Worth getting an SD card for 5D3?

[tpatana]

When you insert a SD card in a 5D MKIII also the writing speed to the CF card is reduced due to design by Canon.

It only slows down if you're writing to SD, (i.e., RAW to CF, JPEG to SD), just having it in there does not slow down writing to CF.

I remember reading someone did test on this (maybe at POTN), and the conclusion was that even having SD card in will slow down the CF card, because the data bus speed will default to slower speed. Having only CF will benefit higher data bus speed.

So I've never even inserted SD card. I guess I should try it works.

Disclaimer: I could be wrong, but I did read someone testing that and with such conclusion. I haven't tested myself.

I saw (probably) the same post, then I saw someone claim they were wrong... So I tested myself. There is no slowdown just having the SD in the camera, it only slows down if you are writing to it.

Ok, good to know. Not sure if I'll do it anyway, but I guess doesn't hurt. Especially if the CF became full, you can still catch the shot. Although CF shouldn't come full by surprise, that's just bad. I start getting nervous when I'm below 100 estimated shots.

I have a reception coming and I was planning to put 64GB SD in to double store everything. Most non-critical shoots, I don't think it's worth the trouble.

 

[RGF]

I use the sd card as overflow. When the cf is full, the camera writes to the sd. When shooting slows I swap out cf cards. If I have time I copy the few images on the sd card back to the cf card

 

[Rienzphotoz]

The question I have left, however, is whether anyone would trust ONLY an SD card? (For slower shootion situations of course.)

On a couple of occasions, I have used only an SD card on my 5D MK III and it works just fine ... did not notice any "slowdown" ... the cards I used were SanDisk 64GB and 32 GB SDXC Extreme Pro Class 10 UHS-I (Max Read Speed 95MB/s & Max Write Speed 90 MB/s) ... I also tried using only a SanDisk 16GB Extreme SDHC UHS-1 (Max Read/Write Speed 45 MB/s), which slowed down after a couple of shots. On both occasions I did not shoot more than 4 RAW + JPEG shots in quick succession. With my limited experience I suppose any SD card that is slower than 45 MB/s will significantly slowdown the 5D MK III (that is if you are using only SD card i.e. without the CF card). Since you are considering using only SD cards because they are cheaper, IMHO it is not worth saving a small amount on memory cards to be used on a camera which cost you around $3000.

 

[tpatana]

The question I have left, however, is whether anyone would trust ONLY an SD card? (For slower shootion situations of course.)

On a couple of occasions, I have used only an SD card on my 5D MK III and it works just fine ... did not notice any "slowdown" ... the cards I used were SanDisk 64GB and 32 GB SDXC Extreme Pro Class 10 UHS-I (Max Read Speed 95MB/s & Max Write Speed 90 MB/s) ... I also tried using only a SanDisk 16GB Extreme SDHC UHS-1 (Max Read/Write Speed 45 MB/s), which slowed down after a couple of shots. On both occasions I did not shoot more than 4 RAW + JPEG shots in quick succession. With my limited experience I suppose any SD card that is slower than 45 MB/s will significantly slowdown the 5D MK III (that is if you are using only SD card i.e. without the CF card). Since you are considering using only SD cards because they are cheaper, IMHO it is not worth saving a small amount on memory cards to be used on a camera which cost you around $3000.

One of the problem was that Canon used some old/slow controller on the SD-path, so fast card don't help as the bottleneck is inside the camera. I don't know what is the maximum speed from the camera, but after certain card speed it doesn't help going faster.

 

[dukem]

Your buffer is reduced if you write different files to each card (RAW to CF, JPG to SD). I find that I am better off with a little more buffer so I write the same to both. Recently we have been experimenting with using a large SD and multiple small CF. So, 1 64GB SD and smaller CF's. So, if a CF fails we have the SD as backup.

 

[Hannes]

Please put a 2 CF-card-slot in the 5D Mark IV. We don´t need sd-card for professional use.

I can't say I understand why they would do this mixing and matching of memory cards, it doesn't make much sense really apart from cost but even that can't be much.

 

[jdramirez]

Please put a 2 CF-card-slot in the 5D Mark IV. We don´t need sd-card for professional use.

