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alamo5000 · 08-23-2015, 06:47 PM

I am shooting with a K3 which has two card slots (that's how I have it set up).

I am using 2x Class 10 Sandisk 32GB 30MBS Ultra cards...

Now when I get out shooting for my first 4 or 5 GB everything works great, but once I get 5 or 6 GB onto a card it seems like the write speed slows down quite a bit.

The camera is brand new, the buffer on the camera works great and it's recording everything just fine but I am wondering why it slows down so much when only 25% of the card is in use.

I don't usually shoot massive amounts of photos so usually it's not a problem, but the other day I went flying with a friend and it came up as I was taking photos as we did some low passes....

I wasn't shooting on burst mode, but I was being relatively aggressive with the shutter. Even then though it wasn't THAT much. It just seems that as the card gets full it slows down to where it's noticeable.

**jatrax** · 08-23-2015, 07:08 PM

Have you formatted the cards in the camera recently?
Never noticed this myself but I format the cards every time I put them back in the camera.

alamo5000 · 08-23-2015, 07:28 PM

Originally posted by jatrax

Have you formatted the cards in the camera recently?
Never noticed this myself but I format the cards every time I put them back in the camera.

I do the quick format thing from time to time...I guess I could try to do the full blown format...

LeDave · 08-23-2015, 07:30 PM

I used a 30 mbs card just like you before. Until I swapped over to 95 mbs cards just a few days ago, the difference between the two were quite substantial.

Al_Kahollick · 08-23-2015, 07:51 PM

Originally posted by alamo5000

I do the quick format thing from time to time...I guess I could try to do the full blown format...

That may be part of your problem. There is no quick or full options when formatting in camera. You either format or not. Quick or Full are PC options.

alamo5000 · 08-23-2015, 08:04 PM

Originally posted by Al_Kahollick

There is no quick or full options when formatting in camera. You either format or not.

OK Yoda. I will give it a try

---------- Post added 08-23-15 at 10:11 PM ----------

Originally posted by LeDave

I used a 30 mbs card just like you before. Until I swapped over to 95 mbs cards just a few days ago, the difference between the two were quite substantial.

Normally I don't take that many photos but it has come up a couple times when I had heavier use.That said I would rather err on the side of caution. I might try some of those cards at some point.

narual · 08-23-2015, 09:25 PM

The side of caution? It's not like better quality, faster cards have a higher error rate.

alamo5000 · 08-23-2015, 09:34 PM

Originally posted by narual

The side of caution?

I meant that I would rather not get out somewhere when I *need* to capture a picture and have things messing up.

So even if my cards all work fine now, I still might upgrade them just to make sure.

That said I also want to make sure there isn't something else that I can do first.

narual · 08-23-2015, 09:38 PM

Do you have the battery grip for the K3? There's a slot in there for a spare card in case something goes bad.

calsan · 08-23-2015, 09:55 PM

Have a look into formatting your cards with the official SD card association utility:

https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/index.html

This helped a card I was using with a mini video camera - the camera would stop recording after 4 minutes. After formatting with this, no more problems.

Adam · 08-23-2015, 11:39 PM

Somewhat unrelated, but FYI you'll be able to get noticeably faster write speeds with Extreme cards. Those Ultra cards are only rated for 10 Mb/s write speeds, whereas the K-3 supports upwards of 40.

derekkite · 08-24-2015, 01:46 AM

Originally posted by LeDave

I used a 30 mbs card just like you before. Until I swapped over to 95 mbs cards just a few days ago, the difference between the two were quite substantial.

This. The extreme pro cards are very quick.

Make sure you purchase from a reputable vendor. There are lots of fake sandisk cards out there that don't perform well.

08-23-2015, 06:47 PM	#1
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962	SD cards question I am shooting with a K3 which has two card slots (that's how I have it set up). I am using 2x Class 10 Sandisk 32GB 30MBS Ultra cards... Now when I get out shooting for my first 4 or 5 GB everything works great, but once I get 5 or 6 GB onto a card it seems like the write speed slows down quite a bit. The camera is brand new, the buffer on the camera works great and it's recording everything just fine but I am wondering why it slows down so much when only 25% of the card is in use. I don't usually shoot massive amounts of photos so usually it's not a problem, but the other day I went flying with a friend and it came up as I was taking photos as we did some low passes.... I wasn't shooting on burst mode, but I was being relatively aggressive with the shutter. Even then though it wasn't THAT much. It just seems that as the card gets full it slows down to where it's noticeable.

08-23-2015, 11:39 PM	#11
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,608	Somewhat unrelated, but FYI you'll be able to get noticeably faster write speeds with Extreme cards. Those Ultra cards are only rated for 10 Mb/s write speeds, whereas the K-3 supports upwards of 40. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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08-23-2015, 07:08 PM	#2
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Have you formatted the cards in the camera recently? Never noticed this myself but I format the cards every time I put them back in the camera.

08-23-2015, 07:28 PM	#3
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962 Original Poster	Originally posted by jatrax Have you formatted the cards in the camera recently? Never noticed this myself but I format the cards every time I put them back in the camera. I do the quick format thing from time to time...I guess I could try to do the full blown format...

08-23-2015, 07:30 PM	#4
LeDave Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Minneapolis - St. Paul Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,067	I used a 30 mbs card just like you before. Until I swapped over to 95 mbs cards just a few days ago, the difference between the two were quite substantial.

08-23-2015, 07:51 PM	#5
Al_Kahollick Banned Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 390	Originally posted by alamo5000 I do the quick format thing from time to time...I guess I could try to do the full blown format... That may be part of your problem. There is no quick or full options when formatting in camera. You either format or not. Quick or Full are PC options.

08-23-2015, 08:04 PM	#6
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962 Original Poster	Originally posted by Al_Kahollick There is no quick or full options when formatting in camera. You either format or not. OK Yoda. I will give it a try ---------- Post added 08-23-15 at 10:11 PM ---------- Originally posted by LeDave I used a 30 mbs card just like you before. Until I swapped over to 95 mbs cards just a few days ago, the difference between the two were quite substantial. Normally I don't take that many photos but it has come up a couple times when I had heavier use.That said I would rather err on the side of caution. I might try some of those cards at some point.

08-23-2015, 09:25 PM	#7
narual Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: South Bend (Notre Dame), Indiana Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,988	The side of caution? It's not like better quality, faster cards have a higher error rate.

08-23-2015, 09:34 PM	#8
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962 Original Poster	Originally posted by narual The side of caution? I meant that I would rather not get out somewhere when I need to capture a picture and have things messing up. So even if my cards all work fine now, I still might upgrade them just to make sure. That said I also want to make sure there isn't something else that I can do first.

08-23-2015, 09:38 PM	#9
narual Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: South Bend (Notre Dame), Indiana Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,988	Do you have the battery grip for the K3? There's a slot in there for a spare card in case something goes bad.

08-23-2015, 09:55 PM	#10
calsan Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,549	Have a look into formatting your cards with the official SD card association utility: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/index.html This helped a card I was using with a mini video camera - the camera would stop recording after 4 minutes. After formatting with this, no more problems.

08-24-2015, 01:46 AM	#12
derekkite Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Nelson B.C. Posts: 3,782	Originally posted by LeDave I used a 30 mbs card just like you before. Until I swapped over to 95 mbs cards just a few days ago, the difference between the two were quite substantial. This. The extreme pro cards are very quick. Make sure you purchase from a reputable vendor. There are lots of fake sandisk cards out there that don't perform well.

SD cards question

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