What's the Biggest CF Card You'd Use?

I have a a 4Gb for my D2x as well as 2 - 2Gb and several smaller.

I find that the 4 Gb had been my favorite for active butterflies, scenics etc and provides 200 exposures.

I just bought an 8 Gb Lexar 133 which allows me to shoot all day without changing(about 400 NEF images) and use the 4Mb for back up. Including the rebate, the 8Mb cost $80 which I couldn't resist. I really see no point in having smaller cards and having to change them during the day. I think that the reason most of us favor the smaller cards is because they have historically cost less per Mb and durability has been rumored to be better. I test any new card before depending on it and use it in only one designated body.

Considering price, I would recommend going with the 8 unless you like to replicate the feeling of film in which case buy one that gives you 36 exposures

... you can download faster if you have 2 connected computers, or do them 'tag-team' when using just a laptop on the road (start downloading one, shoot onto another, swap etc)

I use a laptop plus a desktop with on-monitor card reader, and I find the card readers on both are the bottleneck, not the hard drives etc.

If I only used a 4GB card, I'd be tied up waiting a lot.
(don't have Extreme IV firewire)
Si.

I am doing time critial press stuff at the moment, and I use the same tag team method. I have one card copying while I am shooting the 2nd half of the shoot. Speeds me up no end. While the second card copies, I can be PPing the first photos and even sneaky in a cup of tea! ;-)

All cards are 2Gb ones.

Graham.
--
---
Graham Crichton
http://www.GrahamCrichton.com

JerryB said:

I don't feel that's a valid comparison. You further said that you
also use microdrives and if that works for you then that's great.
Personally, since a lot of my work is done in the field I don't
think they are tough enough for me. If you're work is primarily
done in the studio then they should work fine. I have no problem
"juggling" memory cards. They are clearly labeled and I have a
system that works well for me.

Click to expand...

I was being a little sarcastic (obviously), but I have been using the 4GB microdrives in the field (as well as in the studio) for years.

In reality, it is up to each user to use whatever method/capacity they are comfortable with. It's just the 'all your eggs in one basket' argument, I don't buy. While an 'accident' can occur anywhere (even in the studio), it is up to each of us to avoid the more obvious clutzy user problems that usually lead to card problems.

We have all seen the posts by some clutzy user who put his memory card through the wash because he forget it was in his pocket...

To me, putting the memory card in your pocket in the first place is just begging for a problem.

Anyway, I am comfortable using larger capacity cards. I like not having to be constantly changing cards in mid shoot. But to each their own.

JerryB said:

Rayna, your points are well taken but I think the difference in our
card size philosophy might be due to what and how we shoot plus the
habits we've picked up over the years. In some aspects of life it
is said that "size matters". At the end of the day, it really
makes no difference what size memory card is used as long as the
images are captured and the photographer and / or client is happy.

Click to expand...

Very true, especially the bit about our habits.

Cheers.

--

The greatest of mankind's criminals are those who delude themselves into thinking they have done 'the right thing.'

• Rayna Butler

chasg said:

I'm not 100% sure (so forgive me if I'm incorrect), but I think
that "Rayna" was the author of the quote at the end of that post,
not the poster's name

Click to expand...

LOL - very true. It's a character in the Dune Trilogy prequil. (The Butlerian Jihad, The Machine Crusade, The Battle of Corrin) Very good series, by the way.

--

The greatest of mankind's criminals are those who delude themselves into thinking they have done 'the right thing.'

• Rayna Butler

Ben
I entirely agree with your thoughts.
I too am using an 8Gb card and plan to buy another.

Lexar Pro 133 cards are available for $150 less a $70 rebate until the month of April. For $80 that is a steal.

Sorry, I meant when purchased by the end of April.

I take 10 8GB cards and 4 4GB cards with me on my shooting days. I primarily shoot youth sports (action not team pics) and I shoot in RAW, so I need all the space I can get.

I currently have in CF:

5 -4gig cards
7 -2 gig cards
1 -1 gig card
1 -512meg card+ assorted small 48/64/128 meg ones beating around....