I can't say I understand why they would do this mixing and matching of memory cards, it doesn't make much sense really apart from cost but even that can't be much.

I don't mind... I like having options. I have a 16gb sd card that I can use if the 8 gb cf card fills up. the 16 is a vestige from my 60d days and I like that it still has some use. and I'm not a professional, so I don't seed the need to get a 1000x c.f. card... that is really big, 64gb. and I really can't see myself getting two of them.

would I like to be able to use an uhs sd card... yes but that would be my lone complaint in this regard.

 

[ddl]

I've used Lexar 1000x Pro CF 16GB in slot 1 and Lexar 400X Pro 64GB SDXC UHS-1 card (although not in UHS specified speed) in slot 2 in my 5D3.

I just came back from vacation and was worried about losing my single copy of a shot if a CF card went bad so now I'm writing RAW to both. For family vacation and similar events a large burst rate isn't important as I'm often also shooting dance in silent mode (so as not to annoy others) which limits me to 3 fps anyways.

Maybe for faster shooting at 6 fps I might have to pull the SD card to get the maximum number of shots before the write buffer fills.

Having a larger 64 GB card installed in another slot gives me some flexibility whereas a 16 GB flash might not have a lot of room left on it when I decide I might want some video for the hell of it.

If I've downloaded everything I need off of the CF cards and know the pictures are ok (plus backed up on the computer plus the backup drives) then I just reformat the SDXC card when full (as not done after every event).

 

[leGreve]

I wouldn't use an SD card for anything but proxy files to choose the correct from. The slot is ridiculously slow... I mean, it's absurd.

But it's nice to have it to run the ML firmware from and use the CF slot as a dedicated recording card.

If you are doing shoots where you need to keep the shutter running and max out of FPS, then don't worry about the SD card. Just get nice big and fast CF cards.

 

[LOALTD]

SD slot is a waste of time, in many situations it bottle-necks the entire camera. The camera can write to the CF card at ~170MB/s…the SD slot? I’m not sure what it is exactly, but probably ~50MB/s. Also, for me personally, it’s too confusing to manage two media sources in my workflow. I once accidentally-deleted 40GB of time lapse…whoopsy-doodle! ???

I use an old 1GB SD card…but only to run Magic Lantern for sweet, sweet RAW video ;D

 

[dickgrafixstop]

A good quality SD card is about $10.00 for 8 gig, $20 for 16 gig. So what's the big deal - skip a lunch and buy
one or two or three.

 

[tgara]

I shoot RAW onto the CF card and JPG to the SD card, especially when traveling. I like this configuration because it allows me to have a high quality RAW copy that I can post-process when I get home, and at the same time have a jpg copy that I can upload to my iPad using the Camera Connection Kit. Once on the iPad, I can post photos to Photostream and share images with friends in near real time.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

As noted, the 5D MK III does not have the UHS-1 capability which has twice the bus speed and will write almost twice as fast as the 5-10MB/sec that a Class 10 SD card can do.

Both are really slow compared with CF cards. I do have a 64GB SD card that I occasionally use as a backup to my 64GB CF card, sometimes having a backup is more important than the speed.

 

[eml58]

I use a CF Card and write at the same time to the SD card, gives me two copies of everything I shoot (on the 5DMK III).

To cover the speed issue on the Canon Buffer/write issue, I use a 128GB CF Card @ 100Mbs + 64GB SD card @ 95Mbs, so slowest write speed should be the SD Card @ 95Mbs, which I can live with.

I do this as I have twice now had CF Cards corrupted, fortunately with Software I've rescued the Images, so now I cover my Bases by writing to both Cards, I do the same on my 1Dx, but both CF Cards are 128GB 100Mbs, so not an issue like the 5DMK III.

Try to find a situation where the write speed on your SD Card is as close as the Write speed on your CF Card, then the issue is no longer an issue and you have the convenience of a set of "Back Up" Images.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I use a CF Card and write at the same time to the SD card, gives me two copies of everything I shoot (on the 5DMK III).

To cover the speed issue on the Canon Buffer/write issue, I use a 128GB CF Card @ 100Mbs + 64GB SD card @ 95Mbs, so slowest write speed should be the SD Card @ 95Mbs, which I can live with.

