SDHC for Pentax K-x

twokatmew · 05-12-2010, 07:01 AM

Originally posted by SpecialK

I would format it in and for YOUR camera. Who knows was the factory does :-)

It takes 5 seconds.

Agreed. I always format cards in the device. IIRC, the Kx manual recommends doing so, too.

AdamJ · 05-12-2010, 07:57 AM

Originally posted by twokatmew

I've been using two Sandisk class 10s in my Kx and have had no problems whatsoever. I've also used class 6 cards which exceed the class 10 specs. No problems there either.

I will second this. I'm using Sandisk Extreme Class 10 SD cards with no problem. Based on the design of the SDHC cards, I would highly doubt the higher 'class' of a card could be a problem. A card can easily write as 'slow' as the camera wishes to write, in other words if the camera only writes at about class 4 speeds (I'm not saying the K-x does), then it doesn't matter if you use a class 6 or a class 10 or higher, the write time will not be significantly affected.

FWIW, I've have many images randomly be recorded corrupt on various cards, using various cameras (maybe on the order of 50 or 60 occurrences in 10yrs) but without a doubt the least amount of these occurrences has been with Sandisk and Lexar media. For the past 5yrs, I will no longer use anything but a Sandisk or Lexar brand media.

Further, with every new SD card, I recommend using a very high speed reader and using a full-disk test on the card (I use Image Rescue 3) as this will cause the card to attempt to write to every storable bit on the card, and if there is bad areas it will remap them out - BEFORE - you write that all important image to it and discover a corrupted image on your computer!

Additionally, I always recommend formatting the card when you put it back in the camera - or have downloaded your images.

bobmaxja · 05-12-2010, 09:00 AM

I just read this morning from a test that the Panasonic class 10 , is really a class 6. Their class 6 were just barely making the class 10 in some area

The fastest one was the Sandisk extreme and Transcend Ultimate

shim · 05-12-2010, 12:46 PM

The fastest cards by quite a big margin are ATP Promax. They are waterproof and dustproof as well. The Pro Movie people use them extensively. Unfortunately we can't get them here in the UK. The ATP card reader isn't all that fast though.

Several speed tests on youtube search for "sdhc card test camera" I tried putting a link in to a video, but it put the video on this page, which isn't any use because you need to read the results off the youtube page as well. This link direct to the search works LINK

I've had about three duff Sandisks will never use them again. Lexars are OK though and they also make the Kodak cards.

shim

Last edited by shim; 05-12-2010 at 12:54 PM. Reason: change link

kangeroo82 · 06-10-2010, 07:10 AM

I've used both an A-Data 16GB Class 6 SDHC card and an 8GB Sandisk Extreme III Class 6 (20Mbps) SDHC Card. The A-Data had a buffer problem that would not allow for the HD video on a Pentax K-x to go further than 1 minute. I sold the A-Data card because of that. Now, I'm looking for another 16GB card that will work without using up the buffer that does not cost as much as the 16GB Sandisk Extreme II version (~$90). Does anyone have any suggestions?

shim · 06-11-2010, 12:27 AM

ATP Promax 16GB it's what the Pro Video people rate as No 1

titrisol · 07-08-2010, 08:07 PM

For some crazy reason the SDHC card I have (Kingston 4GB) goes nuts when I format it.
After formatting I lose the pictures of that day and the card goes back to the preformatted state.
I´m not sure if this is a camera or card problem????

Originally posted by twokatmew

Agreed. I always format cards in the device. IIRC, the Kx manual recommends doing so, too.

shim · 07-10-2010, 10:16 AM

Originally posted by titrisol

For some crazy reason the SDHC card I have (Kingston 4GB) goes nuts when I format it.
After formatting I lose the pictures of that day and the card goes back to the preformatted state.
I´m not sure if this is a camera or card problem????

I assume that you have formatted it in the camera? Not sure what you mean by pre-formatted state? Is something.... card or camera telling you the card is not formatted?

The easiest solution is get another card and leave the original alone until you check if the 2nd card works properly.

shim

UnknownVT · 07-10-2010, 10:33 AM

Originally posted by Ubuntu_user

The K-x has problems with class 10 cards... I had one and it would corrupt images randomly. I called the manufacture (this particular one was a transcend) and they said that they have had several complaints from K-x users on the class 10 cards...

Get a good Class 6 like the SanDisk Extreme III. They are the best!

