them?

No. I wasn't even aware they were a UK stockist.

As I mentioned, I have a class 10 ATP sitting on my desk demanding to be tested, but I need to find the time to do it. While my Class 6 cards have been superb, Class 10 is a better option when they become widely available.

Proactive are now selling class 10 cards, I'm trying to buy one as we speak.

Just ordered the ATP class 10 card with Proactive.

It says class 6 on the site but I was told that it will be a Class 10 that I'll be getting.

Are you sure they have got class 10 in stock Tony ? MxMexpress site says they will not have any class 10 in stock until early July!!!!!

Now thats a good question colin, I didn't know that.

All I know is when I inquired about the ATP cards this morning they said let me check if we have any,
a few moments later that came back saying yes we have they are class 10 so i ordered one online.

Be interesting to see what arrives. I'll let you know in 2/3 days time.

OK Tony.
Just got off the phone with Proactive. They have 16gb class 10 at the moment and will be getting 32gb class 10 in a month or so. Have ordered a 16gb class 10.

So it might be a class 10 that I'm suppose to be getting.

Time will tell :)

With all the discussion on here, rather than wait I setup an overcranking test in the corner of my office with the new Class 10 16gb ATP and a new MxM in my EX1 pointing at a looping video display to ensure the codec was being pushed.

Not totally scientific due to lack of time but basically I filled the card with a single clip at 50fps. No issues, no drama.

I've also now done the firmware upgrade which was straightforward, even if it did give me a heart in mouth moment.

I'll do a full write-up when I get time.

Thanks Marcus.

I got both 16GB & 32GB Patriot LX Series.
I run 15min over crank on the 16GB without any problem. Also I used this card for 2 events without any warning. However the 32GB card failed at about 2min into the over crank test so I returned 32GB card.

OK, City Link rang the doorbell at 9.30 this morning, with a new MxM adaptor and ATP Promax 16gb Class 10 SDHC card. Yes it is class 10. Will do some performance tests later

Still waiting on mine, proactive rang me yesterday and said they thought they had two ATP cards left but hadn't, so I have to wait till next week.

Just tested my ATP class 10 with MxM adaptor. Recorded to full, autoswitched to B slot, 16 gb Transcend MxR adaptor. Both recorded without problems. Switched to media and started to play back clips from ATP card. After between 10 and 15 seconds on each clip, got media restore warning, no option to restore showed. No problem with MxR and Transcend. Tried the ATP in slot B, got media restore warning. Transferred BPAV folder to PC, all the clips seem fine. Am going to reformat the cards and try again.

Just a thought but personally I'd never split clips across cards, especially when using different adaptors and SHDC cards in each slot.

I hope to carry out more extensive tests next week but the only test I've done so far is over cranking to 50fps for the cards duration which seemed fine.

The other thing I always do with a new card and adaptor combo is insert the SDHC card a couple of times into the adaptor just to make sure the card has good contact.

Out of interest, do you have the new firmware?

Hi Marcus.
I just reformatted the ATP, took just a few 20 second clips, on replay, got media restore error straight away. Transcend (green belt) no problems. Tried the MxM and ATP in slot B same result. Looks like it could be a bad card/adaptor. will do some more tests, slightly dissapointed at this stage. Have latest firmware, 1.20, Prestons did it before they shipped the camera

Well I guess this is why we test. There's no accounting for manufacturing problems or damage during transit.

Do speak to MxM though as I know they would appreciate any feedback. The class 6 ATP's have been solid for me in their adaptors even including me accidentally shooting full 50fps overcranked footage onto a card on the old firmware (the SxS was in slot B, I didn't press the button hard enough and it didn't switch).

I'm hoping to run more detailed tests next week, but due to the bank holiday time might be tight. I'll try and set the camera up a corner of the office. First impressions were that my class 10 was fine but I'll continue to test.

Just put another 16gb Transcend (newer red belt) into the MxM. Recorded some short clips, then finished off, to 5 minutes from end with a long clip, no problems whatsoever, replayed without error. Put ATP into MxM reformatted, took a few short clips, got restore media, reformatted card two more times, got restore media warning on playback on both occasions. Looks like the adaptor is OK, but the card appears to be duff. Will get a replacement on Monday.

Are you using original MxM adapter or newer lockable one? Anyway, try to re-format the card in the computer first, then re-format several times in the camera, then repeat the test...

Just had an email from MxM regarding this.

The glitch is real and happens for all the ATP class 10 cards. However the good news is that it only appears to occur on playback within the camera. If you put the card direct into the PC you'll be fine. The glitch doesn't appear to damage footage and only occurs if you try and play back the footage in camera. According to MxM it appears to be random as well and they can't make it actually damage footage.

That said that would be enough to put me off using it for paid work.

MxM are in communication with ATP who are very keen for their products to continue to be EX1 compatible. They are going to look into why this is happening as everything else about the cards checks out OK.

For now I'd say stick with the Class 6's.

Much appreciated Marcus. You are spot on. The card contents are intact, and transfer to the PC without problem, its just playback via the cam that shows the problem. I have tried Transcend, both old and new, 8 and 16gb cards in the MxM (it is the latest lockable model), no problem at all. I agree that it is cause for concern when using for paying jobs. I will get the card changed for a class 6 asap.

I was in contact with proactive on Tuesday and they told me this as well. They have decided to stop selling class10 for now, until the matter its resolved.

I received my Class 6 ATP card this morning.

Received a Transcend 16gb class 10 this morning, so far, so good. Have filled the card with lots of small clips, and again with one long clip. No errors whatsoever. Will try some over, undercranking sometime and report back. At the moment all looks well, good price as well, £37 from Amazon inc P&P

I'd be wary. As has been pointed out to me, the problem with the class 6 Transcend cards wasn't just the fact they were pig slow, but its now been suggested to me they might have been liable to being zapped by static electricity.

This would tally with the 2 incidents where cards failed on me without any warning from the camera. Once in a conference venue with a nylon type carpet and once in a brand new shop with, wait for it, newly laid carpet. Both times it was a minor corruption mid clip. Camera didn't fall over and the problem was only evident on transfer.

No proof of course, but the one thing the more expensive cards have in common is more resistance to static I'm told.

Usual disclaimers apply.