Sony Memory Stick Pro vs Standard Memory Stick

Does anyone know if using the Memory Stick Pro will give a digital camera
faster write time and improve the lag time between shots. If so how much
faster. Is it worth spending the extra on the "PRO" version?

Thanks
John

 

"jwv" <> wrote in message news:49DRa.15178$...
> Does anyone know if using the Memory Stick Pro will give a digital camera
> faster write time and improve the lag time between shots. If so how much
> faster. Is it worth spending the extra on the "PRO" version?

We haven't seen any difference in lag time with the Pro memory (Sony
brand 512MB). It does format much quicker (big deal), and transfers
to the computer are marginally faster (~20%, using USB2.0).

I'd say if transfer speed is important to you, and you have USB2.0 on
your system, and/or you need more than 128MB on a single stick,
then Pro is probably worth it. Otherwise stick with regular sticks .

RickW

 

I've made casual measurements of write times comparing the Memory Stick
Pro and Memory Stick with the Sony F717 model camera. I find that write
time on single-shot operations are approximately halved (camera is free
to operate with MS Pro in 1.5-2 seconds compared to 4-5 seconds with
Memory Stick 128Mbyte), and TIFF file storage is improved by about
15-20% (that'a about 8 seconds faster to write a TIFF).

My MS Pro card reader is USB 2.0 enabled, but my computer is only
equipped with USB 1.1. However, I do feel there is a small improvement
in transfer responsiveness.

While this doesn't seem like much, the difference in performance is
quite noticeable if I switch from an MS Pro card to a 128Mbyte Memory
Stick while out shooting. The additional write time delay immediately
surfaces and becomes an annoyance. With the MS Pro cards in the F717,
if I lock the white balance, exposure and focus settings, I can then
make repeated exposures with virtually no delay between shots as if I
were shooting a film camera, where with the Memory Stick in the camera
there is a noticeable moment between each shot that I must wait for the
write to complete.

Godfrey

In article <49DRa.15178$>, jwv
<> wrote:

> Does anyone know if using the Memory Stick Pro will give a digital camera
> faster write time and improve the lag time between shots. If so how much
> faster. Is it worth spending the extra on the "PRO" version?
>
> Thanks
> John
>
>

 

"Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote:

> I've made casual measurements of write times comparing the Memory Stick
> Pro and Memory Stick with the Sony F717 model camera. I find that write
> time on single-shot operations are approximately halved (camera is free
> to operate with MS Pro in 1.5-2 seconds compared to 4-5 seconds with
> Memory Stick 128Mbyte), and TIFF file storage is improved by about
> 15-20% (that'a about 8 seconds faster to write a TIFF).

What are the startup times with a 128MB old MS vs. a 256MB MS Pro???

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

 

How about the viewing playback times between pics?


"Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote in message
news:170720031536236224%...
> I've made casual measurements of write times comparing the Memory Stick
> Pro and Memory Stick with the Sony F717 model camera. I find that write
> time on single-shot operations are approximately halved (camera is free
> to operate with MS Pro in 1.5-2 seconds compared to 4-5 seconds with
> Memory Stick 128Mbyte), and TIFF file storage is improved by about
> 15-20% (that'a about 8 seconds faster to write a TIFF).
>
> My MS Pro card reader is USB 2.0 enabled, but my computer is only
> equipped with USB 1.1. However, I do feel there is a small improvement
> in transfer responsiveness.
>
> While this doesn't seem like much, the difference in performance is
> quite noticeable if I switch from an MS Pro card to a 128Mbyte Memory
> Stick while out shooting. The additional write time delay immediately
> surfaces and becomes an annoyance. With the MS Pro cards in the F717,
> if I lock the white balance, exposure and focus settings, I can then
> make repeated exposures with virtually no delay between shots as if I
> were shooting a film camera, where with the Memory Stick in the camera
> there is a noticeable moment between each shot that I must wait for the
> write to complete.
>
> Godfrey
>
> In article <49DRa.15178$>, jwv
> <> wrote:
>
> > Does anyone know if using the Memory Stick Pro will give a digital
camera
> > faster write time and improve the lag time between shots. If so how much
> > faster. Is it worth spending the extra on the "PRO" version?
> >
> > Thanks
> > John
> >
> >

 

Ok, I just checked. I have 43 pictures on a 256MB Memory Stick Pro and
60 pictures on a 128MB Memory Stick. Startup times from power on are
virtually identical (about 1.5 seconds with camera in Playback mode).
Card acquire time (from the point of inserting a card to when the first
image appears on the LCD is too short for me to measure with any
accuracy at all, either one is up and ready in less than a second.

