topic Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Good Memory card (size & brand)?

zarif — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:07:56 GMT

What will be a good memory card for EOS camera mainly for still photos (no videos). Size & brand both.. I can find starting from $8 for 8GB to $50 for $16 GB etc with various brands/types?

Does it really makes a difference in photo quality or camera performance? Or just anyone is fine?

Thanks,

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

Bazsl — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:45:38 GMT

Which EOS camera? Some use SD cards, some use compact flash and some use both. What do you shoot? If you shoot action and take strings of shots at five frames per second or more the speed of the card will make a difference in how fast images can be written from the buffer to the card to free up space in the buffer for more images. I have had good luck with SanDisk cards.

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

David — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 21:33:06 GMT

I also recommend SanDisk, never had one fail. As far of size I see no advantage in going with one large card over a few smaller ones if you are shooting stills, if you end up having a card failure you will lose all of you images if they are all on one big card.

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

BrickR — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:53:22 GMT

SD cards: I have 3 Transcend, 3 Sandisk (2 are micro), and 1 PNY (purchased in summer 2009, oldest of my cards) and none have failed me.

I try to pick up a Sandisk whenever they are on a really great sale since they are usually more expensive and I don't HAVE to have more right now. -(got a 16gb for >$12 total a couple of weeks ago)

Earlier this year I started writing the month and year I got the card on them so that for paid stuff I only use the newest cards

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

Scatterbrained — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 23:08:21 GMT

Most memory cards will be fairly reliable. A lot of the failures I've seen are people who just constantly delete the photos and reshoot without reformatting the card. Personally I run Sandisk CF cards and Transcend SD cards. I've not had any issues with any of my cards. The rated write speed can be an issue if you're shooting video or shooting raw bursts with a fast camera like a 7D or 1D.

One thing I have seen is people having some issue with the latest batch of Transcend 32Gb 400x CF cards where the card doesn't want to transfer video files to the computer. Beyond that issues really are pretty rare and random. Get a card from a quality company like Sandisk or Transcend, and remember to reformat it in camera before each use and you'll be fine.

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

jfo — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 23:17:52 GMT

I also hear that Sandisk is the "reputable" brand, but I have not had any problems or failures at all using:

Kingston SDHC's (4gb's and a 32gb)... used these with my T2i for over a year
HP SDHC (32gb)... was on sale
Transcend 32gb CF's... felt comfortable buying these after seeing a medium-sized video production team use these almost exclusively.
Sandisk (Ultra) 64gb SDXC... pretty speedy
Sony 32gb SDHC... relatively new purchase, a bit slow

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

cicopo — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:14:41 GMT

I also have an assortment of cards, about 1 TB worth but most of my SDHC's are class 6 & my CF cards are all Sandisk but I just sold my 7D & included the Lexar Pro 400 X card with it. I've never had a problem with any of the cards but I do notice a speed difference between the brands of SDHC's (all the same class 6 rating) while shooting long bursts. I use pro bodies that write to 2 cards & at times the SDHC card slowed things down to the point I removed it & hoped the CF didn't fail.

With costs going down, & speeds going up I recommend 8 or 16 Gb class 10 (or better) & that you buy from a reputable dealer, NOT Ebay. There are a lot of reports of fake cards being sold, & Ebay is where a lot come through. Just be sure to have at leat 1 spare card & that you transfer regularly & BACK UP before erasing the card. NEVER trust your photos to 1 hard drive. You must back them up or some time in the future you'll loose them, either to a hard drive failure or computer theft etc.

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

p4pictures — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 08:34:29 GMT

Depends on your camera, faster more expensive cards can extend the effective buffer size if you shoot a lot of images in a continuous sequence. Faster cards also clear the buffer faster so even if you fill the buffer then you can get back to shooting faster. For SD cards it's best to aim at class 6 or higher specification cards, not all the cameras are capable of getting the benefit from UHS-1 cards.

My own personal preference is for Sandisk cards - I've had many over the years, and even after leaving them in a shirt pocket that then get's put through the laundry they still work fine.

Brian

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

Nazareth — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 17:10:49 GMT

for my 1DX I'm finding that I really like the lexar 1000 UDMA 7 32 mb cards- very fast, quick buffer renew, and holds a ton of JPG's- Got a double pack which saved me a little money- if you buiy them around Christmas or right after, you might get a sale on them in additions- Note- I'm aqlso using htese cards on my 7d- I just had to update the 7D firmware to get the cards to run at full speed- but it was no big deal really- just a download, follow instructions carefully making sure you have a GOOD battery with full charge so that hte process doesn't stop midway through the update- but as with any kind of flash upgrade, do so at your own risk- I've doen a couple and have no problems

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

LJG — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:55:59 GMT

Another Sandisk user here. I have never had one fail yet.

