More on Flash card performance in the TX1
Much has been written (or speculated) about the need to have a 'fast' flash memory card in order to capture 720p video with the TX1. After a few 'in the wild' tests, I can report that it doesn't seem to be the case - or alternatively, what's deemed as 'fast' covers many cards you might already have in your drawer at home.
I did four tests, based on cards I had to hand:
- Transcend 4GB SDHC card (Class 2)
- Sandisk 1GB Ultra II SD card
- Sandisk 2GB Micro SD card
- El-cheapo 128MB SD card
The SDHC and Micro SD cards have a minimum sustained write capability of 2MB/s whilst the SD card can manage 9MB/s. As for the unbranded SD card, it is about 5 years old with unknown specs.
The three more modern cards performed perfectly filming at the highest quality 720p setting, with no dropped frames or buffering problems. I was able to leave all of them to completely fill up before the camera stopped recording.
When I tried out the ancient SD card it was a different story, with the buffer warning icon flashing up on screen almost immediately and capture cutting out after about 9 seconds.
I'm quite pleased I had this old card on hand, because it visibly demonstrated that whilst you do need a relatively recent flash card to capture HD on the TX1, you don't need anything very fancy or expensive to do so.
40 comments:
You're right you don't need anything fancy, pick up a 4GB SDHC at mymemory.co.uk for 18.00 quid.
But then again I tried a Class 6 8GB card Integral card wich was to slow?
I can't work it out.
Try reformatting the card in the camera. The manual says that reformatting using the camera could fix a number of problems.
How do you show the movies on a HDTV without using the TX1? My concern is how to store the movies long term.
The easiest way to show the movies on an HDTV is to use the optional component cable, which plugs directly into the camera and the TV. You have to buy this separately in most cases.
It's a real shame Canon didn't take Sanyo's lead and include a dock with an HDMI connector, it would have been so much cleaner than all those cords for audio and video.
In my case I have a Mac Mini media centre, so I plug the camera in via USB, download the video files to the computer and play them using Quicktime. This takes care of playback and long term storage of the video files.
It's good to read about which cards do and don't work. Hopefully when someone discovers others that do or don't, such as the Transcend 8GB SDHC, they'll let the rest of us know.
Just left an update in dpreview.com
Transcend 8gb SDHC class 2 gives under runs in 720p...
After abour 10s, the bar appears which shows the amount of time left before the memory is full.
About 26s or so..that's it..
I will speak to the supplier tomorrow about a return...
Not sure what to try next?
Apparently class 6 are about the same, although I have not found anyone yet that can confirm this?
Rgds,
ballparkcy
Has anyone got an 8GB card to work yet? I've tried the Integral Class 6 8GB, ballparkcy has tried the Class 2 card. mymemory.co.uk have an 8GB card and their 4GB card works fine, I'm not taking the plunge, I spent enough on SD cards already. Who's next?
4GB SDHC class2 Adata (buffer problem)
I've just got a 4GB SDHC class2 generic brand (Adata http://www.adata.com.tw/adata_en/product_show.php?ProductNo=ASDHZZZBU ) I can confirm that the 720p starts showing the buffer at about 20sec and then runs out at 40secs (interestingly the sound stopped before the video)
Work fine in 640 in both SP and LP
Would be great to work out what card actually work and do not work as is looks like some class 2 work and others do not.
How very annoying..
I hope someone finds a 8gb SDHC that works...
I'm now very guarded about spending more money on useless cards... :-(
We need to set up a spreadsheet with what works and what doesn't.
Rgds,
ballparkcy
Hi ballparkcy,
I am putting together an FAQ on the TX1, so I could easily include some info about flash cards in there.
Matt
Matt,
That's sounds great! I think a lot of people out there would appreciate it and save us 'Guinea pig's' from spending and testing the hard way..
Cheers,
Cy [ballparkcy]
Hello All,
I'm using an 8gb Class 6 SDHC card from Kingston in my TX1 and it works great, no buffer problems at all!!! I think eCost.com is selling these cards for about $100.
so it looks like the class 2 and 4 SDHC cards do not have the bandwidth to handle the data being thrown at them from the TX1. I am not sure of the data rates of all three, but it looks like the class 6 are the only speed that will work. I am in the US and cant even get the TX1 yet. I am considering purchaing from eBay and taking my chances that English will be a language option.
do any of you all in the UK know if your version is an EU version from Canon or are you all getting the Japanese models as well?
