5D Mark III -- Compact Flash (CF) or Secure Digital (SD / SDHC)?

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#23
Rob Galbraith tests new camera and comes up with empirical numbers for most popular camera models. I am sure the raft of recent announcements will show up on his list shortly such as the 5D3. 1DX, D800, D4.

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

The only time I have seen issues with buying something faster than the device (or user for that matter) would be putting racing skies on an amateur skier ;D
 
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#24
marvinhello said:
Old Shooter said:
I'm excited about the backup! Wedding shooters/Event photographers will appreciate the peace of mind!

You can get SanDisk's Extreme Pro (90 MB/s) 64GB SDXC for $190...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/824149-REG/SanDisk_SDSDXPA_064G_A75_Extreme_Pro_64GB_SDHC_SDXC.html

Their Extreme Pro (90 MB/s - UDMA 6) 64GB CF is $390...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/646880-REG/SanDisk_SDCFXP_064G_A91_64GB_Extreme_Pro_CompactFlash.html

For you speed demons, their (100 MB/s - UDMA 7) 128GB CF is $800... :o Spendy!
Click to expand...

Note that the 95MB/s Extreme Pro SDXC is UHS-1 standard, it's still unknown if 5D3 supports UHS-1, if not, maximum speed will be capped at around 30MB/s
Click to expand...

Good point! But if the CF slot supports UDMA 7, why would they handicap the SD slot to not support UHS-1?

Also, the T3i supports UHS-1, so I would imagine the 5DIII would... But, time will tell!
 
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#25
First post!!! At some point reading just isn't enough. ;D

I use a canon 60D so I know some about SD cards and close to none about CF. So I figured I'd share and then ask a question.

The Class on SD cards is a minimum writing speed which is supposed to be guaranteed even at non-optimal conditions. So technically you could have a class 4 that writes much faster than 4MB/s. Sandisk is known for having much higher write speeds then the class rating.

Also if you are looking for a review on SD cards on the 1D mark IV look here.
http://www.slashgear.com/sdhc-flash-memory-performance-on-canon-eos-1d-mark-iv-2082467/

And here for a good comparison site.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sdxc-sdhc-uhs-i,2940-12.html

Now for my question. I normally buy SDHC cards no bigger than 8gb for fear of "putting all your eggs in one basket". SD cards are known for going bad sometimes. Does this happen with CF cards as well? I'd love to get bigger storage CF cards (for a mark II i'll prolly buy soon once the "price drop" happens *crossing fingers*) if they are more reliable.
 
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#26
I'm of the opinion that neither format (CF or SD) are superior. Of the SD/CF cards that I've had fail, they are usually of a very low quality, which is perfectly fine for some people as their career doesn't depend on the card.

I will most likely have this configuration:
- 64GB CF card: RAW originals
- 8GB Eye-Fi Pro X2: High quality JPG

The options are limitless if you have a laptop and know how to create scripts.
 
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#27
richard_mitchell said:
I'm of the opinion that neither format (CF or SD) are superior. Of the SD/CF cards that I've had fail, they are usually of a very low quality, which is perfectly fine for some people as their career doesn't depend on the card.

I will most likely have this configuration:
- 64GB CF card: RAW originals
- 8GB Eye-Fi Pro X2: High quality JPG

The options are limitless if you have a laptop and know how to create scripts.
Click to expand...

Good observations!

For weddings/events/portraits, I was thinking:
-64GB CF card for RAW + JPEG Large
-64GB SDXC card backing up the CF card for insurance!

Are you using the Eye-Fi Pro now? I was wondering how that would work for things like dances, etc...?

Thanks!
 
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#28
Re: Best cards for 5D Mark III? SD & CF

this is extremely confusing for me. on amazon the sandisk extreme pro 16gb SD at 95 mb/s is 70$ the CF card at 90mb/s is 110$ .... why would a faster/smaller card be cheaper? why wouldnt everyone just buy the SD?

