Flash card performance on the TX1
These are some of the experiences to date (updated 6th August 2007):
| Card Type | Comments (recording high quality 720p 30fps video) |
| Transcend 4GB SDHC Class 2 (Best 4GB performance) |
|
| Transcend 8GB SDHC Class 2 |
|
| Transcend 8GB SDHC Class 6 |
|
| Integral 8GB SDHC Class 6 |
|
| SanDisk 4GB SDHC Class 2 |
|
| Kingston 8GB SDHC Class 6 (Best 8GB performance) |
|
| Kingston 8GB SDHC Class 4 |
|
| Adata 4GB SDHC Class 2 |
|
Adata 8GB SDHC Class 6 |
|
| Apacer 8GB SDHC Class 6 |
|
| Adata 4GB SDHC Class 6 |
|
| Lexar 4GB SDHC Class 6 |
|
| Patriot 8GB SDHC Class 4 |
|
| Patriot 8GB SDHC Class 6 |
|
| Peak 4GB SDHC Class 6 |
|
| OCZ 2GB SDHC Class 6 |
|
| OCZ 8GB SDHC Class 4 |
|
| SanDisk Ultra II 2GB SD |
|
| SanDisk Ultra II 4GB SD |
|
| Sandisk Ultra II 1GB SD |
|
| SanDisk 2GB SD |
|
| SanDisk 1GB SD |
|
| Qmemory 4GB 150x SD |
|
| Transcend 2GB SD |
|
| Corsair 1GB SD |
|
These results have been gathered from commenters on this blog. If you have any further experience to add, please add a comment below. I'll keep updating the table as more information comes through.
91 comments:
Ha! I bet this is the kind of post most new tx1 users are waiting for on the forum! But I see you already did some promotion over there :)
It is very strange to see that the same cards differ among users.. I think you have to be lucky to find a class 2 card that works in best quality mode. But I guess you can never go wrong with sandisk ultra II cards and kingston class 6 cards. Unfortunately these brands are also the most expensive ones...
Just to extend your excellent table I can confirm that the Adata class 6 4GB works greats. I got two of them off of ebay and both have worked perfectly. By the way I'm the person who tried the Adata class2 so it was a relief to find that the class6 ones worked.
Could the person on this chart who said that the Kingston 8GB SDHC Class 6 works please give details? If so that is the first 8 gig card that has been proven to work, although I would like to know if full HD recording was done on the entire card (with the buffer properly unloading).
I can confirm that when zooming in and out the buffer gets full. I have Transcend 8gb SDHC class 6.
best regards
niki
Without zooming in and out the buffer sign doesn't even show on the screen till the end of the recording.
best regards
niki
> Could the person on this chart who said that the Kingston 8GB SDHC Class 6 works please give details?
Is that Kingston also working when zooming in and out?
I have the transcend 8gb class 2 card. Got my TX1 last night and formatted it in the camera. (japanese model, did not use low level format, new card)
I was able to record 15 minute video's(720p, high rez) with no buffering issues as long as I did not touch the zoom. Another test showed that zoom will cause some buffering issues but if you go slow enough it will be OK. If you go fast zooming in and out it may give you problems. I was able to recover from buffering isssues if you do not use the zoom for a little while(until buffer level disappears.)
I also noticed when the battery is low it will have buffering issues faster if using the zoom. So when using a low battery, zoom creates problems way faster.
I'dd add more comments when I get more time to test it. I'll try it again with a format of low level and in more daylight. Most of the above was indoors and I was able to get a 15 minute video. Hope that helps!
-Joel
Thanks for all the comments, I was specifcially looking at the 8GB Kingston card which was reported to be "problem free".
I received my Kingston 8GB Class 6 SDHC card today and confirm that it works GREAT without any hint of low buffering (even while zooming). I would HIGHLY recommend this card if you want a reliable 8GB card (I paid around $100 shipped from NewEgg).
Have Fun with your TX1!
BINGO!!! :) Thanks, buying that Kingston card now.
