EOS 5D Mark IV 256GB CF Memory Card Compatibility

[emipelaez17]

can someone tell me if a 256 gb memory card is compatible with the 5d mark IV?  I was thinking about getting a SanDisk or Lexar 256gb card but i'm seeing some reviews that say the 5D Mark II works with the 128gb card but not the 256gb card.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  Thanks!

[March411 · Accepted solution]

Good day emipelaez17

I travel a bit and needed the same answer so I did the research. Every thing I found really pointed to using a 128GB card max. The link I provided explains that you can use a larger card but it will format differently and the format needs to be completed on a PC.

https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/index?page=content&id=ART174049

I did find some people were using a 256GB card in the Mark IV but the camera would not format the card, they needed to I format it in exFAT on a PC.

Personally I did not go with the 256GB as it seemed like it could present challenges and I didn't want to put my images at risk. There is a fair amount of information on the topic and really no exact answer beyond knowing that 128GB appears to be the safest max. That was the overall consensus, the people that used exFat were doing so for video.

Search What is the CF capacity limitation for EOS 5D IV and you'll see what I mean.

Good luck!

[rs-eos]

It should work a-ok.  Though with my 5D Mark IV, I have only used Sandisk 128 GB and 64 GB CF cards.

Are you planning on doing video work? If not, a 128 GB card can hold quite a bit; even if capturing in RAW+JPEG.

[emipelaez17]

Hi, Ricky,

Appreciate your quick response. I also use the 128gb card and shoot RAW and JPEG, but I’m going to Thailand for two weeks this year and thought I’d get the 256gb card so I don’t have to worry about running out of space.  I saw those reviews based on a 5D Mark II owner so wasn’t sure if I’d have similar issues with the Mark IV. I’d prefer to take one card but maybe I’ll just bring two 128 cards.

[rs-eos]

It actually would be better to have multiple pairs of cards. Also, look into a backup solution. E.g card reader along with a portable drive you could copy the images to.

[stevet1]

emipelaez17,

From what I read, The size of any video depends on resolution of video, FPS and Audio Quality too. Uncompressed 1080p video of is 120–130mb per minute average.

120 megabits per minute would translate into into something like 7-9 gigabytes per hour.

A 128gb card would give you something like 14 - 18 one-hour videos shot in HD 1080p.

As for still photos, a 128gigabyte card would hold 3,200 photos if they were 40 megabytes apiece.

It would hold 6,400 photos if they were 20 megabytes apiece.

Steve Thomas

[March411]

I can't speak to video since I rarely shoot any but the image quantity will vary depending on the file size you shoot and your selection of raw and jpg. I shoot both in largest format and I end up with about 1800 shots. The variables are fairly large for images depending on file size and what type of images you capture.

I carry addition cards in a hard wallet when I travel and pull them every other day regardless of how full they are, cards can fail so I do what I can to protect what I have shot. 

[rs-eos]

If working with 4K video, the 5D IV uses a very inefficient Motion-JPEG codec with generates massive files.  So having a 256 GB card in that case may be needed for longer videos.

[March411 · Accepted solution]

Good day emipelaez17

I travel a bit and needed the same answer so I did the research. Every thing I found really pointed to using a 128GB card max. The link I provided explains that you can use a larger card but it will format differently and the format needs to be completed on a PC.

https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/index?page=content&id=ART174049

I did find some people were using a 256GB card in the Mark IV but the camera would not format the card, they needed to I format it in exFAT on a PC.

Personally I did not go with the 256GB as it seemed like it could present challenges and I didn't want to put my images at risk. There is a fair amount of information on the topic and really no exact answer beyond knowing that 128GB appears to be the safest max. That was the overall consensus, the people that used exFat were doing so for video.

Search What is the CF capacity limitation for EOS 5D IV and you'll see what I mean.

Good luck!

[rs-eos]

128 GB CF Cards, formatted in the 5D IV are done so with exFAT.  So 256 GB cards would be treated the same way.

[emipelaez17]

Hey, Enthusiast,

Thanks so much for your reply!  I will go with the 128 card and avoid unnecessary hoops I have to jump through. Appreciate your research and advice. Cheers.