New_Zealand
Veteran
I was wondering what is the recording life of a SD card being used in a 5d mkiii?
life of a SD card
- Thread starter New_Zealand
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New_Zealand
Veteran
Okay that was strange I got two same post?
The last time I checked, modern cards are good for 10,000 write cycles for each bit on the card. They also cycle those bits so every bit receives the same number of cycles (wear leveling). You may wear the gold contacts out before damaging the silicon. We have some cards at work with over 100 insertions (hard to really track with students) that are starting to show some significant wear on the contacts. But I also have some personal cards with around the same number with minimal wear, so hard to draw real conclusions. And yes I have had a couple card slots in cameras get fussy to the point where I decided to replace them.
That said, if you are making money with your cards, it might pay to replace them regularly. Look at the contacts often to monitor wear.
That said, if you are making money with your cards, it might pay to replace them regularly. Look at the contacts often to monitor wear.
New_Zealand
Veteran
Thanks
Michael Carter
Veteran
My wife threw a pair of my jeans in the washer… she didn't notice there was a Sandisk SD card in the pocket. It went through wash, rinse, and into the dryer on the high/cotton heat setting.
It was in its plastic box, but those aren't waterproof (or heat proof).
I decided to test it - footage was fine, it seemed to shoot fine, but I decided to throw it in the "old cards" bag (mostly pre high-speed cards that can still work in audio recorders or as thumb drives).
But it ended up getting mixed up with my camera cards and I couldn't ID which card it was. So it still gets used for gigs constantly, in rotation with my other 8 or so fast cards.
Physically, they're pretty damn robust!
It was in its plastic box, but those aren't waterproof (or heat proof).
I decided to test it - footage was fine, it seemed to shoot fine, but I decided to throw it in the "old cards" bag (mostly pre high-speed cards that can still work in audio recorders or as thumb drives).
But it ended up getting mixed up with my camera cards and I couldn't ID which card it was. So it still gets used for gigs constantly, in rotation with my other 8 or so fast cards.
Physically, they're pretty damn robust!
We periodically replace our cards approximately every 2 years. Each card gets used maybe 3-4 times per month. Previously had an issue with cards going bad (never was sure why) but we were definitely well below the write cycle limit - so it must have been the contacts. Between inserting it in the camera and card reader, they do get quite a bit of wear.
If a card shows any sign of faulty functionality, we toss it and replace it. Have about 30 SD cards currently and haven't had any issues in over a year. Using all Sandisk Ultras.
If a card shows any sign of faulty functionality, we toss it and replace it. Have about 30 SD cards currently and haven't had any issues in over a year. Using all Sandisk Ultras.
Samuel H
Major Contributor
They usually work for years and years without any problems, I change them much more often because "not it's not fast/big enough" than because "it died".
Having said that: if it's bad, it will get worse, and may do so pretty fast. At the first sight of card-related issues, throw away and get a new one, they are dirt cheap nowadays.
But also check the card reader, and the PC: problems in those can generate data corruption as well (if they are bad, bits get changed as you copy your files).
Having said that: if it's bad, it will get worse, and may do so pretty fast. At the first sight of card-related issues, throw away and get a new one, they are dirt cheap nowadays.
But also check the card reader, and the PC: problems in those can generate data corruption as well (if they are bad, bits get changed as you copy your files).
henryqiu
Well-known member
The actual lifespan of a memory card depends on
- its size,
- memory type,
- use pattern, and
- how it is manufactured.
The write cycle rating of the underlying memory can go from 1,000 to 1,000,000, but that does not directly correspond to the service life of the card, and is virtually meaningless to most consumers.
For using in a camera, a card is not like a hard drive that has to constantly do a lot of reads/writes when in use. So its service life can go up to hundreds of years. Many SanDisk cards come with lifetime warranty, and there is a reason behind the lifetimeness of the warranty, assuming that SanDisk cards are manufactured in a virtually flawless way.
Given the same amount of data in reads/writes, the larger the card, the longer it can serve. And as a tip: always go for the best rated cards (not necessarily the fastest or the most expensive), such as SanDisk Extreme Pro series cards. That's not just for protecting precious memory (photos/videos), but also for getting the longest service life out of the underlying technology.
From a practical point of view, a large capacity (at least 64 or 128GB) SandDisk or other highest-quality card is virtually indestructible in normal use with infrequent reads/writes.
There's no theory in backing up the necessity of the recycling of memory cards on a yearly or bi-yearly basis. Such a recycle time may be way too shorter, compared to the expected lifespan of a quality card for normal use in camera recording. Varying with actual use pattern, a highest-quality card can easily outlive 5D Mark III with absolutely no known errors.
- its size,
- memory type,
- use pattern, and
- how it is manufactured.
The write cycle rating of the underlying memory can go from 1,000 to 1,000,000, but that does not directly correspond to the service life of the card, and is virtually meaningless to most consumers.
For using in a camera, a card is not like a hard drive that has to constantly do a lot of reads/writes when in use. So its service life can go up to hundreds of years. Many SanDisk cards come with lifetime warranty, and there is a reason behind the lifetimeness of the warranty, assuming that SanDisk cards are manufactured in a virtually flawless way.
Given the same amount of data in reads/writes, the larger the card, the longer it can serve. And as a tip: always go for the best rated cards (not necessarily the fastest or the most expensive), such as SanDisk Extreme Pro series cards. That's not just for protecting precious memory (photos/videos), but also for getting the longest service life out of the underlying technology.
From a practical point of view, a large capacity (at least 64 or 128GB) SandDisk or other highest-quality card is virtually indestructible in normal use with infrequent reads/writes.
There's no theory in backing up the necessity of the recycling of memory cards on a yearly or bi-yearly basis. Such a recycle time may be way too shorter, compared to the expected lifespan of a quality card for normal use in camera recording. Varying with actual use pattern, a highest-quality card can easily outlive 5D Mark III with absolutely no known errors.
Ebrahim Saadawi
Carbonite Member
A decent card lifetime is forever for all practical meanings, don't worry about it.