ACK!!! SOLD OUT A NEWEGG FOR A WEEK! :((((((((((((((
lowest prices at newegg for SDHC cards that work on tx1:
4gb (ADATA class 6): 38 bucks
8gb (kingston class 6): 97 bucks
when looking at the prices at newegg, you're financially better off to buy 2 4gb cards instead of 1 8gb card.
if Adata, a generic manufacturer, is coming with a 8gb class 6 card(which should work cause the 4gb version also does) in the next month or two, I think prices of 8gb class 6 cards will drop tremendously and it should be financially more attractive to buy a 8gb card instead of 2 4gb ones.
up said:
> when looking at the prices at newegg, you're financially better off to buy 2 4gb cards instead of 1 8gb card.
It's not such a great price difference, but you'll then have to change the cards permanently, which is an nunneccessary mechanical abrasion.
> if Adata, a generic manufacturer, is coming with a 8gb class 6 card(which should work cause the 4gb version also does)
You say it: "should", but it's not sure at all!
> It's not such a great price difference, but you'll then have to change the cards permanently, which is an nunneccessary mechanical abrasion.
The price difference is 20 bucks..
personally I think the burden of 'permanently' swapping your 4gb cards does not weigh up to the extra money you have to spend.
But you're right, that is a personal matter, depending on what we expect from the device.
> You say it: "should", but it's not sure at all!
my point was, with the introduction of cheaper brands into the 8gb sdhc class 6 market, prices of ALL brands will go down and this is likely to happen in the next month or so. It does not matter whether the 8gb ADATA card will work in the tx1 or not. It will just add some competition and competition is good!
I can also confirm that the Kingston 8GB SDHC Class 6 works great. The Crucial 1GB SD card that Newegg includes for free with the TX1 doesn't work though. I believe it's rated at 6MB/s (40X).
6MB/s should be enough:
A 8GB card has: 8,192MB
divided by 26 minutes rec. time
divided by 60 seconds
= 5.251MB/s
I bought a Patriot 8gb class4 card a couple months ago and haven't had any issues at all capturing long (10+mins) videos with zoom etc.. BUT...here's my problem. When I connect the TX1 via USB and start downloading pics/vids everything will transfer fine except videos over 2.5 mins (or 700mb, I think). They will just show up as 0kb after everything's done. Anyone else have this issue? I'm going to buy a SDHC reader to make sure it's not the card. I bought the TX1 a few months ago from an aussie site and it's great to finally see more reviews and user opinions on the web. Keep it up! Ryan
Update, With my class 2 transcend 8gb, I have issues outdoors with lots of light. When using zoom outside recording @ 720p high rez, the buffer problems come up real fast. Even without zooming sometimes I hit buffer issues, when moving the camera around a lot. So I'm going to return the transcend and try the class 6 kingston, which seems like the best bet right now.
-Joel
Ryan,
I just hit this issue the hard way(0 kb file size with large vids), I lost 3 video's that way and now am really pissed.
If you use the camera software it seems to work fine, it's only if you try and copy them off using explorer.
Man, that sucks.
When you turn your camera on connected via USB cable to the computer, in XP it should automatically bring up the Camera Wizard, which asks you what you want to do with the photos, if you select them all for copying to the hard drive (assuming you have Windows XP) that should work fine.
"Man, that sucks" from 5/14 -
You were absolutely right! I was able to xfer all large videos from within Zoombrowser without any problems at all and it's about twice as fast as windows camera wizard... Sorry you lost some of your vids but at least you were able to save me from doing the same. Thanks.
Mark -
I had the same problem using the Camera & Scanner wizard. "Retry, Skip, Skip All, Cancel" were the only choices when it got to a large video.
Ryan
Ok well Newegg got the Kingston Class 6/8GB back in stock today, I'm going to try that when I get it in on Wednesday, I'll try both Zoombrowser and Camera Wizard and see what happens with that particular card.
Ryan wrote:
> BUT...here's my problem. When I connect the TX1 via USB and start downloading pics/vids everything will transfer fine except videos over 2.5 mins (or 700mb, I think). They will just show up as 0kb after everything's done.