Godfrey

In article <bf7fev$mge$>, David J. Littleboy
<> wrote:

> "Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote:
>
> > I've made casual measurements of write times comparing the Memory Stick
> > Pro and Memory Stick with the Sony F717 model camera. I find that write
> > time on single-shot operations are approximately halved (camera is free
> > to operate with MS Pro in 1.5-2 seconds compared to 4-5 seconds with
> > Memory Stick 128Mbyte), and TIFF file storage is improved by about
> > 15-20% (that'a about 8 seconds faster to write a TIFF).
>
> What are the startup times with a 128MB old MS vs. a 256MB MS Pro???
>
> David J. Littleboy
> Tokyo, Japan
>
>

 

It's identical between Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro. I believe the
time between when the camera presents the thumbnail preview and then
the sharper image rendering is constrained not by data transfer speed
but by camera processing speed.

Godfrey

In article <>, Ron
<> wrote:

> How about the viewing playback times between pics?
>
>
> "Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote in message
> news:170720031536236224%...
> > I've made casual measurements of write times comparing the Memory Stick
> > Pro and Memory Stick with the Sony F717 model camera. I find that write
> > time on single-shot operations are approximately halved (camera is free
> > to operate with MS Pro in 1.5-2 seconds compared to 4-5 seconds with
> > Memory Stick 128Mbyte), and TIFF file storage is improved by about
> > 15-20% (that'a about 8 seconds faster to write a TIFF).
> >
> > My MS Pro card reader is USB 2.0 enabled, but my computer is only
> > equipped with USB 1.1. However, I do feel there is a small improvement
> > in transfer responsiveness.
> >
> > While this doesn't seem like much, the difference in performance is
> > quite noticeable if I switch from an MS Pro card to a 128Mbyte Memory
> > Stick while out shooting. The additional write time delay immediately
> > surfaces and becomes an annoyance. With the MS Pro cards in the F717,
> > if I lock the white balance, exposure and focus settings, I can then
> > make repeated exposures with virtually no delay between shots as if I
> > were shooting a film camera, where with the Memory Stick in the camera
> > there is a noticeable moment between each shot that I must wait for the
> > write to complete.
> >
> > Godfrey
> >
> > In article <49DRa.15178$>, jwv
> > <> wrote:
> >
> > > Does anyone know if using the Memory Stick Pro will give a digital
> camera
> > > faster write time and improve the lag time between shots. If so how much
> > > faster. Is it worth spending the extra on the "PRO" version?
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > John
> > >
> > >
>
>

 

"Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote:

> Ok, I just checked. I have 43 pictures on a 256MB Memory Stick Pro and
> 60 pictures on a 128MB Memory Stick. Startup times from power on are
> virtually identical (about 1.5 seconds with camera in Playback mode).
> Card acquire time (from the point of inserting a card to when the first
> image appears on the LCD is too short for me to measure with any
> accuracy at all, either one is up and ready in less than a second.

Thanks. My impression (incorrect?) is that the F717 is a tad slower at
startup than the F707, and I was hoping MS Pro would speed it up.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

 

"Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote in message news:170720031536236224%...
> I've made casual measurements of write times comparing the Memory Stick
> Pro and Memory Stick with the Sony F717 model camera. I find that write
> time on single-shot operations are approximately halved (camera is free
> to operate with MS Pro in 1.5-2 seconds compared to 4-5 seconds with
> Memory Stick 128Mbyte), and TIFF file storage is improved by about
> 15-20% (that'a about 8 seconds faster to write a TIFF).

We didn't see any improvement in TIFF writing speed.. ~30 seconds
with both the old and Pro memory.

RickW

 

I had both cameras at the same time (my 707 is on "permanent loan" to a
friend of mine now) and didn't notice any difference in startup time.

Godfrey

In article <bf7uc0$q84$>, David J. Littleboy
<> wrote:

> "Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote:
>
> > Ok, I just checked. I have 43 pictures on a 256MB Memory Stick Pro and
> > 60 pictures on a 128MB Memory Stick. Startup times from power on are
> > virtually identical (about 1.5 seconds with camera in Playback mode).
> > Card acquire time (from the point of inserting a card to when the first
> > image appears on the LCD is too short for me to measure with any
> > accuracy at all, either one is up and ready in less than a second.
>
> Thanks. My impression (incorrect?) is that the F717 is a tad slower at
> startup than the F707, and I was hoping MS Pro would speed it up.
>
> David J. Littleboy
> Tokyo, Japan
>
>

 

Thanks for all the info, Although with the mixed opinions I'm still not sure
if it is really faster or not. I'm getting a Sony DSC-P72 and I really am
only concerned about write speeds to JPEG. Maybe it depends on the type of
camera you have that effects write speeds. I think the jury is still out on
this.

