Need help with SD Cards

BobbyA · 10-05-2012, 11:20 AM

Can someone tell me what the different class designations are for SD Photo Cards?

I just boought a new K-5 and when shooting RAW it uses up the 4 gig cards I'm using pretty quick.

Are there different higher 'speed' cards?

Thanks

Docrwm · 10-05-2012, 11:28 AM

Originally posted by BobbyA

Can someone tell me what the different class designations are for SD Photo Cards?

I just boought a new K-5 and when shooting RAW it uses up the 4 gig cards I'm using pretty quick.

Are there different higher 'speed' cards?

Thanks

Yes, there are different speed cards. The bottom line is that the K-5 can not exceed the upper limit of a good (SanDisk) Class 10 card. There are faster cards out there but they cost more and are a waste. When you do video and hi speed bursts on the K-5 you will want a faster card. For macro work and portraits its not much of a big deal IMHO. I have several 16gb Class 10 SanDisks and they have performed flawlessly for me.

BobbyA · 10-05-2012, 11:41 AM

I do not intend to use the camera for much video, mostly portraits and landscapes.

What card can you recomend?

Is a class 6 card faster then a 4?

Pauld · 10-05-2012, 12:16 PM

The higher the number the faster the card. I personally use Sandisk Extreme and Extreme Pro cards. They are the fasterst cards Sandisk makes. With the K5 I would get a minimum 8g card or 2.

SD Cards for DSLRs and Other Digital Cameras from SanDisk

**jatrax** · 10-05-2012, 12:53 PM

Originally posted by Pauld

The higher the number the faster the card. I personally use Sandisk Extreme and Extreme Pro cards.

For the difference in price, these days I would not get anything except class 10 cards. I also use only Sandisk Extreme Pro cards. The k-5 cannot use them to full speed but I feel since they are rated to higher speeds the manufacturing tolerances are better and thus they should be more reliable over time. Not sure if that is just wishful thinking but that's what I'm going with. I am also future protected somewhat in case a new camera can use the faster speed.

I use 8gb cards although bigger ones are available, I like the flexibility of putting different shoots on different cards during the day if I need to. It makes it easier to import and keyword at the same time if everything on the card is all the same shoot. Not a big deal just a habit I got into.

Docrwm · 10-05-2012, 02:23 PM

Originally posted by BobbyA

I do not intend to use the camera for much video, mostly portraits and landscapes.

What card can you recomend?

Is a class 6 card faster then a 4?

I would also recommend the SanDisk Extreme Class 10 cards. They are the most reliable that I have found data on and they are fast enough for anything you do end up using the K-5 for to boot. I have 2 16gb cards, 3 8gb cards, and a host of older cards. They frequently are discounted but run $18-20 every day for the 16gb models.
Amazon.com: SanDisk Extreme 16 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 45MB/s SDSDX-016G-AFFP: Computers & Accessories

JHD · 10-05-2012, 03:07 PM

Lots of negative reviews for SanDisk... Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: SanDisk Extreme 16 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 45MB/s SDSDX-016G-AFFP

Best to buy from a reputable dealer.

emalvick · 10-08-2012, 03:59 PM

Be aware that a class 10 card from one manufacturer won't necessarily be the same as a class 10 from another. You do somewhat get what you pay for. As the previous poster alluded to, you do have to watch out because SD cards do tend to have counterfeits published and you have to watch out for those. No way to know short of buying from someone like Amazon or Newegg who will stand behind their products. Watch for off-brands and look around the forums here for brands people like.

I usually buy SanDisk or Transcend. I've actually had more issues with SanDisk cards with older ones "breaking" for me (delaminating). I used to buy Kingston, but I've had problems with their cards going corrupt. Transcend cards tend to be reasonably priced and have similar specs to SanDisk. They seem like they may split on me at some point, too, and I still buy both those brands.

High Speed cards are generally nice because even if your camera can't take advantage of the speed, your card reader might moving the files over relatively quickly and smoothly.

Mike L · 10-11-2012, 09:42 PM

Originally posted by BobbyA

Can someone tell me what the different class designations are for SD Photo Cards?

I just boought a new K-5 and when shooting RAW it uses up the 4 gig cards I'm using pretty quick.

Are there different higher 'speed' cards?

Thanks

Quote:

Is a class 6 card faster then a 4?

Forgive me if I stating the obvious or have misread but it looks like you are confusing the size of the cards e.g. 4Gb filling up quickly with the "class" i.e. read/write speed of the cards.

The capacity of the cards (measured in gigabytes) will determine how many photos you can fit on the card.

The class (class 6, class 10 etc) will determine how quickly the image data is written to the card and how many photos you can take in a burst before "lock up"

Are you having trouble with not being able to fit enough photos on your 4Gb card or are you having to wait too long before you can take more shots while the photo is "transferred" to the card?

