help with camcorder memory chips please

[happyhero]

Hi I have a Sony digital camcorder model DCR PC110E, which takes miniDV tapes and has a memory stick slot. I have had it a few years now and it is great but the memory stick is playing up. The one I got with it, was your typical too small in Megabytes stick so I bought a Lexar 64MB (will hold about 120 photos on my camcorder) one straight away, so that is a few years old too, but in the last year no matter how much I delete ALL or format, I have to waste the first two photos as they end up with a funny line in them. It looks to me like that part of the stick may be permanently damaged or corrupt. So I always waste the first two photos before I take any decent pictures. Occasionaly the first two are ok but they soon play up on the next set of photos. Apart from this the photos are perfect and the chip works great.

I have used my wife's Canon camera which has a CF card and it is so tolerant of messing about etc, whereas my memory stick has to be nursed, ie I dont dare pull it out of the PC when or even after accessing it and I often have to restart the PC for the PC to recognise its there. I have tried it on other PC's too. I know you should not do certain things with memory cards etc but what I am getting at is that the CF cards seem such a reliable platform in comparison to the memory stick but I am a bit out of touch with this stuff.

I am now thinking of getting a new and bigger MB chip, but I need a bit of guidance.The stick I have dissapears completely into the camcorder as it should thus preventing any physical damage to it being possible.

I have seen that there is an improved memory stick, memory stick pro I think it is, but isn't this longer, ie would it fit my camcorder and if so without sticking out?

Is a new stick going to perform better ie, not play up like I described mine above, and behave more like the CF card I mention above, or is the memory stick a weaker platform. and will therefore always not be as good as other types?

I know memory is quite cheap these days so I may go a bit bigger as I know 64MB is now a bit of a joke and you probably cant even buy it.

I like Sony camcorders so I suppose I am stuck with memory sticks, but my current experience is putting me off the memory stick platform, but I am hoping it has all changed and a new one would be great, would it?

I would appreciate some help/comments with the above to help me do the right thing.

 

[mattylad]

Looking around the LEXAR memory sticks have a lifetime warranty?

 

[happyhero]

So how do I take advantage of the warranty, I have looked on the net but cannot find how?

Also are new sticks going to be a much more stable platform than the old ones?

 

[mattylad]

Try http://www.lexar.com/support/index.html

Although it does sound like you just need a new card and for the £15 they now cost it may be less hassle to just get a new one.

What sort of memory card is it?

 

[happyhero]

Try http://www.lexar.com/support/index.html

Although it does sound like you just need a new card and for the £15 they now cost it may be less hassle to just get a new one.

What sort of memory card is it?

64MB memory stick.

Are the pro ones the same physical size?

 

[mattylad]

Its a memory stick pro duo.

You could start out with a 1gb Sandisk one from Amazon and try that.

Does the manual state what the maximum is?

Have you tried Sony & asked them what it takes?

 

[happyhero]

My one is not a pro duo but I need to know, not the GB size but the physical size, is that the same size in your hand, I thought the pro duo ones may be longer and stick out of my camcorder.

Sorry but no one seems to realise what I am asking. The new pro duo ones look a different size on the pictures so I just want to know if they will fit in the hole. GB wise I will figure out what my camcorder can cope with. I mean why do some chips have a memory stick adaptor/ sleeve thingy?