Is high speed memory worth it?

Jinxed · 12-20-2010, 09:58 AM

Hello everyone,

Just trying to figure out what memory to get for my new camera! Does the 200x memory give a tangible speed increase over 166x? Or is the buffer going to fill up before it ever becomes a factor?

Since the 166x memory is about half the price per GB.. I'm trying to figure out if the extra speed is worth the money...

Tom S. · 12-20-2010, 10:12 AM

The need for memory speed is very dependent on what it's being used in and what it's being used for. To obtain a more specific answer, please tell us both!

Example of 'used in' would be what brand/model digital camera.

Example of 'used for' would be the kind of files you are going to be using, or more specifically, their average size.

Thesorus · 12-20-2010, 10:53 AM

yes.

I assume you are talking about SDHC card.

buntal · 12-20-2010, 11:04 AM

some say that class 6 sdhc is all the speed you need for shooting full hd videos.
i havn't noticed that much difference between my 4 years old 1gb scandisk sd and kingston 16gb class 10 sdhc.

Jinxed · 12-20-2010, 11:39 AM

Oooops...

Primary purpose would be shooting raw on a K5... Trying to figure out if the amount of frames I'll be able to shoot before the buffer fills up will be significant...

Arbalist · 12-20-2010, 12:10 PM

Don't take too much notice of 166X and 200X etc, in practice it doesn't mean much. Have a look at:

Rob Galbraith DPI: CF/SD Performance Database

I bought a Sandisk Extreme 30Mbs Edition to shoot RAW on my K5

Vic.

pxpaulx · 12-20-2010, 12:25 PM

Originally posted by Jinxed

Oooops...

Primary purpose would be shooting raw on a K5... Trying to figure out if the amount of frames I'll be able to shoot before the buffer fills up will be significant...

Actually it wouldn't necessarily (at least entirely) have an affect on how many photos the buffer can take. It is flushing the buffer to the memory card where the write times become longer or shorter. I have a couple of sandisk extreme III 8gb class6 cards, but bought 2 patriot LX 16gb class10 cards since the K5 files are quite large. I've found no noticable difference between either cards, despite their different class rating.

The truth behind the class rating is that manufacturers have been making cards even beyond class10 speeds well before class10 was around - this is because class10 is only a recent edition, so earlier cards could only be labelled as class6 despite being faster.

RonHendriks1966 · 12-20-2010, 02:33 PM

As mentionted with class 6 you can do everything. Only if you shoot frequently RAW in burstmode then you will have advantage for a faster card. Not so much for taking more pictures before the buffer runs full (maybe one or two extra) but for flushing the buffer empty to your card.

amoringello · 12-20-2010, 02:56 PM

A few shots on the camera or movies, probably not so much.
You'd probably notice a bigger difference when you get home and download the images to your computer.

Sadly, not all readers are created equal. My newest (and not cheap) card reader by Sandisk is slower than my class 6 card can handle. Much faster using the EyeFi dongle.
And of course, I would love to be able to have a UDMA SD card reader. :-)

dosdan · 12-20-2010, 08:53 PM

I don't believe so. but if it makes you more comfortable, do it. I noticed no burst performance difference with my K20D between a cheap Class 6 and Transcend Class 10 (still fairly cheap) SD card. But the K-5 is much faster. So, maybe.

See: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/accessory-memory-articles/119185-measurin...ml#post1231890

Dan.

pentax user · 12-20-2010, 11:45 PM

wait for sdxc

hoanpham · 12-21-2010, 01:47 AM

Originally posted by pentax user

wait for sdxc

sdhc can handle 2T bytes, but sdhc hosts (cameras) will only support the SDXC cards which use UHS104 speeds, not maximum speed for sdxc. 16G can hold 600+ images, but i m still want a 64G sdhc ;-)

Tom S. · 12-21-2010, 05:19 AM

Originally posted by Jinxed

Oooops...

Primary purpose would be shooting raw on a K5... Trying to figure out if the amount of frames I'll be able to shoot before the buffer fills up will be significant...

This is just my own opinion, but for shooting RAW with the K5, I would go with the fastest card you can afford. RAW files are something like 30MB in size, and while the camera's buffer may handle shooting/storing them, if you load up a bunch on a card, downloading will be time consuming. I recently purchased some class 10 cards and the download time on them is remarkable. Also, there is a rumor that a firmware update may raise the K5's continuous RAW rate.

Jinxed · 12-21-2010, 12:55 PM

I went with class 10 mem... The extreme III is just too expensive for the difference...

30v iPentax · 12-22-2010, 12:35 PM

Minulla on Transcend 10 32GB se ainakin on selvästi toimivanpi, kun muut hitaamat. Eikä takeltele sisään laittaessa tai poisottaessa.

12-20-2010, 09:58 AM	#1
Jinxed Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: San Juan, PR Posts: 13	Is high speed memory worth it? Hello everyone, Just trying to figure out what memory to get for my new camera! Does the 200x memory give a tangible speed increase over 166x? Or is the buffer going to fill up before it ever becomes a factor? Since the 166x memory is about half the price per GB.. I'm trying to figure out if the extra speed is worth the money...

