Reliable CFast cards for 1D X Mark II

Hi,

Been searching around a bit trying to decide which CFast cards to get for the 1D X Mark II. I've always used SanDisk CF and SD cards in all my cameras, but seems like there's been quite a few reliability problems with their CFast cards. Started looking into Lexar and sure enough there are issues there too. But then again perhaps this is all just a case of finding what I'm looking for (reliability issues).

There numerous discussions about this topic, however they all seem to date back to early-mid 2016. Thought I'd ask here for a more up-to-date view on what you guys have found to be reliable CFast cards to use with the camera, both for photos and 4K 50/60fps video.

Your input is much appreciated.
 

unfocused

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I own Lexar, SanDisk and Transcend and have not had any problems beyond the initial SanDisk glitch that Canon fixed with a firmware work-around. Lexar seems to be in very short supply, probably due to the brand being sold. All my Lexar cards date from when they were owned by Micron.
 
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ethanz

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sanj said:
I am in Israel filming and my delkin failed on me

How did it fail? Error 70?

Error 70 has happened to me a few times with my Delkin card, but I had to do a deep format of it on a computer to refresh it. Then it worked fine. Other than that, I haven't had any problems with the cheaper Delkin cards.
 
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Jack Douglas

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My 128 Transcend CFX600 has been doing fine including limited 4K60. However, I paid half of what it is now and am reluctant to reorder at the inflated price. For this summer I want at least one 256 but won't buy the Sandisk or similar, I'll gamble on a cheaper variety. Would love to hear of a good deal somewhere.

Jack
 
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All I can say that the San Disk CFast sucks for me. I had San Disk replace three CFast 2.0 64 GB Extreme cards already twice since early 2016 when the 1DX2 came out.
Once I had a complete failure and lost about 1 week of shooting in California since I was stupid enough not to perform backups and rely on the card. However - that wont have happened if I had used the Compact Flashs I believe.
The other issue is that the cards slow down after a while (to only 5 MB / sec!!!). The cards can be specially refreshed with a "Full Format and Refreshment Tool" which SD sent to me. However - sometimes it wont work and the cards keeps slow or the die and wont be recognized any more.
I sent a video to proove the slowness of the CFast to San Disk without any reaction first but then they wanted to exchange the cards.
From my experience I would avoid San Disk CFast cards if you can.
 
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Jan 29, 2011
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Silverman said:
All I can say that the San Disk CFast sucks for me. I had San Disk replace three CFast 2.0 64 GB Extreme cards already twice since early 2016 when the 1DX2 came out.
Once I had a complete failure and lost about 1 week of shooting in California since I was stupid enough not to perform backups and rely on the card. However - that wont have happened if I had used the Compact Flashs I believe.
The other issue is that the cards slow down after a while (to only 5 MB / sec!!!). The cards can be specially refreshed with a "Full Format and Refreshment Tool" which SD sent to me. However - sometimes it wont work and the cards keeps slow or the die and wont be recognized any more.
I sent a video to proove the slowness of the CFast to San Disk without any reaction first but then they wanted to exchange the cards.
From my experience I would avoid San Disk CFast cards if you can.

All CFast cards need to be "sanitized" occasionally to maintain the best performance from them, it is no mystery and the utility is freely available.

https://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17370/~/cfast-2.0-full-format-and-refresh-tool

I have two Sandisk CFast 2.0 cards and have used them without issue.
 
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Thanks everybody for your input. Much appreciated.

I'm going to go with the Lexar 3600x series. Don't know if they actually are any more reliable then the SanDisk equivialent, but there doesn't seem to be many (if any) issues reported with the Lexar 3600x. Gives me some peace of mind at least when it's not possible to mirror to the CF card.

Click said:
Can we also "sanitized" Lexar Cfast cards with this?

I read somewhere yesterday (can't remember where, sorry) that the newer SanDisk cards do not need to be sanitized by software. Perhaps this is also the case for Lexar cards? Just a speculation though.

unfocused said:
I have a sanitize cycle on my dishwasher. Can I just use that?

Please let us know how this works out for you. ;D
 
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unfocused said:
As an FYI, Photo Rumors reports that the company formed by former Lexar Execs have now released their new cards.

https://photorumors.com/2018/03/28/prograde-memory-cards-now-available/

Thanks for sharing this.

Apparently they have some people from SanDisk as well. The price point of these new ProGrade CFast cards is quite remarkable, pretty much half compared to Lexar 3600x (assuming they are comparable in quality).

I see they are designed to work in temperatures down to 32°F / 0°C, which is a bit worrying for me seeing as temperatures here are well below that for several months a year. It was also mentioned earlier in this thread that this is also the case with (some?) SanDisk cards. Haven't found anything on working temperature for the Lexar 3600x. Perhaps all CFast2.0 cards share this limit? If that's the case I'll just have to use CF cards when the temperature goes below.

Anyone successfully used their CFast cards in temperatures below 32°F / 0°C without issues?
 
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unfocused

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AlexB said:
...Anyone successfully used their CFast cards in temperatures below 32°F / 0°C without issues?

Reading this thread, that's the first I've heard of this. I can't say that I've ever paid attention to how cold it was when I've shot in the winter. Due to past frostbite and circulation issues, my hands usually give out before anything else.

But, I would say that given how hot these little buggers seem to run, I wonder what kind of outside temp would be necessary to get the actual card inside the camera down below freezing.
 
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unfocused said:
But, I would say that given how hot these little buggers seem to run, I wonder what kind of outside temp would be necessary to get the actual card inside the camera down below freezing.

This is a good point. I thought of it after I made my previous post, and I guess it could perhaps be an issue if you've been out for a while with the camera in a backpack letting it get cold before using it. Never really thought about this until I read the comment in this thread. Maybe I just shouldn't worry about it.
 
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Jul 29, 2012
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AlexB said:
Click said:
Can we also "sanitized" Lexar Cfast cards with this?

I read somewhere yesterday (can't remember where, sorry) that the newer SanDisk cards do not need to be sanitized by software. Perhaps this is also the case for Lexar cards? Just a speculation though.

Thank you for the info, Alex
 
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Mar 25, 2011
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djack41 said:
I was shooting with a friend who had a Sandisk Cfast fail in his 1dx2. The temp was about 25 degrees. He discovered the hard way that the lowest operating temp for Cfast is 32 degrees!! I believe this is the real reason the 1DX2 also uses a CF card in the other slot.

It may be something to consider, some cards are more rugged. They don't work well at low temps and must be warmed up to freezing to work reliably, except that there are more rugged cards.

Of course, the operating temperature rating for a D1X MK II is 32 degrees F, so getting a card that works at lower temperatures may be wasted money. Cameras have internal memory in the processors, buffer chips, etc and they are apparently also rated at 32 degrees.

From the Canon Web Site - D1X MK II operating Temperature:

Working Temperature Range 32-113°F/0-45°C Working Humidity Range 85% or less


https://www.sandisk.com/home/memory-cards/cfast/extremepro-cfast-2d

Tested Under Extreme Conditions This memory card can operate in temperatures ranging from -4ºF to 158ºF (-20ºC to 70ºC).
 
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