Did you watch the whole videos on the TX1 display to check if they are really OK?
I purchased my TX1 a week ago. I didn't investigate the SD card "thing" so I just purchased 2 x 4Gb Transcend standard cards not realizing that the SDHC ones were required. I get with the Transcend about 25 sec of HD recording before it just stops. I have since ordered a Kingston SDHC card and hopefully will have it next week. It appears I have made finally made the right storage decision.
To add to the list:
Photofast Ultra II 4GB SDHC (class unspecified), buffer overrun after 45 secs
Still puzzled over why my Transcend 4GB Class 2 card is seeing problems... are there any computer utilities for maintaining SD cards?
Another happy Kingston class 6 8GB user; seems to work well in various movie experiments. Both Adorama and NewEgg have this for about $100 with shipping.
Count me as another user who has had complete success with a Kingston 8gb Class 6 card. I also have a Sandisk Extreme 4gb Class 6 that works without a hitch.
After getting my Kingston, 8GB class 6 card, I had no issues with a long high rez movie with lots of zoom, in sunlight. So looks like the kingston class 6 cards work best.
As for the zero file size problem, the video played fine on the TX1, but if I tried to copy it off using anything but zoombrowser EX it shows up as 0 bytes after the transfer. Like another poster said, it's only file sizes over 700mb. I just use zoombrowser from now on and it has not given me any issues.
for uk owners -
I can report good experiences with Peak 4GB class 6 cards - no buffering when zooming with 720p video - these (0144ADPK)can be found for £21.
however bad experience using Veho 4GB cards - these are cheap but very slow - do not believe the '80x' performance claims or 'ultra fast' naming.
pwebb
Anyone looking for a Kingston Class 6 SDHC card may want to check here:
http://shop.kingston.com/partsinfo.asp?ktcpartno=SD6/8GB
Its a bit more expensive than Newegg, but I'm betting I'll get it before this weekend (which is a necessity for me).
They are showing a 5/22 ETA. I called and spoke to someone and they confirmed that they should be shipping by tomorrow (5/23/07).
Just thought I'd let you know that my Kingston 8Gb Class 4 SDHC arrived. Works a treat, I can zoom in and out without any issues. It also allows me to video beyond the 25sec cut off.
Bought a Kingston 8GB SDHC Class 6 for my TX. I can confirm no problems recording up to 4gb at a time (with zooming in and out during filming)
I just purchased an OCZ 150x (which I believe is class 6) 2 GB secure digital card, and used it with great success int he TX1. I was able to shoot long videos with full continuous zooming with no problems. This card was $35 Canadian at Canada Computers in Toronto. It has been very hard to find fast secure digital cards here.
Can anyone else comment on the INTEGRAL 8GB SD CARD CLASS 6 offered on Amazon.co.uk?
I have bought the a-data 4gb 6 class for about 34 euro.
i will try it the next few days when my camera arrives!!
I can confirm the Kingston 8GB Class 6 works flawlessly
Here are my experiences..
Kingstone 8GB Class 6= perfect performance
A Data 4GB Class 2= Buffering after 20 or so seconds on highest quality recording.
I have a Transcend 4gb 150x that i got it from buy.com and it works great, I wasnt even aware of the buffer indicator until I read these posts...I shot quite a few videos in 720p, using the zoom like crazy and NEVER saw the indicator come up on the screen, I shot videos up until card was full (about 7min),
when recording large video files sound is progessively no longer in synch with images. I have a AData 4Gb class 6 memory card, although I doubt the memory card may be the problem for that. Anyone experienced the same?
Andy
A-data class 6 no problem.
i recorded 1280x720 about six minutes with zooming and no buffering
patriot SDHC 8G class 6 works great. 69$ at Fry's fremont CA.
No noticable problems so far, i tried to take movies for extended period of times with use of the zoom.
Can anyone say how long the Kingston 8GB Class 6 card allow you to record continuously?
I'm trying to figure out if I should return the Patriot 8GB class 4 card for the Kingston.
