Which memory card for K100D shooting sports?

vmax84 · 07-02-2009, 03:18 AM

Which memory card would you recommeded for my K100D shooting sports (soccer, fast moving stuff) shooting in continuous? I currently use a 1gb standard card, but I can only get 3 or 4 quick shots before the camera pauses and writes to the card.

I am also going to update the firmware when Pentax fixes their website.

Suggestions?

Thank you.

vmax84

raz · 07-02-2009, 04:24 AM

K100D is not so good for sports. You can put any card you want, the camera doesn't have enough buffer to hold more images so it will slow down. Plus the AF.C is bad...

vmax84 · 07-02-2009, 04:34 AM

Originally posted by raz

K100D is not so good for sports. You can put any card you want, the camera doesn't have enough buffer to hold more images so it will slow down. Plus the AF.C is bad...

Well, this ruins my day.

vmax84

Anyway.............I thought the camera immediately starts writing to the card when you start shooting. If I have a faster card, wouldn't it allow more pics per second to take place?

Peter Zack · 07-02-2009, 04:46 AM

I whole heartedly disagree. Get an Extreme III or Ultra II (Sandisk) which are the faster cards for both buffer clearing and loading to the computer. Plus they are tougher cards with a low failure rate.

As for the camera, it can do this just fine with practice. Forget RAW. Shoot Jpeg for a better frame rate. The file sizes are smaller and the buffer can hold more images. It can be a touch slower to clear but it will do. I own a K110 and shot a baseball game and a soccer match with that camera. I've shot good images of foxes and horse racing with it as well (they both move faster than humans). A member that seems to have disapeared used to post lots of car racing shots here taken with your camera. He just practiced a lot. He sold some images to magazines and a couple of times got on the cover. His work was excellent.

You can track and capture good images with this camera. What it takes is a higher ISO, decent light and practice. A fast focusing lens helps a lot as well. I use the fastest lenses I own for this (F2.8 zooms or faster primes). You can do a few things like learn to anticipate the action and prefocus on a certain spot (Like the goal area) and wait (A tripod helps this greatly) or learn to track on particular subject and fire a moments they stop or turn.

It can be done. I know people hate this but in the good old days with far inferior gear, shooters got fine sports shots with manual everything cameras. You can do it with this camera.

vmax84 · 07-02-2009, 04:53 AM

Originally posted by Peter Zack

I whole heartedly disagree. Get an Extreme III or Ultra II (Sandisk) which are the faster cards for both buffer clearing and loading to the computer. Plus they are tougher cards with a low failure rate.

As for the camera, it can do this just fine with practice. Forget RAW. Shoot Jpeg for a better frame rate. The file sizes are smaller and the buffer can hold more images. It can be a touch slower to clear but it will do. I own a K110 and shot a baseball game and a soccer match with that camera. I've shot good images of foxes and horse racing with it as well (they both move faster than humans). A member that seems to have disapeared used to post lots of car racing shots here taken with your camera. He just practiced a lot. He sold some images to magazines and a couple of times got on the cover. His work was excellent.

You can track and capture good images with this camera. What it takes is a higher ISO, decent light and practice. A fast focusing lens helps a lot as well. I use the fastest lenses I own for this (F2.8 zooms or faster primes). You can do a few things like learn to anticipate the action and prefocus on a certain spot (Like the goal area) and wait (A tripod helps this greatly) or learn to track on particular subject and fire a moments they stop or turn.

It can be done. I know people hate this but in the good old days with far inferior gear, shooters got fine sports shots with manual everything cameras. You can do it with this camera.

Thank you for a very informativie write-up.

I really enjoy this camera and have a ways to go with what it can really do........the journey on "getting there" is half the fun!!

Thanks again.

vmax84

Sudhakar · 07-02-2009, 04:55 AM

These extreme cards help you to transfer from card reader to computer only. No impact on camera writing to card. Unfortunately 100d/ 100Dsuper lacks speed action in this regard. Only way you can improve some thing is instead of RAW, shoot in jpeg. Recently I had to shoot continuous mode and I gained 2 to 3 shots in firing. i.e. RAW maxium 3, where as in jpeg 5 to 6 worked out. Never the less, it is not bad camera to shoot sports unless you want PRO level outcome. Try street shots in sports mode, in continuous firing to see if it helps.

-- my 2 cents

vmax84 · 07-02-2009, 04:58 AM

If I update the firmware on my K100D, will this card work:

Amazon.com: Sandisk Ultra II SDHC 4GB SD Memory Card (SDSDH-4096, BULK Static Pack, No Reader): Electronics

Thank you.

vmax84

**Ash** · 07-02-2009, 05:02 AM

With the K100D, you'll have to be shutter-savvy - that is, you'll have to be conscious what 3 shots at a time would be the best to capture, because you will not be able to capture another shot for around 5-6 seconds.

