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Author Topic: Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?  (Read 4184 times)

Ken Dunham

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Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?
« on: March 22, 2003, 02:45:27 pm »

Martin: Lexar Media and Sandisk are the two big names in the industry, so it's hard to go wrong with either. I have no first hand experience with other vendors, so I can't comment on their relative pros or cons.

If you're shooting RAW, you'll definitely want 512 MB at minimum. Depending upon the JPEG size you choose (shooting RAW on a 10D is really shooting RAW+JPEG), each photo will consume 6-8 MB (on average). Choosing even larger size cards (ie 1GB+) is a personal trade-off of convenience vs having all your photo eggs in one basket.

Also note that many vendors are bringing out CF cards with faster read/write speeds (Sandisk's "Ultra" line, Lexar's "Write Acceleration"). So there may be more than one model at a given capacity, priced accordingly.

A good resource for independent performance verification is Rob Galbraith's CF Database. The 10D isn't in there yet, but data from other cameras should give you a ballpark.
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Peter K. Burian

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Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2003, 04:35:36 pm »

Quote
UPDATED CHARTS

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_p...cid=7-6131-6132
 
Lexar, SimpleTech cards added to CF Database

Added to the CompactFlash Performance Database are results for the Lexar Media 512MB 40X WA, Lexar Media 1GB 32X WA, SimpleTech PRO X 512MB and SimpleTech PRO X 1GB. These cards first began to appear in the CF Database last week, in the DCS Pro 14n, Canon EOS-1D and Canon EOS 10D sections. Now, the performance data for all digital SLR models currently being tracked in the database has been updated. In addition, a new section in the database provides card-to-computer transfer rates, and the ranking of the fastest cards in the EOS 10D has been changed as a result of new test data (though this camera remains slower overall than the D60 it replaces).
April 1, 2003 | FULL STORY
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steve99

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Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2003, 09:13:22 am »

I have been using Apacer Photo Steno 512 mb cards with both my 1D and now 10--they are both big enough and fast enough to handle anything I've thrown at them.  I bought them at www.supermediastore.com, paid about 140.00 each and 15.00 overnight shipping.  I have had no problems with either card corrupting a file.  With the sandisk and the Lexar I have experienced  a problem or two sporadically.  However, both the Sandisk Ultra and the Lexar 256 cards are still good cards and I do use them if necessary after the Apacer cards are filled.  I believe in the Rob Galbraith card report, the Apacer cards rated better than the Sandisk or Lexar cards.  Plus you save some money.  Good Luck!
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chipmanp

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Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2003, 05:00:23 pm »

I like Ridata...
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Martin Greene

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Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2003, 02:09:48 pm »

I have recently ordered a Canon 10D, my first digital camera.  Searching the web sites, including Digital Camera Review (which has a very old comparison), I have found it almost impossible to get a clear picture of which compact flash cards I should purchase.  Since I'll probably be shooting in RAW mode, I assume I should get at least a 512 MB or a 1 Gig card.  But, which manufacturer.  From what I've read, there seems to be little relationship between cost and quality.  Also, it seems that cards seem to work differently with each camera they are used with.  Lexar and Sandisk seem to be the biggest names.  Vikings cost less and are well rated on some cameras.  Pretecs, according to Digital Camera Review, works well with Canon D30s, but I can't find where they are sold in this country.  I'd appreciate information on this as well as recomendations.

Martin
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Peter K. Burian

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Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2003, 09:15:51 am »

Depends on the camera that you are using.

You can find extensive tests of various cards -- using specific digital cameras -- at http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007

Click on the specific camera in the DATABASE window near the top of the screen.

In general, I have had great results with the Delkin PRO cards and the fast (24x to 40x) Lexar cards.

Peter Burian
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pixman63

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Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2003, 03:02:37 am »

Lexar are indeed the standard for ultimate speed. That said however, your choice should also be influenced by your subject matter - if you're shooting sports/action etc then buying fast cards will likely repay you. But if you're shooting landscapes there's little point.

A press photographer I know via the internet here in the UK uses Ridata 512 Mb cards in his Canon 1D bodies. To quote him, "Ridata may not be quite as fast as Lexar, but they cost half the price………and two Ridata cards beats one Lexar anyday, especially when you have a card full of shots"
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Peter K. Burian

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Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2003, 04:46:01 pm »

When shooting in low res or JPEG mode with a 4 or 5 MP camera especially, a fast card is not a necessity. (News photographers do not need to shoot in High Res modes. Newspapers do not need huge/ultra high res images.

But in high res capture modes (with a digital SLR camera), especially 6 MP and higher, there is a real benefit to using a faster card.

As Rob Galbraith says, << Several D60 design decisions mean that this camera will benefit from the fastest possible CompactFlash card.>>

<< The D100 has the dubious distinction of shooting the fewest RAW format frames in a burst of any currently-shipping digital SLR in this database. To return to shooting as soon as possible after the buffer fills, then, look only at the fastest cards.>>

And similar comments for other digital SLR cameras.

Depending on the camera, the Apacer card is not one of the fast ones.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007 And select the camera of interest to find out which cards provide the fastest performance -- with that specific camera.

Peter Burian
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Jonathan Wienke

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Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?
« Reply #8 on: April 12, 2003, 02:00:19 pm »

Don't forget about 1 GB Microdrives. When shooting single shots, they take a little extra time for the drive to spin up, but when writing multiple shots, they perform quite well. They tend to be cheaper than 1 GB flash cards--I got 2 of them at www.cdw.com for just under $500 (item # 405365) and so far have had no problems. Their only drawback is that they are more susceptible to shock damage (being dropped, etc.) than flash cards.
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Pete

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Which Compact Flash Cards are Recommended?
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2003, 08:39:04 pm »

I have been using an IBM 1 GB microdrive for about a year now and have had no problems with it.  However, I've not used and other brands or types, so I have no real basis for comparison.

Pete
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