Lexar CF cards FAIL - Sandisk?

[wyldeguy]

Be careful, though, not all Transcend cards use this technology, and I don't think the ones that don't have as good a reputation as either Lexar or Sandisk, from what I can tell. The only Transcends I know for sure have this is the one I linked to, and you can tell by the price (almost 3x the price of the regular Transcend cards), it's not cheap technology.

The page you linked shows a newer version of that card that is a 400x at only $28 and the 300x you linked is $128. I think there is a bigger issue there. The 400x card also has ecc and I have the 1000x and it also has the ecc. I have a feeling that the page you linked might be either in error or a scam. Not sure how anyone would buy that slow card for that money unless it was made of solid gold. I think I paid $70 for my transcend 1000x 32Gb card. My lexar 64Gb 1066x was $130 on sale I think and it has worked beautifully.

 

[LDS]

He is talking about a CF card not a SD card. Everything you said is true for SD cards. However, CF cards have a Hard Drive controller on board. So it is very much like reading a new HD on an old controller that does not support all the features. It could very well cause the card to fail over time.

The only real difference I know is that the TRIM command is not implemented until the UDMA7 spec. It can extended the life of a card because delete operations are handled far better. Other improvements AFAIK are for "secure erase" of data.
Otherwise reading the card at a slower speed should not have any adverse effect - the ATA interface (and SATA as well) were designed to be backward and forward compatible, for obvious commercial reasons.
Or Lexar means also you can't use one of its UDMA7 cards in an older camera that doesn't support UDMA7? Looks like the average clueless support rep attempting to sell you more stuff.

 

[LDS]

Yes, you are absolutely correct. And I had a Sandisk Extreme Pro SD card resting comfortably in my bag.

I keep one in a pocket were I can grab it quickly if something goes wrong... issues can be investigated later.

the cam was dead. No functions, nothing in the viewfinder, nothing. The first time this has ever happened.

I experienced something alike with a Transcend 32GB SD card in my 5DIII. The camera "goes crazy" - flashing LCD, non responding buttons - and other strange behaviours. Removed that card, and using others, all works without issues. After all those cards becomes part of the camera electronics, and it looks camera electronics is less "resilient" to some issue than, for example, computers electronics, if something doesn't work properly.

My advice in such situation is 1) Have some backup cards always with you 2) If something doesn't work, remove the cards, see what happens without - then insert another one. If your camera supports two cards, you can also wait to insert another one unless you really need two cards at once.

For the same reason I always have a spare battery at hand.

 

[eosuser1234]

I have used Lexar, Transcend, and Sandisk. I have only had problems with Lexar. It was with video, not still images, but even after sending it back to Lexar Japan, they claimed it was fine. Speedtest done with blackmagic speed checker however showed that faulty lexar running very very slow.

These days, I primarily use Transcend. Their professional line (600x and 1000x) is good stuff in my opinion.

I won't be buying lexar going forward.

 

[Maximilian]

Does this happen with Sandisk?

Hi Benhider!

I feel sorry for your loss of work/pictures as well as for all the trouble.

I have no experience with Lexar but I can tell you that i use several different (generations) Sandisk "Extreme Pro" CF cards for more than 5 years and some "Extreme" SDHC cards since about 6 months and have no issues till now. (hope it stays that way). This is just my personal experience and I'm sure, you'll also find someone like you that had issues with Sandisk.

I hope you'll find a solution for you that'll keep all that trouble away from you.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Just had my second Lexar 800x 8gb cf card fail this year!! Bought brand new from Calumet Photo in May. The first time was after formatting the card. Card showed it was only 32mb. Last night I had one fail while shooting a wedding. Right in the middle of the father daughter dance! I refuse to use cards larger than 8gb for this exact reason! Fortunately, I didn't lose a ton of stuff. But it was important stuff none the less. I think because this problem is being reported be several people, there is a definite issue here. I will not shoot with Lexar cards anymore EVER!! I can't afford to continue losing files like this. My clients pay too much money for my services to continue playing russian roulette with their cards!!

The report was 2 years old. There are just as many reports for other brands, some companies have refused to use Sandisk. So, cards fail, but you have to use something. I use both Sandisk and Lexar with no failures since my first memory card in 1998. I also use a backup card in my 5D MK III. For someone doing critical work its important to get a camera with a backup card. With low prices on a used 1D MK III, they are affordable for anyone really concerned. I use as large of a card as I can afford, which is dual 64GB cards right now. A Lexar 1000X CF card with a Sandisk SD card as backup.

 

[Maximilian]

... So, cards fail, but you have to use something. ... For someone doing critical work its important to get a camera with a backup card...

+ 1000

 

[beckstoy]

I've had a Lexar CF 100x 16gb card since I purchased my 5DM3 at its release, and it's been my Go-To card. Awesome, with no failures whatsoever. In fact, the outside is looking kinda drab since I handle it so much, but the internals work flawlessly.

I just ordered a Lexar CF 32gb, and did it without resitation because my past experiences were so good.

I've used 1 SanDisk SD card, and that card gave me a failure, so I use it only as a backup now.


I'm a Lexar guy.

 

[tron]

Up to now I have been using Sandisks (5 CF, 3 SD) and have no failure at all.

 

[expatinasia]

This is quite an old thread (and topic). We all know that the pro Lexar and pro SanDisk cards are among the best you can get. Unfortunately cards, from both manufacturers, do fail from time to time.

Some of us have used Lexar for years and never had a problem. Others swear by SanDisk and have never had a problem either. Others have had problems with one or another, and in extreme cases both manufacturers.

I seriously believe that neither manufacturer is better than the other.