This is very interesting - not doubting your experience -
it is difficult to see how a Class 10 card which is just a speed rating (for minimum write speed of 10Mb/s) could cause problems with the K-x -
why would the K-x have a problem with a faster write speed, than one that's slower - if anything a slow write speed may cause problems.

Is this definitive are all Class 10 SDHC cards incompatible with the K-x?
Have Pentax stated that? -
do SanDisk who sell the Extreme 30Mb/s Edition now rated at Class 10 said anything about incompatibility with the K-x?
are others here reporting problems with their Class 10 SandDisks?

So is this a general problem?
is Transcend support (with all due respects) really in a position to make such a blanket statement on behalf of other class 10 SDHC manufacturers and Pentax?

or perhaps a problem with just the Transcend Class 10?
and is it all the Transcend Class 10 SDHC - 4Gb, 8Gb, 16Gb and 32Gb?

philcozz · 07-10-2010, 12:13 PM

I've got a Transcend class 10 (8GB) on its way. Anyone using one of these successfully with the K-x?

phuey · 07-10-2010, 10:10 PM

Originally posted by philcozz

I've got a Transcend class 10 (8GB) on its way. Anyone using one of these successfully with the K-x?

Never had a problem.

I've used Patriot 8GB class 6's, Sandisk Ultra 8GB class 6's and a Transcend class 10. No problemo.

creampuff · 07-10-2010, 11:08 PM

I steer clear of buying Transcend SD cards. Performance is nowhere near what they claim and there were formatting issues with different batches of 8 GB cards that I bought. Had to get them exchanged. I will stick with Sandisk Ultra at the very least, but best to go with Extreme. Flawless performance and very quick transfer to the computer even when using RAW.

=================================
Info from Sandisk:
Sandisk Ultra (Rated Class 4)
Up to 15 MB/s read speed; write speed lower

Sandisk Extreme (Rated Class 10)
Up to 30 MB/s read speed

Class ratings measure the minimum sustained speed required for recording an even rate of video onto the card. The class rating number corresponds to the transfer rate measured in megabytes per second. Class 2 cards are designed for a minimum sustained transfer rate of 2 megabytes per second (MB/s), while Class 10 cards are designed for a minimum sustained transfer rate of 10MB/s.

Rated Speed (e.g. 15MB/s, 30MB/s, etc.) is maximum speed of the card and also what you would expect to approximately see in typical usage of writing or reading files on the card. This measurement is pertinent to still photography, especially for taking pictures with high resolution and/or saving in RAW format where the files created are very large. The faster the card, the faster it can save the file and be ready to take another picture. You really notice speed differences with high-megapixel DSLR and multi-shot burst mode.

Still digital images shot on high-megapixel cameras should utilize fast data throughput (a large pipe), higher speed cards for improved performance. Higher speed cards can also improve how fast you can download (or upload) the files from the card to your computer.

Speed Class is a minimum speed based on a worst case scenario test. The Speed Class is important for video mode or camcorders, where the device is actually saving a steady stream of data. The resolution and format of the video determines the amount of steady stream data. This translates to a minimum speed you need to guarantee that the video captured on the cards is recorded at an even, sustained rate with no dropped frames (which typically results in lost data and choppy playback).

Compared to high-megapixel photography, video doesn't need as big a pipe because the video format is a smaller "fixed stream" that uses only a portion of the pipe. But you do need a minimum guaranteed speed for the SDHC card that satisfies the requirement of the data stream. Your camera's specifications should state the minimum SDHC Class Rating required.
__________________

shim · 07-11-2010, 05:31 AM

I've stopped using the Transcend Class 10 I mentioned earlier. Won't even work proper for transferring files from computer to computer. Stay well clear.

I've bought a PNY Premium card which seems to be quite good and a lot faster than I expected.

shim

leadfoot · 07-11-2010, 06:41 AM

Everything you wanted to know about SD cards, and probably alot you didn't want to know.

Secure Digital - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I stick with Lexar and Sandisk cards for the K-x, and have had problems with PNY Optima 4G, class 4 cards. I couldn't find any recomendations for SD cards in the K-x manual, like speed class, etc.

shim · 07-12-2010, 01:42 AM

A lot of people have had problems with Sandisk as well. I've had two faulty Extremes and it seemed a lot of trouble sending them back from the UK I think we have to send them to Belgium or somewhere in Europe.

