Backing Up Solid-State Cards In The Field
| Field Production Review at Creative COW |
 Article Focus:
If you shoot video to solid-state cards, two products from Nexto and Panasonic make it easy to back those cards up in the field. At over $2,000, these gadgets aren't exactly cheap, but they can save a lot of time and effort. The Panasonic in particular can make a solid-state workflow feasible for just about any project. |
PORTABLE CARD BACKUP DEVICES
The Nexto Video Storage Pro & Panasonic AG-MSU10
There are plenty of advantages to shooting video on solid-state cards, but cards have one particular headache of their own. That's when you have to offload your cards to a backup hard drive while working in the field. Maybe you have to free up card space so you can continue shooting, or maybe you have to hand your footage to a client who didn't bring their own cards. Either way, doing an in-the-field offload usually means bringing a laptop, a card reader, external hard drives and lots of cabling to your location, then finding a secure place to set it all up, and then waiting around as each card slowly copies to the drives.
No one looks forward to this. It certainly never appealed to me; in fact, I bit the bullet a couple of years ago and bought more cards than I might have otherwise, just to avoid doing an offload on set.
But there is another way. Instead of hauling around an entire computer ecosystem, or busting the bank on excess cardage, you can invest in a portable card backup device, which includes a built-in hard drive or SSD (solid-state drive), is small enough to hold in your hand, runs on battery power, and makes copying cards quick and foolproof.
This review takes a look at two of these products that I've worked with for the last few weeks.
- First, is the Nexto Video Storage Pro 2500, which can offload just about any solid-state card format -- Sony SxS, CompactFlash, P2, SDHC, Memory Sticks, and others -- to its internal drive. Being fluent in so many tongues means you can bring the Nexto to most sets, and then backup and take home your footage no matter what camera shot it. That's very impressive, but if the Nexto has a limitation, it's workflow. While it's possible to remove the Nexto's internal drive by taking the unit apart with a screwdriver, most people won't want to do that. Realistically, when the Nexto fills up, you'll want to get it back to your office before offloading it to an editing system or archival drives/tape. But if you're out in the field for long, or shooting a lot of material in short order, that might not be so easy. One more hitch: you can't remove the Nexto's internal battery, and it peters out fairly quickly.
- Then there's Panasonic's brand-new AG-MSU10. It only works with P2 cards -- that's its limitation -- but it does have a removable, swappable drive tray and that gives it great flexibility. With the MSU10 you can buy multiple trays from Panasonic ($150 each), install a hard drive or SSD in them, and then quickly slide them in and out as they fill up. Each tray has its own bus-powered eSATA and USB 2 connectors, as well, so you can send the tray to a client or mail it back to the home office for easy offload. In the meantime, you can keep the MSU10 working in the field, as long as you've got a spare tray. Finally, the MSU's battery lasts a long while, and you can always swap in a fresh one. In other words, the MSU10 is perfect for people who spend a lot of time in the field, or shoot through a lot of footage.
So we have two back-up devices with very different approaches. Read on for more impressions...
| Related Articles / Tutorials: | | | | |
Field Production
NAB 2012: K-Tek
K-Tek introduced several products at NAB 2012, including the rugged Shark Wireless Antenna Mount, and a range of tools designed to respond to the ergonomic needs of small form factors such as the GoPro camera and the iPhone. Also debuted was the K-Tek Tripod Mount Case for the iPhone4/4S, which turns the smartphone into a professional camera.
Feature
|
| | | | |
| | | |
Field Production
NAB 2012: Sachtler
Sachtler debuted the Ace tripod system for the first time in the U.S. With a payload of up to 8.8 pounds (4 kilograms), the Ace tripod is ideal for smaller HDV camcorders and video-enabled DSLR cameras.
Feature
|
| | | | |
| | | |
Field Production
NAB 2012: Petrol Bags
Petrol Bags introduced four new products for audio in addition to the Liteporter for a Litepanels 1x1 LED light fixture, Rolling DigiSuite DSLR Camera Case and two new LCD monitor bags.
Feature
|
| | | | |
| | | |
Field Production
Atomos Integrates with FCPX and AVID
Atomos, the Melbourne, Australia-based company that creates solutions in continuous power technology and affordable digital recording to HDDs or SSDs, continues to extend its workflow-related products to more media productions and projects.
Feature
|
| | | | |
| | | |
Field Production
Panasonic BT-LH910 9 inch Broadcast Monitor
The world is full of broadcast monitors these days, but Panasonic’s new BT-LH910 9" monitor is a standout. It's got a stunning picture, an extreme viewing angle, and a form factor that’s small enough to still work in the field, but big enough to still work in a studio. It’s also got some very unique features that 3D shooters will find helpful.
Review
|
| | | | |
| | | |
Field Production - NEW !
Shooting True First-Person Interviews
Tom Miller, a 20 year cinematographer, shares some of his interview secrets with Creative COW members. In the Academy Award®-winning documentary film "Fog of War", Robert McNamara looks directly into the lens as he talks about the trials and tribulations of the Vietnam War. The effect is unnerving and powerful. Draw from Tom's vast expertise to communicate with your audience in a memorable experience.
Feature, People / Interview
|
| | | | |
| | Recent Articles / Tutorials: | |
| | | |
Film History & Appreciation
Academy is the New Home for 70,000 Vintage Hollywood Stills
The trove of still photographs and memorabilia that comprise the Bison Archives, a private collection of film historian Marc Wanamaker, now paint a comprehensive story of the history of film in America, from its earliest days to the present. Creative COW couldn't pass up the opportunity to know more about this impressive collection and the raison d'etre for its existence.
Feature
|
| | | | |
| | | |
Art of the Edit
NVIDIA Introduces Virtualization and Remote Computing
NVIDIA has debuted its VGX platform, which enables many users to access a virtualized desktop and get the same graphics performance on any connected device. The VGX platform, composed of three new technologies, opens up the possibilities of remote collaboration and cloud-based graphics without a loss of power and with low latency. Though still a proof of concept, the new computing paradigm will move into beta this summer, with partnerships in the offing.
Feature
|
| | | | |
| | | |
Broadcasting
BET Signs on to Market7
BET Networks has signed on to Market7's software-as-service, a browser-based, in-the-cloud suite of tools for a more collaborative production workflow. BET is using the service for dailies and review-and-approval for six or seven TV shows. Market7 is also adding watermarking to improve security and build confidence for working with a cloud-based solution.
Feature
|
| | | | |
| | MORE |
| |
|
Reply
Like