Another vote gor the Kingston 8gb Class 6 card. i have tried two and both have worked fine with no issues on 720p hd. Recording time was to the limit of 4gb/14 mins approx - tested on one card. The other has been tested for 2 mins with no issues including zooming.
Great Blog - how about moving the table itself to the FAQ page?
I am thinking of buying the TX1 and Kingston SDHC 8 gb card. I use a Mac Powerbook G4. Can I download from the SDHC card directly into the Powerbook through a PCMCIA card reader instead of having to download through the USB cable from the camera? I bought a SDHC card by mistake a few weeks ago and tried using it in my Palm TX but neither my Palm nor my Mac recognized it. I realize there are compatibility issues but is there a compatibility issue between Mac G4 and SDHC card?
User in the UK can confirm that Transcend 8GB SDHC Class 6 works fine no issues whatsoever, I'd bought this before seeing this blog and thought to return it and spend $35 extra for the kingston but the 8GB Class 6 Transcend is fine. I think the 20MB in the manual is Mbit not MByte and hence guaranteed class 6MByte should be fine, hence why some fast class 2 (16Mbit and up, work ok??) I low level formatted in camera from beginning. This blog encourages paranoia!
Patriot 8GB Secure Digital High-Capacity(SDHC) Flash Card Model PSF8GSDHC6. (Class 6) Have had it for two weeks and no problems. Made HD movies with zooms, no buffering warnings. Si far si giid,
Purchased the apacer 8GB SDHC Class 6 card in Australia for AUD128. No problems, good across the board
Are cards with 'nnn'x rating non hc, like Eduardo's Transcend 4gb 150x? If not, has anyone tried any non-HC 4gb cards with this camera? I want to be able to review images on my pda which only recognises non-HC 4gb cards.
Thanks, John
Where can UI buy the TX1?
what a great table! any chance we could assist with updates to it? i would personally volunteer (please just respond here). i just got myself a TX1 and am very impressed. here are my 720P tests using SD cards (not HC) i already own.
SanDisk SD 1gb - records fine to the maximum time with no buffer issues
Transcend SD 2gb - won't record more than 10 seconds without buffer overfill
Corsair SD 1gb 60x - won't record more than 10 seconds without buffer overfill
I bought a Tomato 4GB SD Card (should have known by the name). Its a absolute dog for the TX1, only takes around 9 seconds of HD movie. I bought the Kingston 4GB SDHC and its great!
I have two SDHC cards:
-Transcend 8GB Class 2: Generally OK, but occisionally you do get the buffer icon lighting up and once or twice it has stopped recording. Switching down to HD Long Play mode eliminates this.
-OCZ 8GB Class 4: No issues with this card so far. Will keep you posted.
I realise not too many people will be interested in the smaller memory cards, but the Toshiba 2GB class 6 card works perfectly, no buffer probs while recording till card full with constant zooming.
Toshiba 4GB Class 4: Works perfectly.
Got myself the Patriot Class 6 8gb. Works great. Love it!
Save money, get the Kingston Class 4 instead of the Class 6. It works fine on HD, no buffering issues even while zooming.
I have 3 Kingston SDHC Class 6 8GB cards. All work perfectly with Zero buffering issues. Zoom works great. Formatted in camera.
You can see my test video at Blip:
http://blip.tv/file/338693/
I've had an 8 GB Class 6 OCZ SDHC for two weeks now, and it's worked well, with no buffering issues. Their purchase price is getting very reasonable now. I'm just looking for a backup media for the flash cards while travelling, and am thinking about Wolverine Data's products. Anyone using something like that?
Bought a 4 gig Class 4 Kingston. Works fine for normal use. Not perfect though - had a couple of videos buffer out and stop recording, which is a bit annoying.
Just took me 3 minutes to make it buffer out while deliberately trying. Fairly satisfied - but not 100%.
I have had TX1 for a month now. It has A-DATA 8GB Class6 card. That card seems to work without problems. No zoom-buffer-issues, etc. Before use I did low level format! I recommend to do it with all cards before use.
One minus goes to TX1 as it's hard to handle because I have short fingers.
