Jimmy G Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 So, with the current $500 discounts on the S1 I went and grabbed a second body and decided to populate the XQD card slots with the comparably-priced-though-much-faster CFexpress cards. Small problem, the Buy Now product page over at ProGrade Digital emphatically states... << ***** THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT YET QUALIFIED FOR USE IN THE PANASONIC S1 OR S1R ***** >> ProGrade Digital CFexpress™ Memory Card (Gold): https://shop.progradedigital.com/products/prograde-digital-cfexpress™-120gb-memory-card-gold-buy-now ...so I called the kind folks there (PGD) and they explained to me that the issue is on Panasonic's end as "they (Panasonic) have not yet implemented full-compliance with the CFexpress Standards" and that their (PGD) cards "are fully Standards-compliant" and that they're (PGD) "waiting on Panasonic for a Firmware Update before giving their cards the green light on those two Panasonic models". The tech went on to mention that the only cameras currently Standards-Compliant were the Nikon Z6/Z7 cameras. "So," I asked, "I should call Panasonic Tech Support and chase down an answer from them?" "Couldn't hurt", was the answer along with, "Panasonic is aware of the issue and both our engineers (P and PGD) are aware of the issue, we're waiting to hear back from them." Also, "Hearing from some of their pro-level customers (I laughed to myself) might carry a bit more weight (with Panasonic)..." they encouraged me. So, I called Panasonic Tech Support (just prior to this post) and, as their Phone Rep couldn't really provide substantial information, I ended up with an escalated Tech Support ticket (number) looking for this answer. I'll post an update here should I get any information. Interestingly, neither Sandisk or Sony post any caveats regarding S1/S1R compatibility on their CFexpress product pages and I'm now left wondering whether this is just an omission on their (S and S's) part or whether the writing of bits to a CFexpress card is going to "just work" despite non-Standards-compliance? ________________________________ Sooo, the TL;DR here...Is anyone here currently shooting with CFexpress on their S1/S1R and, if so, which brand/capacity card(s) are you using and are you experiencing any issues? I have a nice discount-on-my-next-purchase code from ProGrade that I'd like to use towards this purchase as I'd like to get my camera slots working for me sooner vs. later! Also, if anyone from ProGrade or Panasonic (or Sandisk or Sony) would like to weigh-in here, that would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, all, Jimmy G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy G Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 Thursday, February 27, Update: Well, it's been an interesting week of communications with Panasonic's Tech Support on this issue... First, I received a form email instructing me to upgrade my firmware to v1.3 to solve the problem, which I followed with an Unresolved status email back to them explaining the situation (as described above) in detail. Second, I next received a personal-response email from an actual person informing me... << We cannot confirm compatibility with specific Memory Cards. There are too many different cards on the market. We support Panasonic cards. We can only guarantee compatibility with our ones. [sic] >> ...the main problem there being that A. Panasonic does not make a CFexpress Type B card and B. that, again, the engineering-level question had still not made it up the corporate chain yet for a proper response. So, I replied with an Still Unresolved email back to Tech Support again asking for an escalation/forwarding to their Engineering Department. Which, third, resulted in a phone call from the U.S. Panasonic folks in Virginia showing up in my voicemail. My return call yielded (basically) these basic points... 1. it is Panasonic's Japan Engineering Department in charge of such technical issues... 2. they are aware of this issue... 3. the VA rep passed along that they had heard intimations that a firmware update would be forthcoming, however no date/timeframe, no details or certainty on whether it would cover this issue... 4. as far as Panasonic U.S. can inform, it would be up to the individual card manufacturers to test their CFexpress card products on Panasonic's gear as there is no such testing being officially done on Panasonic's end, and... 5. as far as the VA rep could elaborate, the issue has to do with the formatting and how the data is written to the cards. ____________________________ As of this post... Prograde still maintains their warning regarding the S1 and S1R. (And I do have another call out to them with questions and comments from Panasonic VA) Neither Sandisk or Sony or Lexar offers any compatibility information that I can find for their CFexpress Cards on their sites. Delkin Devices does supply a list of compatible cameras (Canon C500 II, 1DX III, Nikon Z6, Z7, Panasonic S1, S1R) here... Delkin CFexpress™ Memory Cards - Delkin Devices: https://www.delkindevices.com/cfexpress/ ____________________________ More info as I hear back. And, again, anyone here using any brand of CFexpress cards in their S1 or S1R? Jimmy G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy G Posted April 8, 2020 Author Share Posted April 8, 2020 Wednesday, April 8th Update: Bingo! Firmware v. 1.5 is here with... << Expanded media compatibility - Prograde Digital CFexpress Type B card can be used. * Learn more https://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/connect/cfe/ Other added functions - 50p/25p video frame rate option is available on all LUMIX S1 cameras including models for the NTSC broadcast format regions (Japan, North America, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Republic of the Philippines). Changed of operating specifications - To prevent improper operation, touch-control is disabled for [Delete All] operation in playback mode. Only cursor buttons can be used for [Delete All] operation. >> ...from here... Update Contents for DC-S1: https://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/download/ff/dl/s1.html Woot! Finally get to use my 2nd card slot! Also, that first link (repeated below) takes one to Panasonic's "List of CFexpress card which have been checked the operation" [sic] (e,g, ProGrade, Sandisk, Sony, Lexar)... CFexpress card support information | Compatibility | Digital Camera | Digital AV | Support | Panasonic Global: https://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/connect/cfe/ Thank you Panasonic and ProGrade engineers and reps! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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