07-10-2010, 11:08 PM	#27
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	I steer clear of buying Transcend SD cards. Performance is nowhere near what they claim and there were formatting issues with different batches of 8 GB cards that I bought. Had to get them exchanged. I will stick with Sandisk Ultra at the very least, but best to go with Extreme. Flawless performance and very quick transfer to the computer even when using RAW. ================================= Info from Sandisk: Sandisk Ultra (Rated Class 4) Up to 15 MB/s read speed; write speed lower Sandisk Extreme (Rated Class 10) Up to 30 MB/s read speed Class ratings measure the minimum sustained speed required for recording an even rate of video onto the card. The class rating number corresponds to the transfer rate measured in megabytes per second. Class 2 cards are designed for a minimum sustained transfer rate of 2 megabytes per second (MB/s), while Class 10 cards are designed for a minimum sustained transfer rate of 10MB/s. Rated Speed (e.g. 15MB/s, 30MB/s, etc.) is maximum speed of the card and also what you would expect to approximately see in typical usage of writing or reading files on the card. This measurement is pertinent to still photography, especially for taking pictures with high resolution and/or saving in RAW format where the files created are very large. The faster the card, the faster it can save the file and be ready to take another picture. You really notice speed differences with high-megapixel DSLR and multi-shot burst mode. Still digital images shot on high-megapixel cameras should utilize fast data throughput (a large pipe), higher speed cards for improved performance. Higher speed cards can also improve how fast you can download (or upload) the files from the card to your computer. Speed Class is a minimum speed based on a worst case scenario test. The Speed Class is important for video mode or camcorders, where the device is actually saving a steady stream of data. The resolution and format of the video determines the amount of steady stream data. This translates to a minimum speed you need to guarantee that the video captured on the cards is recorded at an even, sustained rate with no dropped frames (which typically results in lost data and choppy playback). Compared to high-megapixel photography, video doesn't need as big a pipe because the video format is a smaller "fixed stream" that uses only a portion of the pipe. But you do need a minimum guaranteed speed for the SDHC card that satisfies the requirement of the data stream. Your camera's specifications should state the minimum SDHC Class Rating required. __________________ Last edited by creampuff; 07-10-2010 at 11:14 PM.

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05-12-2010, 07:01 AM	#16
twokatmew Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Lansing, MI Photos: Albums Posts: 509	Originally posted by SpecialK I would format it in and for YOUR camera. Who knows was the factory does :-) It takes 5 seconds. Agreed. I always format cards in the device. IIRC, the Kx manual recommends doing so, too.

05-12-2010, 07:57 AM	#17
AdamJ New Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Chicago Area, IL, USA Posts: 20	Originally posted by twokatmew I've been using two Sandisk class 10s in my Kx and have had no problems whatsoever. I've also used class 6 cards which exceed the class 10 specs. No problems there either. I will second this. I'm using Sandisk Extreme Class 10 SD cards with no problem. Based on the design of the SDHC cards, I would highly doubt the higher 'class' of a card could be a problem. A card can easily write as 'slow' as the camera wishes to write, in other words if the camera only writes at about class 4 speeds (I'm not saying the K-x does), then it doesn't matter if you use a class 6 or a class 10 or higher, the write time will not be significantly affected. FWIW, I've have many images randomly be recorded corrupt on various cards, using various cameras (maybe on the order of 50 or 60 occurrences in 10yrs) but without a doubt the least amount of these occurrences has been with Sandisk and Lexar media. For the past 5yrs, I will no longer use anything but a Sandisk or Lexar brand media. Further, with every new SD card, I recommend using a very high speed reader and using a full-disk test on the card (I use Image Rescue 3) as this will cause the card to attempt to write to every storable bit on the card, and if there is bad areas it will remap them out - BEFORE - you write that all important image to it and discover a corrupted image on your computer! Additionally, I always recommend formatting the card when you put it back in the camera - or have downloaded your images.

05-12-2010, 09:00 AM	#18
bobmaxja Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Laval, Quebec Canada Posts: 2,171	I just read this morning from a test that the Panasonic class 10 , is really a class 6. Their class 6 were just barely making the class 10 in some area The fastest one was the Sandisk extreme and Transcend Ultimate

05-12-2010, 12:46 PM	#19
shim Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Merseyside UK Posts: 34	The fastest cards by quite a big margin are ATP Promax. They are waterproof and dustproof as well. The Pro Movie people use them extensively. Unfortunately we can't get them here in the UK. The ATP card reader isn't all that fast though. Several speed tests on youtube search for "sdhc card test camera" I tried putting a link in to a video, but it put the video on this page, which isn't any use because you need to read the results off the youtube page as well. This link direct to the search works LINK I've had about three duff Sandisks will never use them again. Lexars are OK though and they also make the Kodak cards. shim Last edited by shim; 05-12-2010 at 12:54 PM. Reason: change link