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

Nazareth — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:13:16 GMT

I read the other day that the buffer on smaller cards like the udma 6/600? fill at around 38 shots I think it was, but with hte lexar 1000 udma 7 it fills at about 56 or so and also clears the buffer much quicker too- I beleive if my memory serves right that it was on 'the-digital-picture . com" site where i Read that it was under the review of the canon 1DX on that site (just type 1DX into the serarch bar o nthe site- it'll bring up the review- scroll down to the horse and rider shots, it's right above the photos that it talks about it I beleive) This was a fantastic review of the 1DX too- the folsk at that site really do some great reviews

I will however say that I don't see any transfer advantage when transferign it to my computer from the camera, using the uspplied camera cable (not hte ethernet one, but the regular usb one) as compared ot other cards- not sure how these thigns work- maybe there isn't an icnrease- but I guess I was hoping- but the card in the camera really makes a difference- I shoot lots of flying birds running animals etc, and it's reallyt nice beign able to get rapid succession of shots without worrying abotu hte buffer filling, then takign foreve3r to clear the buffer when you might miss the shot while waiting for it to clear-

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

p4pictures — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 07:03:40 GMT

The camera's USB connection is not fast enough to let the speed advantage of fast cards show.

To see an increase in speed when transferring images from cards don't use the camera connected to the computer, invest in a decent fast card reader. USB3 is great if your computer supports it, even the older - hard to get - FireWire connected readers will happily show big speed differences when downloading from a fast card compared to a slower one.

Brian

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

Nazareth — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 07:34:23 GMT

Thanks, I didn't realize that- my comp has ability for usb3- but no usb3 card/ports etc- woudl I need an onboard usb3 card in the computer before being able to use a usb 3 card reader? I don't particularly like taking the memory cards out of the camera when transferign photos though- I'll look into firewire- and see about pickign one up perhaps- but do cameras liek hte 1DX and canon 7D support firewire?

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

p4pictures — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 07:47:01 GMT

The 1Dx and 7D only support USB 2 and it's not particularly fast as you've found.

To get faster download speeds the only option is to take the card out of the camera and use a quality card reader connected to a USB3 or FireWire port. (you may need a card to be fitted to your computer if you don't already have the hardware port)

Most professionals take the cards out of the camera and download the images to the computer using a card reader. I use an old Sandisk firewire 800 card reader on my mac, it's way faster than any camera's USB port and with image files as big as they are today it's the only way for me.

Brian

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

Nazareth — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 08:04:13 GMT

Thanks Brian- I'll look into that then- Although i do worry abotu bending a pin though by constantly removing the card- I've had it happen on my laptiop- and don't want it to happen to this $7000 camera- maybe I'm beign too leery of removign hte card- but

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

zarif — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 20:26:30 GMT

There are two things I noticed after researching the forum and websites. When buying one should be careful of this:

1. The packing and advertisement can say one thing and the actual product inside maybe different:

See some reviews (you can reaserch more on amazon for similar reviews):

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-EXTREME-SDSDX-032G-X46-Newest-Version/product-reviews/B0077SCBGE/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_2?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addTwoStar&showViewpoints=0

2. The same item name can have different models within it with varying features:

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-EXTREME-SDSDX-032G-X46-Newest-Version/dp/B0077SCBGE/ref=lh_ni_t

BestBuy:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/SanDisk+-+Extreme+32GB+Secure+Digital+High+Capacity+%28SDHC%29+UHS-I+Memory+Card/3990822.p?id=1218444831583&skuId=3990822&st=SanDisk%2032GB%20EXTREME%20SDHC%20Card%20Class%2010%2045MB/s%20UHS-1%20300x&cp=1&lp=3

Looking into details you'll notice model# is different for the two. Its just an example but you can find many deals like these. So, just be wary of what you buy so that you get what you actually pay for.

Does the camera specify what's the maximum speed it can achieve for writing to SD card? This may ease the requirements to buy a particular card speed.

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

Nazareth — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 22:02:29 GMT

yeah it's pretty sad that advertisers intentionally make the wording confusing and usually in small oprint soemwhere obscure whgere you wouldn't excpect to find it- I've read of folks who thought they were buying udma 7 because the packaging and hte advertiusement made it look liek that's what was inside, but coem to find otu they ended up getting udma 6 cards instead- Especially frustrating is when someoen is lead to beleive they are buying a new lens only to find out the small print buried on page two in hte descriptions indicates it's actually a refurbished item- You've got to be carteful buying electronics it seems- these items are particularly confusing because htere's so much detail to sift through i nthe descriptions- That's why it's always a good idea to buy from big name places with rock solid return policies-

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

easygeorge — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 15:36:44 GMT

QUESTION ___- WHICH IS THE BEST CARD TO USE IN A VIDEO SHOOT ??/

2) WHICH IS THE BEST TYPE TO USE ,,, A MICRO SD WITH THE ADAPTOR OR JUST THE REGULAR CARD ??

3) WHY IS IT THAT WHEN WE ARE SHOOTING A VIDEO IT STOPS AFTER TEN MINUTES ??/

4) HOW DO YOU REFORMAT THE CARD ??

5)IS IT A WISE IDEA TO USE THE SAME SD CARD MADE TO USE WITH A CELL PHONE IN THE CAMERA ??

I HAVE A CANON REBEL 5

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

Stephen — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 15:48:17 GMT

Hi easygeorge!

Welcome to the Canon Community Forums!

We appreciate your post, but we ask that you please refrain from using all CAPS. This is interpreted as yelling on the Internet.

Have a great day!

Re: Good Memory card (size & brand)?

easygeorge — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 18:43:58 GMT

i did not know ,, im from the west imdies ,,, we see that making sure you saw what we wrote

i am sorry about that ... will i still get the answers??? thanks in return