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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Confused about microdrive...
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12/15/2005 11:35:25 AM · #1
Do I understand right, microdrive can be used in place of compact flash?
If so, what's you're experience with them?
12/15/2005 11:44:46 AM · #2
Yes.

No experience, however from what I've read they are slower and more fragile than CF. They're literally like mini hard drives.
12/15/2005 11:44:52 AM · #3
From my understanding compact flash is much better. CF has no moving parts because it is flash memory. Microdrive is like a miniture hard drive and can break easily because it has a ton of small moving parts. The two of them look identical from the outside, but go to CF.
12/15/2005 11:45:54 AM · #4
I had a microdrive and it broke within a few months.
12/15/2005 11:47:35 AM · #5
Take CF over Microdrive... with the larger CF cards now, Microdrive just really isn't worth the larger possibility of failure and longer write times.
12/15/2005 11:48:40 AM · #6
Micro drives are very sensative, and fragile.

After all, it's a hard drive.
12/15/2005 11:51:35 AM · #7
I have 2 4GB Hitachi Microdrives, you can't beat the GB/$, great value for money but slower and might be more fragile. If you are used to throwing your CF cards around they are not for you. If you are careful they should last you a while. In 2 years having them I haven't had a problem yet...
12/15/2005 12:00:12 PM · #8
Originally posted by sbphotog:

I had a microdrive and it broke within a few months.


Do you remember what brand?

I'm looking to upgrade camera, and will be tapped out after body and lens purchase. So I need as much memory for as cheap as possible. Speed is not a huge issue, but reasonable durability is.

Any suggestions on this type of memory would be appreciated.

Thanks
12/15/2005 12:11:04 PM · #9
I actually found my microdrive to perform faster than average CF cards (but I believe it's slower than the extreme version types).

However, my first unit failed about about 2 months. That put a bad taste in my mouth.

However, my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS failed within a couple months. My Canon 20D died after a few months. And my first Tokina 12-24mm was off in focus.

So....it's probably just my bubble of bad luck!
12/15/2005 12:18:48 PM · #10
microdrives are compatible with CF type II slots. While most cameras are have a type II slot, you may want to check you manual before you purchase one.
12/15/2005 01:20:31 PM · #11
Originally posted by megatherian:

microdrives are compatible with CF type II slots. While most cameras are have a type II slot, you may want to check you manual before you purchase one.


I've used a 1 gig micro dirve since the 1Ds came out, and I've been using a 4GB microdrive for over a year. No problems yet. BU I also don't make a habit of droppping mine or anything. If I had the choice I would get flash, but since 8GB flash cards are still over $600. I'll stick to my micro drives.
12/15/2005 02:00:05 PM · #12
Got a 340mb IBM and 1Gb Hitachi Microdrive.
I have dropped the 340 on concrete twice, it was in operation during power failures, crashes on my pc. I used that one in -10C and +35C, indoors, outdoors. I tried to force it into a CF1 reader because the seller of the card reader said it was CF2 compatible..... Rain, clammy tents, mist, sunshine....
It still works without failure, without missing a single shot in four years and the 1Gb not missing a shot and not failing in two years.

The write times of Microdrives are pretty good and are only beaten by the faster CF cards. Only in read mode they are very slow, but when you don't use that and are not a wedding or sports pro shooter I wouldn't bother about the Microdrive speed.

Here is a comment by pro Michael Reichman from Luminous Landscapes, he too uses Microdrives and seems to be pretty happy with their performance and he ain't no studio shooter.

Of interest to Canon D30 owners will be my experience using the camera for 3 days at Heavenly. The temperature ranged from 15F to 25F (-10C to -5C) and from moderate snow, to dense fog, to brilliant sunshine. It never missed beat. Since I was using a 1GB IBM Microdrive I was also curious to see what would happen since much of the time I was between 9,000 and 10,000 feet altitude (3,000 meters). IBM has let it be known that Microdrives may not work above 9,000 ft because the drive's heads use a cushion of air as they fly above the platter, and above this altitude there simply arenít enough air molecules to provide that cushion. Iím pleased to report that I shot more than 100 frames at above this altitude and experienced no problems whatever.

And:

Photographers seem to be divided into two camps — those who love Microdrives, and those that hate them. I fall into the first group. I have six 1GB IBM Microdrives and have been using them since they first became available about 3 years ago. I have never had a failure over many thousands of frames in a half dozen different cameras.