John

"Rick" <> wrote in message
news:bf9hc9$cfk8h$-berlin.de...
> If you need more than 128MB on a single stick, or you have USB2.0
> on your computer and transfer speed is important to you, then Pro is
> probably worth the extra cost. But we haven't seen any appreciable
> improvement in write speeds with the Pro memory. Not sure where
> Godfrey is getting his 4-5 seconds for the regular sticks -- we get the
> same speeds (about 2 sec. for JPEGs, 30 sec. for TIFFs) with both
> a standard (128MB) and Pro (512MB) sticks.
>
> RickW
>
> "DrDuess" <> wrote in message
news:...
> > So, from this discussion, could we assume there is no reason to pay the
> > extra for the Pro? Would this in your opinion be wasted money?
> > Thanks for your opinion.
> > "Rick" <> wrote in message
> > news:bf83rb$bokl9$-berlin.de...
> > > "Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote in message
> > news:170720031536236224%...
> > > > I've made casual measurements of write times comparing the Memory
Stick
> > > > Pro and Memory Stick with the Sony F717 model camera. I find that
write
> > > > time on single-shot operations are approximately halved (camera is
free
> > > > to operate with MS Pro in 1.5-2 seconds compared to 4-5 seconds with
> > > > Memory Stick 128Mbyte), and TIFF file storage is improved by about
> > > > 15-20% (that'a about 8 seconds faster to write a TIFF).
> > >
> > > We didn't see any improvement in TIFF writing speed.. ~30 seconds
> > > with both the old and Pro memory.
> > >
> > > RickW
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
> > http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
> > -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----
>
>

 

Best advice I can offer is to find a retailer with a good return policy,
and try it. The P72 only comes with 16MB so you'll need an
additional card in any case.

RickW

"jwv" <> wrote in message news:4fZRa.335$...
> Thanks for all the info, Although with the mixed opinions I'm still not sure
> if it is really faster or not. I'm getting a Sony DSC-P72 and I really am
> only concerned about write speeds to JPEG. Maybe it depends on the type of
> camera you have that effects write speeds. I think the jury is still out on
> this.
>
> John
>
> "Rick" <> wrote in message
> news:bf9hc9$cfk8h$-berlin.de...
> > If you need more than 128MB on a single stick, or you have USB2.0
> > on your computer and transfer speed is important to you, then Pro is
> > probably worth the extra cost. But we haven't seen any appreciable
> > improvement in write speeds with the Pro memory. Not sure where
> > Godfrey is getting his 4-5 seconds for the regular sticks -- we get the
> > same speeds (about 2 sec. for JPEGs, 30 sec. for TIFFs) with both
> > a standard (128MB) and Pro (512MB) sticks.
> >
> > RickW
> >
> > "DrDuess" <> wrote in message
> news:...
> > > So, from this discussion, could we assume there is no reason to pay the
> > > extra for the Pro? Would this in your opinion be wasted money?
> > > Thanks for your opinion.
> > > "Rick" <> wrote in message
> > > news:bf83rb$bokl9$-berlin.de...
> > > > "Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote in message
> > > news:170720031536236224%...
> > > > > I've made casual measurements of write times comparing the Memory
> Stick
> > > > > Pro and Memory Stick with the Sony F717 model camera. I find that
> write
> > > > > time on single-shot operations are approximately halved (camera is
> free
> > > > > to operate with MS Pro in 1.5-2 seconds compared to 4-5 seconds with
> > > > > Memory Stick 128Mbyte), and TIFF file storage is improved by about
> > > > > 15-20% (that'a about 8 seconds faster to write a TIFF).
> > > >
> > > > We didn't see any improvement in TIFF writing speed.. ~30 seconds
> > > > with both the old and Pro memory.
> > > >
> > > > RickW
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
> > > http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
> > > -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----
> >
> >
>
>

 

That's decent advice, but I've only rarely seen retailers that will
take a return on a memory card other than for damage/defective reasons.


IN answer to Rick's question, I was estimating before, watching the
write indicator light inside the battery cover. Since you piqued my
interest in obtaining more solid numbers, I spent a few minutes to
measure more formally, timing with a stopwatch from start to end of
write with both Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro cards using the
indicator light as a trigger. The cards are both Sony brand. The camera
is a Sony DSC-F717. I repeated each operation several times (seen in
parens below) and averaged the results.

JPEG full resolution "Fine" mode: MS Pro - 1.9 secs, MS - 3.2 secs (20x)
TIFF (JPEG setting unchanged): MS Pro - 39.9 secs, MS - 47.1 secs (3x)
Format: MS Pro - 2.1 secs, MS 20.25 secs (2x)

By these measurements, Memory Stick Pro cards prove to be
- 40.6% faster on JPEG Fine write time
- 15.3% faster on TIFF write time
- 89.6% faster on Format time
than Memory Stick cards on identical operations performed in this camera

Percentage differences are calculated by the formula:
percent == 1 - (MS Pro time / MS time)

RickW, how have you made the measurements you're posting??

