I have a 512 GB C-express? CF-Express? Don't recall exactly. It's a Sandisk and it was extremely expensive. Don't really know why, but anyway, it works flawless recording up to 8K 4:2:2 RAW. Price was around $850
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What size is your memory card?
- Thread starter jwolf6589
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I have a 512 GB C-express? CF-Express? Don't recall exactly. It's a Sandisk and it was extremely expensive. Don't really know why, but anyway, it works flawless recording up to 8K 4:2:2 RAW. Price was around $850
Yes, those CF Express cards are mighty expensive, aren't they?! Just when prices on SD cards had come down to really reasonable levels.... Presumably the CF Express cards are worth the extra cost, though.
and now there are SDExpress cards, also expensive ... it's because the interface and the actual memory support high bandwidth ...
You are being redirected...
www.lexar.com
I have a pair of 128GB v60 UHS-II cards for my d780. For my backup camera, a d750 it's a pair of older 128GB v30 cards. Well... I have a lot more cards than just those, but that's what I have loaded and ready to go normally. I store RAW files on my primary card and JPG files on the secondary card.
The 2nd slot card with JPG images is just around as a backup of last resort should I somehow not manage to get my images off the card before something happens. I've at least got some JPGs I can use.
I've haven't had a problem with a corrupt memory card in over 10 years, but I don't accept it in faith that my images are safe. I move the images to my laptop as soon as possible and if I'm traveling, I carry a 1TB external SSD that never leaves my person just in case something happens to my camera and/or laptop.
I'm semi-pro. I don't shoot for a living, but it has become a very real part of my Web development/marketing work and it's serious enough that I need to be professional about how I approach my shoots.
Two 32Gb Sandisks which I think are 300Mb/s. Camera set to backup, so that I have a copy in case if a card error.
I usually import and then format after shooting. I tend not to let multiple shoots stack up. I also feel that 32Gb suits my needs and I’m more careful with exposures. The only time I worry is when shooting 5 shot brackets if a dynamic scene that may require a good few attempts for the right aesthetic. I’m not long filling up the card. If I sense this is likely to happen, I switch the cards back to sequential rather than backup, to give me a little more space in a pinch. Fiddly, yes, but works for me.
I usually import and then format after shooting. I tend not to let multiple shoots stack up. I also feel that 32Gb suits my needs and I’m more careful with exposures. The only time I worry is when shooting 5 shot brackets if a dynamic scene that may require a good few attempts for the right aesthetic. I’m not long filling up the card. If I sense this is likely to happen, I switch the cards back to sequential rather than backup, to give me a little more space in a pinch. Fiddly, yes, but works for me.
Card one RAW
Card two RAW for me. Safest option. I have no need for j-pegs. Not before processing on my Mac.
Card two RAW for me. Safest option. I have no need for j-pegs. Not before processing on my Mac.
I used to do RAW+JPEG (well, more recently RAW+HEIC), but new Lightroom doesn’t support that still ☹️. So now it’s RAW only, since I’ve started using my iPad more instead of my laptop for importing photos.
Ideally fast is better than slow. The faster the card the faster it can write (only really important for some cameras or video), and the faster it can read the less time it takes to import photos. So really you'd want the fastest cards available just so you don't have to wait as long when importing photos. But of course more speed = more money, so you can choose the fastest speed you're willing to pay for. So the more pictures you plan on importing at once, or the bigger the files from your camera, the more money you'll have to spend to get a faster card.
It's not uncommon to find a camera now that can shoot faster than 10 frames per second.
If shooting RAW files that are, let's say, 80mb each, the camera has a limited capacity to store them in its volatile memory-typically called the "buffer." Depending on resolution and generally the specs of the camera, the buffer may be able to hold anywhere from 3-100 images(and I'm sure there are cameras outside those parameters).
Once in the buffer, the camera has to write them to the card. If the buffer fills up, the camera stops until it empties the buffer enough to hold more. The faster the card, provided that your camera can use a faster card, the faster it's able to move files from the buffer to the card.
When I first bought my D600(24mp), I bought a pair of 32gb SD cards. As it customary for me to do, I used RAW+JPEG fine, with each going to separate cards. IIRC, the buffer in that camera was about 6 shots in that mode(I no longer have it so I can't check). That's a small buffer-my D800 and D810 I think are 19 shots RAW+JPEG-but I rarely shoot in a way that buffer size is really a concern of mine.
After playing around with and using the camera some, I found myself at a cousin's wedding where they hadn't hired a photographer, and I fell into playing photographer for them.
I don't machine gun at weddings, but at key moments 5 shots in 2-3 seconds(each from an individual press of the shutter) isn't uncommon for me. At some important moments, the camera stopped, and I'd need 10+ seconds for it to be useable again.
