What Size CF Cards Do You Guys Use?

dawssvt · April 4, 2008

I just wanted to see what size of Compact Flash cards you guys are using. There will be several week long trips in the summer that I will be taking a large number of pictures with no access to a computer all week. When my 40D arrives, I am going to start shooting in RAW.

I just ordered a Sandisk Extreme III 8GB card from Adorama, but some other guys recommended I just go for (2) 4GB cards so there is less chance of card failure.

So how much memory do you guys carry around? Suggestions about the 8GB cards?

Art Scott · April 4, 2008

I have 2 each 2gb 80x pro lexar and 8gb 122x transcend and really do not intend to go any larger than 8gb.....as of right now my 6mp KM7D's get over 650 raw files on the 8gb cards so if I move up to a D300 or D3 at 12mp that cuts my raw files to half as many...but I would rather lose 350 files as opposed to loosing 1k from a 16gb card or more from a larger card......when I shot film I changed a lot of rolls for the same reason......

even with 35mm I shot 12exp rolls when doing work for others for my self well I spooled as much as 75 frames into those canisters once....and found out that my camera could not hold it on the take up spool...:D:D

in alot of ways I am told I still have film mentality

Scott_Quier · April 4, 2008

I have 10 x 2GB and 4 x 4GB. But, it's not the size of the card that is significant. It's more a matter of the number of images stored on the card before it's swapped out. I try to keep the count to somewhere between 150 and 175 images so that I don't have too many eggs in one basket. That makes the 2GB card about 75 - 85% full and doesn't even come close to 1/2 way mark on the 4GB. Oh, BTW - I shoot RAW, exclusively.

Photoskipper · April 4, 2008

2 X 4G!

That is true that we have very little chance to finish the 4G even though I shoot RAW exclusively.

Occassionally, I manage to use up one and half 4G cards in one day when i go on photo trip. I started at 5 am to wait for sunrise, followed by whole day tour then finsih with the night scene till mid-night. The highest I recorded was 1K photos only.

Don't worry about missing the shots due to the card full, the battery usually finish before the 4G is full. I change the battery together with next 4 G card before the day end. The meter on the camera shows how many more I can go so I change it before next photo opportunity arrive.

lightyear · April 4, 2008

CF cards
YOuo might check with the camera tchnical department to determine the recommended card speed and capacity. With Nikon, some cameras cannot utilize the 133x, or more than 8 GB, etc. Don't know abut Canon, but each camera has maximal writing ability, and no point in buying more card than you can utilize.
Stan

dawssvt · April 4, 2008

Scott_Quier wrote:

I have 10 x 2GB and 4 x 4GB. But, it's not the size of the card that is significant. It's more a matter of the number of images stored on the card before it's swapped out. I try to keep the count to somewhere between 150 and 175 images so that I don't have too many eggs in one basket. That makes the 2GB card about 75 - 85% full and doesn't even come close to 1/2 way mark on the 4GB. Oh, BTW - I shoot RAW, exclusively.

Are you shooting in RAW by itself or RAW+JPEG?

Scott_Quier · April 4, 2008

dawssvt wrote:

Are you shooting in RAW by itself or RAW+JPEG?

Just RAW. To date, I've not needed the convenience of having the JPGs right away. But that could change and when it does, the larger cards will come in handy.

dangin · April 4, 2008

you can never have enough storage space. i've got 2x 8gb cf cards, 2x 4gb cf cards, and a few smaller ones that just sit in a drawer. for a good deal i highly recommend the prospec cards from calumet.
http://www.calumetphoto.com/ctl?ac.ui.pn=search.Search&query=prospec
they come in many varieties and are very competitively priced. i have a few of them and they've served me well so far.

SavedByZero · April 4, 2008

lightyear wrote:

Don't know abut Canon, but each camera has maximal writing ability, and no point in buying more card than you can utilize.
Stan

That's only good advice untill you get your next new body in the next 1 to 3 years which just might take advantage of those faster write speeds.

And I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that faster write speeds are gonna happen as the price of FF +14mp bodies starts to drop and become common place over APS-C sensors.

I like to call it "Future Proofing" cause you want to buy accessories that you'll still be able to use with your next 1 or 2 system upgrades.

tsk1979 · April 4, 2008

I use 2x4GB A-Data cards.
Shoot RAW only. Haven't filled up a card till yet

SavedByZero · April 4, 2008

Oh yeah I got me a fancy Transcend 4gb 133x card from NewEgg.Com for only $24.49!!! Gonna pick up another Transcend 8gb 133x card for $35.99 before my summer trip to Deal's Gap and the Smokey Mountains this summer. That should be over 600 RAW 10.2mp images or a whole butt load more in JPG for some pics.

BigAl · April 4, 2008

I use 2x1GB cards and a PD70x storage device. I shoot only RAW and have never run out of space even on a 3 week trip to Turkey and Germany (where I was using 2x512MB cards).

Art Scott · April 5, 2008

I have filled my 8gb taanscends about 3 times but that was shooting multiple exposures for (hopefully HDR's) stacking and also for pano's but that is it......

Any SD carrd users out there.....new egg is giving transcend 2gb cards for 7.49 or 7.99 each as of today's look...........and like SBZ stated the 8gb Transcend CF133 are only$35.99.......

