How much memory and how many cards ????

Robert A. Johnson

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Have a G1 and am currently only using a 2gb card times 2. Wondering how big I should go for my next cards, what manuf, and what is everyone else using now days and the thoughts behind the actions ???

Bob J
 
I have 2 x 16gb cards.

I just traveled 1 month and filled only one card.

Well, I am planning to do more video so a big card is always welcome.

Cheers,
Paulo
 
I have 2 x 16gb cards.

I just traveled 1 month and filled only one card.

Well, I am planning to do more video so a big card is always welcome.
I am one of those people with only occasional needs for short video clips (on my LX3), but my G1 is obviously for still images only. I find a couple of 4GB cards fulfills my needs very well.
 
For stills I carry several 4gb cards instead of one large card because I prefer not to keep all of my eggs in one basket.

If I were shooting video as well then I would still use several cards but of a higher capacity.
--

Charles
My family images are at http://www.stakeman.smugmug.com
Be sure of your subject.
Never, force the shot.
 
I started buying 4 gig back when I used DVD for backups -- one card fits a DVD. I now backup to external hard drives, so can use larger cards. I got the 8 gig because it came with a free reader, which I needed, but find it saves me some card changes.

I prefer Sandisk based on my own good luck with them over 12 years of digital photography, plus the reports I see online. I do have some other brands, though, especially in my CF card set and have had very few failures even with cheapies.

Shooting raw plus best JPEG in the G1 I can sometimes fill 16 gig in a day. Lord only knows what I'll do when I take up video.

Gato
--
Street Fashion and Alternative Portraits:
http://www.silvermirage.com
 
Have a G1 and am currently only using a 2gb card times 2. Wondering how big I should go for my next cards, what manuf, and what is everyone else using now days and the thoughts behind the actions ???
I have two main 8 GB cards and one slower 8 GB card in spare.

Regarding the size it really depends how much and which format you're shooting. On my GF1 I'll have all fine JPEG+RAW plus some MJPEG video every now and then. A single 8 GB card will usually be fine for a full day of shooting (most shots are considered before releasing the shutter but at social events snapshots tend to pile up on the card more quickly), sometimes I need to delete coasters "on site" though to make room for fresh shots. It doesn't make sense to buy a bigger card than you really need "just in case" as prices are dropping constantly and having a spare card to complement your main card is some times a nice thing too.

Far more important for me is the speed: If you're shooting bursts or RAW or video you might want to have at least a real class 6 card (I'm saying real because I have this spare class 6 8 GB as mentioned above which does not really match class 6 criteria which can be really annoying especially for video, which your G1 won't be able to do though ;)). Class 10 tend to be somewhat affordable now, so you might want to consider it. Oh and forget about a seperate speed rating some vendors tend to give their products; it's mostly marketing BS which will really cost your some extra cash without any real benefit, especially it's something like a 10MB/s class 2 card, or a 20MB/s (or even 30) class 6, a decent > =20MB/s card will have class 10 rating. Period.

Regarding brand: I can recommend Kingston, Transcend, Lexar, SanDisk, Toshiba, ExtreMemory (still in testing here but very good the 3 months I had it). Stay the heck away from A-Data and companies you never heard of.

--
Servus, Daniel
 
backup.

I shoot raw and video.

Never had to go to any of the backup cards.

BC
 
As to ExtreMemory: Have bought 2 16GB cards, both are gone within 3 month! But not on stills, they brake during video! So I will stay away from ExtreMemory.
With Sandisk or Kigston I never have such problems.
 
As to ExtreMemory: Have bought 2 16GB cards, both are gone within 3 month! But not on stills, they brake during video! So I will stay away from ExtreMemory.
They still have the benefit of doubt here. Just checked the local Amazon and comparison sites. Unlike A-Data or some other "Noname" brands they don't appear to break more often than first class brands.
With Sandisk or Kigston I never have such problems.
There are people complaining about failing Sandisk or Kingston cards as well. Best thing is not to rely on the reliability of a single card...

--
Servus, Daniel
 
Are we just counting sd?

I have 36gb total. 1 8gb and the rest are 4's

range from panasonic, Sandisk, pny, fujifilm and Kingston. All are class 4 or higher. Kingston is the slowest but not bad, still handles full video recording on gf1. Others are about the same speed

--
Panasonic ... really? ...Panasonic?
 
I've had no problems with Transcend, PNY or Sandisk. Also, I've found it's helpful to format the card every time you offload photos, that is, don't just delete the photos, reformat the card in the camera in which you intend to use it. I've run into folks who've had problems, & the only variable I can find is that they just delete the photos without reformatting.

Other than that, I think the size depends on your workflow. I don't travel much, so I have the habit of moving the files off the card to my PC, which is then backed up off site. I do this most days, & almost always within a day or so of shooting. This way if a card should die on me, I won't have lost very much. So (based on some good rules of thumb from other posters here) figure out how much you need to get from one shooting period (day? week? hour?) to the next & go from there. Fewer, smaller cards would also limit potential damage if one should go bad. Also, if you lag your purchases just behind the newest "largest" size, you get the best bargains, even on name brands.

Hope this is helpful.
--
=5cat=
 
I recently went around the world, over 3 months, taking stills only, and took 32 Gb in mainly 4Gb cards. Not having all your eggs in one basket, as insurance against theft or breakdown, is important.

Larger cards would be great for video, but 4Gb's are plenty for stills. Lexar and Sandisk are my brands - no trouble from any of them.

I also took a small portable Western Digital USB HDD (only 60Gb) as backup - I left the cards full after downloading to the HDD wherever a computer was available.

Cards are now dirt cheap and take up no space, so why not leave them full as a trip progresses.

(And I'm still processing those shots...:) !
 

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