D90 owner, SD or SDHC dilemma need help

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

11/23/2009 12:43:22 PM · #1

I need another one or two storage card but I am not sure which one to get. I need storage card to store about 1000 - 1500 photographs when i have wedding assignment. That is the only time i use my storage card to the max!

I am going for 8GB and above:

1. SanDisk Extreme III SDHC 8GB Memory Card
(SD and SDHC Card: Minimum 20MB/ sec sequential read/write speeds*)
//www.amazon.com/Sandisk-EXTREME-III-Class-SDSDX3-8192/dp/B0018M256G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258997956&sr=8-1

2. SanDisk Ultra II 16GB SDHC Memory Card
(High speed card featuring fast 15MB/sec Read/Write speeds)
//www.amazon.com/SanDisk-16GB-Ultra-SDSDH-016G-Packaging/dp/B0017VRGXU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258998018&sr=1-2

3. Transcend 16GB Class 6 SDHC Secure Digital Memory Card
(Transfer Speed (16GB): Approx. 19MB/sec Read; 8MB/sec Write*)
//www.amazon.com/Transcend-Memory-TS16GSDHC6E-Frustration-Free-Packaging/dp/B001ECQVTM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258998071&sr=1-5

** Both brand giving Lifetime Warranty! **

As you can see i do not want to spend too much very budget.
Questions:
1. is SanDisk Ext3 is way too capable for D90? (which mean D90 does not require 20MB/s read/write)
2. is Transcend Class 6 8MB/s sufficient for D90? (i do continuous shot often during wedding assignment)

Thank you in advance.

PapaBob

Sony Alpha a7 IV

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

11/23/2009 01:03:36 PM · #2

Either card should be just fine, the only time the write speed really makes a difference is when you do a burst of shots and even then I have seen test results where there is little or no significant change in performance between cards and in one case they showed the cheap card doing better. I prefer to stick with some of the better known brands but have some off brand cards that work just fine.

chromeydome

Nikon D7000

11/23/2009 01:07:05 PM · #3

I use Sandisk Extreme III all the time, in 4, 8, and 16G sizes. And there are 16G Extreme III cards available (I received two of them as gifts last Christmas :-)

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

11/23/2009 11:02:14 PM · #4

thank you chromeydome & PapaBob.

i know ext3 has 16GB but i just don't want to spend so much for a moment.
i think i will go for...

2. SanDisk Ultra II 16GB SDHC Memory Card
(High speed card featuring fast 15MB/sec Read/Write speeds)

...since the writing speed is 5MB/s differences only. Oh i forgot to mention, i shoot RAW all the time at 4288 x 2848px. 1 photo NEF file size average of 10MB which mean storage card above requires almost a second to save a photo when i do multiple burst shots, am i correct?

Shutter-For-Hire

Nikon D90

Nikon AF Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D

11/23/2009 11:05:26 PM · #5

I have a D90 as well... I use Kingston 16GB SDHC cards... They are $40 each... Very cheap... I bought 8 of them because I always bracket my exposures so I end up filling cards up quickly... it's better to have extra shots... =)

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

11/24/2009 12:56:11 AM · #6

Originally posted by Shutter-For-Hire:

thank you SFH for your advice, i will keep that in mind

HarveyG

Nikon D800

Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX APO IF HSM for Nikon

11/24/2009 01:55:25 AM · #7

Originally posted by gwsallen:

** Both brand giving Lifetime Warranty! **

As you can see i do not want to spend too much very budget.
Questions:
1. is SanDisk Ext3 is way too capable for D90? (which mean D90 does not require 20MB/s read/write)
2. is Transcend Class 6 8MB/s sufficient for D90? (i do continuous shot often during wedding assignment)

Lifetime Warranty usually means for the SHELF LIFE OF THE CARD. Once it goes out of production so does the warranty.

1. No, the D90 can handle 300x (30Mb/s) SDHC cards
2. Yes, I use both 133x and 150x Transcend as well as Kingston on my D90

I also have just acquired 8Gb Hoodman SDHC cards and they carry a true Lifetime Warranty with ZERO FAILURE so far as claimed on their website.