10-05-2012, 11:20 AM	#1
BobbyA Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Las Vegas, NV Photos: Albums Posts: 27	Need help with SD Cards Can someone tell me what the different class designations are for SD Photo Cards? I just boought a new K-5 and when shooting RAW it uses up the 4 gig cards I'm using pretty quick. Are there different higher 'speed' cards? Thanks

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10-05-2012, 11:28 AM	#2
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Originally posted by BobbyA Can someone tell me what the different class designations are for SD Photo Cards? I just boought a new K-5 and when shooting RAW it uses up the 4 gig cards I'm using pretty quick. Are there different higher 'speed' cards? Thanks Yes, there are different speed cards. The bottom line is that the K-5 can not exceed the upper limit of a good (SanDisk) Class 10 card. There are faster cards out there but they cost more and are a waste. When you do video and hi speed bursts on the K-5 you will want a faster card. For macro work and portraits its not much of a big deal IMHO. I have several 16gb Class 10 SanDisks and they have performed flawlessly for me.

10-05-2012, 11:41 AM	#3
BobbyA Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Las Vegas, NV Photos: Albums Posts: 27 Original Poster	I do not intend to use the camera for much video, mostly portraits and landscapes. What card can you recomend? Is a class 6 card faster then a 4?

10-05-2012, 12:16 PM	#4
Pauld Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Calgary, Alberta Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 507	The higher the number the faster the card. I personally use Sandisk Extreme and Extreme Pro cards. They are the fasterst cards Sandisk makes. With the K5 I would get a minimum 8g card or 2. SD Cards for DSLRs and Other Digital Cameras from SanDisk

10-05-2012, 12:53 PM	#5
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Originally posted by Pauld The higher the number the faster the card. I personally use Sandisk Extreme and Extreme Pro cards. For the difference in price, these days I would not get anything except class 10 cards. I also use only Sandisk Extreme Pro cards. The k-5 cannot use them to full speed but I feel since they are rated to higher speeds the manufacturing tolerances are better and thus they should be more reliable over time. Not sure if that is just wishful thinking but that's what I'm going with. I am also future protected somewhat in case a new camera can use the faster speed. I use 8gb cards although bigger ones are available, I like the flexibility of putting different shoots on different cards during the day if I need to. It makes it easier to import and keyword at the same time if everything on the card is all the same shoot. Not a big deal just a habit I got into.

10-05-2012, 02:23 PM	#6
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Originally posted by BobbyA I do not intend to use the camera for much video, mostly portraits and landscapes. What card can you recomend? Is a class 6 card faster then a 4? I would also recommend the SanDisk Extreme Class 10 cards. They are the most reliable that I have found data on and they are fast enough for anything you do end up using the K-5 for to boot. I have 2 16gb cards, 3 8gb cards, and a host of older cards. They frequently are discounted but run $18-20 every day for the 16gb models. Amazon.com: SanDisk Extreme 16 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 45MB/s SDSDX-016G-AFFP: Computers & Accessories

10-05-2012, 03:07 PM	#7
JHD Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,406	Lots of negative reviews for SanDisk... Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: SanDisk Extreme 16 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 45MB/s SDSDX-016G-AFFP Best to buy from a reputable dealer.

10-08-2012, 03:59 PM	#8
emalvick Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Davis, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,642	Be aware that a class 10 card from one manufacturer won't necessarily be the same as a class 10 from another. You do somewhat get what you pay for. As the previous poster alluded to, you do have to watch out because SD cards do tend to have counterfeits published and you have to watch out for those. No way to know short of buying from someone like Amazon or Newegg who will stand behind their products. Watch for off-brands and look around the forums here for brands people like. I usually buy SanDisk or Transcend. I've actually had more issues with SanDisk cards with older ones "breaking" for me (delaminating). I used to buy Kingston, but I've had problems with their cards going corrupt. Transcend cards tend to be reasonably priced and have similar specs to SanDisk. They seem like they may split on me at some point, too, and I still buy both those brands. High Speed cards are generally nice because even if your camera can't take advantage of the speed, your card reader might moving the files over relatively quickly and smoothly.

10-11-2012, 09:42 PM	#9
Mike L Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Canberra, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,472	Originally posted by BobbyA Can someone tell me what the different class designations are for SD Photo Cards? I just boought a new K-5 and when shooting RAW it uses up the 4 gig cards I'm using pretty quick. Are there different higher 'speed' cards? Thanks Quote: Is a class 6 card faster then a 4? Forgive me if I stating the obvious or have misread but it looks like you are confusing the size of the cards e.g. 4Gb filling up quickly with the "class" i.e. read/write speed of the cards. The capacity of the cards (measured in gigabytes) will determine how many photos you can fit on the card. The class (class 6, class 10 etc) will determine how quickly the image data is written to the card and how many photos you can take in a burst before "lock up" Are you having trouble with not being able to fit enough photos on your 4Gb card or are you having to wait too long before you can take more shots while the photo is "transferred" to the card?