64 vs 32 gB memory cards

**ivanvernon** · 12-16-2014, 08:26 AM

I stocked up on Class 10 64 gB memory cards at some of the on-line sales this month, and now outfitted all my digital cameras with the 64/10s, kinda case of overkill, but still nice. However, I found that the old K-20 will not accept the 64s, but will take a 32 gB card. I suspect it is due to firmware, and wonder if anyone else has had the same experience and/or can confirm.

**Just1MoreDave** · 12-16-2014, 08:38 AM

SD cards go up to 2Gb, SDHC cards go up to 32Gb, SDXC cards go up to 2Tb.

The SDXC limit is kind of scary. I remember people buying 1Gb cards because they didn't trust putting so much data on just one card.

**Kerrowdown** · 12-16-2014, 09:14 AM

Originally posted by ivanvernon

64 vs 32 gB memory cards

I can remember the day when the maximum number of images was about 38 (without bulk backs) before you had to change something... think it was called film back then.

NeilGratton · 12-16-2014, 09:29 AM

Originally posted by Kerrowdown

I can remember the day when the maximum number of images was about 38 (without bulk backs) before you had to change something... think it was called film back then.

That's nothing ... when I was a lad ...

In fact, on my first camera, I could only take eight images per roll of film. I'm not quite old enough to remember changing individual photographic plates, though.

aleonx3 · 12-16-2014, 09:36 AM

Originally posted by ivanvernon

I stocked up on Class 10 64 gB memory cards at some of the on-line sales this month, and now outfitted all my digital cameras with the 64/10s, kinda case of overkill, but still nice. However, I found that the old K-20 will not accept the 64s, but will take a 32 gB card. I suspect it is due to firmware, and wonder if anyone else has had the same experience and/or can confirm.

Don't think that Ricoh is interested in updating the firmware of the k-20 which is many iterations old (even if the hardware is possible) - supporting SDHC (max 32GB) is already quite advanced of its time.

lytrytyr · 12-16-2014, 09:39 AM

Originally posted by Kerrowdown

I can remember the day when the maximum number of images was about 38 (without bulk backs) before you had to change something... think it was called film back then.

That was only if you insisted on FF.

The crop sensor gave you twice as much:

https://www.cameraquest.com/nffm2half.htm

**Kerrowdown** · 12-16-2014, 09:39 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by NeilGratton

That's nothing ... when I was a lad ...

This is beginning to sound a bit like the "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch from Monty Python.

You Tube

---------- Post added 16th Dec 2014 at 04:43 PM ----------

Originally posted by lytrytyr

That was only if you insisted on FF.

FF or nothing, do or die stuff me.

**ivanvernon** · 12-16-2014, 09:48 AM

I have obviously started a very strange thread!

transam879 · 12-16-2014, 10:32 AM

Originally posted by ivanvernon

I have obviously started a very strange thread!

I just have a question, not strange, but slightly off topic. Which 64GB cards did you get and how do they perform with your K-3. I have a 32GB Sandisk Extreme (95MB/s) and it was the fastest card I could find in real-world use, not just on a spec sheet (tested a few). I know specification-wise many cards ~~can~~ should keep up, but in real-world use it's a different story. I had a Transcend with similar specs and it was much, much slower than the Sandisk. Problem is the Sandisk Extreme 64GB is out of the range I want to spend. I saw some Sandisks with lower MB/s rates for a great price during the Black Friday sales, that on paper should be sufficient to keep up with the K-3, but a hesitated because I'm happy with the performance that I've got. Extra storage is also nice to have....just in case. Basically, what I'm getting at is that SD card performance varies so much, specs can not be relied on, and I just want to get the best bang for my buck.

LensBeginner · 12-16-2014, 10:47 AM

Buy two 32GB cards and use in parallel if you can (K-3).
Or shoot half pictures on one and half on the other (odd and even days, for instance), esp. if you cannot do a daily backup.
Always be paranoid, you'll be less likely to be sorry...

bdery · 12-16-2014, 10:48 AM

Originally posted by Kerrowdown

I can remember the day when the maximum number of images was about 38 (without bulk backs) before you had to change something... think it was called film back then.

Early cameras (the kind with 16 MB cards) were like that too...

