SD card preference for your K-5

Operator · 10-16-2012, 03:46 PM

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I recently purchased a K-5 and wanted to know if there was a common card most people use that is smooth for usage. i.e.A card that keeps up with high rate a photos being taken. And has no issues with HD recording. With my old K100d I just used a normal SD card (4GB). But I plan to use SDHC class 10 32 GB cards.

So far I have (and it would be great if one of them was recommended)

Adata

FilmPro

and Transcend

I also recently purchased a GoPro Hero HD2 so I'm not really sure which device will be more sensitive towards the quality of SD cards. Thanks for any input!!!

wildweasel · 10-16-2012, 03:56 PM

'nuff said. SanDisk 32GB Extreme SD Card (SDHC) 45MB/s - Class 10 | eBay. Best cards I've used.

LeDave · 10-16-2012, 04:08 PM

SanDisk is just about as reliable as it can get.

DSims · 10-16-2012, 04:58 PM

I use SanDisk Extreme or better, and Kingston 100x or better. The SanDisk is faster, however, and I really like the SanDisk Extreme U1 45MB/s cards - looks like the same one wildweasel is using (mine happen to be 16GB).

If you're shooting sports or a fast-pace event, think hard about whether you need RAW files or not. I shoot RAW most of the time, but not for these events. It's not worth the time to edit 2000 photos unless I'm getting paid good money for it. Many professional sports photographers shoot only JPEG. I mention this because you'll get much better effective write performance by shooting JPEGs when you don't need the RAW files. Unless your settings were off by a long way you can still get a good edit from a JPEG.

Last edited by DSims; 10-16-2012 at 05:19 PM.

AussieTrev · 10-16-2012, 05:22 PM

I use the Lexar professional. Often on special and B&H in a two pack. But a class 10 is the minimum. Just get genuine don't use the fakes, often sold on eBay.

rawr · 10-16-2012, 06:55 PM

For the K-x, Pentax USA has a recommended list of SD card brands which they have tested that includes Panasonic, Sandisk and Toshiba, and they say to choose Class 6 or above for recording movies.

That advice works for me with the K-5 too. I stick with Sandisk.

obscura · 10-16-2012, 11:10 PM

ive tried transcends kingstons and sandisks...
sandisk is the way to go
with sandisk i never got corrupted files (i had corrupt files with both transcend and kingston)
it is also significantly faster, all of them are class 10, but the sandisks are just faster, and it is not only the camera speed but also the transfer to your computer that counts, i'm thinking of getting a 95mb/s version just for this reason alone, bear in mind that to achieve that speed you need a reader that supports the uhs protocol and a fast bus on you computer (usb3/pcmcia etc.)

Last edited by obscura; 10-16-2012 at 11:17 PM.

**crewl1** · 10-16-2012, 11:50 PM

SanDisk Extreme 45mb/s U1 has been working great for me. Very quick write, dumps the buffer fast.

philippe · 10-17-2012, 12:09 AM

As I can't stand the idea that a whole day's work is written on one card, I have 10 rather small SD cards, to me the reliable ones: SanDisk Ultra 8 GB.
Speed is not that important, who said thad the Ultras were that slow, but reliability and diversity is as well...
And whenever it is possible, I shoot with the Eye-Fi connected to the iPad, not that 'fast' but interesting.
Video is not my cup of tea.
I always had the impression when speed is involved, reliability and quality digressed, but I do agree that this is a very personal point of view!

obscura · 10-17-2012, 12:36 AM

Originally posted by philippe

As I can't stand the idea that a whole's day work stands on one card, I have 10 rather small SD cards,

a friend did a baptism recently and one of the cards died... he follows the same logic, many small cards, if one breaks he wont miss much... if he had only one card now he would have nothing to show to the client...

LeFanch · 10-17-2012, 12:59 AM

I use only Sandisk Extreme cards, and have not had 1 issue so far.

cindyexperts · 10-17-2012, 02:00 AM

Scan disk Extreme will a good option. I am also using it for a long time and it suits me completely.

**newmikey** · 10-17-2012, 02:24 AM

Sandisk and Lexar both gave me good results. Worrying thing about Sandisk is that the market seems to be flooded with counterfeits, almost indistinguishable from the real thing so if you do go Sandisk, buy from a reputable store NOT through the internet or in non-photography specific shops.

doggydude · 10-18-2012, 09:22 AM

I use Sandisk 32gb units now.

Lest the love-fest for Sandisk go unchecked, crap can happen with any brand. On a trip to Paris a few years ago (6 years actually), one of my then-new Sandisk cards died, dropping half of my Paris photos. With no way to check storage on the trip, it was only discovered once we were home. That happened with my K10d.

Smart money is on a compact way to copy images from any memory card to a secondary source as back up.

ryan s · 10-18-2012, 09:43 AM

Bucking the SanDisk trend, I've now got 4 Samsung cards. They seem to write fast enough for the K-5 even though UHS cards are rated faster.

What I like, though, is the build quality. Metal top, resistant to flex (whoever designed the K-5/7's card access area obviously used a needle nose pliers to remove cards), and the lock tab on the side is designed in a way that it won't break off or become loose after many uses.

Not my pic...

