[rdrum76]

I am looking for memory cards and want to know the write speed or the buffer speed for both the k10 and k20 saving to the SD memory card

thank you

[Venturi]

Don't know how fast they are capable of, but they're still faster than the Sandisk Extreme III (20MB/s version - there's a new 30MB/s version out now I have not yet tried).
With the Extreme IIIs the K20D starts gets backed up (pause waiting to write) after about 14 continuous drive shots in RAW; the K10D takes quite a bit longer thanks to smaller file sizes.
With other brands (Kingston, PNY, Transend) in my experience they start playing catch-up with the camera rather quickly.

[ftpaddict]

Just buy the fastest one you can afford. Both Kx0D cameras can keep up.

[MGV]

The DPREVIEW of the K20D suggest a write time to 6 MB/sec (the K200D is 4 MB/sec)

Pentax K20D Review: 12. Performance: Digital Photography Review

[architorture]

it looks like that 6 MB/s number is based on the time from shutter release to the activity light stopping (3.6s). however, they note that there is a write delay of 1.9 seconds, so the actual write speed to the card would be over 12MB/s (in 1.7s).

in the k10d review the spelled this out better and calculated the write speed at over 10MB/s (3.1s & 1.3s).

i have a Sandisk Extreme III 2.0GB card and have never been able to match the continuous shooting performance dpreview quotes. i get the same rate (i think), but i can not shoot a jpeg burst until the card fills up - after a certain number it just stops. my card is the same one they used in their review, so i don't know what's up with that.

so, i would definitely echo ftpaddict's advice.

[Lowell Goudge]

they are probably both about the same, since both cameras can operate at just over 3 FPS without stopping at 10MP maximum resolution Jpeg.

This puts them at about 10MB/s if the average picture is 3.3 MB in JPEG format.