best 4 GB (or 8 GB) cards for K20D??

WMBP · 03-05-2008, 07:50 PM

I have figured out the types of 2 GB cards in the last year, but with the K20D producing huge files, it seems it's time to move up to 4 GB or even 8 GB storage cards. They must be reliable, affordable and fast, in that order or priority. I'll be shooting weddings and other events with these cards and don't want to lose images. But I don't want to pay $100 per card just to make myself feel good.

Anybody got a suggestion re 4 GB or 8 GB cards that will work in the K20D? I just looked at Amazon.com and there don't seem to be as many choices at that capacity as there are at 2 GB. Would this 4 GB Kingston card, for example, be a good one for the K20D? I've always had good experiences with Kingston memory and this one's cheap. I also found this Lexar 4 GB Platinum II 60x SDHC card over at B&H. Has one 5-star review, but it costs twice as much as the Kingston.

Will

P.S. Sorry if someone notices this is kind of a cross post. I asked this question in a thread in the dslr forum by accident, then realized it should be here.

HawaiianOnline · 03-05-2008, 08:09 PM

Originally posted by WMBP

I have figured out the types of 2 GB cards in the last year, but with the K20D producing huge files, it seems it's time to move up to 4 GB or even 8 GB storage cards. They must be reliable, affordable and fast, in that order or priority. I'll be shooting weddings and other events with these cards and don't want to lose images. But I don't want to pay $100 per card just to make myself feel good.

Anybody got a suggestion re 4 GB or 8 GB cards that will work in the K20D? I just looked at Amazon.com and there don't seem to be as many choices at that capacity as there are at 2 GB. Would this 4 GB Kingston card, for example, be a good one for the K20D? I've always had good experiences with Kingston memory and this one's cheap. I also found this Lexar 4 GB Platinum II 60x SDHC card over at B&H. Has one 5-star review, but it costs twice as much as the Kingston.

Will

P.S. Sorry if someone notices this is kind of a cross post. I asked this question in a thread in the dslr forum by accident, then realized it should be here.

Behold, the 8 GB Sandisk Extreme III SDHC. It's rated at 20 Mb/s and it has a $40.00 rebate right now. Normal price is $79.99, so final price is $39.99.

-=JoN=- · 03-05-2008, 08:57 PM

got a delkin pro e-film sdhc 16 GB Class 6 (150x)

bought it for 80 bux @ adorama...(it was on sale at the time tho)

WMBP · 03-05-2008, 09:39 PM

Thanks, JoN and Hawaiian. The 16 GB recommended by JoN sounds good but I'm still a wee bit afraid of putting that many eggs in one basket. Actually I'm a bit afraid even of having 8 GB cards, but the SanDisk recommended by Hawaiian looks good and I've had excellent results with SanDisk cards in the past. So I just placed an order for two. That doubles my total storage space in one fell swoop--I had 15.5 GB previously. Amazing.

Stay tuned. In our next episode: Will goes shopping for a higher capacity hard drive! ;-)

Thanks, folks.

Will

-=JoN=- · 03-06-2008, 05:58 PM

i dont keep them on the card that long. i've probably filled it up to about 5 gigs....then dumped them out.

if im going on an extended shoot, then i'll grab a few 8 giggers....shooting raw plus eats up the the storage fast......and i'd rather shoot more than keep swapping......w/ smaller cards

WMBP · 03-06-2008, 07:16 PM

Originally posted by -=JoN=-

i dont keep them on the card that long. i've probably filled it up to about 5 gigs....then dumped them out.

I haven't had any trouble at all using up 15 GB of storage shooting a wedding, and that was with the kK10D PEF files, which are less than half the size of the K20D's DNG files. So as soon as these two 8 GB cards arrive, I'll have 32 GB of storage--and while I think it should be enough, given the size of these DNG files, I don't think the amount will be excessive.

And I don't keep anything on the cards for long. I usually try to get photos off the cards immediately, same day. But I don't reformat the cards until I know that I've got the files on the computer, have opened 'em and eyeballed 'em, and have backed 'em up on a DVD.

Will

falconeye · 03-07-2008, 07:35 AM

SDHC Sandisk Extreme III 8GB

The 117 JPG*** images from a K20D burst store within 25s. May make a nice benchmark.

**Lowell Goudge** · 03-07-2008, 07:50 AM

SanDisk Ultra II 4 GB plus usb reader <$50 at costco

wildboar · 03-07-2008, 08:44 AM

Will, what is the size of the K20s PEF files?

wlachan · 03-07-2008, 04:14 PM

I am afraid there is no absolute reliable brand when it comes to flash memory. If you search user opinions, any brand have their share of horrible failure. The differences between them are mostly the warranty, price, MLC/SLC (but most of them don't tell you), plastic shell quality, and country of origin. I myself favour the Made in Japan Panasonic (Gold label) and Toshiba (Blue card), ATP ProMax comes second. I also favour Made in Taiwan over Made in China cards. As to Sandisk, I think they are not as well made as they should, but their ExtremeIII/IV are fast nonetheness. Their Ultra series are just overpriced and overhyped imho. For cheaper alternatives, Transcend and Kingston get my vote.