06-10-2010, 07:10 AM	#20
kangeroo82 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Arlington, VA Photos: Albums Posts: 128	I've used both an A-Data 16GB Class 6 SDHC card and an 8GB Sandisk Extreme III Class 6 (20Mbps) SDHC Card. The A-Data had a buffer problem that would not allow for the HD video on a Pentax K-x to go further than 1 minute. I sold the A-Data card because of that. Now, I'm looking for another 16GB card that will work without using up the buffer that does not cost as much as the 16GB Sandisk Extreme II version (~$90). Does anyone have any suggestions?

06-11-2010, 12:27 AM	#21
shim Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Merseyside UK Posts: 34	ATP Promax 16GB it's what the Pro Video people rate as No 1

07-08-2010, 08:07 PM	#22
titrisol Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: In the most populated state... state of denial Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,852	For some crazy reason the SDHC card I have (Kingston 4GB) goes nuts when I format it. After formatting I lose the pictures of that day and the card goes back to the preformatted state. I´m not sure if this is a camera or card problem???? Originally posted by twokatmew Agreed. I always format cards in the device. IIRC, the Kx manual recommends doing so, too.

07-10-2010, 10:16 AM	#23
shim Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Merseyside UK Posts: 34	Originally posted by titrisol For some crazy reason the SDHC card I have (Kingston 4GB) goes nuts when I format it. After formatting I lose the pictures of that day and the card goes back to the preformatted state. I´m not sure if this is a camera or card problem???? I assume that you have formatted it in the camera? Not sure what you mean by pre-formatted state? Is something.... card or camera telling you the card is not formatted? The easiest solution is get another card and leave the original alone until you check if the 2nd card works properly. shim

07-10-2010, 10:33 AM	#24
UnknownVT Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: USA Posts: 1,812	Originally posted by Ubuntu_user The K-x has problems with class 10 cards... I had one and it would corrupt images randomly. I called the manufacture (this particular one was a transcend) and they said that they have had several complaints from K-x users on the class 10 cards... Get a good Class 6 like the SanDisk Extreme III. They are the best! This is very interesting - not doubting your experience - it is difficult to see how a Class 10 card which is just a speed rating (for minimum write speed of 10Mb/s) could cause problems with the K-x - why would the K-x have a problem with a faster write speed, than one that's slower - if anything a slow write speed may cause problems. Is this definitive are all Class 10 SDHC cards incompatible with the K-x? Have Pentax stated that? - do SanDisk who sell the Extreme 30Mb/s Edition now rated at Class 10 said anything about incompatibility with the K-x? are others here reporting problems with their Class 10 SandDisks? So is this a general problem? is Transcend support (with all due respects) really in a position to make such a blanket statement on behalf of other class 10 SDHC manufacturers and Pentax? or perhaps a problem with just the Transcend Class 10? and is it all the Transcend Class 10 SDHC - 4Gb, 8Gb, 16Gb and 32Gb?

07-10-2010, 12:13 PM	#25
philcozz Closed Account Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 56	I've got a Transcend class 10 (8GB) on its way. Anyone using one of these successfully with the K-x?

07-10-2010, 10:10 PM	#26
phuey Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 44	Originally posted by philcozz I've got a Transcend class 10 (8GB) on its way. Anyone using one of these successfully with the K-x? Never had a problem. I've used Patriot 8GB class 6's, Sandisk Ultra 8GB class 6's and a Transcend class 10. No problemo.

07-11-2010, 05:31 AM	#28
shim Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Merseyside UK Posts: 34	I've stopped using the Transcend Class 10 I mentioned earlier. Won't even work proper for transferring files from computer to computer. Stay well clear. I've bought a PNY Premium card which seems to be quite good and a lot faster than I expected. shim

07-11-2010, 06:41 AM	#29
leadfoot Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Oregon Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 131	Everything you wanted to know about SD cards, and probably alot you didn't want to know. Secure Digital - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I stick with Lexar and Sandisk cards for the K-x, and have had problems with PNY Optima 4G, class 4 cards. I couldn't find any recomendations for SD cards in the K-x manual, like speed class, etc.

07-12-2010, 01:42 AM	#30
shim Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Merseyside UK Posts: 34	A lot of people have had problems with Sandisk as well. I've had two faulty Extremes and it seemed a lot of trouble sending them back from the UK I think we have to send them to Belgium or somewhere in Europe.