Remember that the D90 can shoot up to 4.5 fps. Using RAW (NEF) only shooting, each image is about 10Mb, thus theoretically you will need to transfer 4.5 x 10Mb per second or 45Mb which obviously even the 300x card cannot cope with.
So, the D90 has a memory buffer built in. I have determined that this buffer is about 100Mb, although I haven't found it's size documented anywhere. There is a sweet spot of about 8 frames before the camera noticably slows down because of data transfer from the buffer to the card when you are shooting RAW ISO 200 and the buffer at that range can only store 9 frames (or about 100Mb). If you decrease image quality and shoot only JPG in low quality that figure of 9 frames (in the buffer) increases dramatically up to a total of 99 shots the buffer can store before the camera writes from the buffer to the SDHC card. Toms Hardware did a survey of the cards here just to confuse you more. I found that the so called 30Mb/s transfer of the Sandisk Extreme III 30Mb/s Edition did not match up to claims (Tom's say write speed of 17.6Mb/s), and that the other brand 133x, 150x, 200x and 233x cards are more than ample at a far better price/value. E+OE!

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

11/24/2009 02:43:25 AM · #8

Originally posted by Magnum_za:

Lifetime Warranty usually means for the SHELF LIFE OF THE CARD. Once it goes out of production so does the warranty.

1. No, the D90 can handle 300x (30Mb/s) SDHC cards
2. Yes, I use both 133x and 150x Transcend as well as Kingston on my D90

Remember that the D90 can shoot up to 4.5 fps. Using RAW (NEF) only shooting, each image is about 10Mb, thus theoretically you will need to transfer 4.5 x 10Mb per second or 45Mb which obviously even the 300x card cannot cope with.
So, the D90 has a memory buffer built in. I have determined that this buffer is about 100Mb, although I haven't found it's size documented anywhere. There is a sweet spot of about 8 frames before the camera noticably slows down because of data transfer from the buffer to the card when you are shooting RAW ISO 200 and the buffer at that range can only store 9 frames (or about 100Mb). If you decrease image quality and shoot only JPG in low quality that figure of 9 frames (in the buffer) increases dramatically up to a total of 99 shots the buffer can store before the camera writes from the buffer to the SDHC card. Toms Hardware did a survey of the cards here just to confuse you more. I found that the so called 30Mb/s transfer of the Sandisk Extreme III 30Mb/s Edition did not match up to claims (Tom's say write speed of 17.6Mb/s), and that the other brand 133x, 150x, 200x and 233x cards are more than ample at a far better price/value. E+OE!

thank you for your input magnum. i know D90 has a built in 100MB buffer. but if the file transfer slows down by the storage capability it will also slow down my continuous burst shot. probably i should consider manual burst, snap by click ~ LoL.

after playing around with Tom's chart i conclude that SanDisk is equally as good as Transcend. But Lexar out beat everyone.

SanDisk best suitable for photographing sports / quick motion - event.
Transcend good enough for wedding event.
yes?

HarveyG

Nikon D800

Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX APO IF HSM for Nikon

11/24/2009 04:11:45 AM · #9

Originally posted by gwsallen:

but if the file transfer slows down by the storage capability it will also slow down my continuous burst shot. probably i should consider manual burst, snap by click ~ LoL.

If you don't need to shoot RAW, shoot JPG with smaller quality like low, then your continuous 4.5 fps will run for almost ever, at the loss of image quality. Experiment and see what you get out of your current card. Take a pen and paper and get a "feel". Stats are just what makes you buy/want a product. 4.5 fps x 2 seconds is good enough for me when shooting cars or bikes at a track. It takes <2 seconds for them to pass me anyway! Depends on your need.

Originally posted by gwsallen:

after playing around with Tom's chart i conclude that SanDisk is equally as good as Transcend. But Lexar out beat everyone.

The Lexar is only about 2Mb/s faster than the Sandisk III, academic really...unless it's price is 30% less.

Originally posted by gwsallen:

SanDisk best suitable for photographing sports / quick motion - event.

Yes, technically, but it still can't keep up with 4.5fps x 10Mb RAW shooting.

Originally posted by gwsallen:

Transcend good enough for wedding event.
yes?

Best bang for the buck. Make sure you buy the 150x, it's about the best deal performance vs. price.

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

11/24/2009 05:40:36 AM · #10

Not too sure how much this will help you comparison wise, but I personally tested out the difference between Sandisk Extreme IV (standard) vs the newer Extreme IV. Stated speeds are 5mb/sec higher for the newer one. My experience, shooting in 12 bit NEF with my D300 @ 6 fps, is that I gain one to two shots of additional buffer under the same shooting conditions. The buffer seemed to clear itself out a bit faster too, though I can't say how much exactly. At a certain point you will also start maxing out the speed that your camera can even write in the first place (couldn't find solid data on what this number was for the D90 or D300). Your R value in the displays, however, is not an ACTUAL BUFFER IN PRACTICE. It is the physical size of said buffer, and based upon expected values for your file setting. What this means is that it doesn't take the writing into consideration. So say your R value is 25 or whatever to start with. That doesn't take into account the speed of the card or the fact that your camera is even writing, just an estimate of how full the buffer currently is. The speed of the buffer emptying can also be influenced greatly by various settings as well, so be aware of that. High ISO Noise Reduction, Jpeg+raw, and active D-lighting, and perhaps more that I'm forgetting, all greatly influence buffer capacity. Also be aware that no matter what you use, you can only shoot 100 continuous shots of any sort. This is to alleviate heat build up.

