5Dlll CF/SD

[Leopard Lupus]

Hello CR!

As many others, I will be investing in the 5D mk lll.

The only question I have, and have not been able to find the answer of, is why exactly did Canon choose to use a combination of two different card formats for a single body? I think it's great we have a 5D with a dual slot, but is there an advantage to having both, or restrictions? Do we know yet?

Thanks in advance!

[niccyboy]

The 1ds mk2, 1dsmk3, 1d mk2, 1d mk3, 1d mk4 also has this combo...

I am glad it is coming to this level of camera... not just the top camera


Especially considering I had a card die on me recently... a backup would have been nice.

[DJL329]

The 1ds mk2, 1dsmk3, 1d mk2, 1d mk3, 1d mk4 also has this combo...

I am glad it is coming to this level of camera... not just the top camera


Especially considering I had a card die on me recently... a backup would have been nice.

And the 1D X is Canon's first and only dSLR that has 2 CF slots, so to expect the 5D Mk III to also have 2 CF slots would have been unrealistic.

The advantage to having an SD slot is that you can have a cheaper backup.  It's also easier to locate an SD card in an "emergency" (run out of space on a trip, have a card fail, etc.) or even to share between cameras.

[fotoray]

Hello CR!

As many others, I will be investing in the 5D mk lll.

The only question I have, and have not been able to find the answer of, is why exactly did Canon choose to use a combination of two different card formats for a single body? I think it's great we have a 5D with a dual slot, but is there an advantage to having both, or restrictions? Do we know yet?

Thanks in advance!

I read in one 5D3 review (link below) speculation that 2 CF slots would not fit into the camera body size that Canon had settled on. If so, this choice was not for a technical reason.  I wish it had 2 CF slots, as I have a good supply of them, but don't have any SD cards - and wouldn't buy them for any other reason.  Having two slots is a new idea for me, so I will have to give it a try once my 5D3 arrives.

http://blog.planet5d.com/2012/03/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-hands-on-what-isnt-in-the-canon-press-release

[Kernuak]

The CPS rep yesterday was of the opinion that the SD slot was used, so that there was an upgrade path from the lower end crop cameras. I also commented (as others here have), that it's easier to get an SD card in an emergency, as they tend to be sold everywhere, even if they aren't good quality.

[marekjoz]

I'm also glad they are not both CF. Beside the reasons given above most new laptops have SD card reader. I already was in the situation, when I left home a CF card reader with USB cable.
I would rather look at this as an add on - better to have +SD, than one CF only.

[fotoray]

I'm also glad they are not both CF. Beside the reasons given above most new laptops have SD card reader. I already was in the situation, when I left home a CF card reader with USB cable.
I would rather look at this as an add on - better to have +SD, than one CF only.

Good point about laptop SD interface; reduces what you have to haul around in the field.   

[Murray M]

Which CF and SD cards are best? What are best strategies?

1) Is it true that the 5DM3 needs UDMA-7 CF cards to work optimally?
2) Is it best to always have the SD card shadow the CF card as backup?
3) If so, do you record Raw to CF and Jpeg to SD--or Raw to both?
4) Or do you find it's better to reserve the SD card as "extra space"?
5) Is faster better no matter what--or is there a point where I'm wasting money?
6) Any other thoughts on best strategies for operating systems with dual CF and SD cards?

I'll use it for photo and video in a studio.

[Drizzt321]

1) What does optimally mean? Do you mean write to the card as fast as possible? Then yes, because of course UDMA7 is going to be a lot faster than a cheap CF card. But the other fast (but not fastest) cards will still work great.
2) Depends on what you want, and if you need high speed writing. If so, you'll need to have a card that can keep up pretty close to the CF card.
3 & 4) I've never shot with a dual card, so not sure what I'm going to do, haven't thought about it much yet.
5) Ah...what are your needs? Do you need to flush out the burst mode buffer as fast as possible? Or do you take a couple of shots a second at most? If the former, it might make sense, if the later, any of the reasonably fast cards should more than suite your needs.

[Murray M]

I'm curious about the write speeds of the 5DM3--I'd like to avoid paying for speed I can't use. At the same time, I hate waiting on the camera when the talent is ready.

[DJL329]

1) Is it true that the 5DM3 needs UDMA-7 CF cards to work optimally?

Canon's "Feature" list simply states that a "UDMA CF card" is required (fifth bullet-point down):

Outstanding shooting performance: up to 6.0 fps continuous shooting using a UDMA CF card.

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_5d_mark_iii#Features

[nikespex]

5) Is faster better no matter what--or is there a point where I'm wasting money?

I'll use it for photo and video in a studio.

I had many of these same questions yesterday so I did some research.  One thing that I took away is that most modern CF cards should be capable of keeping up with the video.  So long as it can write 15MB/sec it should be fine for video - no need to buy an ultra high end card for video.

For photos, speed comes into play when you're shooting bursts.  Once the 5D Mark III's buffer fills up, the speed of your CF card will determine how quickly you can get back to shooting.  Found a great demo illustrating this in action here:

Lexar Professional 600x CompactFlash Cards	Small | Large

[fotoray]

1) Is it true that the 5DM3 needs UDMA-7 CF cards to work optimally?

Canon's "Feature" list simply states that a "UDMA CF card" is required (fifth bullet-point down):

Outstanding shooting performance: up to 6.0 fps continuous shooting using a UDMA CF card.

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_5d_mark_iii#Features

This only means that you need an UDMA card IF you need 6 fps.   You can use other CF cards and if speed is not needed - like when shooting landscapes.  So UDMA isn't "required"

[Murray M]

5) Is faster better no matter what--or is there a point where I'm wasting money?

I'll use it for photo and video in a studio.

I had many of these same questions yesterday so I did some research.  One thing that I took away is that most modern CF cards should be capable of keeping up with the video.  So long as it can write 15MB/sec it should be fine for video - no need to buy an ultra high end card for video.

For photos, speed comes into play when you're shooting bursts.  Once the 5D Mark III's buffer fills up, the speed of your CF card will determine how quickly you can get back to shooting.  Found a great demo illustrating this in action here:
Lexar Professional 600x CompactFlash Cards

Awesome info--great video--thanks!

[Old Shooter]

Another point, you can get SD cards with WiFi...  If you were shooting an event you could have JPEG's transmitted to your assistant's laptop for display or on-site sales...

Also, if you are trying to get every bit of performance out of the FPS...  A "regular" CF card gives you 65 JPEG's, or 13 RAW, or 7 RAW+JPEG... A UDMA 7 card gives you 16,270 JPEG's (LOL! Would the shutter melt?), 18 RAW, or 7 RAW+JPEG... This little tidbit is not going to interest landscape shooters in the least!