Memory card question: speed?

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

It's time to get some more memory cards, SDHC style. Three different cameras' mfrs all say "Minimum Class 4" for the cards, though I know two, and possibly all three, will handle faster Class 10 cards. I can't find any info on the read/write speeds of the cameras themselves, while data for the cards is all over the map.

Assuming equal storage sizes (and ignoring nerd bragging rights), is there any real performance advantage in spending a few extra dollars and going to faster memory cards than the mfr specifies?

Rick C

 

[kd4rgwml]

"Assuming equal storage sizes (and ignoring nerd bragging rights), is there any real performance advantage in spending a few extra dollars and going to faster memory cards than the mfr specifies?


nope

 

[Jeepnik]

The slower cameras will write to a class 10 card but the write speed max is determined by the camera.

Write speed is mostly important when taking multiple image at rapid rates or shooting video.

As with anything, you get what you pay for. The more expensive cards are better and last longer.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Thanks, guys! When I first started learning about computers, I was working with a fellow who was a part-time programmer, and when I asked why our office computers were so slow, he explained there's always a bottleneck in the system--generally hardware related--and no matter what you put on either side of it, it's the limiting factor. I suspected the camera's own internal hardware/software is that limiter here, and you've confirmed it.

On the subject of "better quality" cards, dunno if anyone here would benefit so let's just call this an FYI:

I started buying my cards from Kingston a couple of years back, and so far have been satisfied with them. In looking at their website for the first time in a while, I see that if one uses microSD cards, they've added an "industrial" grade card to their catalog. It's designed for frequent handling (insertion/removal cycles) with a much wider temperature range than "regular" cards. It's a little more expensive, but not much (about $3 more than a regular card in a 32GB size.) I've used microSDs in an adaptor for a couple of devices, and haven't noticed any problems, so this might be of interest next summer out in the desert where it's not hard to exceed mfr temperature recommendations for both hardware and storage media, often by a fair amount.

Rick C