Godfrey

In article <bf9pbu$cf3e5$-berlin.de>, Rick
<> wrote:

> Best advice I can offer is to find a retailer with a good return policy,
> and try it. The P72 only comes with 16MB so you'll need an
> additional card in any case.
>
> RickW
>
> "jwv" <> wrote in message
> news:4fZRa.335$...
> > Thanks for all the info, Although with the mixed opinions I'm still not sure
> > if it is really faster or not. I'm getting a Sony DSC-P72 and I really am
> > only concerned about write speeds to JPEG. Maybe it depends on the type of
> > camera you have that effects write speeds. I think the jury is still out on
> > this.
> >
> > John
> >
> > "Rick" <> wrote in message
> > news:bf9hc9$cfk8h$-berlin.de...
> > > If you need more than 128MB on a single stick, or you have USB2.0
> > > on your computer and transfer speed is important to you, then Pro is
> > > probably worth the extra cost. But we haven't seen any appreciable
> > > improvement in write speeds with the Pro memory. Not sure where
> > > Godfrey is getting his 4-5 seconds for the regular sticks -- we get the
> > > same speeds (about 2 sec. for JPEGs, 30 sec. for TIFFs) with both
> > > a standard (128MB) and Pro (512MB) sticks.
> > >
> > > RickW
> > >
> > > "DrDuess" <> wrote in message
> > news:...
> > > > So, from this discussion, could we assume there is no reason to pay the
> > > > extra for the Pro? Would this in your opinion be wasted money?
> > > > Thanks for your opinion.
> > > > "Rick" <> wrote in message
> > > > news:bf83rb$bokl9$-berlin.de...
> > > > > "Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote in message
> > > > news:170720031536236224%...
> > > > > > I've made casual measurements of write times comparing the Memory
> > Stick
> > > > > > Pro and Memory Stick with the Sony F717 model camera. I find that
> > write
> > > > > > time on single-shot operations are approximately halved (camera is
> > free
> > > > > > to operate with MS Pro in 1.5-2 seconds compared to 4-5 seconds with
> > > > > > Memory Stick 128Mbyte), and TIFF file storage is improved by about
> > > > > > 15-20% (that'a about 8 seconds faster to write a TIFF).
> > > > >
> > > > > We didn't see any improvement in TIFF writing speed.. ~30 seconds
> > > > > with both the old and Pro memory.
> > > > >
> > > > > RickW
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
> > > > http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
> > > > -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

 

Well, I still disagree with you ... In single shot use, JPEG fine mode
shooting, the camera feels much more responsive with the Memory Stick
Pro card than the Memory Stick card. As I said in my original post, if
one locks the white balance, exposure and focus, you can shoot nearly
as fast as you click the shutter release with the Pro card, but you
must pause longer between each shot with the standard Memory Stick
card. It's the difference made by a 40%+ faster write time, nothing
else, as nothing else has changed.

Godfrey

In article <bfa12k$cogoi$-berlin.de>, Rick
<> wrote:

> "Godfrey DiGiorgi" <> wrote in message
> news:180720031617427221%...
> > That's decent advice, but I've only rarely seen retailers that will
> > take a return on a memory card other than for damage/defective reasons.
> >
> > IN answer to Rick's question, I was estimating before, watching the
> > write indicator light inside the battery cover.
> >
> > Since you piqued my
> > interest in obtaining more solid numbers, I spent a few minutes to
> > measure more formally, timing with a stopwatch from start to end of
> > write with both Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro cards using the
> > indicator light as a trigger. The cards are both Sony brand. The camera
> > is a Sony DSC-F717. I repeated each operation several times (seen in
> > parens below) and averaged the results.
> >
> > JPEG full resolution "Fine" mode: MS Pro - 1.9 secs, MS - 3.2 secs (20x)
> > TIFF (JPEG setting unchanged): MS Pro - 39.9 secs, MS - 47.1 secs (3x)
> > Format: MS Pro - 2.1 secs, MS 20.25 secs (2x)
> >
> > By these measurements, Memory Stick Pro cards prove to be
> > - 40.6% faster on JPEG Fine write time
> > - 15.3% faster on TIFF write time
> > - 89.6% faster on Format time
> > than Memory Stick cards on identical operations performed in this camera
> >
> > Percentage differences are calculated by the formula:
> > percent == 1 - (MS Pro time / MS time)
> >
> > RickW, how have you made the measurements you're posting??
>
> Ok, that explains it. I was simply timing how long it took the camera
> to return control after taking a shot. Because of buffering, for JPEGs
> one can take another shot while the first is still writing to memory.
>
> I redid the tests, looking at the write indicator light and my times
> were right in line with yours. Still, I think the OP's concern was lag
> time between JPEG shots, and in this regard the Pro memory doesn't
> help. It's determined by the processing speed of the camera (camera
> to buffer), not memory speed.
>
> RickW
>
>