An Educational Thread on CF Cards

J

jrod81

Veteran
There are so many threads discussing CF Cards and what to use and what is best and what not. I hope this doesn't annoy anyone, but was wondering if someone could be so kind as to write up a quick explanation of what all the options are on the cards, what to look for, etc...
I do appreciate it so much
 
I've spoken directly to the Canon Reps. For video recording they recommend the Sandisk Extreme III 16GB Compact Flash card. It is a 133x UDMA memory card.
 
Technically speaking the camera doesn't require anywhere near that speed of cf card. The 8 Mb/s already has a safety margin built in, and the people recommending 10 Mb/s second are giving it another 25% safety margin. The 66x non-UDMA is 10 Mb/s.

I bought and tested a generic/Kingston bulk 133x 16Gig non-UDMA card ($34) and it tested fine all the way through in 12 minute blocks at 24fps. (Actually 12 min, 40 seconds. I think the extra time was because of 24fps instead of 30 fps.)

People buying a 200-300x UDMA card are throwing their money away. I also have a SanDisk Extreme IV card that cost more even after the rebate and is only 4Gigs. My camera came with a SanDisk Extreme II card that has also been no problem.
 
I agree Duke. I've been using Kingston 133 for stills for a very long time, and when I got my 7D, I purchased a Kingston 32gb 133 and so far not one problem. My 32 at Newegg was only like $69.
 
One thing you do have to be careful about, there are counterfit cards out there. Not that they aren't cards, they are mislabeled as being faster or bigger than they really are.

Here are the speed corelations according to Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CompactFlash#Speed

Rating Speed (MB/s)
32x ................. 4.8
40x ................. 6.0
66x ............... 10.0
100x ............. 15.0
133x ............. 20.0
150x ............. 22.5
200x ............. 30.0
266x ............. 40.0
280x ............. 42.0
300x ............. 45.0
433x ............. 65.0
600x ............. 90.0
666x ........... 100.0
 
Last edited:
Duke M. said:
Technically speaking the camera doesn't require anywhere near that speed of cf card.
Click to expand...

Oh yea i agree.. however you should see the download speeds im getting off this card with a fw800 cf reader. Its wicked.

Will be getting some 16GB cards soon.. was probably going to just go for the Extreme IVs.
 
i shoot on cheapy sandisk Ultra 2 15mbs and it's more than sufficient. Shot quite a bit and never had issues.
 
ydgmdlu said:
There's no such thing as a 133x UDMA card. AFAIK, UDMA requires a much higher speed, like 233x.
Click to expand...

You are soo right... One thing to note though never put all your eggs in one basket better you have two 16gigs than one 32 (in the event you lose one or it gets broken).
 
yeah mhood, that is what i am kinda looking at too...
i just am so nervous about jerky video... i have had seen some reviews that are having issues with the x133
 
jrod81 said:
i just am so nervous about jerky video... i have had seen some reviews that are having issues with the x133
Click to expand...
Where have you specifically read reviews complaining of jerky video and dropped frames while using 133x cards? I'm curious because I, and many other users of the Kingston Elite Pro 133x cards, have not had such problems. That is not to say that no problems exist, or that there are no bad 133x cards. But the truth is that there is always a chance of a getting a bad card, even from the expensive SanDisk series. You don't have to look too hard to find some negative experiences with the ultra-fast SanDisk cards.

But if a 233x, 266x, or 300x UDMA card helps you sleep better at night (and they are what Canon officially recommends), then go for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top