CF Compact Flash cards

Chris Hurd · March 27th, 2009, 07:04 AM

Minimum required CF speed is the subject of debate at this thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/canon-eos...-cf-speed.html

Scott Harris · April 17th, 2009, 10:39 AM

I've used Ultra IIs (10mb/sec) and Extreme IIIs (30mb/sec) and both were sufficient for both photo and video.

Gregory Storm · April 23rd, 2009, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Harris

I've used Ultra IIs (10mb/sec) and Extreme IIIs (30mb/sec) and both were sufficient for both photo and video.

Some Extreme III 8GB cards experience a camera lock-up were you have to take out the battery in order to reset the camera. I no longer use Extreme III for shooting video.

I bought Kingston 133x 32GB and 16GB cards for a 5 hour three-camera shoot and didn't have one lockup or buffer overrun. The only problem is transferring the files to the hard drive is taking about three and a half hours for the 16GB and seven for the 32GB cards.

Robert Esmonde · May 15th, 2009, 12:30 PM

I did a video test the other evening on the 5DM2 using a 16GB KIngston Elite Pro 133x CF card. The card was formatted in the camera and had little or no material on it.

To my surprise and disappointment I found that in the approx 1 minute fast moving sequence there were at least two areas where the image froze for three frames.

I repeated the experiment yesterday and had no such problems.

At first I thought it was just a bizarre but worrying quirk of the 5DM2/Kingston combo, but later I read a FAQ somewhere which said that the camera will drop frames when the aperture is changed on AF lenses.

Yesterday's OK result was done with the camera in Av mode with the kit lens - 24 - 105mm, but I can't remember what the mode was for the problem sequence (using the same lens).

I'm guessing that the dropped frames are related to whatever mode setting I was using with the kit lens.

Can anyone confirm this behaviour and set my mind at ease?

Thanks.

Steve Maller · May 16th, 2009, 10:50 PM

Dropping frames is likely because your exposure wasn't locked. Read up on this. There are a ton of posts on the subject.

And the Kingston 133x card does have issues, but it's with interrupting video with a still capture, and expecting it to continue filming the video (which it doesn't on mine). It works fine with the 266x card.

Robert Esmonde · May 17th, 2009, 11:13 AM

Thanks Steve. Whew! that's a relief to know it's a 'feature' and not a bug or a faulty card.

Victor Bieganek · May 21st, 2009, 11:28 AM

I have had some issues with a 133X CF in that it occasionally causes the 5d to 'freeze up" when I am reviewing clips. The only work around is to shut off and remove/reinsert internal battery. The DV files seem intact but its a hassle once the camera is mounted to the tripod.

Chris Barcellos · May 21st, 2009, 12:58 PM

I am using that exact card (two as a matter of fact) and do not have any such issues. I am using the Nikon lenses, however, which avoid the aperture issue with the Canon lenses.

Buck Forester · June 11th, 2009, 10:20 AM

Okay, I love my EX1, but I'm complimenting it with the 5D Mark II (I also shoot stills and have the original 5D). I need it for an ultra-lightweight option on multi-day backpacking trips and ease of using GND filters.

What are the best CF cards to get? I'd prefer specifics rather than 16GB or 32GB, I'd like to hear things more like, "Kingston 32 GB Elite Pro", or "SanDisk 16GB Extreme III 30mb/s (or 45mb/s)", etc. I'm not sure the speed requirements and how each card mfg compares.

Shooting landscape stills I never cared about speed because most landscapes stay relatlively still (I had to chase mountain once during an earthquake, but that's about it). Any specific advice would be appreciated as I'm ordering the Mark II as soon as I find out which cards to get. Super gracias.

Rick Hill · June 11th, 2009, 11:14 AM

I just purchased a 5D MII (been lurking here for a very long time - I'm an avid HD video and still photo amateur with some reasonable disposable income for toys).

