Advice for SD cards

[Antonio Correia]

I am needing two advices regarding the speed of SD cards.
I use a Panasonic GX7 and my wife a Sony DSC-RX100

I use on the GX7 a Sony SDHC I card 32GB and only 40 MB/s Class 10

She uses on the Sony DSC-RX100 a Sandisk SDHC I card 16GB and only 45 MB/s Class 1

-
I want to buy one card for each camera. The faster ones. Those which writes really fast and allowing also fast downloads.

Viewing the limitations of each camera and consulting the manuals, I never come to a solution.
I decided then to ask you which card shall I buy for each camera.

Much obliged !

 

[Jerome Marot]

I want to buy one card for each camera. The faster ones. Those which writes really fast and allowing also fast downloads.

The really fast cards are only needed for the most demanding video modes. Unless you are planing to do that, I would simply buy the less expensive cards...

 

[nicolas claris]

Sorry
I do not agree with Jerome (for once!)…
Although it maybe a good advice for cameras delivering "small" files, but believe me, for MF cameras, the faster the better.
Also loading files on the card by the camera is one thing, downloading the files from the card to a computer is another thing, this is why you should also pay attention to the "read" ratio…
Another point is going to the cheapest maybe bring you to badly made cards… keep on the well known brands (Sony, Sandisk, Lexar and the like).

Also 2, you may need to have fast cards for a new camera one day…

Some interesting reads:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora...tent=Explora&utm_term=Numbers-on-Memory-Cards

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/fastest-memory-cards-money-can-buy

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

I don't know about these two cameras in specific, but the bottleneck in most cameras is not the speed of the SD card itself but the read/write throughput of the camera. For most cameras, the U1 cards (like the ones you have) are faster than the camera can deal with. You should test your camera first with a faster card if it really makes a difference or not. My guess is, it won't.

 

[nicolas claris]

I don't know about these two cameras in specific, but the bottleneck in most cameras is not the speed of the SD card itself but the read/write throughput of the camera. For most cameras, the U1 cards (like the ones you have) are faster than the camera can deal with. You should test your camera first with a faster card if it really makes a difference or not. My guess is, it won't.

Yes Cem, absolutely, but:

loading files on the card by the camera is one thing, downloading the files from the card to a computer is another thing, this is why you should also pay attention to the "read" ratio…

 

[Jerome Marot]

Although it maybe a good advice for cameras delivering "small" files, but believe me, for MF cameras, the faster the better.

But then, MF cameras have a relatively slow shoot rate. A camera producing 10x 25 mpix pictures a second will produce more data than a camera producing 1x 50 mpix pictures a second.

Also loading files on the card by the camera is one thing, downloading the files from the card to a computer is another thing, this is why you should also pay attention to the "read" ratio…

This is where I will need to correct my post. When I wrote it, it believe than read speed was not much different between cards. With further reading, I will correct that to "read speed is not very different between cards of the same generation". There have been improvements, mainly because recent cards use faster buses. One will only benefit from these read speeds with a new reader, however.

Another point is going to the cheapest maybe bring you to badly made cards… keep on the well known brands (Sony, Sandisk, Lexar and the like).

Definitely. But considering that the price of the decent brands has gone down considerably, I think off brands have lost all interest.

Also 2, you may need to have fast cards for a new camera one day…

Maybe, but considering the speed at which card prices fall, I would think it better to wait till that day to get the fast card.

"Tests"

I would not trust the cards one can buy today to be the same as the card which was tested a month ago. Not that the test is bad, but the inside of some cards changes faster than the writing on the card, even for reputable brands.

 

[Antonio Correia]

Well my friends, thank you so much for your words.

I have SanDisk CF cards which have been very reliable without any flaw, for years. I am thinking to buy this very brand or another like Lexar, Sony etc.

I saw a card here in a shop writing at 250MB/s and - of course - it was very expensive.