Geekybiker · 03-07-2008, 04:28 PM

Anyone know if the k20d is capable of a higher write speed than the k10d? Or does it top out about 10m/s like the k10d?

frogger · 03-07-2008, 08:34 PM

Found 4gb extreme III's for $45 CAD at directcanada.com today :-)

sailnski · 03-12-2008, 08:51 AM

I use the 4GB SanDisk Extreme III SD (20 MBps R/W, 133x) in my K10D, and am very pleased with its performance. I shoot RAW almost exclusively, so the extra write speed helps, especially if shooting in continuous mode. The SanDisk card comes with a lifetime warranty and a small USB reader. Earlier in the year, there was a rebate program for these cards. I don't know if it's still available.

You might also want to consider the Qmemory 4GB 150x SD card (22 Mbps) available from the Flash Memory Store (4GB 150x Qmemory SD Card - QMEMSD150-4096 - Flash Memory Store). It also comes with a lifetime warranty and is currently selling for only US$22.95 without a USB reader ($7 more with the reader). They also have a 8GB 150x card for US$46.95. I haven't tried this brand yet, but with the K20's larger file size, it might be a good choice for you.

Kentax · 03-12-2008, 04:46 PM

go with the sandisk 4gb extreme III. purchase it from a participating store and receive a rebate. i purchased 3 4gb III and total cost after rebate = 39$. purchase of 3 cards qualifies you for a 110$ rebate in the form of a prepaid visa card.

WMBP · 03-12-2008, 05:52 PM

I appreciate these recommendations that keep coming in, but for the record I've ordered and now received two 8 GB SanDisk Extreme III SDHC cards, so I'm set. Have only taken a few photos with one but they seem to work so far.

I have a wedding to shoot this weekend. I'm thinking I may go ahead and use my older 2 GB cards up first, as I am confident in their reliability. But I dunno. I think I'll try to shoot a bunch of photos tomorrow just to fill the cards up, see how they do, and reformat 'em.

Will

03-05-2008, 07:50 PM	#1
WMBP Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,482	best 4 GB (or 8 GB) cards for K20D?? I have figured out the types of 2 GB cards in the last year, but with the K20D producing huge files, it seems it's time to move up to 4 GB or even 8 GB storage cards. They must be reliable, affordable and fast, in that order or priority. I'll be shooting weddings and other events with these cards and don't want to lose images. But I don't want to pay $100 per card just to make myself feel good. Anybody got a suggestion re 4 GB or 8 GB cards that will work in the K20D? I just looked at Amazon.com and there don't seem to be as many choices at that capacity as there are at 2 GB. Would this 4 GB Kingston card, for example, be a good one for the K20D? I've always had good experiences with Kingston memory and this one's cheap. I also found this Lexar 4 GB Platinum II 60x SDHC card over at B&H. Has one 5-star review, but it costs twice as much as the Kingston. Will P.S. Sorry if someone notices this is kind of a cross post. I asked this question in a thread in the dslr forum by accident, then realized it should be here.

03-12-2008, 08:51 AM	#13
sailnski New Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 5	4GB SanDisk Extreme III I use the 4GB SanDisk Extreme III SD (20 MBps R/W, 133x) in my K10D, and am very pleased with its performance. I shoot RAW almost exclusively, so the extra write speed helps, especially if shooting in continuous mode. The SanDisk card comes with a lifetime warranty and a small USB reader. Earlier in the year, there was a rebate program for these cards. I don't know if it's still available. You might also want to consider the Qmemory 4GB 150x SD card (22 Mbps) available from the Flash Memory Store (4GB 150x Qmemory SD Card - QMEMSD150-4096 - Flash Memory Store). It also comes with a lifetime warranty and is currently selling for only US$22.95 without a USB reader ($7 more with the reader). They also have a 8GB 150x card for US$46.95. I haven't tried this brand yet, but with the K20's larger file size, it might be a good choice for you.

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03-05-2008, 08:09 PM	#2
HawaiianOnline Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Hawaii Posts: 613	Originally posted by WMBP I have figured out the types of 2 GB cards in the last year, but with the K20D producing huge files, it seems it's time to move up to 4 GB or even 8 GB storage cards. They must be reliable, affordable and fast, in that order or priority. I'll be shooting weddings and other events with these cards and don't want to lose images. But I don't want to pay $100 per card just to make myself feel good. Anybody got a suggestion re 4 GB or 8 GB cards that will work in the K20D? I just looked at Amazon.com and there don't seem to be as many choices at that capacity as there are at 2 GB. Would this 4 GB Kingston card, for example, be a good one for the K20D? I've always had good experiences with Kingston memory and this one's cheap. I also found this Lexar 4 GB Platinum II 60x SDHC card over at B&H. Has one 5-star review, but it costs twice as much as the Kingston. Will P.S. Sorry if someone notices this is kind of a cross post. I asked this question in a thread in the dslr forum by accident, then realized it should be here. Behold, the 8 GB Sandisk Extreme III SDHC. It's rated at 20 Mb/s and it has a $40.00 rebate right now. Normal price is $79.99, so final price is $39.99.

