FujiFilm S2Pro with Magicstor 2.2GB

kalimango · 8th October 2003

Recently, I attended to 2 customer on Magicstor 2.2GB with S2Pro. They had complaint that when using they encountered "card not initialized" error after 5-7 shots and they thought that the Magicstor is faulty.

They were very nice and had allow me to do some experiment on their precious cameras. All of my Magicstor show the same problem and I solved their problem by:

Do a full format (opp of quick format) on Windows XP using "Computer Management", "Disk Managment", Right Click on the drive and format. I choose to use FAT and default block size, make sure there isn't a tick beside quick format. The formatting took about 3-4 mins to complete and the Magicstor will become quite hot in the process. Then after formatting on the PC, format again on the S2Pro.

(Still got error!) After formatting the error faced are the same but will occur under the following conditions, previously it was much more often:

1. After switching off, switch on (Card not initialized) Switch off again and you should be able to continue taking as many picture as you like. (Happens 3 out of 10 shutdown)
2. A feature in S2pro allows the user to set the timing before the camera goes to sleep. When it goes to sleep, after pressing the shutter release (Card not initialized). Switch off and on again and you should be able to continue taking as many pictures as you like. (Happens 3 out of 10 sleep and switch on incidents)

A little timing experiment:
Picture Configuration: Quality High, Resolution 4256, shown on the b/w LCD

Hagiwara 512MB: 31secs Magicstor 2.2GB: 23sec

I forgot to check how big is the file size but what I notice is that when the file size gets bigger Magicstor performs faster in comparison to coventional solid-state memory.

Also I have compiled a compatibilty list on the Magicstor SG website.

http://www.mobilestor.com.sg/product...patibility.htm

Clown · 8th October 2003

juz a little feedback

personally i have considered this MD, but the fail rates are really too high and the solutions are too troublesome for the card to be used practically by S2pro users.

this fail rate is extremely not acceptable if we were to be covering an event or even a wedding.

Gabriel · 14th October 2003

think it should be compatibility problem...read somewhere that s2 can read only FAT16 which is why 1G is the most it can accommodate...unlike the newer canon which incorporated FAT32 filing system and can take even the 4G memory cards..hope it helps

bumjube · 16th November 2003

Originally Posted by Gabriel

think it should be compatibility problem...read somewhere that s2 can read only FAT16 which is why 1G is the most it can accommodate...unlike the newer canon which incorporated FAT32 filing system and can take even the 4G memory cards..hope it helps

small corection FAT16 goes to 2GIG not 1GIG

Gabriel · 17th November 2003

thanx for the correction. i'm also interested to know if anyone is using a 2 gig card in the s2? is there any problem? was thinking of getting it if its readable up to 2 gig.

macoram · 19th March 2004

About Magicstor:
Two months ago I bought a Magicstor 2.2g to use with my Finepix S2Pro and it failed after a dozen photos with a "card not initialized" message. It seemed to work unreliably afterwards and I asked for a replacement.
The replacement card behaved the same way and I logically figured out there could be a compatibility issue between it and my S2Pro.
From the manufacurer site:
http://www.gs-magicstor.com/english...t/support_b.htm
I found the Magicstor card (which seem to be a small harddisk) takes some time (about 5 seconds) to reset itself after a shut-down and if it is powered-on during that time a crash is likely to occur.

Now I wait more than 5 seconds between switching off and on and when a "card not initialized" message appears (always after a camera "sleep") I turn it off and follow the same procedure. I have been using the S2Pro-Magicstor combination this way for some weeks without any problem whatsoever (fingers crossed).

About S2pro FAT16 limitation:
When I bought the S2Pro I inadvertently formated my media (an humble 128mb SmartMedia card) in my PC using FAT32. I found the S2Pro took about 30 to 60 seconds to record each foto in the SW! When snapping rapidly the buit-in buffer would fill-up and the camera would hang after 4-5 shots until the buffer was cleared.
So the S2Pro can use FAT32... Veeeeery slowly!

8th October 2003	#1
kalimango New Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 5	FujiFilm S2Pro with Magicstor 2.2GB Recently, I attended to 2 customer on Magicstor 2.2GB with S2Pro. They had complaint that when using they encountered "card not initialized" error after 5-7 shots and they thought that the Magicstor is faulty. They were very nice and had allow me to do some experiment on their precious cameras. All of my Magicstor show the same problem and I solved their problem by: Do a full format (opp of quick format) on Windows XP using "Computer Management", "Disk Managment", Right Click on the drive and format. I choose to use FAT and default block size, make sure there isn't a tick beside quick format. The formatting took about 3-4 mins to complete and the Magicstor will become quite hot in the process. Then after formatting on the PC, format again on the S2Pro. (Still got error!) After formatting the error faced are the same but will occur under the following conditions, previously it was much more often: 1. After switching off, switch on (Card not initialized) Switch off again and you should be able to continue taking as many picture as you like. (Happens 3 out of 10 shutdown) 2. A feature in S2pro allows the user to set the timing before the camera goes to sleep. When it goes to sleep, after pressing the shutter release (Card not initialized). Switch off and on again and you should be able to continue taking as many pictures as you like. (Happens 3 out of 10 sleep and switch on incidents) A little timing experiment: Picture Configuration: Quality High, Resolution 4256, shown on the b/w LCD Hagiwara 512MB: 31secs Magicstor 2.2GB: 23sec I forgot to check how big is the file size but what I notice is that when the file size gets bigger Magicstor performs faster in comparison to coventional solid-state memory. Also I have compiled a compatibilty list on the Magicstor SG website. http://www.mobilestor.com.sg/product...patibility.htm

8th October 2003	#2
Clown Moderator Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,821	juz a little feedback personally i have considered this MD, but the fail rates are really too high and the solutions are too troublesome for the card to be used practically by S2pro users. this fail rate is extremely not acceptable if we were to be covering an event or even a wedding.

14th October 2003	#3
Gabriel Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: EPS Posts: 693	think it should be compatibility problem...read somewhere that s2 can read only FAT16 which is why 1G is the most it can accommodate...unlike the newer canon which incorporated FAT32 filing system and can take even the 4G memory cards..hope it helps

17th November 2003	#5
Gabriel Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: EPS Posts: 693	thanx for the correction. i'm also interested to know if anyone is using a 2 gig card in the s2? is there any problem? was thinking of getting it if its readable up to 2 gig.

19th March 2004	#6
macoram New Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 2	About Magicstor: Two months ago I bought a Magicstor 2.2g to use with my Finepix S2Pro and it failed after a dozen photos with a "card not initialized" message. It seemed to work unreliably afterwards and I asked for a replacement. The replacement card behaved the same way and I logically figured out there could be a compatibility issue between it and my S2Pro. From the manufacurer site: http://www.gs-magicstor.com/english...t/support_b.htm I found the Magicstor card (which seem to be a small harddisk) takes some time (about 5 seconds) to reset itself after a shut-down and if it is powered-on during that time a crash is likely to occur. Now I wait more than 5 seconds between switching off and on and when a "card not initialized" message appears (always after a camera "sleep") I turn it off and follow the same procedure. I have been using the S2Pro-Magicstor combination this way for some weeks without any problem whatsoever (fingers crossed). About S2pro FAT16 limitation: When I bought the S2Pro I inadvertently formated my media (an humble 128mb SmartMedia card) in my PC using FAT32. I found the S2Pro took about 30 to 60 seconds to record each foto in the SW! When snapping rapidly the buit-in buffer would fill-up and the camera would hang after 4-5 shots until the buffer was cleared. So the S2Pro can use FAT32... Veeeeery slowly!