What class SDHC card do I need?

Alliecat · 11-24-2012, 10:06 PM

I'm looking for a SDHC card for my Optio RS1500. I just got this thing so please excuse dumb question...
It came with a 4GB class 4 card. I want more space to record video of an event. This is not my "serious photography" camera so I'm not fussy other than that I have a good-quality record of this event. What's available locally (SMALL town, limited selection & no time left to order online) is a 16GB class 4 card. I get it that class = write speed. I'd like to know if class 4 is adequate to record the video. The options on the camera are 1280/30, 1280/15, which is says are suitable for HDTV which I don't have; 640/30 & 640/15 which it says are suitable for TV & computer screens, & 320/ 30 & 15. The default is 1280/30.
Somewhere I read about video not working right if you have too slow a card.
I shot a few short test videos of my cat. In playback on the computer the sound seems to be several seconds ahead of the video, though it matches on the camera playback. And, since 1 minute of video is, like, 200MB, I'm thinking I could safely shoot at less than the highest quality setting?
Advice on any of the above appreciated

Last edited by Alliecat; 11-24-2012 at 10:44 PM.

Adam · 11-24-2012, 10:09 PM

Class 4 should be fine, if not, then class 6 definitely works because I've tested it

**jatrax** · 11-24-2012, 10:11 PM

I would not buy anything less than a class 10 card at this point. The price points are not that far apart and you build in at least a little future proofing. I think on average the class 10 cards are better made but maybe that is just me.

I don't do video so I cannot tell you whether a class 4 card will work but I do know a class 10 card will.

I understand small town but check unorthodox places, I've have seen class 10 cards being sold in grocery stores and pharmacies here in the states so check around.

**JimJohnson** · 11-26-2012, 07:28 AM

Originally posted by jatrax

I would not buy anything less than a class 10 card at this point. The price points are not that far apart and you build in at least a little future proofing.

+1

At a minimum you want a card that meets or exceeds the fastest write speed of your camera. Slower generally works fine, but you may have to wait for the camera to finish a write before you can take another photo. And as class 10 is the current fastest, as stated you may obtain a longer life out of that card when upgrading cameras.

Alliecat · 11-26-2012, 11:08 AM

It's for video, as mentioned in the OP. Does that make a difference; will it 'hang' when writing video?

**JimJohnson** · 11-26-2012, 11:39 AM

Based on a 'FlipCam' style HD video camera, your frame rate slows if the card can't keep up with the speed the camera is trying to write to the card. As I have always used only class 10 cards in my K-r, I can't say for certainty that this behavior would be the same if I used a card with a write speed slower than my camera can output - but it is what I expect will happen. So what's worse? A 'hang' during which the camera flushes its buffer, or increased jerkiness to the video due to a slower frame rate?

cyclone3d · 11-26-2012, 12:52 PM

The Class number by itself doesn't mean a whole lot.

You need to look at the specific specifications and independant tests done on specific cards.

For example, cards sold as Class 10 can vary anywhere from less than 10MB/s to about 45MB/s write speed.

Don't worry about specifics of read speed as it will always be at least as fast as write speed, usually faster.

The fastest cards currently available are made by Sandisk. Their fastest being advertised as 95MB/s read / 90MB/s write.

The faster the card, the faster you are going to be able to copy it to the computer as well.. if copying straight from camera, you are not going to see the full speed so get a good USB 3.0 card reader.

Same goes for reviewing stuff on the camera. A faster card will make it a whole lot faster than a slow card.

I won't even touch anything less than a good Class 10 card anymore because the real life speed difference is so significant compared to slower cards.

Even if you don't want to spend the price premiuim for a Sandisk card, Wintec makes some pretty nice cards, their fastest being 90MB/s read / 50MB/s write. Newegg has the 16GB ones for $19.99 with free shipping.

That being said, one of the faster class 6 cards should be ok for shooting video at 1280x720 (720p).

**JimJohnson** · 11-26-2012, 01:27 PM

Originally posted by cyclone3d

The Class number by itself doesn't mean a whole lot. For example, cards sold as Class 10 can vary anywhere from less than 10MB/s to about 45MB/s write speed.
That being said, one of the faster class 6 cards should be ok for shooting video at 1280x720 (720p).

True, but the fastest of the fastest SD cards can't make any SD using device faster than its best write speed. I stuck with a generic 'class 10' in my post, since the minimum write speed of 10MB/s is faster than our camera's ability to write. So unless you buy a conterfeit card (and there are plenty out there) or truly cheap, cheap junk, it helps the less experienced user's buying decision.

For what it's worth- I carry several Amazon Basic 8GB class 10 cards. They are backed by Amazon and work fine for general photographic needs. I also have a couple high end Sandisk 32GB class 10 cards for either big shoots, rapid shoots or video. But trying to explain the minutia can leave some photographers in the fog as to the differences.

Alliecat · 11-26-2012, 07:44 PM

So I wound up with the class 10 card after all; it was a $70 card on sale for $18. Yes, really!! Only $1 more than the class 4 card that was advertised on sale. Had I not looked at the store's website, I wouldn't have known to ask about the class 10 one, since they "forgot" to put a sale notice on it!
Being a dedicated filmie, & using the little Optio only for work, like I said I'm not too fussy what bits & pieces I get for it; but I did want to make sure I had a good video from this one event.
Thanks for suggestions, guys.

