Do CF card brands matter?

.................

The speed rating of the card definitely matters. Go to Rob Galbraith's site and check out the card performance data base.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007

He also has a nice section on card readers, showing the relative speeds of a number of them on various different platforms.

If you are dumping 4 or 8 gig cards during an event, you have to have the process completes ASAP. Card speed rating is critical here.

For shooting, however, card speed isn't that critical, unless you're doing high speed sportshooting with a large MP camera. I can't recall ever having an issue with my Lexar 32x or 40x cards, but can tell you they are butt-slow when it comes to downloading compared to my 80x, 133x or my new Sandisk Extreme IV cards.

I would strongly recommend you get the fastest card for your camera in the price range you choose.

Good luck

Nice images on your site, BTW

Gordon

Extreme IV's would definitely be the way to go if you're shooting a CF-enabled MF. Otherwise, I agree there's not much difference when shooting DSLR.

On downloading, though, the Extreme IV's are well worth the money. I get a 5 to 6 image per second download with Extreme IV, vs .5 to maybe 1 image per second with Lexar 80X. If you have to dump 1,200 images, it's pretty clear which card you need.

Gordon

absolutely yes.

Do yourself a favor and stick with the major brands, preferably either Lexar or Sandisk and the fastest cards they make.

The D200 is pretty quick and you will notice a difference between, say, a Sandisk Extreme IV and a basic Kingston of the same capacity.

The other thing I've noticed is that I never have a problem with my good cards (Lexar 80 and 133x and Sandisk Extreme III's and IV's) but the cheaper cards sometimes give me problems. Personally, I want reliability as well as speed, and I won't even touch anything but the best stuff.

-m

Gordan thanks. I just bought the Sandisk Extreme III. Seemed like the best one in that price range.

I've shot film my whole life and this is my first real experience with a pro digital camera. Just picked up the D200. Cant wait to shoot with it.

According to a Lexar rep. only 2 companies make their own controllers for the chips. Lexar and Sandisk, the rest have a 3rd party controller. Lexars have been really bad for myself and my colleagues.

YOTS said:

When it comes to compact flash cards, does the brand matter is any
old CF card good enough for a D200? I know the Scandisk 2GB Extreme
IV ha the fasted write speed on the D200 but will a cheaper one be
just as good?

Click to expand...

fjp said:

You can get a SanDisk card reader that
actually utilizes this speed and unload a 4GB card into your
computer iin less than 2 minutes.

Click to expand...

I do not have USB 2.0 in my laptop but I have a Firewire connection: Are those Firewire? If not, which ones you know?

I too had to smile at some of these unfounded claims I wonder if some people have ever heard of "1s" and "0s", the only way data is recorded, no matter what the media is.

I use Sandisk Extreme III, purely because I think the well known brands. "should" be more relaible.
--
Regards,
Pieter.

'Sometimes things aren't what you imagined – They are even better'

ok..now i am curious.....you say ......The other thing I've noticed is that I never have a problem with my good cards (Lexar 80 and 133x and Sandisk Extreme III's and IV's) but the cheaper cards sometimes give me problems. ........ I won't even touch anything but the best stuff.

-what are the cheaper cards that "gave you problems"..?

-what problems are you refering to??

-and if you "won't touch anyting but the best stuff", how could you have had a problem with "inferior" cf cards??

is your post truth or hyperbole?????

I shoot sports, especially soccer and use the ridata 2 gig cards. When shooting at high speed my buffer never gets filled up. Their speed is 150 and cost about $40.00, never had a problem.
--
if it exists, we can photograph it, even if it moves!

You're still using those analog recording CF cards, do you?

markmark said:

That said, i prefer my name brand disks for important jobs becuse i
believe the photos are sharper...they have more of that 3d effect

Click to expand...

--
Marc Vandenhende

I use a variety of cards brands and capacities.

8Gb and 4Gb MyMemory 133x - have given no problems and are standard 'walkaround' cards. About 3/4 the speed of the Extreme III

4Gb Kingston 50x Card - another walkaround card

2Gb + 1Gb Extreme III cards - used when I am doing a lot of 5fs shooting as they do make a difference when clearing the buffer. 2Gb card gave problems and was replaced - no hassle

1Gb Peak card about 80x - Time to switch from RAW to JPG card as it is the last to be used (normally)

2 x 256Mb Viking Cards

The only failure I have had is with the San Disk 2Gb and even then I did not lose images.

Why so many cards - becuase I try not to delete from the card until I have 2 backups on different physical media and if I can wait until one of those backups is off-site.

I have 4 2gb cards 2 SanDisk Ultra II, that I have had since I bought my D200, have been fine. I recedntly bought a Kingston Elite (because it was $35) and a Exteme III (the Phase One Capture One LE promo). While if I compare the UltraII with either one I don't notice a difference. I notice the difference in the ammount of time the write light is on between the Kingston and the Extreme III. Just filled the Extreme III card only took less than 5 minutes to transfer to my HD. Does this make any practical difference in my photos, probably not, but the Extreme now is in my camera more than the others.