I do this as I have twice now had CF Cards corrupted, fortunately with Software I've rescued the Images, so now I cover my Bases by writing to both Cards, I do the same on my 1Dx, but both CF Cards are 128GB 100Mbs, so not an issue like the 5DMK III.

Try to find a situation where the write speed on your SD Card is as close as the Write speed on your CF Card, then the issue is no longer an issue and you have the convenience of a set of "Back Up" Images.

You will never see close to a 95 MB/sec SD card write speed on a 5D MK III. You can put a 95 MB/sec card in a 5D MK III, but you will eventually get about 10 mb/sec due to the type of SD controller in the camera.

The card speed is limited by the camera.


Speed advertisements for SD cards are misleading, since they only apply to a new and blank card, and they are for Cameras with UHS-1 controllers which have a internal bus speed and thus write about 2X faster.


Initially, you might get 20 MB/sec or even more in your 5D MK III, but ... once you have filled up that SD card, and do a in camera normal format, the write speed drops to 10 MB/sec or less. This is because the controller must first go thru the slow process of erasing a memory block before writing to it To regain the lost speed, you must do a low level format which erases the card. It can take hours to do that for a large card.



All the reviews for SD cards are for a card that has had a low level format first.

http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/06/the-5d-mark-iii-sd-memory-cards/

 

[leGreve]

I use a CF Card and write at the same time to the SD card, gives me two copies of everything I shoot (on the 5DMK III).

To cover the speed issue on the Canon Buffer/write issue, I use a 128GB CF Card @ 100Mbs + 64GB SD card @ 95Mbs, so slowest write speed should be the SD Card @ 95Mbs, which I can live with.

I do this as I have twice now had CF Cards corrupted, fortunately with Software I've rescued the Images, so now I cover my Bases by writing to both Cards, I do the same on my 1Dx, but both CF Cards are 128GB 100Mbs, so not an issue like the 5DMK III.

Try to find a situation where the write speed on your SD Card is as close as the Write speed on your CF Card, then the issue is no longer an issue and you have the convenience of a set of "Back Up" Images.

You will never see close to a 95 MB/sec SD card write speed on a 5D MK III. You can put a 95 MB/sec card in a 5D MK III, but you will eventually get about 10 mb/sec due to the type of SD controller in the camera.

The card speed is limited by the camera.


Speed advertisements for SD cards are misleading, since they only apply to a new and blank card, and they are for Cameras with UHS-1 controllers which have a internal bus speed and thus write about 2X faster.


Initially, you might get 20 MB/sec or even more in your 5D MK III, but ... once you have filled up that SD card, and do a in camera normal format, the write speed drops to 10 MB/sec or less. This is because the controller must first go thru the slow process of erasing a memory block before writing to it To regain the lost speed, you must do a low level format which erases the card. It can take hours to do that for a large card.



All the reviews for SD cards are for a card that has had a low level format first.

http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/06/the-5d-mark-iii-sd-memory-cards/

Quoted for truth....

SD cards are THE worst option for doing photography with the 5D.

I did a write test on a transcend 16gb class card (one which I normally use to shoot with my Sony FS100, and was getting around 11 mb/s in the SD slot. That is f****** useless and a joke that it's even there.

Don't save... just get the CF card. If you use an SD card at the same time, the SD card slot will make the CF card slower. Lowest denominator rules in Canon apparently. What a waste.

 

[eml58]

I use a CF Card and write at the same time to the SD card, gives me two copies of everything I shoot (on the 5DMK III).

To cover the speed issue on the Canon Buffer/write issue, I use a 128GB CF Card @ 100Mbs + 64GB SD card @ 95Mbs, so slowest write speed should be the SD Card @ 95Mbs, which I can live with.

I do this as I have twice now had CF Cards corrupted, fortunately with Software I've rescued the Images, so now I cover my Bases by writing to both Cards, I do the same on my 1Dx, but both CF Cards are 128GB 100Mbs, so not an issue like the 5DMK III.

Try to find a situation where the write speed on your SD Card is as close as the Write speed on your CF Card, then the issue is no longer an issue and you have the convenience of a set of "Back Up" Images.

