CF cards for Canon XF series

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peterarcson

Carbonite Member
Did anyone do any testing as far as reliability and performance of CF cards with XF series? I would like to see the feedback on Lexar 300x, 400x and 600x and Delkin cards. Thanks!
 
peterarcson said:
Did anyone do any testing as far as reliability and performance of CF cards with XF series? I would like to see the feedback on Lexar 300x, 400x and 600x and Delkin cards. Thanks!
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Friends have reported failures with all four cards, several different friends working on XF300/305s. Same people report no problems with either Hoodman or Sandisk extreme 400X. I use Sandisk Extreme 400X with no problems.
 
I've had issues recording long clips with everything under 600x. I had a 400x and a 233x card that worked fine in 50Mbps mode until the camera reached the 2GB mark and had to create a file break - then I'd get a CF Card Error message, have to "recover" the card, then continue filming. Having gaps in your filming every five or so minutes can be disastrous if you're trying to cover an event, so I'd recommend sparing no expense on your cards if you think that will be an issue for you. I've had no problems with a 32GB Sandisk Extreme Pro card I've bought since then.

Here are the results of Canon's testing:
http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/technical/cf_card_compatibility.do
 
After reading numerous posts and tests this is what I found in short version. CF cards are predominantly used for still photography. When the manufactures provide speed, they usually provide "burst" speed, which is completely irrelevant for video, as you have to write a constant stream, not a high burst. In theory every 400x should be fast enough, but they are not, as they can sustain the speed for a short period of time. I shot with Sandisk Extreme 400x several shots, even 60p. They are fast enough for every function in XF camera and going with 600x is simply overkill and utterly unnecessary. Tests show Sandisk has really good results as far as sustained write speeds.
 
I've also heard from someone who had errors recording to a Sandisk Extreme Pro card while overcranking, so that may not be the case. CF card manufacturers don't publish sustained transfer rates, so it's very difficult to determine what will and what won't cause problems. Again, buying an expensive CF card will pay for itself several times over if it saves you from botching documentary/event gigs.
 
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