But, I know that some photographers have had less inspiring experiences. Nevertheless I've decided that based on my experience so far, from below sea level to 12,000 ft; from -30C to +45C, in the Arctic and in the desert — I'm sticking with them. In fact I just purchased two of the just-released Hitachi 4 Gigabyte drives and have started using them as my primary cards in the Kodak DCS Pro Back 645 and also in my Canon 1Ds, Canon 10D, and Canon S50.


Reliability

Eventually, when dealing with Microdrives the conversation always returns to the question of reliability. The thought of losing dozens or even hundreds of ones images is scary, to say the least. And obviously the bigger the card the more chance there is of losing a critical file. On the other hand one can't become too paranoid. Nothing is foolproof. Labs can accidentally destroy film. Precious negatives can become scratched, lost in the mail, or have coffee spilled on them. Life is full of risk.

As mentioned earlier, though I have had zero failures from 6 Microdrives over 3 years, some people have. My colleague Steve Kossack had a 1GB Microdrive fail on a shoot we were on together in the Rockies. But, I also know of photographers whose solid state cards have failed.

Hitachi claims to have addressed some of the areas in which the original IBM drives were problematic. They have increased the thickness of the rubber wall around the drive mechanism and have moved the disk itself to the pin end of the card so that it runs less of a risk of being squeezed by the user when removed from the camera, (the most common cause of Microdrive failure, according to Hitachi). Overall robustness of many of the drives components has also been increased.


Personally I am sick of the "it's a little hard drive, it can fail easily"-argument. I guess that's why many manufacturers also stick a Microdrive in their MP3 players, you know, those things that you run in the park with, that smack against a bench and that get thrown on the table when you get home.

When I need more memory (and actually I do), I would get a microdrive. An Hitachi 4Gb, going for EUR 100+ euro less than any CF1 4Gb card (and that are the slowest 4Gb CF1's, add another 100 EUR when you compare it to the fast ones). Not at any moment am I afraid of a failure.

They are even out of stock most of the time at my dealer.
12/15/2005 03:07:24 PM · #13
The real issue with Microdrive failure vs. Flash is that it tends to be total.

(ie: Microdrive fails...it's dead, everythings gone)

Where as a Flash card, only suffers a similar total failure if certain elements are damaged. And is more likely develop areas that are akin to bad sectors. And any images written there will be lost.

I had a 512mg Flash card and there was a bad zone. The photos written there would be truncated. And trying to copy them would result in a loss of synchronization. I'd have to remove the flash card, & reinsert it.

12/15/2005 09:32:32 PM · #14
bump
12/15/2005 09:50:17 PM · #15
Originally posted by theSaj:

The real issue with Microdrive failure vs. Flash is that it tends to be total.

(ie: Microdrive fails...it's dead, everythings gone)

Where as a Flash card, only suffers a similar total failure if certain elements are damaged. And is more likely develop areas that are akin to bad sectors. And any images written there will be lost.

I had a 512mg Flash card and there was a bad zone. The photos written there would be truncated. And trying to copy them would result in a loss of synchronization. I'd have to remove the flash card, & reinsert it.


Perhaps I've read something wrong, or more likely remembered something wrong, but it was my impression the total wipe out was more probable with CF cards that microdrives, since like any other drive, data is
'recorded' as opposed to being held in RAM.

12/15/2005 10:49:29 PM · #16
Originally posted by Jammur:

Originally posted by theSaj:

The real issue with Microdrive failure vs. Flash is that it tends to be total.

(ie: Microdrive fails...it's dead, everythings gone)

Where as a Flash card, only suffers a similar total failure if certain elements are damaged. And is more likely develop areas that are akin to bad sectors. And any images written there will be lost.

I had a 512mg Flash card and there was a bad zone. The photos written there would be truncated. And trying to copy them would result in a loss of synchronization. I'd have to remove the flash card, & reinsert it.


Perhaps I've read something wrong, or more likely remembered something wrong, but it was my impression the total wipe out was more probable with CF cards that microdrives, since like any other drive, data is
'recorded' as opposed to being held in RAM.


It's a different type of RAM from what you have in your computer. Flash memory is solid state RAM, meaning it doesn't need any power to retain data. It is recorded, like on a hard drive, it just holds that data in a different way. The fact that flash cards don't have any moving parts minimizes the risk of failure. With hard drives, if one of the moving parts dies you lose access to data. It's still there, you just can't get to it.

I saw something online once where someone nailed flash cards to a tree (both SD and xD), and later actually recovered data from both. You can't do that with microdrive.

edited to add link.

Message edited by author 2005-12-15 22:53:26.
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