SD Card speed

ve2vfd · 11-18-2010, 10:44 PM

I have a K5 on it's way and was wondering which SD cards it likes most.

I have a few Class 6 SD cards lying around, are they fast enough for occasional continuous shooting and some 720p video now and then or should I go get some class 10 cards?

Thanks!

Pat

Ben78 · 11-19-2010, 03:06 AM

720p 30fps is working fine for me on class 2 Sandisk cards. That said I have ordered some class 10 cards as the buffer clearing is reasonably slow. But it is $20 for transcend 8gb class 10 cards on ebay so just grab a couple!

filorp · 11-19-2010, 06:39 AM

i was thinging about fast sd card recently as well.... found some old news: www.*************/news/1009/10090305toshibauhsisdhc.asp (put dpreview instead of stars) so maybe its the solution Transcends 10class arn't so fast they gives something like 10Mb/s writing speed....

jolepp · 11-19-2010, 06:48 AM

I would put it this way: if the class 6 cards are fast enough for video (they should be, try it to be sure) there is no pressing reason to get faster ones as even the fastest cards aren't likely to increase your effective buffer size by more than a fraction of a frame.

jogiba · 11-19-2010, 10:06 AM

I would take a Class 4 Sandisk SDHC card over a Class 10 ADATA SDHC card. You get what you pay for.
Amazon.com: A-Data 16 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card 16GSDHC10 (Blue): Electronics

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-Class-Memory-SDSDRH-016G-A11/dp/B0012W7H...0186399&sr=1-2

RBellavance · 11-19-2010, 10:40 AM

Keep in mind that all SDHC cards are not created equal. The "class" is just a minimum speed (and refers to the *reading* throughput, IIRC), you need to look at the actual transfer rates. For example, I have two Transcend Class 10 cards that are in actual use slower than a Sandisk Ultra II Class 6...

**ManuH** · 11-19-2010, 10:47 AM

Richard is right, the class doesn't mean much, if you look here you'll see it's mostly about video rates.

Better to see the real world performance. A good guide is here. It's for the D90 but you have an idea of how some cards perform.

My favourite are the Sandisk Extreme III and the Panasonic Gold. Panasonic AFAIK invented the SD card so they know what they're doing.

And then there's not just the speed but the reliability is also important. I don't trust A-Data for example, too much bad experiences.

RonHendriks1966 · 11-19-2010, 04:28 PM

Well I just put in my class 4 4 Gb Sandisk card in my K-5. It's not fast enough for use on full HD movie, the buffer fills up after just under 3 minutes. This was with lust internal monosound, so external stereo fills up the buffer even earlier. It works oka for two star quality

HD 720p.30 is running fine.

Also tried a class 2 card from Panasonic and that only runs for 31 seconds on fullHD.

You will have to wait just a little bit longer when shooting a full buffer of RAW/Jpeg's in HI-continious shooting

filorp · 11-20-2010, 04:40 AM

Guys there are two types of Sandisk Extreme on the market right now Extreme III 30Mb Edition and Extreme 30Mb does anybody knows whitch one is faster? OR the Extreme 30Mb is just newest and renamed version?

aragondina · 11-20-2010, 06:54 AM

SD cards are too slow, even the fastest SD cards can't keep up with a middle of the road CF card. Why Pentax continues to use SD cards in their flagship DSLR that can shoot 25mb RAW files at 7 frames a second is beyond me.

jogiba · 11-20-2010, 07:23 AM

Originally posted by aragondina

SD cards are too slow, even the fastest SD cards can't keep up with a middle of the road CF card. Why Pentax continues to use SD cards in their flagship DSLR that can shoot 25mb RAW files at 7 frames a second is beyond me.

That is total BS, the fastest SDHC/SDXC card will be fast enough in the fastest DSLRs with SDHC/SDXC slot. There will be very few DSLRs coming out from now on with CF slots .

