Personal View site logo
CFast storage
  • mrbillmrbill

    The new ninja star looks like a great way to get 10 bit 422 1080p out of the GH4. It uses type 1.0 cfast cards, and having googled myself stupid, I still can't find a source for the 256gb cards mentioned in the interview at nab. Anyone got any ideas for a supplier? Thanks.

  • 36 Replies sorted by
  • arumarum

    Same here and the prices of even the 32GB cards I have found make the BMD Hyperdeck look way more attractive. I am really hoping someone else jumps in and starts producing reasonably priced external recorders witth 10bit 422 hdmi in.

  • mrbillmrbill

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLock-CFast-Adaptor-Memory-Cards/dp/B006TC8AI2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1397299775&sr=8-4&keywords=delock+cfast

    I bought this today. Hoping it will be good for re-purposing my 95mbs sandisk cards

  • arumarum

    I look forwards to your review. I saw a review for their compact flash adapter on German amazon that said that the speed was really low, but maybe they have sorted that out on the cfast version.

  • AdamTAdamT

    I'm not sure about what was said in the interview but Atomos' website refers to 128GB Cfast cards available for $350. I haven't found one quite that cheap but this one is close: http://www.amazon.com/128GB-Apacer-CFast-M-APCFA128GQAHS-DCM-Embedded/dp/B00D0FJ1IO

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    http://www.aliexpress.com/item/KingSpec-CFast-Card-MLC-64G-SSD-Solid-State-Drive/1399467020.html

    64GB - $89 without shipping

    http://www.aliexpress.com/item/GoldenDisk-CFast-Cards-32GB-CFast-SSD-SATA-Industrial-PC-Needed-IPC-CF-SATA-60MB-S/705016828.html

    32GB - $55

  • mrbillmrbill

    Here's my cfast adapter with a kingston 64gb class 3 card installed

    cfast_adapter.JPG
    612 x 816 - 374K
  • arumarum

    Sweet, sweet, sweet. Do you have a USB-3 adapter to test its speed @mrbill? Because using that adapter looks like the best way to go right now.

  • AdamTAdamT

    If the U3 SD cards aren't fast enough to record 10 bit 4:2:2 in camera, doesn't it stand to reason that they won't be fast enough to record it via HDMI/CFast adapter either?

  • mrbillmrbill

    Where do you have definitive evidence for that? Pro-res HQ has a bit rate of 220 in 1080p. Regular Pro Res at 140Mbps (still 10bit 422) doesn't seem like too much of a stretch given the camera records 1080p at 200Mbps internally. Sure, it's a gamble, but I'll only have wasted £25 on the adapter if it doesn't work out. I'm not really bothered with the hoohah about 4k - it's solid 10bit 422 1080p I'm more interested in (that and not having to work around the GH2's flaws.) Everything else is jam.

  • mrbillmrbill

    @arum - sorry, no usb3 adapter. I have an elderly dual quad core HP workstation still doing sterling service at home. Will check it out at work tho..

  • mrbillmrbill

    Here's some sums - please feel free to correct me if I've got this wrong. Pro Res HQ - 10bit, 422, 1080p - has a bit rate of 220Mb/s. This equates to 26.23MB/s. Even the old sandisk extreme pro 95MB/s has read/write speeds comfortably in excess of this.

    The cfast adapter I've bought claims read/write speeds are only limited by the speed of the cards being used. I hope to test class 3 card speeds next week when my usb 3 reader arrives. Anyone care to recommend a good pc utility for said speed testing? Thanks.

  • arumarum

    I know there are more advanced ones, but I use crystalmark and a lot of other people do so, which I find useful since it provides a common frame of reference.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Some cheap CFast cards reference

    My understanding it is same cheap rebranded CFast 1.0.

  • davedvdavedv

    Seems that that DeLock CFast SD card adapter won't work with the Ninja Star. Basically it's too thick to fit in the card slot.

    CFast cards have the same physical dimensions as compact flash cards and like compact flash, they come in 2 different thicknesses: 3.3mm (Type I) and 5mm (Type II).

    The Ninja Star only accepts Type I (3.3mm) cards, but that DeLock adapter has the dimensions of a Type II (5.5mm) card (which is actually mentioned in the specs for the adapter on the DeLock website: http://www.delock.com/produkte/G_61871/merkmale.html?setLanguage=en)

    Confusing matters, if you look at the Atomos website, you'll see mention of CFast 1.0 and 2.0 (but nothing about Type I or II compatibility). The CFast version numbers (1.0 and 2.0) are something different entirely and indicate the speed of the card rather than it's physical dimensions.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    The Ninja Star only accepts Type I (3.3mm) cards, but that DeLock adapter has the dimensions of a Type II (5.5mm) card

    Sad

  • crustovskycrustovsky

    Shame! I need to return my adapter and buy some CFast cards, hopefully bundle with 2x 64gb cards and reader will be out soon.