**jatrax** · 12-16-2014, 11:00 AM

Sony Mavica anyone? 12 images per floppy disk if I remember right. Those were fun days.

Re 64gb though, who would use that? On k-3 that would be 2,000 images I think. Video I can understand but I cannot ever see myself shooting that many images without downloading to the computer.

What circumstances do folks have that would require that?

CNunez · 12-16-2014, 11:24 AM

I have a 64gig sd, worst mistake ever lol. Went on holiday shot a ton of pictures. Spent days going through them all.

In the future I think I'm sticking to 16-32 at the most.

transam879 · 12-16-2014, 11:47 AM

Originally posted by jatrax

Sony Mavica anyone? 12 images per floppy disk if I remember right. Those were fun days.

That's funny. My mom loved that camera and still raves about it today. Even after I got her a k-x. Don't get me wrong, she loves the k-x but still doesn't stop her from talking about the mavica.

---------- Post added 12-16-14 at 01:51 PM ----------

Originally posted by jatrax

Re 64gb though, who would use that? On k-3 that would be 2,000 images I think. Video I can understand but I cannot ever see myself shooting that many images without downloading to the computer.

Another temporary form of backup, even after downloading to computer (and a secondary external hard drive in my case). Also, good when mixing photo and video as video eats up a lot of space. I prefer photo and have gotten away from video for the most part. But wife isn't on the same page, she needs to see video of certain things.

AquaDome · 12-16-2014, 12:07 PM

With the K-3, I find that 32GB is the perfect size. Its about 600 RAW images, which is about what I get from one fully charged battery.

I use Delkin Devices brand 32GB cards, the SD 633x variety. They claim 95MB/S read and 80MB/S write speed. I initially bought them for my Canon 70D because slower cards would cause video to stall. I no longer have the Canon and now know I have no use for video, but they are screaming-fast in the USB 3 card reader.

The Sony Mavica was revolutionary in its day. I loved that camera for what it did: saved images to portable media. Prior to that, posting stuff on ebay was a once-a-week event because I had to have enough items to shoot a whole roll of film, shoot the pics, drop them off, pick them up the next day, scan them and post them, regardless of how they came out. Nowadays, cell-phone cameras have made posting awful pictures to ebay an almost instantaneous experience.

12-16-2014, 08:26 AM	#1
ivanvernon Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Medina, OH Photos: Albums Posts: 7,224	64 vs 32 gB memory cards I stocked up on Class 10 64 gB memory cards at some of the on-line sales this month, and now outfitted all my digital cameras with the 64/10s, kinda case of overkill, but still nice. However, I found that the old K-20 will not accept the 64s, but will take a 32 gB card. I suspect it is due to firmware, and wonder if anyone else has had the same experience and/or can confirm.

12-16-2014, 09:48 AM	#8
ivanvernon Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Medina, OH Photos: Albums Posts: 7,224 Original Poster	Strange directions I have obviously started a very strange thread!

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12-16-2014, 08:38 AM	#2
Just1MoreDave Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Aurora, CO Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,340	SD cards go up to 2Gb, SDHC cards go up to 32Gb, SDXC cards go up to 2Tb. The SDXC limit is kind of scary. I remember people buying 1Gb cards because they didn't trust putting so much data on just one card.

12-16-2014, 09:14 AM	#3
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,867	Originally posted by ivanvernon 64 vs 32 gB memory cards I can remember the day when the maximum number of images was about 38 (without bulk backs) before you had to change something... think it was called film back then.

12-16-2014, 09:29 AM	#4
NeilGratton Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Exeter, Devon Posts: 137	Originally posted by Kerrowdown I can remember the day when the maximum number of images was about 38 (without bulk backs) before you had to change something... think it was called film back then. That's nothing ... when I was a lad ... In fact, on my first camera, I could only take eight images per roll of film. I'm not quite old enough to remember changing individual photographic plates, though.

12-16-2014, 09:36 AM	#5
aleonx3 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Brampton, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,996	Originally posted by ivanvernon I stocked up on Class 10 64 gB memory cards at some of the on-line sales this month, and now outfitted all my digital cameras with the 64/10s, kinda case of overkill, but still nice. However, I found that the old K-20 will not accept the 64s, but will take a 32 gB card. I suspect it is due to firmware, and wonder if anyone else has had the same experience and/or can confirm. Don't think that Ricoh is interested in updating the firmware of the k-20 which is many iterations old (even if the hardware is possible) - supporting SDHC (max 32GB) is already quite advanced of its time.