BERLIN – Sept. 2, 2010 at IFA Hall 17, Booth128 – The SD Association announced today it has defined a new, dual-row pin memory card design achieving bus interface speeds of up to 300 megabytes per second for SDXC and SDHC devices and memory cards. It is fully backwards compatible, allowing equipped devices full use of any SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards.
New high speed interface signals will be assigned on the second row of pins of select SDXC and SDHC memory cards offering the new speed. This option will be available in both full-size and micro form factors and does not change the physical size or shape of the cards. This design will be part of the forthcoming SD 4.0 specification, expected in early 2011.

TOKYO and IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 2 -- Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. and its parent company Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502), a leading innovator in NAND flash memory technologies and solutions, today announced the launch of 8GB (gigabyte)*1 16GB and 32GB SDHC UHS-I cards compliant with the SD Memory Card Standard Ver. 3.0 (SD 3.0), UHS104. These new SD cards offer the world's fastest*2 SDHC data read and write speeds. Toshiba also extended its industry leadership in memory card solutions by unveiling the world's first 4GB, 8GB and 16GB microSDHC UHS-I cards compliant with (SD 3.0), UHS50.

Mass production of the new SDHC UHS-I cards and sample shipments of the new microSDHC UHS-I cards will start this November.

The new SDHC UHS-I Memory Cards are the world's first memory cards compliant with SD 3.0, UHS104. With a maximum read speed of 95MB per second*2, and a write speed of 80MB per second, the products introduce a new level of ultra-fast read and write speeds to NAND flash based memory cards.

Toshiba's new microSDHC UHS-I cards are the world's first microSDHC memory cards compliant with SD 3.0, UHS50. They, too, offer the world's fastest read and write speeds in their class: a maximum read speed of 40MB per second and a write speed of 20MB per second.

The specifications of the new cards combine increased data capacity with the fast data transfer rates essential for applications such as high speed continuous shooting of high resolution digital still cameras, video, and high speed transfers of HD content.

The high performance specifications announced by Toshiba will enable developers to use HD content in future generations of consumer products. By further enhancing the performance of its SD Memory Card line-up, Toshiba continues to lead the NAND flash memory market in removable card storage.

RonHendriks1966 · 11-20-2010, 11:30 AM

Originally posted by aragondina

SD cards are too slow, even the fastest SD cards can't keep up with a middle of the road CF card. Why Pentax continues to use SD cards in their flagship DSLR that can shoot 25mb RAW files at 7 frames a second is beyond me.

Well maybe it also comes down to the money:

Sandisc class 10 SDHC card 32 GB cost: 146,95 euro
CameraNU.nl - Sandisk - Sandisk SD Extreme 32GB HC 30MB/s Class 10
Such a card can write at some 18 mb/s

Sandisc CF Extreme Pro 32GB 90MB/sec cost: 299,95 euro
CameraNU.nl - Sandisk - Sandisk CF Extreme Pro 32GB 90MB/sec

So yes, maybe you are right, but then again, how happy are all those people waiting just some seconds extra on occansion.

blende8 · 11-20-2010, 11:46 AM

Most cards are "fast enough" for the K5.
The question is if they are fast enough for you.
I hate it to wait after shooting when it takes time to write the images to the card.
Therefore I bought two SD Extreme, Class 10, 30 MB/s cards. Since I don't do video, 8 GB were enough for me. I think these are currently the best and fastest affordable cards.

RonHendriks1966 · 11-20-2010, 12:53 PM

Originally posted by blende8

I hate it to wait after shooting when it takes time to write the images to the card.

So right. And with a bigger buffer waiting is taking longer. But to my wallet the choice for SDHC is fine.

aragondina · 11-20-2010, 02:35 PM

Originally posted by jogiba

That is total BS, the fastest SDHC/SDXC card will be fast enough in the fastest DSLRs with SDHC/SDXC slot. There will be very few DSLRs coming out from now on with CF slots .

That's the problem, you say they "will be", but they are not available yet. Even when they are, they are still going to be class 10 at first as far as write speed. The fastest max speed write speed so far I've seen is 30mb/sec (not guaranteed, they only guarantee class 10, so 10mb/sec, any more is a bonus)

Panasonic's press release. Berlin, Germany (September 1, 2010)

"With the higher reading speed of up to 60MB/s, the 8GB and 16GB Memory Cards can transfer data to a PC more than two times faster than Panasonic's current Memory Cards.3 These also offer stable writing performance with Class 10 speed specification, ensuring highly-reliable 3D and full HD video recording."