Thanks,
Kris
I am using a Class 2 4GB SDHC and it can do the full quality 720p with no buffer issues at all. My TX1 is 'Made in Japan'.
Could people please send me their exact card brand, type etc and I'll start to compile a list of what works and what doesn't seem to. Include:
Card brand: e.g., Sandisk, Transcend, Kinsgton, No name etc
Type: e.g., SD, SDHC and Class, e.g. 2, 4, 6
Size: in GB
Formatted in camera: YES or NO
Your experience: Buffer problems, when? All OK?
Hi, does anyone know if the "Sandisk 8GB SDHC Card class 6" works with the TX1?
Hi, the "Integral 8GB SDHC Class 6" card didn't work in my TX1, too! :-(
I could exchange my Integral card into a "Sandisk 8GB SDHC Card class 6", do you think it will work?
I tried to ask Canon, which 8GB cards are OK, but they said they can't answer this question!!!
Now I have the TX1 but no 8GB memory card, this is not funny... :-((
Just received an answer from SanDisk:
#####
We do apologize for any kind inconvenience this issue is causing you but we havent tested the 8GB SDHC card to the Canon camera model you stated and it would be better to contact Canon for supproted capacities on this
model. We really do apologize for the inconvenience.
#####
!!! :-((
At this rate I think I will be going back to the original camera and 4GB SDHC suppler and asking for some more of those, as they seem to work just fine. Shame about the 8GB. Damn!
Matt,...I'm looking forward to your list of what works and what doesn't work. Comments on this are all over other forums with some people getting everything to work and others having zero luck.
For now, it looks to me like 4GB SDHC cards are the way to go,......but I doubt that every brand works even in 4GB. I'm holding off till I get something more definitive. In the past, I've never gone wrong with Sandisk.
Just got my TX1 from Amazon and bought a SanDisk 4GB SDHC Class 2 card with Micromate reader from Radio Shack for $60. I recorded a 15 minute video at the highest resolution 1280x720 at 30fps, and the video recorded without a hitch on a single battery charge. The camera automatically stopped at the end and took only a few seconds to empty its buffer onto the memory card. This memory card is available for less than $40 without the Micromate reader.
I'm very impressed with the camera. Yes, the videos are obviously not as good as they might be with a professional camera, but they are pretty darn good for a relatively inexpensive consumer camera.
I tried an older 1GB Kingston SD card and the video stopped recording after about 20 seconds presumably because the memory card was too slow.
I can confirm that the Transcend 8GB SDHC Class 6 card does NOT work for 720p video. I formatted it in my camera and it appears to work until you try to zoom. If you zoom too much, then the buffer eventually fills up and your recording is done.
Bummer
Stach
I bought a Transcend 4GB SDHC Class 2 card for use with my TX1 and find that for HD the buffer fills up after 30 seconds. I have tried formatting the card in the camera too, would anyone have an idea why this card won't work in my case?
islisis, that's a bit odd as I have the same card and all is well. I have had one or two buffer warnings on HD but it's never filled up.
It's a bit concerning that you can't just go out and buy a recent SDHC card and know you'll get the results you want in the TX1.
I wonder if this is a problem in the early production models of the TX1. Perhaps Canon could fix it with a firmware update in future? Let's hope so. Matt
To add to the database of experience, I'm using a SanDisk Ultra II 4gb card. Low-level format. No troubles whatsoever.
I hope we have a success story with 8gb soon. I'm going to write Canon about this as well. Hopefully if enough consumers write with the question then they'll make addressing the issue a priority.
I used a regular sandisk 2GB SD(not Ultra). And I have shoot video on both LP and non-LP mode for over 2 mins with no problem
For the guy who said his SanDisk 4GB Secure Digital High-Capacity SDHC worked great with this camera, those cards go for $80 at the absolute minimum which is crazy, you can get A-DATA Class 2 150X 8GB SDHC for $67, anyone try that one yet?
