Originally posted by boomtap: What would define a fast card? I have one that says nothing, and the other that says 64x and I don't notice any diffrence. Should I? |
Well, first I would say use a site like CNET (www.cnet.com), consumer reports (www.consumerreports.org), pcworld (www.pcworld.com) or another site where they do product comparisons. Someone has clocked the write speed of them.
Where you will (or should) notice the speed is when you do a sequence of shots (many dslrs will shot 2.5 or more frames per second). If you hold down the shutter release it will take a series of shots and start sending them to your buffer, as your buffer fills, it will try transferring the data to the card.
In theory, if you have a fast enough card, the buffer (cache) will write to it as fast as the camera will allow. If you have a card that accepts less data per second than the camera can send it, your buffer starts to fill. If the buffer fills, the camera can't take any more shots until you are done. In my burst mode, I haven't had any problems writing to my card and I am using the Ultra II cards by Sandisk. They make Sandisk Extreme (Ultra III) which are even faster but of course they are also more expensive.
If you are finding that basic cards write fast enough for you, then stick with them. Use that money you save to buy larger cards (more memory) or other camera needs.
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