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Author Topic: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?  (Read 9650 times)

ThomasH_normally

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Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« on: December 06, 2010, 11:24:19 pm »

I noticed that the new Pentax 645 Medium Format body uses SD cards, not the CF card so common in all top-DSLR models. That took me by surprise.

I wonder if this trend, which we also see in other mainstream "semi pro" models from Pentax, Nikon (D7000) or Canon (60D), means that the CF cards are slowly to lose their stand against the petite SD cards, which are smaller in size, have simpler (safer) connectors and a mechanical read protect switch.

The SD readers seem to be omnipresent: Most PC's, Laptops, Netbooks, GPS devices, and of course, a majority of cameras have them. Of course we know that top speeds on CF cards (like the Sandisk Extreme Pro 90Mb/sec) top these of fastest SD cards, however in many existing bodies using both kinds (Canon, Nikon) the speed of SD card operation is comparable. The bottleneck is the camera itself, as it seems.

Clearly the socket for CF cards is more expensive, and having the plethora of pins, prone to mechanical damage. I have has such issue in my Jobo picture wallet, and in the FlashPac Wolverine as well. I used tweezers to straighten a bend pin more than once. The SD card socket solution is clearly superior.

Will we sit soon on a pile of CF's without use?
Any thoughts on that?

Thomas
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tom b

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2010, 11:52:28 pm »

The Eye-Fi SD card http://www.eye.fi is an interesting player in this game. It allows you to tether your camera to an iPad or similar item. Images stay on the card but a jpeg appears on your iPad. Video here:

http://www.padgadget.com/2010/08/08/dslr-tethered-photo-shooting-on-your-ipad

I know if I were in management at Sandisk I would be thinking of buying out this company as soon as possible. Sandisk could then put the technology into CF cards and have a very handy solutions for all types of photographers.

Maybe a little SD company can be a game changer.

Cheers,
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Tom Brown

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2010, 07:31:15 am »

Tom, you can get SD/CF adapters that could allow you to use they Eye-Fi in a CF card camera.  There are some issues with it though.

The article seems to indicate that you can't connect to the iPad in a P2P situtation but that you need a wireless hub (not even a hotspot).  I know the Eye-Fi can connect P2P via its Ad Hoc mode.  I wonder if the issue with the iPad is that you can't set up the network due to the tablet not having a USB port, which is used to set up the network connection to a laptop. 

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feppe

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2010, 12:12:39 pm »

I've been hoping for the demise of cumbersome CF cards which attach to ports prone to breaking, but they don't seem to go away.

telyt

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2010, 12:32:51 pm »

I've been hoping for the demise of cumbersome CF cards which attach to ports prone to breaking[/url].

Same for me... fortunately my camera doesn't use them.
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langier

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2010, 01:50:29 pm »

Until SD cards speed to at least 300x-600x for downloading come in both 32GB and 64GB cost less than $20. for the larger of the two, I'll be happy with CF cards.

Though other have problems with bending pins, I haven't for years. As I get older, the CF cards compared to SD cards seem easier to handle and are more difficult to put down and loose. Easier to find something that's at least four times the real estate and thicker to find when it's dropped on the ground...
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Larry Angier
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Joe Behar

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2010, 05:12:47 pm »

Until SD cards speed to at least 300x-600x for downloading come in both 32GB and 64GB cost less than $20. for the larger of the two, I'll be happy with CF cards.

I did not know there were 600X 64GB CF cards available for $20

I'll take 2
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ThomasH_normally

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #7 on: December 07, 2010, 11:40:24 pm »

Re. size of the card, I agree. The CF card have just the "right size" to be handled manually, especially with gloves on.
The SD cards are too diminutive for my taste as well. And yet, probably this is where we all go. Clearly there was space
enough for a CF socket in the medium format Pentax!

My issues with bent pins happened only in the picture wallet's, which use the shallow sockets, maybe some cheap components. In that case the card might be inserted slightly crooked. I never got any problem with my cameras, which naturally need to host the entire card and use much deeper sockets.

Thomas
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #8 on: December 08, 2010, 04:09:14 pm »

The key reasons why Pentax decided to go with Sd were:
- concerns about bended pins with CF
- SD appears to be a more future proof format

At the same time, this announcement tells me that CF probably has nice years ahead:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1011/10113004memoryformat.asp

Cheers,
Bernard

NikoJorj

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #9 on: December 08, 2010, 04:38:41 pm »

- SD appears to be a more future proof format
Given all the previous issues of SD compatibilty across time (and wait for the SDXC...), I would rather say more ubiquitous rather than future proof?  ;)

About the CF, it may seem that it will at least fill the niche of high-bandwidth removable media according to the recent announcements - SDXC is still limited to 100MB/s whereas the next CF iteration may reach 500MB/s. 18MP raw video anyone? :o
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Nicolas from Grenoble
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #10 on: December 09, 2010, 09:53:51 pm »

Given all the previous issues of SD compatibilty across time (and wait for the SDXC...), I would rather say more ubiquitous rather than future proof?  ;)

Indeed, I guess that is what they meant.

Cheers,
Bernard

uaiomex

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2010, 12:13:13 am »

I don't give a damn divided by halves about what comes next. Just don't make them any smaller then the CF.
The SD card is already a little too small for the human scale. and very easy to misplace. The CF card is the right size.
Eduardo
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #12 on: December 10, 2010, 01:02:21 am »

+1

I have nothing against new card formats. I never use my old cards anyway. But those SD cards are a bit flimsy. I have never bent the pins on any of my CF cards or devices bit I can see that a bent pin disables the camera and cannot be repaired in the field.

Erik
I don't give a damn divided by halves about what comes next. Just don't make them any smaller then the CF.
The SD card is already a little too small for the human scale. and very easy to misplace. The CF card is the right size.
Eduardo
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Erik Kaffehr
 

tokengirl

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2010, 06:40:38 am »

+2

I too detest those little tiny easy-to-lose cards.

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langier

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #14 on: December 14, 2010, 10:45:06 am »

Here's an interesting take on CF vs. SD roadmap from C-Net:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20025567-264.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Looks like both will be here for awhile...
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Larry Angier
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ThomasH_normally

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #15 on: December 14, 2010, 02:49:34 pm »

Here's an interesting take on CF vs. SD roadmap from C-Net:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20025567-264.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Looks like both will be here for awhile...
Great quote! Article is very much in agreement what most posters said here: The SD seem really too small, too easy to lose or misplace.
CF handles nice in the field, yet except for a declining number of camera models, the SD is on a winning streak. Now with Canon and Nikon on the SD train, even their midrange models dropped the CF card.
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tom b

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #16 on: December 14, 2010, 06:25:48 pm »

Just read an article on the future of the SD card. The inventor of the thumb drive has invented the FluCard which combines wifi and storage. He claims the SD card may be dead. More here:

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/thumbdrive-inventor-out-to-prove-he-is-no-onehit-wonder-20101214-18wjm.html

Cheers,
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Tom Brown

Ben Rubinstein

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #17 on: December 15, 2010, 03:31:20 am »

Just read an article on the future of the SD card. The inventor of the thumb drive has invented the FluCard which combines wifi and storage. He claims the SD card may be dead. More here:

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/thumbdrive-inventor-out-to-prove-he-is-no-onehit-wonder-20101214-18wjm.html

Cheers,

Possibly the stupidest name ever?
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NikoJorj

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Re: Future of the CF card, does it has a chance in a long run?
« Reply #18 on: December 15, 2010, 04:31:54 am »

Possibly the stupidest name ever?
If it's pocketable, maybe PoxCard would have been more appropriate?
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Nicolas from Grenoble
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