Sandisk Extreme Pro still the only card for Blackmagic Pocket Cinema RAW

(This post has been edited to reflect the fact that, after testing, the Toshiba Exceria shows dropped frames in RAW and ProRes.  As a result, HCR can no longer recommend it for BMPCC shooters).

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera shooters still have only one choice - if they want to shoot CinemaDNG RAW, they need a SanDisk Extreme Pro 64 GB Card, period.

To date, this has been the only card recommended for recording CinemaDNG RAW on Blackmagic Design's approved list of SD cards.  This card is a solid performer, with a 95MB/s read/write speed, it is the fastest SDXC card on the market today.  But is a relatively expensive.  As of this post, it is $120 at Amazon, $120 at Adorama, and the same price at B&H.

But then came Ruben Kremer's November 18th update of his "Evolving Pocket Cinema Camera SD Card Compatibility List"

UPDATE I 2013, November 18th - I've added the Toshiba Exceria Type 2 64GB SDXC card. This one works flawlessly with the ProRes and initial tests have shown that it might just be the Sandisk-killer ;-) ... A locked-down shot of 5 minutes in CinemaDNG RAW recording was done without any dropped frames. So it's looking good for this card. If it'll pass further tests, it'll be the new recommended card. Since it is (in the Netherlands) on average only 66% of the price of the Sandisk.

Based on Ruben's update, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a Toshiba Exceria 64GB SDXC card with 95MB/s read, 60MB/s write speeds.  You can get this card from Japan via Amazon for about $80, but I was able to pick one up from a retailer here in the States on eBay for $61.55 (plus $5.39 tax for Californians) - about half the price of the SanDisk.

Sadly, after testing by one of the readers of this blog, and after testing the card here at HCR, the verdict is in: the Exceria is not a substitute for the Sandisk Extreme Pro.   The Exceria is still a decent 64GB card - but not for RAW or ProRes recording.

A Whole New Camera - Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Upgrade to CinemaDNG RAW!

Yesterday, Blackmagic set the filmmaking community on its ear (again!) with the announcement of the firmware v1.5 RAW upgrade to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera.

With the addition of lossless CinemaDNG RAW, the BMPCC is now the least expensive unhacked 12-bit RAW solution in the marketplace, and a tremendous value for money at $995.

There are already some impressive examples of RAW footage, like this one from Ron Stratton on Vimeo Plus:



First raw video from Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
I guess it's time to pick up a few $127 Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB cards and start shooting RAW. 
Or, for about the same price as 4 of the Sandisk cards, a $328 Blackmagic HyperDeck Shuttle and a $200 ADATA 256 GB SSD (Adata offers more GB per $ than the other brands on the Blackmagic approved list.

I shoot ProRes with an ADATA 64GB SDXC card - it's a rock solid performer with no dropped frames. ProRes, we hardly knew ye.

CinemaDNG RAW Coming to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Soon!

Blackmagic guru John Brawley posted this image of a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera LCD on Twitter yesterday, along with this teaser, "Coming soon to the Pocket...RAW". Looks like I'm going to need that SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s card sooner than I thought.

Just Bought a Fast SDXC Card for my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera

Since the cameras seem to be really shipping (!), it is time to buy a memory card.  After all these months of waiting, it would be pretty frustrating to have the camera waiting on my doorstep when I get back from Spaceport America next week - with no memory card to put in it.

Looking at this list of fast cards on blackmagicuser.net, I couldn't bring myself to spring for a 95MB/s $133 Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB - so I bought an ADATA 64GB (95MB/s read, 45MB/s write) for $56 (on sale at Amazon) instead.  ADATA, an established DRAM and NAND flash memory manufacturer from Taiwan, just entered the high speed SD card market a few months ago, so their prices are a little lower than Sandisk's.  On sale, this card is a very good deal.

At 45MB/s write, the ADATA will be good enough for ProRes, but won't cut it for CinemaDNG RAW. When Blackmagic issues the RAW firmware update, I'll buy a faster card, but until then, this will do.