Evaluating what you will be shooting is key to determining what speed you really need. If you only intend to use it for weddings and things like that, I have a hard time believing you NEED super high transfer speeds. Buffer size and write speed really come into play in things like sports where you may be doing extended sequences at high fps. Paparazzi probably need an incredible write speed too ;)

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

11/24/2009 10:34:22 AM · #11

Originally posted by Magnum_za:

Best bang for the buck. Make sure you buy the 150x, it's about the best deal performance vs. price.

for transcend class 6, is it 150x ???

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

11/24/2009 10:37:45 AM · #12

Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

...The speed of the buffer emptying can also be influenced greatly by various settings as well, so be aware of that. High ISO Noise Reduction, Jpeg+raw, and active D-lighting, and perhaps more that I'm forgetting, all greatly influence buffer capacity. Also be aware that no matter what you use, you can only shoot 100 continuous shots of any sort. This is to alleviate heat build up.

Evaluating what you will be shooting is key to determining what speed you really need. If you only intend to use it for weddings and things like that, I have a hard time believing you NEED super high transfer speeds. Buffer size and write speed really come into play in things like sports where you may be doing extended sequences at high fps. Paparazzi probably need an incredible write speed too ;)

i usually turn off NR and active D-lighting and many others which i can adjust in NEF file. i only shoot in RAW + Basic JPG.

i only do weddings and never in sports - an expensive field to venture :D

snaffles

Nikon D7100

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

11/24/2009 11:33:14 AM · #13

Originally posted by Shutter-For-Hire:

16G cards for $40?! Wow! Where? Paid $15 (sale price at Henry's) for an 8G card.

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

11/24/2009 12:00:26 PM · #14

Just make sure you get Class 6 for the best speed and a trusted brand name.

Here's a 16GB card for $49...just happened to be in today's e-mail.

//www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=91370

But since the 8GB cards are much cheaper per GB, you might consider just getting more of those!

Here's a class 6 16GB card for $35, but I don't know about that brand.

//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211245

Or a class 4 Kingston 16 GB card for $38.

//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134971

But again, you could get two class 6 transcend 8GB cards for less than that:

//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208293

I have the 8GB transcend, and a D90, and it's been great.

Message edited by author 2009-11-24 12:00:34.

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 R WR

11/24/2009 12:06:24 PM · #15

To add:

For the SDHC you need to make sure the card reader on your computer is compatible. Many are not (even on my 1 year old HP, the built in reader doesn't handle it). So this is a very good deal, the 8GB transcend Class 6 SDHC and a very fast reader bundle for just $5 more:

//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208376

I have this pairing in fact...the reader works well.

Message edited by author 2009-11-24 18:51:56.

cmcphee

Fujifilm X-T3

11/24/2009 12:37:19 PM · #16

Not going to add anything on the technical front, but from the aspect of securing your shots, I personally would not use anything larger than 4 or 8gb. Why? Because if I have over 1000 shots on one 16gb card and it dies, then my whole day is likely screwed. I use the smaller cards, shoot them, take them out & back them up. Then repeat...

HarveyG

Nikon D800

Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX APO IF HSM for Nikon

11/24/2009 03:07:13 PM · #17

Originally posted by gwsallen:

Originally posted by Magnum_za:

Best bang for the buck. Make sure you buy the 150x, it's about the best deal performance vs. price.

for transcend class 6, is it 150x ???

Yes, make sure when u grab them at the shop that it has 150x written on the sticky YELLOW label on the card. The other slower Transcend cards labels are coloured differently, like red or blue.

//www.transcendusa.com/Products/Modlist.asp?CatNo=78&LangNo=0&Func1No=&Func2No=

I also agree with

cmcphee, I go with 8Gb and keep two spare. However when you are at a shoot you will never know if it will or has died. So mix and match or better yet, use two cams. Chimping at the LCD on location doesn't mean it's OK when you bang it into a card reader at home/office... forewarned is fairwarned.

Some manufacturers sell a kit with SDHC card and a card reader in one blister pack, normally $10-$20 more than just the card alone.

Message edited by author 2009-11-24 15:09:29.