As said, buffer fills at 3 RAW and about 5 JPEG shots, then allows 1 per 5-6 seconds after that, depending on card speed. Unfortunately, the K100D's write speed maxes out at about 2Mb/sec, so an Extreme III or even an Ultra II card is overkill.

A class 4 card with 4Mb/sec write speed would do the job just fine on a K100D, but if you're thinking of upgrading in the future, these cards would not bring out the best in your next camera.

**Ash** · 07-02-2009, 05:03 AM

Originally posted by vmax84

If I update the firmware on my K100D, will this card work:

Amazon.com: Sandisk Ultra II SDHC 4GB SD Memory Card (SDSDH-4096, BULK Static Pack, No Reader): Electronics

Thank you.

vmax84

Yes, any SDHC card should work fine on your updated K100D. Not sure what the memory limit is, but I wouldn't go any bigger than 8GB (and you probably wouldn't need to anyway...)

vmax84 · 07-02-2009, 05:08 AM

Thanks again for the shooting tips and "will this card work."

vmax84

Peter Zack · 07-02-2009, 06:26 AM

Originally posted by Sudhakar

These extreme cards help you to transfer from card reader to computer only. No impact on camera writing to card. Unfortunately 100d/ 100Dsuper lacks speed action in this regard. Only way you can improve some thing is instead of RAW, shoot in jpeg. Recently I had to shoot continuous mode and I gained 2 to 3 shots in firing. i.e. RAW maxium 3, where as in jpeg 5 to 6 worked out. Never the less, it is not bad camera to shoot sports unless you want PRO level outcome. Try street shots in sports mode, in continuous firing to see if it helps.

-- my 2 cents

Nope again. I shoot 2500-3500 frames a week with 4 different cameras. Paid work and some times fast shooting. The card makes a difference in clearing the buffer and burst rates. I don't care what the manual or anyone else says.

I agree that the camera is limited to a certain speed (not sure how fast) it can write to the card and no matter how fast the card, that won't improve after a certain point. But if you use a run of the mill slow card and then try a faster one, you will see a big difference and max out the camera's write speed. Plus you have a far more reliable card in use.

I have 6 Class 6 blue Sandisk cards and 5 Extreme III's plus 6 Ultra's, all are 4 Gb capacity. All should be faster than the camera but the Blue class 6 cards are slower to clear the buffer. I have at least 10 older cards that are various slow write speeds and those are painful to use for write times.

To the OP, that card is one I use all the time and it's excellent. I have 6 of them and they are fast and reliable.

vmax84 · 07-02-2009, 06:58 AM

Originally posted by Peter Zack

Nope again. I shoot 2500-3500 frames a week with 4 different cameras. Paid work and some times fast shooting. The card makes a difference in clearing the buffer and burst rates. I don't care what the manual or anyone else says.

I agree that the camera is limited to a certain speed (not sure how fast) it can write to the card and no matter how fast the card, that won't improve after a certain point. But if you use a run of the mill slow card and then try a faster one, you will see a big difference and max out the camera's write speed. Plus you have a far more reliable card in use.

I have 6 Class 6 blue Sandisk cards and 5 Extreme III's plus 6 Ultra's, all are 4 Gb capacity. All should be faster than the camera but the Blue class 6 cards are slower to clear the buffer. I have at least 10 older cards that are various slow write speeds and those are painful to use for write times.

To the OP, that card is one I use all the time and it's excellent. I have 6 of them and they are fast and reliable.

The more I read here, the more it makes me feel like a "professional" and want to get out there and take some great shots!!!! Great info. Thanks.

vmax84
"wannabe pro"

vmax84 · 07-02-2009, 07:00 AM

Also, I ended up ordering the Ultra ll from Amazon............now if Pentax will just fix their site so I can upgrade my K100D. :-(

vmax84

Peter Zack · 07-02-2009, 08:07 AM

Here you go. Pentax canada's site: Pentax Canada - Digital Camera Support
For the K100D (not the super and if you have that version it's on the site too.

vmax84 · 07-02-2009, 09:13 AM

Originally posted by Peter Zack

Here you go. Pentax canada's site: Pentax Canada - Digital Camera Support
For the K100D (not the super and if you have that version it's on the site too.

Thank you very much!! I actually found a little tutorial on how to do it as well, over at woot or some place like that.

Anyway, the update went without a hitch and my new memory card will be showing up next week!!