10-16-2012, 03:46 PM	#1
Operator New Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 19	SD card preference for your K-5 Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. I recently purchased a K-5 and wanted to know if there was a common card most people use that is smooth for usage. i.e.A card that keeps up with high rate a photos being taken. And has no issues with HD recording. With my old K100d I just used a normal SD card (4GB). But I plan to use SDHC class 10 32 GB cards. So far I have (and it would be great if one of them was recommended) Adata FilmPro and Transcend I also recently purchased a GoPro Hero HD2 so I'm not really sure which device will be more sensitive towards the quality of SD cards. Thanks for any input!!!

10-17-2012, 12:09 AM	#9
philippe Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Flanders Fields Posts: 463	As I can't stand the idea that a whole day's work is written on one card, I have 10 rather small SD cards, to me the reliable ones: SanDisk Ultra 8 GB. Speed is not that important, who said thad the Ultras were that slow, but reliability and diversity is as well... And whenever it is possible, I shoot with the Eye-Fi connected to the iPad, not that 'fast' but interesting. Video is not my cup of tea. I always had the impression when speed is involved, reliability and quality digressed, but I do agree that this is a very personal point of view! Last edited by philippe; 10-17-2012 at 02:52 AM.

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10-16-2012, 03:56 PM	#2
wildweasel Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Plymouth Posts: 359	'nuff said. SanDisk 32GB Extreme SD Card (SDHC) 45MB/s - Class 10 \| eBay. Best cards I've used.

10-16-2012, 04:08 PM	#3
LeDave Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Minneapolis - St. Paul Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,067	SanDisk is just about as reliable as it can get.

10-16-2012, 04:58 PM	#4
DSims Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Southern California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,236	I use SanDisk Extreme or better, and Kingston 100x or better. The SanDisk is faster, however, and I really like the SanDisk Extreme U1 45MB/s cards - looks like the same one wildweasel is using (mine happen to be 16GB). If you're shooting sports or a fast-pace event, think hard about whether you need RAW files or not. I shoot RAW most of the time, but not for these events. It's not worth the time to edit 2000 photos unless I'm getting paid good money for it. Many professional sports photographers shoot only JPEG. I mention this because you'll get much better effective write performance by shooting JPEGs when you don't need the RAW files. Unless your settings were off by a long way you can still get a good edit from a JPEG. Last edited by DSims; 10-16-2012 at 05:19 PM.

10-16-2012, 05:22 PM	#5
AussieTrev Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,590	I use the Lexar professional. Often on special and B&H in a two pack. But a class 10 is the minimum. Just get genuine don't use the fakes, often sold on eBay.

10-16-2012, 06:55 PM	#6
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	For the K-x, Pentax USA has a recommended list of SD card brands which they have tested that includes Panasonic, Sandisk and Toshiba, and they say to choose Class 6 or above for recording movies. That advice works for me with the K-5 too. I stick with Sandisk.

10-16-2012, 11:10 PM	#7
obscura Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 127	ive tried transcends kingstons and sandisks... sandisk is the way to go with sandisk i never got corrupted files (i had corrupt files with both transcend and kingston) it is also significantly faster, all of them are class 10, but the sandisks are just faster, and it is not only the camera speed but also the transfer to your computer that counts, i'm thinking of getting a 95mb/s version just for this reason alone, bear in mind that to achieve that speed you need a reader that supports the uhs protocol and a fast bus on you computer (usb3/pcmcia etc.) Last edited by obscura; 10-16-2012 at 11:17 PM.

10-16-2012, 11:50 PM	#8
crewl1 Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Los Angeles, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,807	SanDisk Extreme 45mb/s U1 has been working great for me. Very quick write, dumps the buffer fast.

10-17-2012, 12:36 AM	#10
obscura Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 127	Originally posted by philippe As I can't stand the idea that a whole's day work stands on one card, I have 10 rather small SD cards, a friend did a baptism recently and one of the cards died... he follows the same logic, many small cards, if one breaks he wont miss much... if he had only one card now he would have nothing to show to the client...

10-17-2012, 12:59 AM	#11
LeFanch Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Working in Norway, Bordeaux area when on time-off Posts: 123	I use only Sandisk Extreme cards, and have not had 1 issue so far.

10-17-2012, 02:00 AM	#12
cindyexperts Banned Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 3	Scan disk Extreme will a good option. I am also using it for a long time and it suits me completely.

10-17-2012, 02:24 AM	#13
newmikey Site Supporter Join Date: May 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,287	Sandisk and Lexar both gave me good results. Worrying thing about Sandisk is that the market seems to be flooded with counterfeits, almost indistinguishable from the real thing so if you do go Sandisk, buy from a reputable store NOT through the internet or in non-photography specific shops.

10-18-2012, 09:22 AM	#14
doggydude Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kirkland, WA Photos: Albums Posts: 173	I use Sandisk 32gb units now. Lest the love-fest for Sandisk go unchecked, crap can happen with any brand. On a trip to Paris a few years ago (6 years actually), one of my then-new Sandisk cards died, dropping half of my Paris photos. With no way to check storage on the trip, it was only discovered once we were home. That happened with my K10d. Smart money is on a compact way to copy images from any memory card to a secondary source as back up.

10-18-2012, 09:43 AM	#15
ryan s Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Madison, WI Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,383	Bucking the SanDisk trend, I've now got 4 Samsung cards. They seem to write fast enough for the K-5 even though UHS cards are rated faster. What I like, though, is the build quality. Metal top, resistant to flex (whoever designed the K-5/7's card access area obviously used a needle nose pliers to remove cards), and the lock tab on the side is designed in a way that it won't break off or become loose after many uses. Not my pic...