After that, I looked at the cards, which I'd just grabbed at Wal-Mart without paying attention, and realized they were super slow rated. I think they were maybe class 4.
I threw some Class 9 Sandisks in it, and off I went. It would still bog occasionally, but the buffer would clear a lot faster.
With a G class XQD card, my D500 at full speed would still clear faster than it would fill the buffer.
If shooting RAW files that are, let's say, 80mb each, the camera has a limited capacity to store them in its volatile memory-typically called the "buffer." Depending on resolution and generally the specs of the camera, the buffer may be able to hold anywhere from 3-100 images(and I'm sure there are cameras outside those parameters).
Once in the buffer, the camera has to write them to the card. If the buffer fills up, the camera stops until it empties the buffer enough to hold more. The faster the card, provided that your camera can use a faster card, the faster it's able to move files from the buffer to the card.
When I first bought my D600(24mp), I bought a pair of 32gb SD cards. As it customary for me to do, I used RAW+JPEG fine, with each going to separate cards. IIRC, the buffer in that camera was about 6 shots in that mode(I no longer have it so I can't check). That's a small buffer-my D800 and D810 I think are 19 shots RAW+JPEG-but I rarely shoot in a way that buffer size is really a concern of mine.
After playing around with and using the camera some, I found myself at a cousin's wedding where they hadn't hired a photographer, and I fell into playing photographer for them.
I don't machine gun at weddings, but at key moments 5 shots in 2-3 seconds(each from an individual press of the shutter) isn't uncommon for me. At some important moments, the camera stopped, and I'd need 10+ seconds for it to be useable again.
After that, I looked at the cards, which I'd just grabbed at Wal-Mart without paying attention, and realized they were super slow rated. I think they were maybe class 4.
I threw some Class 9 Sandisks in it, and off I went. It would still bog occasionally, but the buffer would clear a lot faster.
With a G class XQD card, my D500 at full speed would still clear faster than it would fill the buffer.
Moore's law. No need for different speeds, just over time they have improved the speed and faster ones have become available is all.
Well, pretty legit here, but should also add that one only needs to get the fastest card that their camera can take advantage of. There's no point in spending the money on UHS-II cards if your camera can only handle UHS-I write speeds.
Last edited:
Whatever speed I have in my 32GB card in my Powershot seems perfectly fine sit writes and reads very fast.
That is cool and you get to enjoy cheaper cards than some on here with heavier demands. Two of my cameras are circa 2009 vintage and so they cannot actually use faster cards so I have a mix of fast for the later cameras and slower for the older ones. I don't shoot video and I am not often shooting continuous bursts so I dont really need to pay the premium for the faster cards.
Last edited:
I shoot video but the question is what is better a still shot camera or a camcorder? I’d say camcorder. Although bulkier. My own camcorder is small and was only like $250-350 but I like it better since it has more features than my Powershot for video. Filters, effects, etc..
It depends what you are shooting and what you plan to do with it. Personally, I will never buy a camcorder again because I prefer the quality and experience I get from my Fujifilm X-T4 and X-T2. Purely in terms of video quality, these are way better than any affordable dedicated video camera can get. I also recently got a Sony ZV-1 for a smaller package that still has pretty good video quality and features. In middle and high school I thought I wanted a career in video production, so I am not afraid of getting down and dirty with some Final Cut Pro if I want to get a little more out of my video. Still exploring things like color grading with LOG and HLG. I enjoy these things (at least conceptually).
I was watching reruns of House the other day, and kept thinking "Man, this would have looked so much better if they'd used a cheap camcorder rather than a Canon 5D to shoot it."
No argument from me. As a side note I was shocked at Hugh Laurie's English accent the first time I saw him not on House-I'm not sure I'd even realized he was English just since he sounds so "American" for lack of a better term on the show.
I hope too that you recognize my sarcasm about the 5D comment
What’s better is what you have with you! I‘d rather something that does both pictures and videos just because otherwise I’d never have the video camera with me. But I also very rarely shoot video, so I definitely prioritize photos. If I did mostly video and a few photos, I’d rather a video camera that happens to shoot photos (like the Sony A7S). Otherwise if I have separate devices I’d always end up having the wrong one with me! As it is when I do shoot video it ends up just being my phone, which doesn’t have a memory card at all! Just a cellular connection with unlimited data for sending up to the cloud when I run out of space.
Spoiler alert, it's not Lupus.No argument from me. As a side note I was shocked at Hugh Laurie's English accent the first time I saw him not on House-I'm not sure I'd even realized he was English just since he sounds so "American" for lack of a better term on the show.
I hope too that you recognize my sarcasm about the 5D comment