12-16-2014, 09:39 AM	#6
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by Kerrowdown I can remember the day when the maximum number of images was about 38 (without bulk backs) before you had to change something... think it was called film back then. That was only if you insisted on FF. The crop sensor gave you twice as much: https://www.cameraquest.com/nffm2half.htm

12-16-2014, 10:32 AM	#9
transam879 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 651	Originally posted by ivanvernon I have obviously started a very strange thread! I just have a question, not strange, but slightly off topic. Which 64GB cards did you get and how do they perform with your K-3. I have a 32GB Sandisk Extreme (95MB/s) and it was the fastest card I could find in real-world use, not just on a spec sheet (tested a few). I know specification-wise many cards ~~can~~ should keep up, but in real-world use it's a different story. I had a Transcend with similar specs and it was much, much slower than the Sandisk. Problem is the Sandisk Extreme 64GB is out of the range I want to spend. I saw some Sandisks with lower MB/s rates for a great price during the Black Friday sales, that on paper should be sufficient to keep up with the K-3, but a hesitated because I'm happy with the performance that I've got. Extra storage is also nice to have....just in case. Basically, what I'm getting at is that SD card performance varies so much, specs can not be relied on, and I just want to get the best bang for my buck.

12-16-2014, 10:47 AM	#10
LensBeginner Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,696	Buy two 32GB cards and use in parallel if you can (K-3). Or shoot half pictures on one and half on the other (odd and even days, for instance), esp. if you cannot do a daily backup. Always be paranoid, you'll be less likely to be sorry...

12-16-2014, 10:48 AM	#11
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,363	Originally posted by Kerrowdown I can remember the day when the maximum number of images was about 38 (without bulk backs) before you had to change something... think it was called film back then. Early cameras (the kind with 16 MB cards) were like that too...

12-16-2014, 11:00 AM	#12
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Sony Mavica anyone? 12 images per floppy disk if I remember right. Those were fun days. Re 64gb though, who would use that? On k-3 that would be 2,000 images I think. Video I can understand but I cannot ever see myself shooting that many images without downloading to the computer. What circumstances do folks have that would require that?

12-16-2014, 11:24 AM	#13
CNunez Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Photos: Gallery Posts: 168	I have a 64gig sd, worst mistake ever lol. Went on holiday shot a ton of pictures. Spent days going through them all. In the future I think I'm sticking to 16-32 at the most.

12-16-2014, 11:47 AM	#14
transam879 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 651	Originally posted by jatrax Sony Mavica anyone? 12 images per floppy disk if I remember right. Those were fun days. That's funny. My mom loved that camera and still raves about it today. Even after I got her a k-x. Don't get me wrong, she loves the k-x but still doesn't stop her from talking about the mavica. ---------- Post added 12-16-14 at 01:51 PM ---------- Originally posted by jatrax Re 64gb though, who would use that? On k-3 that would be 2,000 images I think. Video I can understand but I cannot ever see myself shooting that many images without downloading to the computer. Another temporary form of backup, even after downloading to computer (and a secondary external hard drive in my case). Also, good when mixing photo and video as video eats up a lot of space. I prefer photo and have gotten away from video for the most part. But wife isn't on the same page, she needs to see video of certain things.

12-16-2014, 12:07 PM	#15
AquaDome Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: New Carlisle, IN Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,475	With the K-3, I find that 32GB is the perfect size. Its about 600 RAW images, which is about what I get from one fully charged battery. I use Delkin Devices brand 32GB cards, the SD 633x variety. They claim 95MB/S read and 80MB/S write speed. I initially bought them for my Canon 70D because slower cards would cause video to stall. I no longer have the Canon and now know I have no use for video, but they are screaming-fast in the USB 3 card reader. The Sony Mavica was revolutionary in its day. I loved that camera for what it did: saved images to portable media. Prior to that, posting stuff on ebay was a once-a-week event because I had to have enough items to shoot a whole roll of film, shoot the pics, drop them off, pick them up the next day, scan them and post them, regardless of how they came out. Nowadays, cell-phone cameras have made posting awful pictures to ebay an almost instantaneous experience.