12-20-2010, 08:53 PM	#10
dosdan Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,741	I don't believe so. but if it makes you more comfortable, do it. I noticed no burst performance difference with my K20D between a cheap Class 6 and Transcend Class 10 (still fairly cheap) SD card. But the K-5 is much faster. So, maybe. See: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/accessory-memory-articles/119185-measurin...ml#post1231890 Dan. Last edited by dosdan; 12-21-2010 at 02:03 AM.

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12-20-2010, 10:12 AM	#2
Tom S. Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Michigan Photos: Albums Posts: 4,317	The need for memory speed is very dependent on what it's being used in and what it's being used for. To obtain a more specific answer, please tell us both! Example of 'used in' would be what brand/model digital camera. Example of 'used for' would be the kind of files you are going to be using, or more specifically, their average size.

12-20-2010, 10:53 AM	#3
Thesorus Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreal (Canada) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 200	yes. I assume you are talking about SDHC card.

12-20-2010, 11:04 AM	#4
buntal New Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Riga Posts: 5	some say that class 6 sdhc is all the speed you need for shooting full hd videos. i havn't noticed that much difference between my 4 years old 1gb scandisk sd and kingston 16gb class 10 sdhc.

12-20-2010, 11:39 AM	#5
Jinxed Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: San Juan, PR Posts: 13 Original Poster	Oooops... Primary purpose would be shooting raw on a K5... Trying to figure out if the amount of frames I'll be able to shoot before the buffer fills up will be significant...

12-20-2010, 12:10 PM	#6
Arbalist Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Dorset Posts: 63	Don't take too much notice of 166X and 200X etc, in practice it doesn't mean much. Have a look at: Rob Galbraith DPI: CF/SD Performance Database I bought a Sandisk Extreme 30Mbs Edition to shoot RAW on my K5 Vic.

12-20-2010, 12:25 PM	#7
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Originally posted by Jinxed Oooops... Primary purpose would be shooting raw on a K5... Trying to figure out if the amount of frames I'll be able to shoot before the buffer fills up will be significant... Actually it wouldn't necessarily (at least entirely) have an affect on how many photos the buffer can take. It is flushing the buffer to the memory card where the write times become longer or shorter. I have a couple of sandisk extreme III 8gb class6 cards, but bought 2 patriot LX 16gb class10 cards since the K5 files are quite large. I've found no noticable difference between either cards, despite their different class rating. The truth behind the class rating is that manufacturers have been making cards even beyond class10 speeds well before class10 was around - this is because class10 is only a recent edition, so earlier cards could only be labelled as class6 despite being faster.

12-20-2010, 02:33 PM	#8
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	As mentionted with class 6 you can do everything. Only if you shoot frequently RAW in burstmode then you will have advantage for a faster card. Not so much for taking more pictures before the buffer runs full (maybe one or two extra) but for flushing the buffer empty to your card.

12-20-2010, 02:56 PM	#9
amoringello Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Virginia, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,562	A few shots on the camera or movies, probably not so much. You'd probably notice a bigger difference when you get home and download the images to your computer. Sadly, not all readers are created equal. My newest (and not cheap) card reader by Sandisk is slower than my class 6 card can handle. Much faster using the EyeFi dongle. And of course, I would love to be able to have a UDMA SD card reader. :-)

12-20-2010, 11:45 PM	#11
pentax user Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 85	wait for sdxc

12-21-2010, 01:47 AM	#12
hoanpham Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Strand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,366	Originally posted by pentax user wait for sdxc sdhc can handle 2T bytes, but sdhc hosts (cameras) will only support the SDXC cards which use UHS104 speeds, not maximum speed for sdxc. 16G can hold 600+ images, but i m still want a 64G sdhc ;-)

12-21-2010, 05:19 AM	#13
Tom S. Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Michigan Photos: Albums Posts: 4,317	Originally posted by Jinxed Oooops... Primary purpose would be shooting raw on a K5... Trying to figure out if the amount of frames I'll be able to shoot before the buffer fills up will be significant... This is just my own opinion, but for shooting RAW with the K5, I would go with the fastest card you can afford. RAW files are something like 30MB in size, and while the camera's buffer may handle shooting/storing them, if you load up a bunch on a card, downloading will be time consuming. I recently purchased some class 10 cards and the download time on them is remarkable. Also, there is a rumor that a firmware update may raise the K5's continuous RAW rate.

12-21-2010, 12:55 PM	#14
Jinxed Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: San Juan, PR Posts: 13 Original Poster	I went with class 10 mem... The extreme III is just too expensive for the difference...

12-22-2010, 12:35 PM	#15
30v iPentax Inactive Account Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Suomi , Finland Posts: 368	Minulla on Transcend 10 32GB se ainakin on selvästi toimivanpi, kun muut hitaamat. Eikä takeltele sisään laittaessa tai poisottaessa.