Which firmware should I have to use MxR cards?

An MxR card will only work with firmware 1.11_0531 on EX1/EX3. All cameras produced post August 2008 come with this update. To work out which version of the firmware is in your camera, press the Cancel + Select + Menu buttons at the same time, and you will enter the service menu. Navigate down to IF and you will see the current firmware version. If your camera does not have this update you will have to go back to Sony to have the firmware updated. There are links on the internet which show you how to update manually, but we highly recommend you use a Sony repair centre to complete it.

Does the MxR record at Full 35Mb/s HD?

Yes. With the Sandisk or Transcend cards, the MxR will record 1920x1080 35Mb/s HD in the same way as the SxS card. The reason why we talk about overcranking under 720p, is to see how much headroom a particular SDHC card has during overcranking, ie how many frames above 25 (PAL) or 30 (NTSC) does it do.

How reliable is a MxR card?

We’ve done extensive testing on the cards with selected memory cards by recording hundreds of hours and there wasn’t a single failure of a card while we were reading or writing to it. During our QC testing, we found a failure rate of less than 2 in 500. Any card that arrives DOA (Dead on Arrival) will be promptly replaced. Just give us proof your card has been dispatched back to us. We need any DOA card to find out why this has happened, and to change manufacturing procedures. Our goal is 100% function right out of the box. We know how frustrating it is to receive a shiny new product and it's DOA. If it happens to you promise to get you up and running as soon as we can.

Is a MxR card stable enough to use in a professional environment?

You can use your camera in any environment eg documentary, broadcast, weddings, indie film, as the imagery is recorded in the same way as if you were recording on Sony SxS cards.

Can I use the overcranking feature with MxR cards?

You can happily overcrank up to 720p/48 fps, but will not work at 720p/50-60 fps. The overcrank limitation is not from either the MxR or the SDHC cards, but is rather the result of the Sony's USB 2 implementation on their cameras.

Why should I use a MxR card instead of Sony SxS card?

The biggest consideration to use the MxR cards is the price. To be able to record using a modestly priced adapter, onto commodity priced SDHC cards has dropped the cost per hour of footage to between 1/6th and 1/8th of SxS. This has led producers to be able to complete shoots without the need to offload to Laptop. Some producers are completing several days of shooting and downloading when they return to the studio. Others are handing over the SDHC cards at the end of the shoot, in the same way they did with tape.

Why do I get a media restore error?

This message occurs when the camera has not completed writing the TOC (Table of Contents) for the file it has just written. This error has two main causes:
1. Ejection of the card before it completes writing the TOC, ie before the slot light turn green from red.
2. The writing speed of the SDHC or SSD is too slow for the camera.

What type of SDHC cards have you tested?

16GB
Pass:

ATP Pro Max
Transcend Class 6
Transcend Class 10
 

Fail:

Adata
Toshiba

32GB
Pass:

ATP Pro Max
Sandisk Ultra Class 4
Transcend Class 6

Fail:

Kingston


Which memory cards can I use?

We highly recommend 16GBTranscend cards and 32GB Sandisk Ultra cards with our adapters. 

Where do I buy SDHC memory?

We will be soon offering Transcend memory on our site, in response to many requests.

If you choose to purchase elsewhere, no problem, but please check the return policy if there are any problems with the card.

Ebay buyers have been caught by some sites passing of counterfeit Sandisk memory as the real thing.

What makes a MxR card any different from other USB 2 base express card adapters?

Other brand adapters were designed to be used in a computer, and were later found to work in with EX1/EX3. The MxR card adapter was specifically designed and engineered with Sony EX1/EX3 cameras. We chose to design a card with the idea that it should work on a Sony camera firstly and a pc secondly. This meant that the SDHC memory card should be fully inserted in our MxR card, and not sticking out.

Does the MxR card work in the Sony EX-30 deck.

Yes we have tested it in the deck, and it behaves in the same manner as the SxS. We also have many customers who are happily using the MxR with their EX-30, and not reported one issue to date.

Does the MxR work with the Sony SxS Express Card Reader SBAC-US10?

No. The MxR card is based on a USB interface, the SxS on a PCIe interface. The SBAC-US10 will ONLY read PCIe card readers not USB.
Is that the end of the story? Well not quite, there are many other much cheaper options available than the SBAC-US10 which we will be bringing out in the very near future.