Overall great camera except with video in dark places (what a pixel mess). Always use in sunlight if possible.
-Xtreme
I've owned the TX1 for a month now. Bought it to record the birth of my daughter. Picked up an OCZ 8GB Class 6 SDHC card from newegg at < $70 to go with it. Camera works adequately so far, though I'm pretty disappointed in the video in low light conditions (per Xtreme's post above). Good quality HD video seems to require direct sunlight for the best quality.
-Fiend
I've owned the TX1 for two weeks now, and for about a week I've been using a Class 6 8GB SDHC card from Transcend. The card works great, and I've been using it on 720p mode (both LP and regular) without issues. I have tried a ton of zooming and recording long clips, and neither the card nor the camera pose any problems for me.
I live in Canada, so I bought the Transcend card from tigerdirect.ca for less than $110 Canadian (about $120 USD, since the CAD is higher right now). If you live in the states, you can buy the same product for about $65 US after all is said and done if you shop at newegg.
Thanks for the great chart and helpful blog. They were both invaluable tools in my decision of what camera to purchase. I am quite glad that I made the decision I did, and the slightly poor lowlight performance is not an issue as long as you plan ahead with your video shoots and use some decent lighting. Even the pro's don't ignore proper lighting just because they're using a great camera!
I think I'll try the 16 GB class6 patriot
Has anyone used the Patriot (or A-Data) 16gb class 6 yet?
I picked up the 16GB Patriot class 6 and it seems to work great so far. It was about $125 US with rebate. I also got an IOgear usb card reader for another $10, which works great with this card. If using the TX1 in 1080i I think this is the way to go. Cheers
Hi!
Just got my new tx1, partially because I got to read this blog, nice nice job! ^_^
Got a Panasonic 4GB SDHC class 6, and no problems at all, but a little bit expensive maybe...
I've also been testing extensively with the 16GB Patriot class 6 on 1080i, 30fps (true HD actually does 60fps, but hey, i've only paid $350 for my new TX1). It's fantasitc, zoom in, out, no issues whatsoever. $100 USD. Can't beat it.
i also got an unbelievable deal on my TX1 at futureshop on boxing day for only $350 and a 16GB Patriot class 6 for $109 at a local computer store. Very happy with the quality
I'm using a Patriot 8GB SDHC Class 6 card with the TX1. For long movies it works fine. For movies recorded with "in camera processing" it works fine. I haven't found any issues or limitations with this card. Performance wise it behaves identically to an OCZ SD 150X card I have. I'm thinking Canon's recommendation for a 20+MB/s x-fer rate card is likely based on extreme shooting conditions.
I have problem in downloading a 800MB and a 1.1GB video using Zoombrowser. But I manage to downlaod smaller video files without problems.
Any solution????
I've got a tx1 and a adata 8gb class 6 card and some days it's fine and other days shooting any video at all will give me a "memory card error". Seems completely random.
I'm thinking of ditching and going with a different brand.
okay i have 4gb card it takes max 13min(estimate) anyway if i get 16gb can i take 52min of video? or is there size limit on each file? some say there max recording is 4gb per file.
just got a-data class6 16gb works no probs
I just got my TX1 today and I have seen some recording problem. Which is the audio dat recorded with video is not match at the time suppose to. Anyone has any idea about this?
P.s. only happen with HD quality.
P.s.s. I have a ScanDisk Extreme III SDHC class 6.
Thanks!!
I've had the TX-1 for nearly a year now and use it occasionally for shooting 4-6 minute clips of live music rehearsals. After reading the many comments about compatible cards on this list and to contribute to it, I got myself a Transcend Class 6 8GB SDHC card for Hong Kong $360 (US$46) and NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER.
As a matter of interest, the Transcend 16GB Class 6 SDHC card sells for HK830 (US$107) and comes with a compact USB card reader here in Hong Kong, hence I'd rather get 2 8GB than a single 16GB (no reports of that in here), besides I still have a couple 4GB lying around.
Happy shooting everyone.