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-Performance-SDSDXPA-016G-A75-Packaging/dp/B006FKD01K/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1330793569&sr=8-15

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-16GB-Extreme-memory-card/dp/B002OL80UK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1330793653&sr=8-3
 
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#29
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#30
Re: Best cards for 5D Mark III? SD & CF

tt said:
Looking at Sandisk cards in the 8-32GB range -

Does anyone have any recommendations between the 60MB/s & 90MB/s?
£80 gets you 1x 60MB/s 16GB SanDisk Extreme 400x UDMA CF
£129 gets you 1x 90MB/s 16GB SanDisk Extreme Pro 600x UDMA CF

£59 gets you 1x SanDisk 16GB Extreme Pro 95MB/s SDHC
£120 gets you 1x SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro 95MB/s SDHC
£95 gets you 2x SanDisk 16GB Extreme Pro 45MB/s SDHC Card

What would be good for a) video or b) Taking a series of shots - would the different cards hit buffer full at different times?

Would you go for a 32GB 60MB/s CF cards for more GB for video (AI-I looks a GB eater!)? Or 2x 16GB 90MB/s CF cards?



Edit - Reading http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2012/5d3_hd_video_features.shtml?categoryId=122

* HD 50 fps or 60 fps recording places the greatest demands on memory card speed, especially during ALL-I recording. Required read/write speed during HD 720p ALL-I recording for CF cards is 30 MB/sec; for SD cards, 14MB/sec.
Click to expand...

CF cards – UDMA "mode 7" support
SD cards – SD, SDHC, or SDXC-compliant cards are supported
(not compatible with UHS-I high-speed writing)
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Have a look at the prices on play.com, they have a 16GB Extreme Pro CF card at £89.99. I recently got one a bit cheaper again from Robert White, but it was during a special offer.

Robert White still have them on special at £78.
 
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#31
crasher7 said:
CF has a huge durability factor in it's favor as well. I've cracked a few SD cards in my time. Not too mention what my kids have done to theirs!
Click to expand...

As a connector design engineer, I'd be more concerned with damage to my camera, since a trip for repair and replacement of the CF header is very expensive.

I've had three cameras with bent or broken CF pins in the camera, plus one that was shorted by a bad CF card and needed a new internal power supply board. Two were p&S bodies that I threw out, I was able to repair the DSLR since I do have repair tools.

The pin in camera concept violates all the reliability and safety rules for pin and socket arrangements. The pin side of a connection should never have power applied while disconnected. Bend one against another and your camera can be damaged or ruined.

Cracking a SD card would be the least of my worries, it would let me keep on taking photos by merely using another card and tossing the broken one. Soiling one is nothing, just wipe it off. but contaminate the sockets of a CF card and you may not see they are blocked up, and it can ruin your camera.
 
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#32
wamsankas said:
this is extremely confusing for me. on amazon the sandisk extreme pro 16gb SD at 95 mb/s is 70$ the CF card at 90mb/s is 110$ .... why would a faster/smaller card be cheaper? why wouldnt everyone just buy the SD?

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-Performance-SDSDXPA-016G-A75-Packaging/dp/B006FKD01K/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1330793569&sr=8-15

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-16GB-Extreme-memory-card/dp/B002OL80UK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1330793653&sr=8-3
Click to expand...

The price of memory seems to rise and fall alot especially on Amazon. These new cards are not supported on necessarily all older devices, that would be my guess as to why they are not selling at a higher premium now. I would also not be shocked to see the price actually increase substantially over the next year though that is speculation .

I have had no problems with compatibility using 60D, Toshiba Thrive tablet (3 months old), H.P. laptop (7 months old)internal card reader and Costco & Walgreens photo centers while on vacation.

My frame rate is impressive with the 60D. The buffer never fills now even when writing RAW & L. JPEGs at the same time and surprisingly seems to actually surpass the 60D's indicated specks.

I would like to clarify as to the cards going through the wash :-\ . It wasn't done on purpose :o and the cards are fine :D . I've always bought SanDisk higher quality cards and have not had any failures whether CF or SD knock on wood.
 