The cards we use on the mentioned cameras are sufficiently fast when writing the data. However, when it come to reading - or transfer to the computer - they are rather slow.

The most important moment for me is the writing moment, when taking pictures. I want to have a certain amount of liberty to shoot in sequence 6 or 7 without any hiccups.

I have a friend who has got a 125 MB/s card which I will try some time soon.

Thank you again to all for being so helpful !

 

[Antonio Correia]

Merci Nicolas for the links !

 

[Jerome Marot]

However, when it come to reading - or transfer to the computer - they are rather slow.

Maybe you should consider get a different card reader.

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

I'll also toss in my 2 cents.

The importance of a high read speed is obvious for professionals who take a lot of pictures of an event and want to get the pics asap onto the computer. But for amateurs like me (and I count Antonio also in this category) what difference does it make if loading the images takes for instance 20 minutes instead of 12 minutes? Is the additional 8 minutes worth paying a huge premium for those fastest cards? I don't think so. Ymmv.

 

[Antonio Correia]

I'll also toss in my 2 cents.

The importance of a high read speed is obvious for professionals who take a lot of pictures of an event and want to get the pics asap onto the computer. But for amateurs like me (and I count Antonio also in this category) what difference does it make if loading the images takes for instance 20 minutes instead of 12 minutes? Is the additional 8 minutes worth paying a huge premium for those fastest cards? I don't think so. Ymmv.

Well said Cem.
You do have included me in the right category !

 

[Antonio Correia]

I wrote a mail to SanDisk
They were great. Really great !
I am going to buy two of their cards !
I am sure Joanna was meaning Sony and not Canon.
I like this service !

"Dear Antonio,

I understand that you would like to have the fastest memory cards possible for your Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 and your Sony DSC-RX100. As testing of those devices show in our product compatibility list:
SanDisk Product Compatibility

The fastest card to be used with your Panasonic is the SanDisk Extreme PRO® SDHC™/SDXC™ UHS-I Memory Card and for the Canon it is the SanDisk Extreme® PLUS SDXC™ UHS-I card

I remain at your service might you need further assistance.

Click here to register your product online.
Please provide us your phone number (for technical support call back only)

Thank you for your preference of SanDisk products and your kind cooperation.


Best regards,

Joanna R.
SanDisk Global Customer Care"

 

[Michael Nagel]

Hi Antonio,

just to represent the opposite view. Disclaimer: I am not a professional photographer, this should be clear by now.

Now to the very subjective view of mine.

I don't like to wait for a result when using a computer (a large part of any digital camera is nothing else).
I want to be able to chimp even when there is not much time until the next opportunity.
Even if I don't shoot often series - I do not like to wait or not being able to shoot just because of a slow card.

Most of the time I do not need the speed, but there were a few moments I would have liked to have a faster card.
Photographing concerts is such an occasion.

Best regards,
Michael

 

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you Michael for your opinion and point of view.

 

[Tom dinning]

Relax. Chill out while uploading. a chilled chard, an email to a friend, a bit of porn, a note to OPF; all in good time.
Not having an income makes a difference. I get the cheapest. Only ever had one issue: a cleaner in a hotel in Ho Chi Min City threw out my card with the rubbish. Obviously she didn't think much of the pictures.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I look to see how much I can afford and get the fastest card of the smallest capacity which can cover a shoot. So for the Sony A7r or the Canon 6D it's 32 GB and then I look to see what is the fastest read and write for my current budget of say $50. Price will drop anyway. I just want to have chips fast enough so I don't miss a shot because of the card. 95 MB/sec works fine for my work! I must admit that meant the last card, PNY, was actually 64GB at 95 MB/sec and it's always my spare in my wallet!

Asher

 

[nicolas claris]

So Antonio this is quite an old thread, which did you choose?
Are you happy with your new card(s)?

 

[nicolas claris]

"The Fastest Memory Cards Money Can Buy"

On B&H website

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora...content=Explora&utm_term=Fastest-Memory-Cards