There is a reason why pro DSLR's come with CF cards, because they need them. Pro level DSLR's will continue to come out with CF cards because as the megapixels go up so does the need for faster cards, and many of them need 2 slots to help keep up. CF isn't resting on it's laurels either. Faster cards continue to be released in that format.

Originally posted by RonHendriks1966

Well maybe it also comes down to the money:

Sandisc class 10 SDHC card 32 GB cost: 146,95 euro
CameraNU.nl - Sandisk - Sandisk SD Extreme 32GB HC 30MB/s Class 10
Such a card can write at some 18 mb/s

Sandisc CF Extreme Pro 32GB 90MB/sec cost: 299,95 euro
CameraNU.nl - Sandisk - Sandisk CF Extreme Pro 32GB 90MB/sec

So yes, maybe you are right, but then again, how happy are all those people waiting just some seconds extra on occansion.

When it comes to cost, the SD really isn't cheaper. Of course a card three times as fast will cost more, but compared to a CF with the same write speed and the price difference is negated.

SanDisk 16GB, Extreme 30mb/sec $109
SDSDX3016GA31 SanDisk 16GB, Extreme Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Memory Card, Class 10

SanDisk 16GB Ultra 30mb/sec $65
SDCFH016GA11 SanDisk 16GB Ultra Compact Flash Memory Card with 30MB/SEC Speed

The CF card is cheaper by a large margin. So if cost is important one can just buy the slower card and even save some money. Where as if someone needs the buffer to clear quickly, with a SD card they are stuck with long buffer wait times. I for one would like to have the choice.

Like I said, SD is fine for an entry level soccer mom camera, but not for a flagship "semi pro" camera.

11-18-2010, 10:44 PM	#1
ve2vfd Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Montreal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,433	SD Card speed I have a K5 on it's way and was wondering which SD cards it likes most. I have a few Class 6 SD cards lying around, are they fast enough for occasional continuous shooting and some 720p video now and then or should I go get some class 10 cards? Thanks! Pat

11-19-2010, 06:39 AM	#3
filorp Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Aberdeen Scotland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 398	i was thinging about fast sd card recently as well.... found some old news: www.************/news/1009/10090305toshibauhsisdhc.asp (put dpreview instead of stars) so maybe its the solution Transcends 10class arn't so fast they gives something like 10Mb/s writing speed.... Last edited by filorp; 11-19-2010 at 06:45 AM.*

11-20-2010, 07:23 AM	#11
jogiba Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Millstone,NJ Posts: 6,491	Originally posted by aragondina SD cards are too slow, even the fastest SD cards can't keep up with a middle of the road CF card. Why Pentax continues to use SD cards in their flagship DSLR that can shoot 25mb RAW files at 7 frames a second is beyond me. That is total BS, the fastest SDHC/SDXC card will be fast enough in the fastest DSLRs with SDHC/SDXC slot. There will be very few DSLRs coming out from now on with CF slots . BERLIN – Sept. 2, 2010 at IFA Hall 17, Booth128 – The SD Association announced today it has defined a new, dual-row pin memory card design achieving bus interface speeds of up to 300 megabytes per second for SDXC and SDHC devices and memory cards. It is fully backwards compatible, allowing equipped devices full use of any SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards. New high speed interface signals will be assigned on the second row of pins of select SDXC and SDHC memory cards offering the new speed. This option will be available in both full-size and micro form factors and does not change the physical size or shape of the cards. This design will be part of the forthcoming SD 4.0 specification, expected in early 2011. TOKYO and IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 2 -- Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. and its parent company Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502), a leading innovator in NAND flash memory technologies and solutions, today announced the launch of 8GB (gigabyte)1 16GB and 32GB SDHC UHS-I cards compliant with the SD Memory Card Standard Ver. 3.0 (SD 3.0), UHS104. These new SD cards offer the world's fastest2 SDHC data read and write speeds. Toshiba also extended its industry leadership in memory card solutions by unveiling the world's first 4GB, 8GB and 16GB microSDHC UHS-I cards compliant with (SD 3.0), UHS50. Mass production of the new SDHC UHS-I cards and sample shipments of the new microSDHC UHS-I cards will start this November. The new SDHC UHS-I Memory Cards are the world's first memory cards compliant with SD 3.0, UHS104. With a maximum read speed of 95MB per second2, and a write speed of 80MB per second, the products introduce a new level of ultra-fast read and write speeds to NAND flash based memory cards. Toshiba's new microSDHC UHS-I cards are the world's first microSDHC memory cards compliant with SD 3.0, UHS50. They, too, offer the world's fastest read and write speeds in their class: a maximum read speed of 40MB per second and a write speed of 20MB per second. The specifications of the new cards combine increased data capacity with the fast data transfer rates essential for applications such as high speed continuous shooting of high resolution digital still cameras, video, and high speed transfers of HD content. The high performance specifications announced by Toshiba will enable developers to use HD content in future generations of consumer products. By further enhancing the performance of its SD Memory Card line-up, Toshiba continues to lead the NAND flash memory market in removable card storage. Last edited by jogiba; 11-20-2010 at 07:28 AM.*