Thanks again!!

vmax84

07-02-2009, 03:18 AM	#1
vmax84 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 307	Which memory card for K100D shooting sports? Which memory card would you recommeded for my K100D shooting sports (soccer, fast moving stuff) shooting in continuous? I currently use a 1gb standard card, but I can only get 3 or 4 quick shots before the camera pauses and writes to the card. I am also going to update the firmware when Pentax fixes their website. Suggestions? Thank you. vmax84

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07-02-2009, 04:24 AM	#2
raz Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Timisoara, Romania Posts: 248	K100D is not so good for sports. You can put any card you want, the camera doesn't have enough buffer to hold more images so it will slow down. Plus the AF.C is bad...

07-02-2009, 04:34 AM	#3
vmax84 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 307 Original Poster	Originally posted by raz K100D is not so good for sports. You can put any card you want, the camera doesn't have enough buffer to hold more images so it will slow down. Plus the AF.C is bad... Well, this ruins my day. vmax84 Anyway.............I thought the camera immediately starts writing to the card when you start shooting. If I have a faster card, wouldn't it allow more pics per second to take place?

07-02-2009, 04:46 AM	#4
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	I whole heartedly disagree. Get an Extreme III or Ultra II (Sandisk) which are the faster cards for both buffer clearing and loading to the computer. Plus they are tougher cards with a low failure rate. As for the camera, it can do this just fine with practice. Forget RAW. Shoot Jpeg for a better frame rate. The file sizes are smaller and the buffer can hold more images. It can be a touch slower to clear but it will do. I own a K110 and shot a baseball game and a soccer match with that camera. I've shot good images of foxes and horse racing with it as well (they both move faster than humans). A member that seems to have disapeared used to post lots of car racing shots here taken with your camera. He just practiced a lot. He sold some images to magazines and a couple of times got on the cover. His work was excellent. You can track and capture good images with this camera. What it takes is a higher ISO, decent light and practice. A fast focusing lens helps a lot as well. I use the fastest lenses I own for this (F2.8 zooms or faster primes). You can do a few things like learn to anticipate the action and prefocus on a certain spot (Like the goal area) and wait (A tripod helps this greatly) or learn to track on particular subject and fire a moments they stop or turn. It can be done. I know people hate this but in the good old days with far inferior gear, shooters got fine sports shots with manual everything cameras. You can do it with this camera.

07-02-2009, 04:53 AM	#5
vmax84 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 307 Original Poster	Originally posted by Peter Zack I whole heartedly disagree. Get an Extreme III or Ultra II (Sandisk) which are the faster cards for both buffer clearing and loading to the computer. Plus they are tougher cards with a low failure rate. As for the camera, it can do this just fine with practice. Forget RAW. Shoot Jpeg for a better frame rate. The file sizes are smaller and the buffer can hold more images. It can be a touch slower to clear but it will do. I own a K110 and shot a baseball game and a soccer match with that camera. I've shot good images of foxes and horse racing with it as well (they both move faster than humans). A member that seems to have disapeared used to post lots of car racing shots here taken with your camera. He just practiced a lot. He sold some images to magazines and a couple of times got on the cover. His work was excellent. You can track and capture good images with this camera. What it takes is a higher ISO, decent light and practice. A fast focusing lens helps a lot as well. I use the fastest lenses I own for this (F2.8 zooms or faster primes). You can do a few things like learn to anticipate the action and prefocus on a certain spot (Like the goal area) and wait (A tripod helps this greatly) or learn to track on particular subject and fire a moments they stop or turn. It can be done. I know people hate this but in the good old days with far inferior gear, shooters got fine sports shots with manual everything cameras. You can do it with this camera. Thank you for a very informativie write-up. I really enjoy this camera and have a ways to go with what it can really do........the journey on "getting there" is half the fun!! Thanks again. vmax84

07-02-2009, 04:55 AM	#6
Sudhakar Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Hyderabad Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 236	These extreme cards help you to transfer from card reader to computer only. No impact on camera writing to card. Unfortunately 100d/ 100Dsuper lacks speed action in this regard. Only way you can improve some thing is instead of RAW, shoot in jpeg. Recently I had to shoot continuous mode and I gained 2 to 3 shots in firing. i.e. RAW maxium 3, where as in jpeg 5 to 6 worked out. Never the less, it is not bad camera to shoot sports unless you want PRO level outcome. Try street shots in sports mode, in continuous firing to see if it helps. -- my 2 cents

07-02-2009, 04:58 AM	#7
vmax84 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 307 Original Poster	If I update the firmware on my K100D, will this card work: Amazon.com: Sandisk Ultra II SDHC 4GB SD Memory Card (SDSDH-4096, BULK Static Pack, No Reader): Electronics Thank you. vmax84

07-02-2009, 05:02 AM	#8
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	With the K100D, you'll have to be shutter-savvy - that is, you'll have to be conscious what 3 shots at a time would be the best to capture, because you will not be able to capture another shot for around 5-6 seconds. As said, buffer fills at 3 RAW and about 5 JPEG shots, then allows 1 per 5-6 seconds after that, depending on card speed. Unfortunately, the K100D's write speed maxes out at about 2Mb/sec, so an Extreme III or even an Ultra II card is overkill. A class 4 card with 4Mb/sec write speed would do the job just fine on a K100D, but if you're thinking of upgrading in the future, these cards would not bring out the best in your next camera.

