Nondigital imaging has come a long way in the last few years. Cameras that used to cost hundreds of dollars have dropped most dramatically in price while gaining in capabilities exponentially. That means it’s never been easier to embrace the new, affordable world of photography. But it also means the difference between entry-level and professional-grade gear has become considerably vast.
There is no need for you to suffer through the confusion of buying a camera more than you already have by paying an additional premium for your photography gear. You can get all of your equipment at much lower prices by switching to NDI®|HX, an industry standard for storage media that offers significantly higher storage capacity compared with previous standards such as SDHC, SD, and CFast 2nd gen™. This NDI HX camera review will touch on some of the benefits of this format and the ways in which you can upgrade your setup today.
What is Nondigital Imaging?
Nondigital imaging refers to the conversion of a digital camera’s sensor signals into an analog format for storage on an NDI HX card, which uses an MMC/SD-style controller. This allows you to stack up gigabytes of images and capture video at resolutions up to 4K (3840×2160) and frame rates up to 60 FPS. Converting the sensors’ digital data into analog signals allows for much greater storage capacity and higher transfer speeds. This is especially true if your card is coupled with an NDI HX camera. While PTZ camera cost was once a limiting factor when curating your photography setup, recent advances have allowed this technology to become much more accessible.
While often overlooked, this process is the key to getting rid of the limitations of the digital format. The first generation of non-digital imaging cards, such as SDHC, SD, and CFast, allowed for up to 2TB of storage.
Reasons why your camera should use NDI®|HX?
High-capacity media is suitable for capturing images and recording 4K video at higher resolutions and frame rates than available with previous formats. Additionally, NDI®|HX can support lower-resolution formats such as JPEG and RAW so your camera can achieve the best performance at any resolution. With the help of a high-capacity media card, you also have a lot of space to capture and store your images/videos, meaning you don’t need to swap it out for a new one as often. With the use of an NDI HX driver, you can also ensure compatibility across any number of hardware and software.
How to Choose an HX-Compliant Card for Your Camera
There are a few things to keep in mind when looking for an HX-compatible card. First, you’ll want to look for a card that supports the right SD card type for your camera. Make sure your camera supports the HX format, and make sure you get an HX-compatible card so you can get the most out of your camera. An additional way to work around this is to look into an NDI HX camera app that can help you manage your photos remotely. Budget and functionality will be the two main things holding you back, depending on your camera’s needs.
Which Brands Offer HX-Compliant Cards?
Most leading brands will offer NDI®|HX-compliant products. This means that these brands have spent the time to implement the necessary changes to their cards to ensure compatibility with the new format. Not sure where to start? We recommend starting with one of these brands:
- SanDisk: SanDisk’s line of Extreme cards are specifically designed for professional photographers and cinematographers, and offer some of the best performance in the industry.
- Lexar: Lexar’s line of Lightning cards are specifically designed for photography and offer some of the best performance in the industry.
- Kingston: Kingston’s HyperX Fury line of cards are technically designed for gamers but have found a fanbase amongst photographers for their utility in cameras.
- Samsung: Samsung’s line of PRO cards is designed for use in professional cameras and by professional photographers.
Which Cards Should You Buy?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to cards. SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB cards are the best overall value and offer the best performance. If you need the highest capacity possible, then you’ll want to look at either the SanDisk Extreme Pro 512GB or 1TB cards. If you want to get the best performance for your dollar, then you’ll want to consider the SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB cards. If you’re looking for the best value, then the SanDisk Extreme cards are your best bet.
In conclusion
When you switch to HX-compliant cards, you gain many advantages over using SD memory cards, including higher storage capacity, higher transfer speeds, continuous recording, RAW image capture, and RAW video capture. The best part? All of these advantages are available at a significantly lower price than previous generations of memory cards. If you’re ready to get started, keep these tips in mind for securing your first HX-compliant card and start experiencing the benefits of nondigital imaging.