  • mrbillmrbill

    After a long shoot last week, I've decided that an on-camera monitor that's more color and contrast accurate than what I've got is a must, so I'm going to go for the ninja blade - as soon as Atomos post it's working properly with the GH4, that is. Good luck to you Star purchasers, hope it works out.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    With the rapid development in cinematography, the audience has also increased their demand for image quality. Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, is proud to announce the launch of its CFast 2.0 CFX650 and CFX600 Memory Cards. Designed to support high-end 4K cameras and camcorders from the leading manufacturers and to meet the extreme demands of professional cinematography, Transcend’s CFX650 memory cards feature the fastest transfer speeds available on the current market, while CFX600 boast the highest storage capacity. Both cards are best suited for the professional cinematographers shooting high-resolution 4K and Full HD videos.

    Transcend's CFast 2.0 CFX650 memory cards are available in 128GB($499) and 256GB($949), while the CFX600 cards are available in 128GB($249), 256GB($499) and 512GB($949) capacities. All Transcend CFast 2.0 cards are comprehensively tested for speed and reliability, and are backed by Transcend's Three-year Limited Warranty.

  • davedvdavedv

    The 128GB KingSpec CFast cards have been working pretty well for me with the Ninja Star so far. They're available here for under $100: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Kingspec-CE-FCC-ROHS-CFAST-SATA-II-CF-Flash-Memory-Cards-4GB-8GB-16GB-32GB-64GB/1866177414.html

    In some performance tests I did, I was getting about 150 MB/s read speed and 100 MB/s write speed (which is right around what the card is rated for). Not that fast by SSD standards, but should be enough for ProRes 422 (which is only about 18 MB/s) or even ProRes 422 HQ (about 27.5 MB/s).

    I'm sure those Transcend CFast cards are much faster, but they are also more than twice as expensive.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    image

    Sandisk unveiled significant upgrades to its SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 memory card and announced that the SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD has been qualified for 4K capture. These two products expand SanDisk’s extensive portfolio of high-performance products designed for the professional broadcast, cinematography and photography industries.

    “The performance demands for media and broadcast professionals continue to rise and SanDisk is committed to delivering leading-edge capture and storage technologies,” said Dinesh Bahal, vice president, product marketing, SanDisk. “The new SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 card and SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD will help produce the highest quality content possible, and significantly improve workflow efficiency.”

    As a follow-up to the world’s first CFast 2.0 card in 2013, the upgraded SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 card will power the next generation of high-performance cameras and camcorders. The 128GB card delivers shot speed of up to 440MB/s* and data transfer speeds of up to 515MB/s* for extreme workflow efficiency. Additionally, the SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 card combines the speed, capacity and performance needed to record cinema-quality 4K video (4096x2160p)1 in storage capacities of up to 128GB**, making it the right choice for demanding professionals.

    ats3.jpg
    402 x 313 - 31K
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Transcend's CFast 2.0 RDF2 Card Reader is exclusively designed for professional cinematographers who pursue extreme transfer efficiency with CFast memory cards. With the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface, RDF2 shows the amazing transfer speeds of up to 500MB per second*, 10 times faster than USB 2.0 interface. With this card reader, the professionals can save a significant amount of time transferring high-resolution audio files and focus on their work instead. RDF2's compact and portable design allows the users to easily carry around with them from studio to the filming spot without adding any burden.

    • Supports CFast 2.0/CFast 1.1/CFast 1.0 Memory Cards
    • Transfer speeds of up to 500MB per second*
    • USB 3.0 interface for higher transfer speeds

    http://www.transcend-info.com/Products/No-674

  • Pedro_MiguelPedro_Miguel

    i had post a new topic about using a normal 2.5 sata hard drive in the atomos ninja star . cfast card reader pins are the same as sata 2.5 hard drived i was able to connect one sata drive to cfast atomos usb card reader . and now i will connect sata drive to ninja star.
    byby cfast cards and hello 2.5 hard drives

  • sONnarsONnar

    Kinspec 128Gb CFast doesn't work good with Atomos Ninja Star. Even it fits by speed it doesn't fits by heating. It stops recording or just need to be formatted again to make recording possible. Everething you record on it before that case will not be recovered! NJS firmware is 4.02, Apple ProRes LT.

  • IronFilmIronFilm

    Awesome, Transcend is entering the CFast market. More competition, going to lead to lower prices.

    "The CFX600 cards are available in 128GB($249), 256GB($499) and 512GB($949) capacities. "

    http://www.camerasharp.com/transcend-to-release-cfast-2-0-cfx650600-memory-cards-for-professional-4k-uhd-video-recording/

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Blackmagic Design has certified the new Transcend 128GB and 256GB CFast 2.0 Memory Cards and recommends them for Blackmagic URSA.

Add a Comment