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#37
Picked up an Eye-Fi Pro card and threw it in my S100 while I wait for the 5DM3. After watching a few marketing videos from Eye-Fi, my thoughts were to have the EyeFi sync with my iPad and display the JPGs generated near realtime for things like studio headshot work. Figured I could give clients some assurance/feedback as the shoot progressed rather than stopping to show the back of my camera.

Just so you all know, even with the 12.1mp S100 jpgs, the transfer rate is pretty damn slow, even on my home network wifi. It seemed to take between 30 and 45 seconds per image. After a few images the pipeline seemed to stop, and I had to restart the S100 and iPad2 app a few times to get it going again.

It was my first time playing with it all, so maybe I noobed it up, but my experience with it so far is a little less encouraging for those purposes.

Hell, it's still incredible, just nowhere close to realtime.
 
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#38
kennethpfeifer said:
Picked up an Eye-Fi Pro card and threw it in my S100 while I wait for the 5DM3. After watching a few marketing videos from Eye-Fi, my thoughts were to have the EyeFi sync with my iPad and display the JPGs generated near realtime for things like studio headshot work. Figured I could give clients some assurance/feedback as the shoot progressed rather than stopping to show the back of my camera.

Just so you all know, even with the 12.1mp S100 jpgs, the transfer rate is pretty damn slow, even on my home network wifi. It seemed to take between 30 and 45 seconds per image. After a few images the pipeline seemed to stop, and I had to restart the S100 and iPad2 app a few times to get it going again.

It was my first time playing with it all, so maybe I noobed it up, but my experience with it so far is a little less encouraging for those purposes.

Hell, it's still incredible, just nowhere close to realtime.
Click to expand...

Just so you know there's a separate thread discussing Eye-Fi experiences started here:
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,4621.0.html
Did you use the iPad app Shuttersnitch to connect your S100 to the iPad?
Just so you know, Rob Galbraith looks like he's spent a fair bit of time researching various Eye-Fi setups.

Paul Wright
 
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#39
Mt Spokane Photography said:
The newer Canon model might write to a CF card much faster than the 5D MK II did. I'll need to see some tests before going out and buying a super fast card.

I believe that It takes SDXC cards which have larger potential capacity and speed, but you might need a new card reader for them.
Click to expand...
UDMA 7, the latest fastest CF option. Def a plus for video but for photo 60mb/s up to 150 will all work fine. Chuck westfall says the faster the better just be above 30mb/s for the best experience. That is a synopsis of what i read on a post that he answered questions, not sure where.
 
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#40
darryl said:
First post!!! At some point reading just isn't enough. ;D

I use a canon 60D so I know some about SD cards and close to none about CF. So I figured I'd share and then ask a question.

The Class on SD cards is a minimum writing speed which is supposed to be guaranteed even at non-optimal conditions. So technically you could have a class 4 that writes much faster than 4MB/s. Sandisk is known for having much higher write speeds then the class rating.

Also if you are looking for a review on SD cards on the 1D mark IV look here.
http://www.slashgear.com/sdhc-flash-memory-performance-on-canon-eos-1d-mark-iv-2082467/

And here for a good comparison site.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sdxc-sdhc-uhs-i,2940-12.html

Now for my question. I normally buy SDHC cards no bigger than 8gb for fear of "putting all your eggs in one basket". SD cards are known for going bad sometimes. Does this happen with CF cards as well? I'd love to get bigger storage CF cards (for a mark II i'll prolly buy soon once the "price drop" happens *crossing fingers*) if they are more reliable.
Click to expand...
My experiences with the 24 or so cards i have
Sandisk never fail

Kingston failed 2-32 gig cards out of 4 in a 4 card purchase were corrupt and unusable within the first 2 times i used them. Dont ever compromise on card quality if you make money in photography.

Lexar i have no experience but it will be my next card at 1000x 150mb/s, just not soon. Never heard complaints about that card brand.
 
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