CF Cards that work (and don't)

[NeedCreative]

Just as an FYI to people... I've been able to use Trendscend 400X 64GB cards with no issue on the C300 (incl overcranking at 1080 and 720 with what little I tried). I also tried an old 266x 32GB Patriot CF card and to my surprise that worked as well just fine.


Update: The cards I mention work fine for 24p recording, 30p recording in 1080, and up to 60p in 720, and Slow motion up to 30fps in 1080. But they do NOT work when you try 60fps to 24p slow motion in 720P (at 50mbit). They last exactly 2 min 30 seconds, then fail. This is consistent with what Canon reports, which is that the Transcend, Lexar, Delkin, etc cards are ok but not for slow motion. The only card that works is the Sandisk models (Extreme or ExtremePro).


Since I'll only run 720/60p now and then, and I have a load of these Transcend cards, I think I'll just get a couple sandisk cards for my 60p slow-mo shots specifically. If you're starting from scratch though, go Sandisk if 2.5x slow mo is important to you.




Manufacturer
CF card model
4GB
8GB
16GB
32GB
64GB


Sandisk
Extreme

Yes
Yes
Yes



ExtremePro


Yes
Yes
Yes


Hagiwara
Z III (UDMA-5)
Yes
Yes





Lexar
Professional 300x
Yes*
Yes*
Yes*




Professional 600x

Yes*
Yes*




Delkin Devices
CombatFlash

Yes*
Yes*
Yes*



Transcend
CompactFlash


Yes*
Yes*





* Operation confirmed in all recording modes EXCEPT slow motion

[Noel Evans]

The sandisk extremes work. Got 4 x 32 for 700 odd dollars.

[telecam]

The cost of CF cards being such a small factor in a C300 camera kit, I would really stick to what has been tested and recommended by Canon. Supported CF cards info is avail on their C300 FAQ

http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/misc/cinemaEOS_faq.shtml

[NeedCreative]

You're right of course, I figured I'd give them a go. Especially because on that FAQ it states the Trendscend cards will work for normal recording. Turns out the Transcend 400x don't work at all. They work in short busts but over 5 min they stop. Double slot recording failed even sooner.

The actual models that work and don't work are listed in this post on page 5: http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2011/c300_onset_data_mgmnt.shtml - Those list Trandscend 600x cards as working but still not for slow motion. I'm not bothering either way.

I got a couple of SanDisk Extreme cards today, and they do slow motion and double slot record, etc no issue to the limit of the card's storage. Obviously, they're required because it seems no other cards are certified as completely for all uses on the camera. I returned the 64GB cards, picked up 8 32GB ones (for same price as 6 of the 64GB Transcends). 64GB was a little big anyway.

[cowpunk52]

The Sandisk Extreme 60MB/s 32gb cards are the way to go, in my opinion. Rock solid, 82 minutes of record time at highest quality, and they function perfectly (with spanning) at all frame rates and settings. I've never had a problem with them, and never lost so much as a frame, much less a clip. At $130 a pop from B&H or Amazon, they're pretty tough to beat. Like Noel, I've got 4 of them, plus two more 16GB ones for extra backup and I'm set to shoot for nearly 7 continuous hours before I have to dump footage.