I have tested SD Lexar 2GB Platinum II 60X = 9MB/sec and filled the card with no buffer showing, including zooming in and out. Awesome and very cheap. Buying a bag full.
Loving this Cam, cannot understand the limited takeup, The Mjpeg video format is perfect for my needs, like shooting in RAW.
Cheers Rambo
Has anyone noticed that you can't transfer files larger than 512mb off the camera using Explorer or Finder?
The only way I've managed to get large files off the camera is to use the Canon Photorecord software.
has anyone tried the
16GB QMEMORY SDHC CARD SDHC Class 6 with Genuine Samsung Memory. They claim it shoots 22Mb a second.
Just ordered 2 A-Data 16 GB on Amazon. With a new Amazon Visa application credit of $30 (I'm such a sucker) came out to $58 each. I'll keep you posted on how they do.
Tyler
to tyler2
how did those cards work out for you
i just ordered my tx1 so im anxiously waiting for it to turn up
These A-Datas seem to work fine so far, even to full capacity, although after formatting there was only 14.9 GB avail to the camera; I guess about normal % wise based on other cards I used, but still a little disappointing. I'll keep everyone posted.
SanDisk Extreme 3 4GB (class 6) working great for me.
16 GB a-data at amazon for 64 bucks shipped great deal, recorded 40 minute video on highest function, zoom in out no buffering issues. seemd like a no-brainer, man outside the video is incredable.
I just got transcend class 6 card 8gb. Recorded with 1.7g of video with the 720 def, and it seems everything is fine. I did use zoom and the buffer thing did not show up.
Any brandname class 6 (or 133x) card should be fine.
For OBJECTIVE testing, use the CHDK benchmark which tests the actual MB/s writing speed of the SD card. Get CHDK (Try the latest TX1 1.01B build at http://mighty-hoernsche.de/chdk/ - or check http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK), run CHDK and go to the Debug Parameters menu, then use the Benchmark option.
Running the benchmark test on my TX-1 with an AData class 6 16GB card in it (which I have had no problems videoing with) gave a write speed of 7.5MB/second. A SanDisk Extreme /// class 6 4GB also had a write speed of 7.5MB/s (64k block).
I think that testing a card by recording a video won't always show up that a card is too slow. You need to force the video to write the most data per second (lowest compression) by videoing something that doesn't compress well. Videoing large areas of solid colour, or causing blur, is not likely to stress the write speed properly.
=C.C= said: "the audio dat recorded with video is not match at the time suppose to. Anyone has any idea about this? P.s. only happen with HD quality."
This is a problem with playback on your machine, not with the recording. I have seen this on a computer with an Pentium P4 2.4GHz and crappy Intel video on the motherboard.
Try converting to a less CPU intensive format. To convert using program that costs nothing, I have found MediaCoder worked well for converting the TX-1 videos - you can find it at http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/
Cheers
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Benchmarks has a list of benchmarked speeds for comparison between different cards (and different cameras). Scroll down to the bottom to see the recorded card speeds for the TX-1.
I have the Panisonic class 6 SDHC memory card with a rating of 20 megabytes per second and the video is outstanding for what this little hybrid is. The TX1 only cost me $230 at Costco in early December and the card was $45 from bestbuy. For the money and functionality, I have absolutely no complaints except the large file transfers.....
Didn't realize there was this many issues with cards. When I purchased my original TX1, I happened to have an Ultra II 8GB already. I've shot clips in HD up to 5 or 6 mins and haven't had any issues, but I'll have to try and put it through a more rigorous test to see if it holds up . I don't know if I'm nuts or not but I just purchased my 2nd TX1 from Costco at $230 CAD. I love these things. Since I don't believe there will be a follow up from Canon, I figured I'd better get a backup.
Hey all TX1 owners. Have you guys got one more room for this new member. I absolutely love this camera since the first time I saw it. About the flash card I would probably get a 16GB SdHc card from ebay.
55thjam, head on over to the Forums and sign up. There is a dedicated little community happening there.
I've been very happy with my Sandisk SDHC Ultra II cards which all perform as you would expect.
Post a Comment