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06/15/2006 12:07:46 PM · #1 |
I have lost my old Sandisk 256MB Standard CF Card that I use in my point & shoot and need to buy a replacement. I also currently have a Viking 512MB card and it gets me by for my Rebel, I have no real complaints.
Budget-wise, I'm looking at a Sandisk 1GB Standard card or a 512MB Ultra II. In either case I would use the Viking in the P&S.
So my question is...does anyone have any experience to tell me if the DRebel will take advantage of the speed difference of the Ultra II? Or should I just go for the capacity of the 1GB? I
mostly photograph things that are sitting still (landscapes, still lifes, lighthouses), so I'm not really sure I need a speed increase, unless it is substantial.
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06/15/2006 12:11:49 PM · #2 |
Another place where speed is a concern is upload to the computer.
Just something else to consider when deciding on which card to get. |
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06/15/2006 12:16:11 PM · #3 |
For my Rebel xt I have a 2gb and some 1gb Kingston cf cards all 50x speed... and a 1gig lexar 40x speed
And they are just fine and fast enough for me, no complaints at all, I wont or dont need to put the extra money out for a Ultra II card
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06/15/2006 12:20:54 PM · #4 |
In my experience (OK, so I've only been through 9 or 10 CF cards and the same SD cards), Sandisk tends to cost a bit more for the performance they offer when compared to different brands...
I would pass on them and go with something else that is better priced...
I bought a 4GB 120X Apacer card a couple months ago for a little over 100 dollars US... I guess you could find a 1-2GB card in the 80X variety that will do you pretty well... and I'd be surprised if it really cost any more than the older 40-50X cards... It will help if you shoot RAW. |
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06/15/2006 12:21:26 PM · #5 |
I have a lexar 1GB 40x and a Lexar 2GB 80X and can definitely tell the difference in spped in both camera performance and uploading to the computer (from card reader).
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06/15/2006 12:24:21 PM · #6 |
not sure if this helps but I got all my cf cards except one, from fredmiranda.com sometimes on their buy/sell forum you can get great deals.
also ebay has ultra II cards going for and average of 32 bucks
Message edited by author 2006-06-15 12:25:01.
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06/15/2006 12:38:02 PM · #7 |
Does anyone have any experience with the Lexar Platinum II?
Looking at cards again, I think I can find enough pennies in the couch to go for a faster 1GB card.
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06/15/2006 12:40:01 PM · #8 |
Last I checked, 1GB 80X CF cards around here were going for a little under 35 bucks US... For you guys in America, check your local retailer for non-name brands... Lexar and Sandisk tend to be expensive...
Transcend is a bit more expensive sometimes, but Adata, Kingston, Ridata and Apacer are all pretty affordable... and they keep up to date on speed/price too. |
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06/15/2006 12:40:18 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by larryslights:
Does anyone have any experience with the Lexar Platinum II?
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My 2GB 80x card is a Platinum II, I'm very happy with read/write times on the card.
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06/15/2006 01:08:47 PM · #10 |
| Rob Galbraith has a good performance database for CF cards. |
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06/15/2006 01:13:33 PM · #11 |
| Get a Transcend 120X 2GB card. It's faster than a SanDisk Ultra II, just as reliable, and a bargain at $47. |
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06/15/2006 02:34:29 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
Get a Transcend 120X 2GB card. It's faster than a SanDisk Ultra II, just as reliable, and a bargain at $47. |
I've got a Transcend 4GB 80x card, and it had problems, so I sent it back to Transcend. The card they shipped back had the same problems. The problems were much worse in my 300D than in my 5D.
Note that the 300D memory writing speed is bus-limited, so the card speed doesn't matter (unless you get a really slow card.) I'd go for a reliable, slower card for the 300D rather than a fast, possibly unreliable card. In my small sample, Transcend has not proven to be reliable.