Tom

My post is neither truth nor hyperbole - it's personal experience and you have to decide whether what I write is either

a) worth thinking about
b) ignoring
c) taking a serious look at

I shoot a LOT, and I shoot FAST - meaning the card, while it's in the camera, is getting hammered with images constantly (I shoot a D2X, in compressed RAW+jpeg mode, so the file sizes are hefty too). When I pull cards, they're almost hot to the touch - so I tend to use em hard.

One card brand that I've had problems with is the Delkins - outside of the fact that they are slower than christmas to a toddler compared to the best from Lexar and Sandisk, I've had them go corrupt on me - haven't lost an image on one thanks to the data rescue type programs, and I've had a few arrive absolutely dead on arrival right out of the box, unable to even be formatted.

I tend to look at it this way - and I'm not at all saying YOU (or anyone else) has to agree - I'm using an expensive camera (and that doesn't have to be a D2X - honestly, even a d200, relative to card costs, is expensive), expensive lenses, moderately expensive lights (or, if I'm shooting landscape, I've spent a fair sum of $ getting to a location in plane fare, etc) - so the choice of using a second tier/cheaper card just doesn't make sense to me - why not just use the best stuff to start with?

I doubt you're going to find the SI pro's on the sidelines with some third tier never-heard-it-before card, are you?

I admit I'm from the school of thought where you try and use the best stuff - I scorn third party cheap inks, cheap papers, and cheap cards, and a lot of that is because I want to minimize reliability issues by keeping quality high all around, and I also strive to take good shots and produce quality work (not that the brand of CF has anything to do with quality work - this is more of a general philosophy)

I hope that answers your question....

-m

jaba said:

fjp said:

You can get a SanDisk card reader that
actually utilizes this speed and unload a 4GB card into your
computer iin less than 2 minutes.

Click to expand...

I do not have USB 2.0 in my laptop but I have a Firewire
connection: Are those Firewire? If not, which ones you know?

Click to expand...

It was just shipped last night so I don't have it yet, but I have it on the best authority (the WEB documentation) that it is a firewire. I think for streaming transfers, firewire is what you want anyhow. It comes with cables, too, and they're relatively expensive.

--
http://www.pbase.com/fjp
FJP, Software Developer

You might want to read this thread from ealier re: CF speeds, and CF readers. There is some very interesting information posted in the thread with facts, rather than opinions!

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1023&message=20375526
--
Jeffrey H. Ferguson

Not all cards work on all cameras. I have a SimpleTech 2G CF card that works on a D1x, works on a D2x, but is not recognized by a D2h. SimpleTech 512MB and 1GB cards work on all three cameras, as do 2GB and 4GB Sandisk Ultimate and Extreme cards.

Nikon cameras seem to like Sandisk cards, and they are the most often mentioned in the Nikon compatibility guide.

That's a thought . . . . I know most cameras can't take advantage of the high speed cards that are out today . . even the high end cameras, but I never thought about the CF card speed 'read' from a card reader upload to the computer.

Gordon J Smith said:

The speed rating of the card definitely matters. Go to Rob
Galbraith's site and check out the card performance data base.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007

He also has a nice section on card readers, showing the relative
speeds of a number of them on various different platforms.

If you are dumping 4 or 8 gig cards during an event, you have to
have the process completes ASAP. Card speed rating is critical
here.

For shooting, however, card speed isn't that critical, unless
you're doing high speed sportshooting with a large MP camera. I
can't recall ever having an issue with my Lexar 32x or 40x cards,
but can tell you they are butt-slow when it comes to downloading
compared to my 80x, 133x or my new Sandisk Extreme IV cards.

I would strongly recommend you get the fastest card for your camera
in the price range you choose.

Good luck

Nice images on your site, BTW

Gordon

Click to expand...

--
Knox
--
Avatar Photography
http://www.avatarphotoart.com
Alley Cats . . . Urban Tails (the book)
http://www.urbantailsbook.com
http://www.alleycatphotos.com
http://www.pbase.com/streetkid

fjp said:

jaba said:

fjp said:

You can get a SanDisk card reader that
actually utilizes this speed and unload a 4GB card into your
computer iin less than 2 minutes.

Click to expand...

I do not have USB 2.0 in my laptop but I have a Firewire
connection: Are those Firewire? If not, which ones you know?

Click to expand...

It was just shipped last night so I don't have it yet, but I have
it on the best authority (the WEB documentation) that it is a
firewire. I think for streaming transfers, firewire is what you
want anyhow. It comes with cables, too, and they're relatively
expensive.

Click to expand...

I got it tonight. It is indeed firewire. See my post for the impressive timings, and how CF card brands DO matter:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=21090293

--
http://www.pbase.com/fjp
FJP, Software Developer

a good reason for LEXAR.....

see final resolution of this thread ... Catastrophic failure of Lexar Pro 4GB 133X CF card . .