Rebel T5i memory card

[tranquility1112]

I recently purchased a Eos Rebel T5i from a well known national retailer.  The day of shipping, the company called me and asked me if I had the memory card I would need for "best results" using my new T5i?  I have always used 16 or 32GB SanDisk cards and have been satisfied.  The salesperson told me that I would need a card that was "capable of givng me the best photos possible with the T5i" and proceeded to suggest I needed a memory card that cost $149!  I had never heard of a card that cost that much truthfully, much less used one.  He told me I would not get the quality of a lesser one.

I went ahead and purchased an 8GB card he suggested that was $69.  I would like to know your thoughts on this.  Was I "scammed" and need to report this?  They are a company that has been in business 55 years they say.....I will be checking into this for sure.

My question is......should I be using this type of very expensive card or is a SanDisk just as good? 

[Waddizzle]

In addition to storage capacities, memory cards can differ in another significant way .... read/write speeds.

[tranquility1112]

Hi.  Should I be using a memory card of 120MB/S or even 80MB/S with a Rebel T5i?   Someone said they have a read/write of 40-45MB/S? Could these higher ones be harmful to the camera or cause problems?  Need a quick answer please!  Thanks!

[ebiggs1]

No.

[Peter]

As long as you don´t use SanDisk UHS-II in your T5i you can choose higher speeds without any problems. UHS-II in a camera that can´t handle UHS-II will make the card to go into compatible mode of UHS-I. The compatible mode of SanDisk is much slower than a UHS-I card.

[ebiggs1]

"Was I "scammed" and need to report this?"

Yes, you were!  But you already knew that didn't you?

"They are a company that has been in business 55 years they say...."

And you point is?  So what difference does that make?  A good high quality reputable retailer like B&H or Adorama would never do this.

I would return the whole order as soon as possible but I doubt you will have an easy go of that.

[Bdarin]

I got a 64gb card from Amazon for $23. Sorry you got scammed. 55 years of ripping people off is a long time.

[Peter]

Maximum write speed for a T5i/700D is around 40-45 MB/s. You can get a PNY Technologies 16GB Elite Performance SDHC Class 10 Memory Card for 8$ or a SanDisk 16GB Extreme Pro UHS-I SDHC U1 Memory Card for under 20$.

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

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@tranquility1112 wrote:

I recently purchased a Eos Rebel T5i from a well known national retailer.  The day of shipping, the company called me and asked me if I had the memory card I would need for "best results" using my new T5i?  I have always used 16 or 32GB SanDisk cards and have been satisfied.  The salesperson told me that I would need a card that was "capable of givng me the best photos possible with the T5i" and proceeded to suggest I needed a memory card that cost $149!  I had never heard of a card that cost that much truthfully, much less used one.  He told me I would not get the quality of a lesser one.

I went ahead and purchased an 8GB card he suggested that was $69.  I would like to know your thoughts on this.  Was I "scammed" and need to report this?  They are a company that has been in business 55 years they say.....I will be checking into this for sure.

My question is......should I be using this type of very expensive card or is a SanDisk just as good? 

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The Sandisk is probably better. I say this not because Sandisk is considered one of the two or three best card lines (though it is), but because what you experienced is a well-known form of scam. A mail-order camera vendor (usually based in Brooklyn NY, as I understand it) sells you a reputable product at a decent price, but then loads you up with overpriced accessories that you don't really need. I suppose you should consider yourself lucky (or possibly smart), because you apparently managed to resist the cheesy tripod, the set of crappy filters, the telephoto "lens" that's really just a cheap magnifying glass, etc., etc.

You could report those guys to The Authorities (who have no doubt heard the story many times before), but you have to undestand that one of the accepted costs of engaging in sleazy business practices is having to hire better lawyers than your marks can probably afford. If you refuse to ever forget the lesson you learned from this, it was probably worth the $69.