D300s shooting w/ dual cards???

www.SGphoto.us

i have an 8 gb sd card for my main card and a 4 gb cf set for backup. i can get like 750 jpegs on my 8gb but once i loaded the cf, it dropped down to half that. its only counting the 4 gb on the cf. So by me using that 4 gb cf, is half of my 8gb card going to waste? i got the 4 gb because thats all they had in the store and i dont want to order online because there is so much fake name brand memory out there. i have had no name cards fail on me b4. its a nightmare! so what happens if i try to go over 4gb?

ziggy53

Are you using the second card for redundant storage of the first card? (Basically a copy.) Nikon calls it "Backup" mode.

www.SGphoto.us

ziggy53 wrote: »

Are you using the second card for redundant storage of the first card? (Basically a copy.) Nikon calls it "Backup" mode.

yeah, thats all i want it for, just peace of mind. i always load the sd card directly into my computer and i dont have a cf reader, connecting the cam to the computer is a pain so yes, just redundant backup storage. in the settings i have the CF slot set to "backup" did i miss something?

catspaw

www.SGphoto.us wrote: »

yeah, thats all i want it for, just peace of mind. i always load the sd card directly into my computer and i dont have a cf reader, connecting the cam to the computer is a pain so yes, just redundant backup storage. in the settings i have the CF slot set to "backup" did i miss something?

When set up for back-up, you are limited by the size of your smallest card; so yes your available storage will drop when you put in a 4 gig card.

I honestly don't know what will happen when you hit 4 gigs -- you DO have those 4 more gigs from the 8 gig card available. I use two 16s in my camera, but set them to write to one, then the other. I can tell you what happens in every circumstance with THAT though yay experience.

BMW_Stu

wow that sux, i need 2 get rid of this card then.

Matthew Saville

BMW_Stu wrote: »

wow that sux, i need 2 get rid of this card then.

Why get rid of the 4 GB card? Just get two, and swap one out when it gets full.

That's part of the redundancy process. What if you put your camera down, and someone snatches it? Both copies of your images are gone.

Personally, I'd rather have one high-capacity card in one slot, as the backup, and then a bunch of lower capacity, smaller cards that are swapped out and kept in my pocket or something. That way, the entire shoot / day / vacation etc. isn't all still on the camera.

But, that's just me the professional wedding shooter. Your preference may differ.

=Matt=

www.SGphoto.us

while theft is ALWAYS a possibility, i think i'm more likely to loose a card in the process of swapping and shuffling cards around

Matthew Saville

www.SGphoto.us wrote: »

while theft is ALWAYS a possibility, i think i'm more likely to loose a card in the process of swapping and shuffling cards around

I worry about that as well. But that's what the ONE large card is for; it stays in the camera forever and protects against card loss or damage. While the swapped out cards, stored in your pocket or somewhere else safe, protect against camera theft.

:-)

=Matt=

www.SGphoto.us

Matthew Saville wrote: »

I worry about that as well. But that's what the ONE large card is for; it stays in the camera forever and protects against card loss or damage. While the swapped out cards, stored in your pocket or somewhere else safe, protect against camera theft.

:-)

=Matt=

dam, i already ordered the 8 gb cf, now you make me want the 16. oh well, it will still basically serve the same purpose you are talking about.

Bsimon

Matthew Saville wrote: »

I worry about that as well. But that's what the ONE large card is for; it stays in the camera forever and protects against card loss or damage. While the swapped out cards, stored in your pocket or somewhere else safe, protect against camera theft.

:-)

=Matt=

This is interesting. Having just purchased the 300s I was planning on using all 4 or 8 gig cards to simply have a backup of each card. Having one say 32 gig sd card and many 4 or 8 gig cf cards seems less cumbersome. I am really looking forward to this body and deffinately excited that I wont be dealing with pushing and pulling thin sd cards too often anymore!

Matthew Saville

Bsimon wrote: »

This is interesting. Having just purchased the 300s I was planning on using all 4 or 8 gig cards to simply have a backup of each card. Having one say 32 gig sd card and many 4 or 8 gig cf cards seems less cumbersome. I am really looking forward to this body and deffinately excited that I wont be dealing with pushing and pulling thin sd cards too often anymore!

That is EXACTLY the theoretical solution in my head, as well. Although I'm not sure which is better, actually; having one huge CF card and always leaving it in while swapping out SD cards, (because that would save space to have 5-10 SD cards instead of 5-10 CF cards, and large & fast SD cards are more expensive than large & fast CF cards) ...OR... having one huge SD card and swapping out smaller CF cards, because, well, let's face it the smaller something is, the easier it is to lose.

I'm inclined to go with the ONE high-capacity SD card, since it's tiny and I'd rather fiddle with the larger cards.

But there are definitely so many options and factors! One thing I didn't consider was that CF cards are more prone to pin bending, while SD cards don't really have pins. So there's a point for the OTHER way, not mine.

Anywho! This has been an interesting discussion.

Bottom line- I CAN'T WAIT to see a D700s with dual card slots and a D3s sensor! (video, shmideo, I'll buy a D700s even if it's no better than the 720p D3s. Honestly I just don't care that much...)

=Matt=

six2one

i recently got this for my d300s. the space is more than enough and the speed is perfect. i dont shoot multiple cards at once cause it doesnt get much more simple and durable than compact flash, not to mention much faster than other mediums.

www.SGphoto.us

its not a matter of having enough space, its just a matter of having a backup, redundancy and security, sure, ou don't NEED it, but its there, why not use it.

Matthew Saville

six2one wrote: »

i recently got this for my d300s. the space is more than enough and the speed is perfect. i dont shoot multiple cards at once cause it doesnt get much more simple and durable than compact flash, not to mention much faster than other mediums.

When you're photographing a once-in-a-lifetime event, it's better to stack the odds in your favor.

=Matt=