03-05-2008, 08:57 PM	#3
-=JoN=- Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 999	got a delkin pro e-film sdhc 16 GB Class 6 (150x) bought it for 80 bux @ adorama...(it was on sale at the time tho)

03-05-2008, 09:39 PM	#4
WMBP Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,482 Original Poster	Thanks, JoN and Hawaiian. The 16 GB recommended by JoN sounds good but I'm still a wee bit afraid of putting that many eggs in one basket. Actually I'm a bit afraid even of having 8 GB cards, but the SanDisk recommended by Hawaiian looks good and I've had excellent results with SanDisk cards in the past. So I just placed an order for two. That doubles my total storage space in one fell swoop--I had 15.5 GB previously. Amazing. Stay tuned. In our next episode: Will goes shopping for a higher capacity hard drive! ;-) Thanks, folks. Will

03-06-2008, 05:58 PM	#5
-=JoN=- Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 999	i dont keep them on the card that long. i've probably filled it up to about 5 gigs....then dumped them out. if im going on an extended shoot, then i'll grab a few 8 giggers....shooting raw plus eats up the the storage fast......and i'd rather shoot more than keep swapping......w/ smaller cards

03-06-2008, 07:16 PM	#6
WMBP Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,482 Original Poster	Originally posted by -=JoN=- i dont keep them on the card that long. i've probably filled it up to about 5 gigs....then dumped them out. I haven't had any trouble at all using up 15 GB of storage shooting a wedding, and that was with the kK10D PEF files, which are less than half the size of the K20D's DNG files. So as soon as these two 8 GB cards arrive, I'll have 32 GB of storage--and while I think it should be enough, given the size of these DNG files, I don't think the amount will be excessive. And I don't keep anything on the cards for long. I usually try to get photos off the cards immediately, same day. But I don't reformat the cards until I know that I've got the files on the computer, have opened 'em and eyeballed 'em, and have backed 'em up on a DVD. Will

03-07-2008, 07:35 AM	#7
falconeye Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Munich, Alps, Germany Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,871	SDHC Sandisk Extreme III 8GB The 117 JPG*** images from a K20D burst store within 25s. May make a nice benchmark.

03-07-2008, 07:50 AM	#8
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,891	SanDisk Ultra II 4 GB plus usb reader <$50 at costco

03-07-2008, 08:44 AM	#9
wildboar Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Columbus Ohio Posts: 158	Will, what is the size of the K20s PEF files?

03-07-2008, 04:14 PM	#10
wlachan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada Photos: Albums Posts: 2,625	I am afraid there is no absolute reliable brand when it comes to flash memory. If you search user opinions, any brand have their share of horrible failure. The differences between them are mostly the warranty, price, MLC/SLC (but most of them don't tell you), plastic shell quality, and country of origin. I myself favour the Made in Japan Panasonic (Gold label) and Toshiba (Blue card), ATP ProMax comes second. I also favour Made in Taiwan over Made in China cards. As to Sandisk, I think they are not as well made as they should, but their ExtremeIII/IV are fast nonetheness. Their Ultra series are just overpriced and overhyped imho. For cheaper alternatives, Transcend and Kingston get my vote.

03-07-2008, 04:28 PM	#11
Geekybiker Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 337	Anyone know if the k20d is capable of a higher write speed than the k10d? Or does it top out about 10m/s like the k10d?

03-07-2008, 08:34 PM	#12
frogger Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto, ON, CA Posts: 162	Found 4gb extreme III's for $45 CAD at directcanada.com today :-)

03-12-2008, 04:46 PM	#14
Kentax Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 98	go with the sandisk 4gb extreme III. purchase it from a participating store and receive a rebate. i purchased 3 4gb III and total cost after rebate = 39$. purchase of 3 cards qualifies you for a 110$ rebate in the form of a prepaid visa card.

03-12-2008, 05:52 PM	#15
WMBP Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,482 Original Poster	I appreciate these recommendations that keep coming in, but for the record I've ordered and now received two 8 GB SanDisk Extreme III SDHC cards, so I'm set. Have only taken a few photos with one but they seem to work so far. I have a wedding to shoot this weekend. I'm thinking I may go ahead and use my older 2 GB cards up first, as I am confident in their reliability. But I dunno. I think I'll try to shoot a bunch of photos tomorrow just to fill the cards up, see how they do, and reformat 'em. Will