[superdavis]

Hi

I am bit puzzled: I will go on extensive safari trip and want to upgrade my memory card. I know the model and etc. but cannot decide which way to go: one 128GB or two 64GB. I have K-3 with dual slot, so in both cases I have the same GB in camera at once. normally shoot just RAW with no JPEG copy. I will have access to laptop/transfer in couple of days time to transfer photo if needed.

in two 64GB case I like that I have two cards and kind of more securinty if for whatever reasons one brake down.I also like that I could manage photos better as will have them split by cards not everything in one big card.
for 128GB I like that it would be one card and adding the second card of by 16GB I would get even more memory (but not sure if I need this)

Has anybody had the same choice to be done?

Thanks,
Davis

[Davidparis]

Hi

I am bit puzzled: I will go on extensive safari trip and want to upgrade my memory card. I know the model and etc. but cannot decide which way to go: one 128GB or two 64GB. I have K-3 with dual slot, so in both cases I have the same GB in camera at once. normally shoot just RAW with no JPEG copy. I will have access to laptop/transfer in couple of days time to transfer photo if needed.

in two 64GB case I like that I have two cards and kind of more securinty if for whatever reasons one brake down.I also like that I could manage photos better as will have them split by cards not everything in one big card.
for 128GB I like that it would be one card and adding the second card of by 16GB I would get even more memory (but not sure if I need this)

Has anybody had the same choice to be done?

Thanks,
Davis

My 2 cents : go for 2 cards. Much more manageable, less risk than with one card only. I did 2 trips like yours in South Africa and got by fine with two 32GB cards, shot many many pics and did not fill up either card. With two 64GBs, you'll have no worries at all, especially with your nightly laptop backup routine.

[Paul the Sunman]

2 cards is my choice too.

[mag07]

I'd have 2 cards is the very least - though if going into wilderness, I'd take 3/4 probably. Better safe then sorry and if there is access to a PC I'd rather have multiple lower memory cards on me than the other way around.

[pathdoc]

For a two card camera, I would take two cards and (if the camera allows it) shoot to both.

I've shot enough things for other people already (on an unpaid amateur basis) that a two-card camera's starting to look good - shoot to both cards, keep one for my archives, set the other one aside labelled for that event. Then tweak the best, dump the worst and hand it over, knowing that I still have the originals.

[TaoMaas]

I vote for 2 cards. (Actually, I'd vote for even fewer, but that wasn't an option.) Sometimes...things go wrong with electronic devices and you have to ask yourself, if something screws up, "Would I rather lose half of my pics from this vacation...or all of them?"

[savoche]

What I do is I bring a bunch of 32GB cards, saving raw to slot 1 and JPEG to slot 2 (for backup only). Four or five "raw cards" will fill up before I need to change the backup card in slot 2.

The dual slots were a (in not the) reason I got myself a K-3.

I suppose you would get the same result by using a 128GB in slot 1 and a 32GB in slot 2 - if you copy your images to the laptop every once in a while. In-camera backups won't help you if somebody nicks the camera with both cards

[UncleVanya]

Dual cards set to mirror or at least raw plus jpg. This gives you a backup.

[JohnX]

Personally I never shoot with larger than an 8gb card. In fact, I still use a large collection of 4gb cards. I only use above 8gb if I want to shoot video.

The rationale is simple; I don't want all my eggs in one basket. If a small card go's faulty, gets lost, etc, I obviously only risk losing a small number of shots. Today, memory is cheap, so even if it's multiple 8,16,32gb cards I would still do what I do.

My work method is to change the card every few hours, well before it fills up, 'lock' the one I've just taken out, and at the first opportunity review the card's contents then back it up leaving the card locked.

When the trip or whatever is over I transfer all the shots from my cards and the back-up device, back up what I've just downloaded to a NAS and an external HDD, re-check the downloads, and then unlock and format the SD cards to use again.

Each card is sequentially numbered and stored in a secure, waterproof, carry case.

OTT? Yes.

Have I ever lost a shot? No.

Would I do this on a special trip? Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[superdavis]

Hi ALL

thanks for confirming my thinking. No one advised just one big cards. On contrary I even got suggestion to go lower on GB and more on pcs - like 32/16MB. Worth to consider.

The dual slots were a (in not the) reason I got myself a K-3.

This was also one of the top 3 reasons also for me

"Would I rather lose half of my pics from this vacation...or all of them?"

good one




Many thanks again to all contributors
Davis

[GeneV]

What I do is I bring a bunch of 32GB cards, saving raw to slot 1 and JPEG to slot 2 (for backup only). Four or five "raw cards" will fill up before I need to change the backup card in slot 2.

The dual slots were a (in not the) reason I got myself a K-3.

I suppose you would get the same result by using a 128GB in slot 1 and a 32GB in slot 2 - if you copy your images to the laptop every once in a while. In-camera backups won't help you if somebody nicks the camera with both cards

That is my thought. 32g cards are cheap and small. Losing one card is not losing a trip. However my number one reason for using 32g cards is that everything reads them. I use a compact Linux based wireless hub/NAS (RAVpower) to back up my photos to 128gb USB drives or hard drives. The RAVpower also allows use of the photos on an iPad. Cards larger than 64gb are dicey in external devices. Some NAS models will read them and some not.

[Simen1]

With dual slots I would go for 2x 64 GB because I could have them duplicated until the first one was full. If I could get a backup before that point I would be happy. If not, then at least I had backup for a while. With both full cards and no spare, I would take out one of them, format the other, and put in again the first. This time I would not have a backup until I reach that computer. The first card is full and the second will be used for new images. I would not leave the full card anywhere else then in the camera because I think its much more easy to loose it when its loose, compared to having it stored in the camera.

It you have good access to a computer all the way, taking backups often (not just when a card is full), I would recommend a single large one. Also for those using cameras with one SD slot, I would also use the largest one, still taking backup as often as possible. Maybe as often as for every 4 GB as JohnX does. The difference between my and his method is that I have a backup of the images transferred to the computer, without uploading the images to a backup service and without having a messy stack of small cards that easily looses one or two. Firmly secured in the camera you never wonder where exactly the files from place X is. Its also transferred faster because you don't have to switch cards lots of times, possibly messing up what cards was read and what cards that wasn't.

JonhX probably have a large floppy disc image archive too.