Message edited by author 2006-06-15 14:35:42. |
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06/15/2006 02:42:05 PM · #13 |
| I've got several Transcend cards and they've all worked flawlessly for years. In my personal opinion, Transcend is just as reliable as SanDisk (I had problems with a Lexar card and they replaced it twice). Your Rebel might not take advantage of the extra speed, but your next camera probably will, so why spend more money on a slower card? |
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06/15/2006 02:49:36 PM · #14 |
On my 350D, there is a considerable difference in speed between the normal and the UltraII Sandisk cards. In my Ixus, it makes no difference at all, the card is faster than the camera. You may also find this useful.
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06/15/2006 04:00:10 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
I've got several Transcend cards and they've all worked flawlessly for years. In my personal opinion, Transcend is just as reliable as SanDisk (I had problems with a Lexar card and they replaced it twice). Your Rebel might not take advantage of the extra speed, but your next camera probably will, so why spend more money on a slower card? |
Any company can ship a bad unit. However, the issue I had with Transcend is that the replacement was bad also. You'd think they'd take extra care to ship out a tested unit when replacing one.
On the other hand, the card reader hooked up to my computer has tested this card and found no problems. A digital camera may have slightly different electrical parameters (timing, voltage, skew, etc) on the CF card pins than a reader hooked up to a PC or test jig. And the issue occured on both a 300D and a 5D. Testing may be where the "name brands" add value.
As far as speed goes, if it doesn't cost any more, get the faster one. But if the faster one costs a lot more, remember that there's always a chance that the next camera the OP gets won't use CF cards (its bad enough being locked into one lens system...).
Also, if the OP is going to wait for at least two or three years before getting a new camera, the memory speed available will probably increase, and the cost will decrease. Two years ago, IIRC, a plain ol' Sandisk (the blue and red one) 2GB CF was over $200 on-line, and now a faster Transcend card is available for $47. What will prices be like in a couple of years?
Message edited by author 2006-06-15 16:01:10. |
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06/15/2006 04:05:08 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by hankk:
Any company can ship a bad unit. However, the issue I had with Transcend is that the replacement was bad also. |
Hence my reference to Lexar (a supposedly highly reputable brand). They returned a bad card to me not once, but twice. While my Lexar card was in the shop, I continued shooting issue-free with Transcend cards. Transcend is considered a good name brand, not a generic. |
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06/15/2006 04:33:30 PM · #17 |
I like to shoot in burst mood and I've found the ultra 2 to give me a much larger buffer than the normal sandisk cards. I got an ultra 2 2gb for 86 bucks on a circuit city not too far back. it'a a little high, but you'll only buy it once.
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06/15/2006 05:05:09 PM · #18 |
| Thing about the buffer, it does not get bigger with a faster card. The faster card just helps clear the buffer faster so you can shoot more. The size of the buffer is a camera specification. |
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06/15/2006 10:02:57 PM · #19 |
well regardless of the size of the buffer or the speed in which its cleared with my 350d i can shoot more pictures in less time with high speed memory
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06/15/2006 10:13:08 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by tancredi:
well regardless of the size of the buffer or the speed in which its cleared with my 350d i can shoot more pictures in less time with high speed memory |
That's how it works. Writing to the card faster clears a space in the buffer faster so another shot can be taken.
Message edited by author 2006-06-15 22:14:05. |
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06/16/2006 12:26:38 AM · #21 |
| Just bought the Kingston 1gig 50X card, I had a drugstore bought cheap one and it was awwwwfulllly slow. I had to upgrade. GET A FAST ONE, you'll need it. |
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06/16/2006 10:43:52 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
Originally posted by tancredi:
well regardless of the size of the buffer or the speed in which its cleared with my 350d i can shoot more pictures in less time with high speed memory |
That's how it works. Writing to the card faster clears a space in the buffer faster so another shot can be taken. |
thank you for the clarification
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06/17/2006 12:02:09 AM · #23 |
I have two Lexar 133x 1 gig cards and an 80x 512mb. The lexars are great - they are fast as anything - you will really notice a difference in the camera write speed and the xfer speed.
I don't seem to understand why people skimp on the most important part of the camera. You can't take pictures without a CF card...and the best image in the world won't exist if the card malfunctions. Timeless pictures will be lost in split seconds of time with a bad card, or write error. I don't know how you guys can trust your time and effort to cheap cards?
Message edited by author 2006-06-17 00:02:40. |
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