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11-19-2010, 03:06 AM	#2
Ben78 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tamworth, NSW Posts: 158	720p 30fps is working fine for me on class 2 Sandisk cards. That said I have ordered some class 10 cards as the buffer clearing is reasonably slow. But it is $20 for transcend 8gb class 10 cards on ebay so just grab a couple!

11-19-2010, 06:48 AM	#4
jolepp Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Finland Photos: Albums Posts: 3,196	I would put it this way: if the class 6 cards are fast enough for video (they should be, try it to be sure) there is no pressing reason to get faster ones as even the fastest cards aren't likely to increase your effective buffer size by more than a fraction of a frame.

11-19-2010, 10:06 AM	#5
jogiba Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Millstone,NJ Posts: 6,491	I would take a Class 4 Sandisk SDHC card over a Class 10 ADATA SDHC card. You get what you pay for. Amazon.com: A-Data 16 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card 16GSDHC10 (Blue): Electronics http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-Class-Memory-SDSDRH-016G-A11/dp/B0012W7H...0186399&sr=1-2

11-19-2010, 10:40 AM	#6
RBellavance Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Near Montréal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,716	Keep in mind that all SDHC cards are not created equal. The "class" is just a minimum speed (and refers to the reading throughput, IIRC), you need to look at the actual transfer rates. For example, I have two Transcend Class 10 cards that are in actual use slower than a Sandisk Ultra II Class 6...

11-19-2010, 10:47 AM	#7
ManuH Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Montreal Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,249	Richard is right, the class doesn't mean much, if you look here you'll see it's mostly about video rates. Better to see the real world performance. A good guide is here. It's for the D90 but you have an idea of how some cards perform. My favourite are the Sandisk Extreme III and the Panasonic Gold. Panasonic AFAIK invented the SD card so they know what they're doing. And then there's not just the speed but the reliability is also important. I don't trust A-Data for example, too much bad experiences.

11-19-2010, 04:28 PM	#8
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Well I just put in my class 4 4 Gb Sandisk card in my K-5. It's not fast enough for use on full HD movie, the buffer fills up after just under 3 minutes. This was with lust internal monosound, so external stereo fills up the buffer even earlier. It works oka for two star quality HD 720p.30 is running fine. Also tried a class 2 card from Panasonic and that only runs for 31 seconds on fullHD. You will have to wait just a little bit longer when shooting a full buffer of RAW/Jpeg's in HI-continious shooting

11-20-2010, 04:40 AM	#9
filorp Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Aberdeen Scotland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 398	Guys there are two types of Sandisk Extreme on the market right now Extreme III 30Mb Edition and Extreme 30Mb does anybody knows whitch one is faster? OR the Extreme 30Mb is just newest and renamed version?

11-20-2010, 06:54 AM	#10
aragondina Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Photos: Albums Posts: 117	SD cards are too slow, even the fastest SD cards can't keep up with a middle of the road CF card. Why Pentax continues to use SD cards in their flagship DSLR that can shoot 25mb RAW files at 7 frames a second is beyond me.

