Which CF card to buy?

[Wilbur]

Hi Everyone, I'll soon be making my first DSLR purchase (30D) and was wondering about the speeds of the CF cards. I don't want the CF card to be the limiting factor for the rate of data transfer but I don't want to waste my money on some super wazoo EXTREMELY fast CF card if the 30D can't utilize it either. Do you know what the optimum speed CF card is for this camera? Thanks so much,
--
Wilbur

 

[Glenn NK]

There is some information on page 54 of the 30D manual, but it also says that with higher speed cards the numbers quoted may be higher. It doesn't define "higher speed cards" though.

I have a 2 GB 50X CF made by Kingston, and with two tests, the limit was eleven (11) shots with RAW only - just what the manual predicts.

Perhaps someone else has tried a higher speed card and can add something to this.
--
Glenn NK
Victoria, BC

So much to buy - not enough time and money - too much GAS.

 

[Lenny L]

The definitive CF / camera database:

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007-8478

 

[dcains]

The RiData 4GB 150X CF cards are very quick, and inexpensive, too. I've got several for my 30D. Sold all my Ultra II's.

--
Regards,

Dean (dcains) - Lutz, FL

 

[Glenn NK]

Dean:

Using RAW with your 30D, can you shoot more than eleven (11) using 5 fps?

I guess my question is; does the higher speed CF (yours is 150X) allow more than eleven shots at the 5 fps rate? Or is it governed by the camera's buffer?
--
Glenn NK
Victoria, BC

So much to buy - not enough time and money - too much GAS.

 

[BlueEyesPhoto]

Dean:

Using RAW with your 30D, can you shoot more than eleven (11) using
5 fps?

I guess my question is; does the higher speed CF (yours is 150X)
allow more than eleven shots at the 5 fps rate? Or is it governed
by the camera's buffer?
--
Glenn NK
Victoria, BC

So much to buy - not enough time and money - too much GAS.

--

That's going to be governed by the camera's buffer speed. If you notice on the tests, they always stop at the camera's buffer limit. Because in reality, if you read the speed in which it rights, it corresponds to a certain number of pics per second. In order for the camera to continue writing to the card, it would have to dump at least 5 images off the buffer in order to increase your shots per second. Typically, you could see 1 or 2 extra shots, but usually those are not in the same rapid fire sequence.

Simply put, these card speeds do not have the power to keep up with the camera. For instance (I know this is crossing numbers, but it's still relevant) if you take a picture that's 5.2MB (a file from my 10D) and you use my card which has a 5.999 MS/sec speed (this is the crossover number because i'm using the speed of a 30D with the file size of a 10D). That means that it can write 1 file per second. So while on my 10D I can shoot 3 fps, when it gets to the buffer limit, it drops to 1 fps. Now, if the file size jumps, then of course my fps will drop even more.

So yes, the number of pictures you can take is limited by the camera buffer, but the difference between clearing those images off is with the card. If you have a slow card, you're going to wait longer before you can start shooting again. A 3 MB/sec card will take 2 seconds per 6 MB file, so if you fill the buffer with 11 shots, you'll be waiting 22 seconds before you can use your full burst mode again.

But to make a quick mention here, when you read the specs from flash card makers, they list it as mb not MB. Yes, sounds stupid, but it makes a huge difference. They are in fact different file sizes. Small b is one 1 or 0 while big B is a group of 1 and 0's. So 1 MB is more than 1 mb. Just thought you might find that helpful when looking at the card speeds. Otherwise, stick to Rob G's site, pretty good.

 

[Wilbur]

--
Wilbur

 

[Wilbur]

That's good info. I appreciate it,
--
Wilbur

 

[Sajal Sthapit]

check his CF database to see the performance or virtually all the cards available out there for any camera you would like to buy.
--
Sajal Sthapit
'A photograph is worth a thousand misleading words.'

 

[Wilbur]

BTW, where did you purchase those RiData CF cards? I was only able to find them at MyDigitalDiscount.com but have never heard of them.
--
Wilbur

 

[Wilbur]

--
Wilbur

 

[Lenny L]

BTW, where did you purchase those RiData CF cards? I was only able
to find them at MyDigitalDiscount.com but have never heard of them.

They're available from, among other places:

http://www.newegg.com
http://www.supermediastore.com
http://www.meritline.com

I've bought from all of them in the past, and they're fairly reputable stores. Newegg is a favorite with many people, but their shipping price is not as attractive.

I think supermediastore has the best price right now ($75 for 4GB, free shipping) but do check around - prices change frequently.

 

[severoon]

My take on CF cards is that you should get the most available. It's a fairly inexpensive item on your camera compared to the rest of your investment, but it's a single point of failure. If a lens breaks, you throw on another. If your body starts acting wonky, in all likelihood you can still keep shooting in some mode or another unless it's a critical failure. If your flash breaks, you can use natural light and a tripod. If your CF cards go, all the images on them are gone with them.

Also, I try to minimize downtime when transferring images, so I can get back out and shooting. Hence, I'd recommend picking up the new Sandisk Extreme IVs and the firewire card reader for uploading shots to your computer. Sure it's a couple of hundred more potentially, depending on how much space you need, but this is one area I think it's silly to compromise. (Plus, those extreme cards are bulletproof in terms of reliability, anecdotal evidence from particular people in these forums notwithstanding).

 

[jackkurtz]

The 11 shot limit is the limit regardless of the speed of the card. What does make a difference in terms of card speed is how quickly the buffer clears. On my 20D and 5D bodies, the buffer clears quicker with faster cards (in my case SanDisk Extreme III and Ultra II), allowing me to keep shooting or resume burst shooting.

I think you will see a noticeable speed difference between a 50X card and a 150X card. It may not be 3X faster but it will be considerably snappier.

jack
--
A few of my photos:
http://web.mac.com/kurtzjack/iWeb/ or
http://www.sportsshooter.com/members.html?id=4177

 

[ShudderBug]

but I picked up a 2gb Sandisk Ultra II at amazon (not a subvendor), $79.99, got another $10 off with a code I had, so it was $69.99, free shipping It's in my camera now. Since I started shooting RAW, my two Kingston 1gb cards fill up too fast.

I care about camera speed, buffer speed, but don't care about dl time with my card reader, it did seem to dump the card in less time than it took to do a 1gb card.

I can't find it now. They have an Extreme III 2gb card for $99.99, no free shipping, not such a good deal.

Shop around, there's got to be a good deal out there somewhere from a reliable vendor, also checked Dell, can't find anything.

buy.com has the Sandisk Ultra II 2gb compact flash for $79.95 with a $20 rebate, if you go that route, follow their instructions to the t, you have to submit within x days and have to send a printed receipt from their site, I lost out on one, got the other one. That is a good deal, says the rebate expires Oct 15, not much time, free shipping. I pay by check there and lost time, pay by cc if you go that route. They also have an Ultra II 4gb for $155.10, free ship, no rebate.

I don't like the mega cards in case they get corrupted.