I generally don't reformat for about 2 weeks after most shoots...by which time I have about 4 copies saved on other media.

generally use 2 and 4 interchangeably....rarely the smaller ones in camera......use them for image transfer to lab alot though....

familly also has SD and XD cameras...so a bunch of 512/1 gig and a couple of 2 gig in those formats as well....

--
Richard Katris aka Chanan

I have been using Raw only while some pros shoot RAW plus JPG. What are the advantages of the later option and how do you manage files with 2 of each image?
Thanks

Can't you get a WiFi setup that will automatically send all the files to a computer in real time?

Never seen it done, but there are a number of WiFi solutions out there and it seems like this would be the ideal studio solution for getting away from the pocketful of cards.

Well, this has been addressed in other forums, but it is a big enough worry that it keeps coming up in the various forums.

I currently use 2, 4, and 8 gig cards. The 8 gig SanDisk Extreme III cards are my current choice, as Canon lists them as the highest capacity that the 30D will fully support.

I use the USB connector to transfer images to my PC, and use the camera to format the card when the transfer is complete. Even though I carry spare cards, the 8 gig card is tough to fill up, even over a period of days. The result is that I hardly ever open the CF compartment to swap cards. Depending upon the shooting schedule, I can go for months without swapping out a CF card.

The reality of image security is that using multiple small capacity cards severely increases your chances of data loss compared to using one high capacity card, and leaving it in the camera body.

First, it is difficult to lose a card if you never take it out of the camera. No matter how well you try to secure your spare cards in your pocket or bag, they are far more subject to loss when they are not installed in the camera.

Second, constant swapping of cards is akin to begging for data failure caused by contact wear, dirt, or just plain bad card seating. Only swap out cards when you really have to. Otherwise, leave it happy, and protected from static electricity and the elements in the protected environment of the CF slot inside your camera.

Third, and most important, as bit density goes up with each generation of card technology, so does reliability. An 8, 12, or 16 gig card is much more reliable over time than a 2 gig card.

While I understand the paranoia that drives some people to carry a dozen 1 or 2 gig cards with them at all times, they are begging for trouble, as well as forcing themselves to keep a close eye on the remaining shots left on the current card, and protecting the full cards from loss.

Buy the largest capacity card that your camera will accept, and keep your spares on hand for emergencies. Use the USB port, and EOS Utility to transfer images, and be safe in the knowlege that you are way ahead on the data safety curve compared to those who swap cards like Hollywood actors swap spouses.

Sorry, but the small card protection scheme is a big lie in every detail. The only plan that provides better data protection than using one huge card is buing a camera that can write the same data to two huge cards at a time.

--
Voyager

Tatanka said:

Can't you get a WiFi setup that will automatically send all the
files to a computer in real time?

Click to expand...

Sort-of real time. I've been considering the WT-3, but it looks like in RAW mode it will take about 7.5 seconds per frame, so for a lot of studio shooting it will lag behind.

I currently use a USB2 cable for tethered shooting in the studio, which takes 2-3 seconds per frame, so can pretty much keep up.

Ben

--
Professional: http://www.photographybybenlovejoy.com
Personal: http://www.benlovejoy.com/photography/photos/
Kit & beginners' guides: http://www.benlovejoy.com/photography/

i use an 8 gig pqui and have for about 4-5 months. problems: zero.

TomHeaven said:

What's the biggest CF card you actually use?

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I have three 8GB cards, and three 4GB cards for backup. However, I often take one PSD with me for on-site backup, and when traveling, I always take two PSDs.

TomHeaven said:

What's the biggest CF card you'd be willing to use?

Click to expand...

The largest mature size (widely available for at least six-12 months) that's priced about the same per GB as the next smallest size. I'd pay a little more per GB for the capacity, but not a huge amount.

The "eggs in one basket" people wouldn't think of going on vacation in two minivans, splitting up their family between them, than in one minivan, to avoid losing the whole family in case of an accident. And yet, traffic accidents are much more common than bad memory card incidents, and most of us value our families more than our photographs.

Dave