Art Scott · April 5, 2008

BigAl wrote:

I use 2x1GB cards and a PD70x storage device. I shoot only RAW and have never run out of space even on a 3 week trip to Turkey and Germany (where I was using 2x512MB cards).

Were you shooting RAW or JPG????? Unless that PDX70 is 500gb I could of filled it in less than a week in my 3 wk trip to Czech Republic..just shooting beautiful Czech women....not to mention the Castles and farms ......if I had digital at that time I would have been in 9th heaven:D

evoryware · April 5, 2008

4GB Sandisk III (in 40D), 2GB Sandisk III(in XTi), 2 x 1GB Sandisk II's and another generic 1GB that came with the camera.

rwells · April 5, 2008

I have (8) 2Gig cards and (1) 4Gig

Don't know what you'll be shooting, but if it's sports or anything that you need fast write time to the card, check the card specs. Last time I checked the Sandisk Ultra II cards, the 2Gig was twice as fast as the same card but in 4Gig size.

I could be off a little on those specs, but it was enough that I bought more 2Gig cards instead of 4Gig.

And like Scott stated: You don't want too many eggs in one basket.

BigAl · April 5, 2008

Art Scott wrote:

Were you shooting RAW or JPG????? Unless that PDX70 is 500gb I could of filled it in less than a week in my 3 wk trip to Czech Republic..just shooting beautiful Czech women....not to mention the Castles and farms ......if I had digital at that time I would have been in 9th heaven:D

Was shooting RAW. Took quite a few of the stunningly beautiful women in Istanbul too

I would have just bought another hard disk if I'd run out of space - it takes a standard notebook hard disk.

Glory2Jesus4Photography · April 5, 2008

I have 4 x 4 Gig and 2 x 2 Gig cards mainly Sandisk and that is a mix of extreme III and and IV's I also have a Lexar 4 Gig pro 300x I don't think I will move up to a 8 Gig for a while just for the fact I like to try and get the photos selected and deleted card by card and after 4 Gig is a good time to get a cup of coffee and stretch the legs

20DNoob · April 6, 2008

I err on the side of overkill(RAW shooter).

3 8GB
1 4GB
2 2GB(I had 3 but managed to break one somehow

rofl)

And afraid to admit it but when I first started out I actually bought a 3GB Microdive.

pyry · April 6, 2008

I've got a 4 GB Sandisk Extreme 3 in my 20D, which gives me about 450-550 raw frames depending on iso settings. I've also got a 1 GB Sandisk Ultra 2 in my IR-modded 300D, that fits around 100-130 raw files.

So far I've managed to get away without shuffling cards too much

i_worship_the_King · April 6, 2008

I currently shoot on two Sandisk 4GB Ultra 2's.

Is there a real difference between the Ultra 2 & Extreme III?

Manfr3d · April 7, 2008

i_worship_the_King wrote:

I currently shoot on two Sandisk 4GB Ultra 2's.

Is there a real difference between the Ultra 2 & Extreme III?

Yes there is a difference (even in my 10D). ON the average Extreme III
cards are 10% faster in Camera and 100% faster in a good cardreader.
The Extreme IV takes it a step further and while they are almost the
same speed as Extreme III in camera they are with 40mb/s twice
as fast as the Extreme III cards in a UDMA Cardreader (such as the
SanDisk FireWire 800 CF Cardreader).

I personaly use 4GB Ultra II and 4GB Extreme IV cards. I'm happy with
both.

Blurmore · April 7, 2008

I use 3 1gb [Lexar Platinum, Sandisk Ultra II, Sterlingtek (generic)]
1 2gb a-data came free with the 40D through Newegg
2 4gb Hitachi Microdrives

I use the flash memory for my sub-contract .jpg jobs, I have yet to shoot through 5gb in large (normal) .jpg but if I did I'd have the microdrives as backup.

For my own jobs I shoot through the flash cards for portraits/ceremony and go to the microdrives for reception. I shoot all raw for my own jobs, and I am considering switching to sRAW for receptions, as I rarely have anyone want a reception shot over 8x10.

The microdrives work great, but I don't over work them, they were a truly unbeatable price 20 bucks on 2fer tuesday Wooted.

claudermilk · April 7, 2008

I currently have all SanDisk Ultra IIs, 2x 1GB, 2x 2Gb and one new 4GB. I also use a HD80 w/ 80GB drive and a 40GB drive in reserve. I don't plan on going any larger as the bigger cards tend to be a bit slower; I also subscribe to the "don't buy more than you need" school of thought. When I upgrade the body & need higher capacity cards, I'll get them then--when they are cheaper. Remember thatthe latest fastest/biggest cards are significantly more expensive than the older generations.

I have filled my capacity back when I had only the 40GB drive in the HD80 and the 2GB & 1GB cards--but that was shooting 24 solid hours of performance. I ended up shooting half of it JPEG & went home with even my last-resort 512MB & 256MB cards mostly filled. :oogle The 80GB drive was on order soon after returning home. Just proves the maxim: there is never enough storage space.

Ozone · April 8, 2008

I have 2x4GB Kingstons, 2x1GB SanDisks, 1x2GB Ridata, and 2x512MB Sandisks. I tend to use the 4 GB's most of the time with the rest in reserve. I mostly use the 512's and 1 GB's as image carriers for prints at Wal-Mart or the local photo processing shops.

What Size CF Cards Do You Guys Use?

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