[Francis]

In the end it is your confidence with the hardware that will dictate what you do. I now have 1 big 32GB class 10, but am thinking of going for at least a couple 8 GB class 10s as backup/alternatives given the point of failure argument.

Because I'm a crap photographer, I will do quantity over quality at the time of the shooting, and then delete 90% at the end of the day, so small cards will work just as well I think. I don't take video on the K5.

[twitch]

Hi

I totally miss your logic. "More cards to go wrong" - What has the quantity to do with "more" to go wrong. Are you saying smaller GB cards fail more often? If you have one big card and it fails you it is a 100% loss, if one card fails you out of 10 it is a 10% loss.

My logic is if you have 10 cards then you have 10 times the chance of having a faulty card than if you have 1 card. You also get only 10% of you images lost. So 10 times the likelihood * 10% of the images lost is in fact the same overall risk of losing images than one card without the risk and hassle of switching them out all the time. Having 1 big card from a manufacturer like Lexar or Sandisk, then testing that card out before any trip, is IMHO a much safer option. SD cards are tiny and easy to misplace in my experience.

Anyway, cards should be backed up daily while on a trip so the images to be lost is only those shot that day, nothing to do with the size of the card.

If you think small cards are safer then why not buy only 256MB SD cards and carry 150 of them?

[Schraubstock]

My logic is if you have 10 cards then you have 10 times the chance of having a faulty card than if you have 1 card. You also get only 10% of you images lost. So 10 times the likelihood * 10% of the images lost is in fact the same overall risk of losing images than one card without the risk and hassle of switching them out all the time. Having 1 big card from a manufacturer like Lexar or Sandisk, then testing that card out before any trip, is IMHO a much safer option. SD cards are tiny and easy to misplace in my experience.

Anyway, cards should be backed up daily while on a trip so the images to be lost is only those shot that day, nothing to do with the size of the card.

If you think small cards are safer then why not buy only 256MB SD cards and carry 150 of them?

Sorry, you make absolutely zero sense, and as to 256MB, to reduce the argument to the ridicules just shows me that you don't grasp the reality of the matter. But that is O.K. you do it your way, I do it my way and perhaps we should agree to disagree.

Greetings

[RonHendriks1966]

My logic is if you have 10 cards then you have 10 times the chance of having a faulty card than if you have 1 card. You also get only 10% of you images lost. So 10 times the likelihood * 10% of the images lost is in fact the same overall risk of losing images than one card without the risk and hassle of switching them out all the time. Having 1 big card from a manufacturer like Lexar or Sandisk, then testing that card out before any trip, is IMHO a much safer option. SD cards are tiny and easy to misplace in my experience.

Anyway, cards should be backed up daily while on a trip so the images to be lost is only those shot that day, nothing to do with the size of the card.

If you think small cards are safer then why not buy only 256MB SD cards and carry 150 of them?

Well this is the logic on safety on nuclear powerplants.

But to be honest, a 4GB card on a K-5 isn't very smart. Make that 8 GB cards's since they fill up like plastic surgery in the playboy mansion.

[twitch]

Sorry, you make absolutely zero sense, and as to 256MB, to reduce the argument to the ridicules just shows me that you don't grasp the reality of the matter. But that is O.K. you do it your way, I do it my way and perhaps we should agree to disagree.

Greetings

Risk is a function of likelihood & impact, not only on impact, this is risk management 101. By reducing the impact of card failure (by carrying small cards) you are also increasing the likelihood of failure too (as more cards increases the risk of having a dud one), I'd argue by the corresponding amount. This is not a ridiculous point of view to hold, it is entirely justifiable. Additionally you introduce new risks by carrying small cards not present in the large card scenario.

The lowest risk scenario is use large cards and back up often; this way both sides of the equation are reduced, both the impact and the likelihood.

[Schraubstock]

Risk is a function of likelihood & impact, not only on impact, this is risk management 101. By reducing the impact of card failure (by carrying small cards) you are also increasing the likelihood of failure too (as more cards increases the risk of having a dud one), I'd argue by the corresponding amount. This is not a ridiculous point of view to hold, it is entirely justifiable. Additionally you introduce new risks by carrying small cards not present in the large card scenario.

The lowest risk scenario is use large cards and back up often; this way both sides of the equation are reduced, both the impact and the likelihood.

Really? What ever you do, don't buy a card from a dealer who has, say, then cards on the shelf. You are running a big risk.

Greetings

[Schraubstock]

Make that 8 GB cards's

Sure, I can live with this.

Greetings