Internal v/s External memory

[pfm]

Like the R40 v/s R42 I have seen at times camcorders come in a 8GB and a 32GB version of the same model and the diffrence in price is a good $100-$150. One could buy a 32GB SD card for a lot less than that. So is there any disadvantage like speed or response when using external memory as compared to the internal memory ? Why would one spend that much extra and buy a 32GB version ? I can see the convenience of not having to empty the internal memory so often but then again there is a risk of failure too I suppose ? If the camera dies so do your priceless videos ?

[Mykolas]

Hi pfm!

Thanks for posting.

Internal memory is convenient and high speed.  However, it is limited in capacity and you need to be careful to protect the integrity of that data from the internal memory by downloading the media and backing it up regularly.

Having an SD slot provides an advantage because you can use a larger capacity memory card that you can remove from the camera.  This allows you to easily manage the data on the cards, as well as use multiple cards.

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[pfm]

>>Internal memory is convenient and high speed.

Tell me more about the 'high speed' part. So if I was recording to an external SDHC card then will I experience any slowness or response issues when shooting HD Video ?

[Mykolas · Accepted solution]

pfm,

SD memory cards come in varying speeds and capacities.  You choose what card you would like to use, but the speed rating or class rating will matter quite a bit.  It is possible to use cards that are slower, like class 2 or 4.  However, when you use a slower card, the camcorder may not be able to record video to the card.  If you want to record to the SD card, I strongly recommend that you use a higher rated card, at least class 6 or 10.

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[VanillaMozilla]

In other words, no. That internal memory has very little advantage that I can think of, if any. It probably has a disadvantage as well: greater complexity. You have to choose whether to use internal memory or removable memory, and you have to transfer from one to the other, etc., all while puzzling over an inscrutable menu while your baby takes his/her first steps. I guess it does have a minor advantage in that you can cram more memory into the camera without changing cards. But at what cost? If you look closely at the directions, it will tell you what class of memory to buy for the video definition and format that you are using. And remember, you can always use a higher class, but you probably can't use a lower class.