You will never see close to a 95 MB/sec SD card write speed on a 5D MK III. You can put a 95 MB/sec card in a 5D MK III, but you will eventually get about 10 mb/sec due to the type of SD controller in the camera.

The card speed is limited by the camera.


Speed advertisements for SD cards are misleading, since they only apply to a new and blank card, and they are for Cameras with UHS-1 controllers which have a internal bus speed and thus write about 2X faster.


Initially, you might get 20 MB/sec or even more in your 5D MK III, but ... once you have filled up that SD card, and do a in camera normal format, the write speed drops to 10 MB/sec or less. This is because the controller must first go thru the slow process of erasing a memory block before writing to it To regain the lost speed, you must do a low level format which erases the card. It can take hours to do that for a large card.



All the reviews for SD cards are for a card that has had a low level format first.

http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/06/the-5d-mark-iii-sd-memory-cards/

Thanks for the Heads Up Mt Spokane, I knew the SD cards were a hindrance, wasn't aware of the Magnitude, Thank You.

 

[al-toidz photography]

If you don't need it for fast burst then sd card is fine. I own a 1D(s) mark III's and rented 5d mark 3 before, and personally i don't need cf card. Maybe because I'm using macbook pro as my main computer as it has a sd card slot built in. It may sound silly to make it as a reason but for me its very convinient.

On a side note, I only use sandisk extreme pro sd card and they are very reliable. So, if you will get one, make sure get something that is realiable and has a good reputation.

 

[jdramirez]

I use a CF Card and write at the same time to the SD card, gives me two copies of everything I shoot (on the 5DMK III).

To cover the speed issue on the Canon Buffer/write issue, I use a 128GB CF Card @ 100Mbs + 64GB SD card @ 95Mbs, so slowest write speed should be the SD Card @ 95Mbs, which I can live with.

I do this as I have twice now had CF Cards corrupted, fortunately with Software I've rescued the Images, so now I cover my Bases by writing to both Cards, I do the same on my 1Dx, but both CF Cards are 128GB 100Mbs, so not an issue like the 5DMK III.

Try to find a situation where the write speed on your SD Card is as close as the Write speed on your CF Card, then the issue is no longer an issue and you have the convenience of a set of "Back Up" Images.

You will never see close to a 95 MB/sec SD card write speed on a 5D MK III. You can put a 95 MB/sec card in a 5D MK III, but you will eventually get about 10 mb/sec due to the type of SD controller in the camera.

The card speed is limited by the camera.


Speed advertisements for SD cards are misleading, since they only apply to a new and blank card, and they are for Cameras with UHS-1 controllers which have a internal bus speed and thus write about 2X faster.


Initially, you might get 20 MB/sec or even more in your 5D MK III, but ... once you have filled up that SD card, and do a in camera normal format, the write speed drops to 10 MB/sec or less. This is because the controller must first go thru the slow process of erasing a memory block before writing to it To regain the lost speed, you must do a low level format which erases the card. It can take hours to do that for a large card.



All the reviews for SD cards are for a card that has had a low level format first.

http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/06/the-5d-mark-iii-sd-memory-cards/

I've done a low level format on my 16 gb card a few times and it didn't take very long at all.

I'm surprised that the write speed are only between 10-20 mbs. any idea what the write speeds are in the 60d? I upgraded from a class four to a class ten and it seemed crazy fast... then I started shooting in both raw and jpg and it seemed slow, but I assumed it was still faster than the old class four.

as I have said, I use both c.f. and sd at the moment, but I will likely remove the sd when I shoot sports.

 

[tpatana]

I'm surprised that the write speed are only between 10-20 mbs. any idea what the write speeds are in the 60d? I upgraded from a class four to a class ten and it seemed crazy fast... then I started shooting in both raw and jpg and it seemed slow, but I assumed it was still faster than the old class four.

as I have said, I use both c.f. and sd at the moment, but I will likely remove the sd when I shoot sports.

How you define crazy fast? You buffer never went full while shooting raw? 60D could have same SD controller (at best) than 5D3, so 10-20MB/s is probably max.

Also C10 is not that much if you look the spec minimums, it's 10MB/s (or more).