11-24-2012, 10:06 PM	#1
Alliecat Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: East of Everywhere, Canada Posts: 740	What class SDHC card do I need? I'm looking for a SDHC card for my Optio RS1500. I just got this thing so please excuse dumb question... It came with a 4GB class 4 card. I want more space to record video of an event. This is not my "serious photography" camera so I'm not fussy other than that I have a good-quality record of this event. What's available locally (SMALL town, limited selection & no time left to order online) is a 16GB class 4 card. I get it that class = write speed. I'd like to know if class 4 is adequate to record the video. The options on the camera are 1280/30, 1280/15, which is says are suitable for HDTV which I don't have; 640/30 & 640/15 which it says are suitable for TV & computer screens, & 320/ 30 & 15. The default is 1280/30. Somewhere I read about video not working right if you have too slow a card. I shot a few short test videos of my cat. In playback on the computer the sound seems to be several seconds ahead of the video, though it matches on the camera playback. And, since 1 minute of video is, like, 200MB, I'm thinking I could safely shoot at less than the highest quality setting? Advice on any of the above appreciated Last edited by Alliecat; 11-24-2012 at 10:44 PM.

11-24-2012, 10:09 PM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,597	Class 4 should be fine, if not, then class 6 definitely works because I've tested it 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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11-24-2012, 10:11 PM	#3
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	I would not buy anything less than a class 10 card at this point. The price points are not that far apart and you build in at least a little future proofing. I think on average the class 10 cards are better made but maybe that is just me. I don't do video so I cannot tell you whether a class 4 card will work but I do know a class 10 card will. I understand small town but check unorthodox places, I've have seen class 10 cards being sold in grocery stores and pharmacies here in the states so check around.

11-26-2012, 07:28 AM	#4
JimJohnson Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Summer:Lake Superior - Michigan Winter:Texas Hill Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,774	Originally posted by jatrax I would not buy anything less than a class 10 card at this point. The price points are not that far apart and you build in at least a little future proofing. +1 At a minimum you want a card that meets or exceeds the fastest write speed of your camera. Slower generally works fine, but you may have to wait for the camera to finish a write before you can take another photo. And as class 10 is the current fastest, as stated you may obtain a longer life out of that card when upgrading cameras.

11-26-2012, 11:08 AM	#5
Alliecat Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: East of Everywhere, Canada Posts: 740 Original Poster	It's for video, as mentioned in the OP. Does that make a difference; will it 'hang' when writing video?

11-26-2012, 11:39 AM	#6
JimJohnson Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Summer:Lake Superior - Michigan Winter:Texas Hill Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,774	Based on a 'FlipCam' style HD video camera, your frame rate slows if the card can't keep up with the speed the camera is trying to write to the card. As I have always used only class 10 cards in my K-r, I can't say for certainty that this behavior would be the same if I used a card with a write speed slower than my camera can output - but it is what I expect will happen. So what's worse? A 'hang' during which the camera flushes its buffer, or increased jerkiness to the video due to a slower frame rate?

11-26-2012, 12:52 PM	#7
cyclone3d Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Huntsville, Alabama Posts: 511	The Class number by itself doesn't mean a whole lot. You need to look at the specific specifications and independant tests done on specific cards. For example, cards sold as Class 10 can vary anywhere from less than 10MB/s to about 45MB/s write speed. Don't worry about specifics of read speed as it will always be at least as fast as write speed, usually faster. The fastest cards currently available are made by Sandisk. Their fastest being advertised as 95MB/s read / 90MB/s write. The faster the card, the faster you are going to be able to copy it to the computer as well.. if copying straight from camera, you are not going to see the full speed so get a good USB 3.0 card reader. Same goes for reviewing stuff on the camera. A faster card will make it a whole lot faster than a slow card. I won't even touch anything less than a good Class 10 card anymore because the real life speed difference is so significant compared to slower cards. Even if you don't want to spend the price premiuim for a Sandisk card, Wintec makes some pretty nice cards, their fastest being 90MB/s read / 50MB/s write. Newegg has the 16GB ones for $19.99 with free shipping. That being said, one of the faster class 6 cards should be ok for shooting video at 1280x720 (720p).

11-26-2012, 01:27 PM	#8
JimJohnson Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Summer:Lake Superior - Michigan Winter:Texas Hill Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,774	Originally posted by cyclone3d The Class number by itself doesn't mean a whole lot. For example, cards sold as Class 10 can vary anywhere from less than 10MB/s to about 45MB/s write speed. That being said, one of the faster class 6 cards should be ok for shooting video at 1280x720 (720p). True, but the fastest of the fastest SD cards can't make any SD using device faster than its best write speed. I stuck with a generic 'class 10' in my post, since the minimum write speed of 10MB/s is faster than our camera's ability to write. So unless you buy a conterfeit card (and there are plenty out there) or truly cheap, cheap junk, it helps the less experienced user's buying decision. For what it's worth- I carry several Amazon Basic 8GB class 10 cards. They are backed by Amazon and work fine for general photographic needs. I also have a couple high end Sandisk 32GB class 10 cards for either big shoots, rapid shoots or video. But trying to explain the minutia can leave some photographers in the fog as to the differences.

11-26-2012, 07:44 PM	#9
Alliecat Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: East of Everywhere, Canada Posts: 740 Original Poster	So I wound up with the class 10 card after all; it was a $70 card on sale for $18. Yes, really!! Only $1 more than the class 4 card that was advertised on sale. Had I not looked at the store's website, I wouldn't have known to ask about the class 10 one, since they "forgot" to put a sale notice on it! Being a dedicated filmie, & using the little Optio only for work, like I said I'm not too fussy what bits & pieces I get for it; but I did want to make sure I had a good video from this one event. Thanks for suggestions, guys.