topic Re: Memory card XF400 in Professional Video

Memory card XF400

BarryFinbar — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 19:22:47 GMT

Hi. What SD card is advised for the Canon XF400? I am aware that it should be C10/U3 if shooting 4K video, but must it be V90, or would V60 or V30 work well? There is a notable cost difference between these cards. Thanks.

Re: Memory card XF400

rs-eos — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 20:24:33 GMT

See page 32 of the User Manual for details on compatible cards. I don't see UHS-II listed, so you'll need to stick with UHS-I cards of which I believe they max out at V30 (30 MBps sustained writes).

Page 150 then outlines the various bitrates for various settings. The Highest bitrate I see is for capturing UHD footage with the XF-AVC codec: 160 Mbps which is 20 MBps. So a V30 card will be capable and have some additional headroom.

For cards, I would stick with only very trusted brands to include SanDisk. And then purchase them from only reputable dealers (e.g. avoid Amazon as counterfeit cards exist there). Also, be sure to purchase full-sized SD cards only and not micro-sized that would require adapters.

Finally, on the various V30 rated cards to look at, the most prominent number printed on them will be the theoretical maximum read speed. Higher values there can help when its time to copy footage from them to your computer. Ultimately though, it's best to look at the V-rating since that describes the sustained write capability. Too bad card manufacturers over the years chose to print the theoretical reads in the largest font.

Re: Memory card XF400

BarryFinbar — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 14:15:00 GMT

Thank you so much Ricky. The topic of memory cards is so labyrinthine 😕 and you've summed it up succinctly. Are you perhaps knowledgeable about HDMI cabling and the XF400 too?

Re: Memory card XF400

AtticusLake — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 06:50:52 GMT

Excellent write-up there by Ricky!

You're quite right that this subject can be baffling. If you want to know more, I made some guides to bit rates and memory cards that might help: https://moonblink.info/MudLake/tech