11-20-2010, 11:30 AM	#12
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Originally posted by aragondina SD cards are too slow, even the fastest SD cards can't keep up with a middle of the road CF card. Why Pentax continues to use SD cards in their flagship DSLR that can shoot 25mb RAW files at 7 frames a second is beyond me. Well maybe it also comes down to the money: Sandisc class 10 SDHC card 32 GB cost: 146,95 euro CameraNU.nl - Sandisk - Sandisk SD Extreme 32GB HC 30MB/s Class 10 Such a card can write at some 18 mb/s Sandisc CF Extreme Pro 32GB 90MB/sec cost: 299,95 euro CameraNU.nl - Sandisk - Sandisk CF Extreme Pro 32GB 90MB/sec So yes, maybe you are right, but then again, how happy are all those people waiting just some seconds extra on occansion.

11-20-2010, 11:46 AM	#13
blende8 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bremen, Germany Photos: Albums Posts: 1,521	Most cards are "fast enough" for the K5. The question is if they are fast enough for you. I hate it to wait after shooting when it takes time to write the images to the card. Therefore I bought two SD Extreme, Class 10, 30 MB/s cards. Since I don't do video, 8 GB were enough for me. I think these are currently the best and fastest affordable cards.

11-20-2010, 12:53 PM	#14
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Originally posted by blende8 I hate it to wait after shooting when it takes time to write the images to the card. So right. And with a bigger buffer waiting is taking longer. But to my wallet the choice for SDHC is fine.

11-20-2010, 02:35 PM	#15
aragondina Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Photos: Albums Posts: 117	Originally posted by jogiba That is total BS, the fastest SDHC/SDXC card will be fast enough in the fastest DSLRs with SDHC/SDXC slot. There will be very few DSLRs coming out from now on with CF slots . That's the problem, you say they "will be", but they are not available yet. Even when they are, they are still going to be class 10 at first as far as write speed. The fastest max speed write speed so far I've seen is 30mb/sec (not guaranteed, they only guarantee class 10, so 10mb/sec, any more is a bonus) Panasonic's press release. Berlin, Germany (September 1, 2010) "With the higher reading speed of up to 60MB/s, the 8GB and 16GB Memory Cards can transfer data to a PC more than two times faster than Panasonic's current Memory Cards.3 These also offer stable writing performance with Class 10 speed specification, ensuring highly-reliable 3D and full HD video recording." There is a reason why pro DSLR's come with CF cards, because they need them. Pro level DSLR's will continue to come out with CF cards because as the megapixels go up so does the need for faster cards, and many of them need 2 slots to help keep up. CF isn't resting on it's laurels either. Faster cards continue to be released in that format. Originally posted by RonHendriks1966 Well maybe it also comes down to the money: Sandisc class 10 SDHC card 32 GB cost: 146,95 euro CameraNU.nl - Sandisk - Sandisk SD Extreme 32GB HC 30MB/s Class 10 Such a card can write at some 18 mb/s Sandisc CF Extreme Pro 32GB 90MB/sec cost: 299,95 euro CameraNU.nl - Sandisk - Sandisk CF Extreme Pro 32GB 90MB/sec So yes, maybe you are right, but then again, how happy are all those people waiting just some seconds extra on occansion. When it comes to cost, the SD really isn't cheaper. Of course a card three times as fast will cost more, but compared to a CF with the same write speed and the price difference is negated. SanDisk 16GB, Extreme 30mb/sec $109 SDSDX3016GA31 SanDisk 16GB, Extreme Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Memory Card, Class 10 SanDisk 16GB Ultra 30mb/sec $65 SDCFH016GA11 SanDisk 16GB Ultra Compact Flash Memory Card with 30MB/SEC Speed The CF card is cheaper by a large margin. So if cost is important one can just buy the slower card and even save some money. Where as if someone needs the buffer to clear quickly, with a SD card they are stuck with long buffer wait times. I for one would like to have the choice. Like I said, SD is fine for an entry level soccer mom camera, but not for a flagship "semi pro" camera.