07-02-2009, 05:03 AM	#9
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Originally posted by vmax84 If I update the firmware on my K100D, will this card work: Amazon.com: Sandisk Ultra II SDHC 4GB SD Memory Card (SDSDH-4096, BULK Static Pack, No Reader): Electronics Thank you. vmax84 Yes, any SDHC card should work fine on your updated K100D. Not sure what the memory limit is, but I wouldn't go any bigger than 8GB (and you probably wouldn't need to anyway...)

07-02-2009, 05:08 AM	#10
vmax84 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 307 Original Poster	Thanks again for the shooting tips and "will this card work." vmax84

07-02-2009, 06:26 AM	#11
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	Originally posted by Sudhakar These extreme cards help you to transfer from card reader to computer only. No impact on camera writing to card. Unfortunately 100d/ 100Dsuper lacks speed action in this regard. Only way you can improve some thing is instead of RAW, shoot in jpeg. Recently I had to shoot continuous mode and I gained 2 to 3 shots in firing. i.e. RAW maxium 3, where as in jpeg 5 to 6 worked out. Never the less, it is not bad camera to shoot sports unless you want PRO level outcome. Try street shots in sports mode, in continuous firing to see if it helps. -- my 2 cents Nope again. I shoot 2500-3500 frames a week with 4 different cameras. Paid work and some times fast shooting. The card makes a difference in clearing the buffer and burst rates. I don't care what the manual or anyone else says. I agree that the camera is limited to a certain speed (not sure how fast) it can write to the card and no matter how fast the card, that won't improve after a certain point. But if you use a run of the mill slow card and then try a faster one, you will see a big difference and max out the camera's write speed. Plus you have a far more reliable card in use. I have 6 Class 6 blue Sandisk cards and 5 Extreme III's plus 6 Ultra's, all are 4 Gb capacity. All should be faster than the camera but the Blue class 6 cards are slower to clear the buffer. I have at least 10 older cards that are various slow write speeds and those are painful to use for write times. To the OP, that card is one I use all the time and it's excellent. I have 6 of them and they are fast and reliable.

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07-02-2009, 06:58 AM	#12
vmax84 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 307 Original Poster	Originally posted by Peter Zack Nope again. I shoot 2500-3500 frames a week with 4 different cameras. Paid work and some times fast shooting. The card makes a difference in clearing the buffer and burst rates. I don't care what the manual or anyone else says. I agree that the camera is limited to a certain speed (not sure how fast) it can write to the card and no matter how fast the card, that won't improve after a certain point. But if you use a run of the mill slow card and then try a faster one, you will see a big difference and max out the camera's write speed. Plus you have a far more reliable card in use. I have 6 Class 6 blue Sandisk cards and 5 Extreme III's plus 6 Ultra's, all are 4 Gb capacity. All should be faster than the camera but the Blue class 6 cards are slower to clear the buffer. I have at least 10 older cards that are various slow write speeds and those are painful to use for write times. To the OP, that card is one I use all the time and it's excellent. I have 6 of them and they are fast and reliable. The more I read here, the more it makes me feel like a "professional" and want to get out there and take some great shots!!!! Great info. Thanks. vmax84 "wannabe pro"

07-02-2009, 07:00 AM	#13
vmax84 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 307 Original Poster	Also, I ended up ordering the Ultra ll from Amazon............now if Pentax will just fix their site so I can upgrade my K100D. :-( vmax84

07-02-2009, 08:07 AM	#14
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	Here you go. Pentax canada's site: Pentax Canada - Digital Camera Support For the K100D (not the super and if you have that version it's on the site too.

07-02-2009, 09:13 AM	#15
vmax84 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 307 Original Poster	Originally posted by Peter Zack Here you go. Pentax canada's site: Pentax Canada - Digital Camera Support For the K100D (not the super and if you have that version it's on the site too. Thank you very much!! I actually found a little tutorial on how to do it as well, over at woot or some place like that. Anyway, the update went without a hitch and my new memory card will be showing up next week!! Thanks again!! vmax84