2 each 4 GB 150x Qmemory SD cards from flashmemory.com at $39 each only lasted about 40 sec. Discussing the issue with them. Also, after formating the cards in the camera (slow method) I can't find a computer/card reader to read the cards directly (through camera ok). Computer says they are unformated, but formating (even fat 32) erros out with a can't complete the format process. Anyone else have this issue?
Matt,
This whole card thing is getting hard to sort out. From what I can gather, the 2GB Sandisk Ultra 2 cards work fine but everything else is a crap shoot.
It would be nice to have a list, maybe separate from this long discussion, of any cards, 2GB and up, that have ABSOLUTELY worked in the TX1,........every single time.
I'll update the FAQ, although I have to say it's not overly clear what absolutely does and doesn't work! Perhaps I'll get a poll going on the home page. Matt
Before buying this TX-1 camera you should read this thread on AVS, there is a serious issue with purple distortion in bright light with the video on this camera:
AVS thread on TX-1
All CCD cameras have that problem, when you point one of these cameras towards the sun as light reflects off the water, you're going to get that with any camera really in some form.
The purple distortion is definitely an issue, but only if you point the thing in the direction of the sun, or catch really bright reflections off the sun. I have to say I don't like that it does it, but it's not a deal breaker in any way for me using this camera.
What Programme to use for editing?
Thanks for the tip on getting the Advanced User Manual.
Initial results from the camera are indeed impressive. But can anyone give advise on what prog to use for editing?
I regularly use Premier 6 but it fails to recognise the clips as it did for the Canon Ixus. I can do some conversion but want to take them in native. Adobe Premier Elements 2 will recognise the clips but I find that the icons of the imported clips take a hell of a long time to populate the library window. They also seem to need occasional refreshing when scrolling through them. Without these picture icons you can’t easy see the content of the clips and so decide what to order on the timeline.
I tried a trial version of Ulead Videostudio 10. Having used Premier I’m not much of a fan of Videostudio’s interface but it did come up with the goods, a DVD with the assembled footage. The results were very pleasing, 16:9 filled the screen of my flat screen TV, where as just plugging the TX1 into the TV resented a black border all the way round the picture. The only prob was that clips that contained panning, even very slow panning, don’t play back smoothly. If played through direct connect of the TX1 to the TV, the panning is smooth. So the problem appears to arise from VideoStudio.
Any suggestions? Sorry I don’t have a Mac. My PC has a gig of memory, runs on a 2.8 Ghz Pentium processor.
Thanks
Thanks for this Blog, it was helpful.
I have a Canon Tx-1 and just purchased the Transcend 8GB SDHC card (Class 6), it works with no problems. HD zooming in and zooming out. I have not seen any of these buffering issues that other posters have mentioned.
Love the camera, but man the buttons are in weird places!
Cheers!
Pete
Love the blog, thanks! Can I download my videos directly from the TX1 onto an exterior hard drive and then edit in iMovie from the hard drive? Thanks!
Yep you definitely can download onto an external drive. The TX1 won't show up as a mounted drive on your Mac, so plug it in and use 'Image Capture' to download the movie files to the drive and directory of your choice, then start iMovie, save a new project in that same directory, and import all the raw movie files into iMovie. From there you're on your way. Cheers, Matt
Hi all, I've been playing with the TX1 here in Canada for about a week. I have a class 4 8GB SDHC made by OCZ and never had any buffering problem. Overall quality is good but movie playback on the PC were never smooth (however plays back using the camera itself with the HDTV was perfectly smooth). On the PC the Window media player plays it smoother than quick time or media basic player but still not quite smooth. Another issue is that there are lots of small dots on movie shoots on rooms with normal light, compares to my other powershot S60 camera movie clips. I tried movie shoots on all kinds of settings but still get lots of dots on (not so) low light condition. Any idea anyone?
Hi,
I am a bit confused about the sd card compatibility with TX1.
Where I live (Pakistan) the highest capacity SD Card available is a 4GB Kingston Elite Pro (50x). It is most likely a fake card since the supplier didnt even have its packaging.
Yet the card performs very well with no buffer indications at all.
Is there any way to check if I am getting full 30 fps and that there are no skipped frames?
Just make sure you're recording in 16:9 720p at the highest quality (so not long play). If it records fine for a 30-60 seconds or more then all is well.
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