I bought a bunch of the Kingston CompactFlash Elite Pro Memory Cards (8Gb, 16Gb and 32Gb - tested the 8gb first before buying a bunch). They are rated at 133x speed rating and I have had no issues with the Video recording with any of them. They are not as fast as the "SanDisk Extreme III" but IMO, the difference between the two brands has more to do with how fast and how many stills you want to take in continuous mode.

I also tried the "Jobo Secure Digital/MultiMedia to Compact Flash Type II Adapter" along with some real cheap (<$10) SD cards (SanDisk 4GB Secure Digital Card) and had terrible luck with video on the 5DMII (at best I could get 1-5 second clips before the buffer overload stops the video capture). I have not tried any better SD cards so I am not sure if it's the SD cards or the adapter.

So for my memory card collection I have a bunch of Kingston Elite Pro cards (133x) for video and a bunch of cheap Sandisk SD cards to use for stills (via the Jobo adapter). So far I am happy with this collection.

Hope this helps . . .

Wayne Avanson · June 11th, 2009, 11:27 AM

I Use SanDisk 16Gb Extreme III and IV, I have two of each and have had no problems.

Avey

Nigel Barker · June 11th, 2009, 11:54 AM

My wife & I each have a few TRANSCEND 16 Go 133x cards & have never had any problems.

Chris Barcellos · June 11th, 2009, 04:28 PM

I have 2 16's and 2 8's of the Kingston 133x, and no problems.

Peter Berg · June 11th, 2009, 04:34 PM

I have Sandisk Extreme III 8GB and 16GB cards - working without a hitch on both 3 weeks of travelling shooting stills, and hour-long interviews (with changes and restarts of course). I was tempted to get some 32GB cards last week but decided on more 16's - just in case a card dies at some stage.
peter berg

Noah Yuan-Vogel · June 11th, 2009, 07:30 PM

I'll second the Transcend 133x . I have a 32GB Transcend 133x and it works great and the price was hard to beat. They seem to have somehow gone up in price since I bought mine, though. The great thing about these is that although they are MLC (cheap) they have more than plenty of write speed for 40Mbps (5MBps) video and a read speed that is significantly higher which helps offloading. robgalbraith clocked these cards as writing at ~12MBps in a 5DMK2 and reading at >40MBps in fast card readers. I would highly recommend checking his charts ( Rob Galbraith DPI: Canon EOS 5D Mark II ) before you buy any CF card. Make sure that the card is listed as having at least 6MBps writes in a 5DMK2, since 40Megabit/sec translates to 5MegaByte/sec. I looked there and found that the 32GB transcend 133x seemed to be the most reasonably priced large capacity CF card that had enough writes speed for video and unusually fast read speeds for offloading.

March 27th, 2009, 07:04 AM	#61
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Minimum required CF speed is the subject of debate at this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/canon-eos...-cf-speed.html __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

May 15th, 2009, 12:30 PM	#64
Robert Esmonde Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 51	Kingston Elite Pro 133x and dropped frames I did a video test the other evening on the 5DM2 using a 16GB KIngston Elite Pro 133x CF card. The card was formatted in the camera and had little or no material on it. To my surprise and disappointment I found that in the approx 1 minute fast moving sequence there were at least two areas where the image froze for three frames. I repeated the experiment yesterday and had no such problems. At first I thought it was just a bizarre but worrying quirk of the 5DM2/Kingston combo, but later I read a FAQ somewhere which said that the camera will drop frames when the aperture is changed on AF lenses. Yesterday's OK result was done with the camera in Av mode with the kit lens - 24 - 105mm, but I can't remember what the mode was for the problem sequence (using the same lens). I'm guessing that the dropped frames are related to whatever mode setting I was using with the kit lens. Can anyone confirm this behaviour and set my mind at ease? Thanks.

May 16th, 2009, 10:50 PM	#65
Steve Maller Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Burlingame, CA USA Posts: 285	Dropping frames is likely because your exposure wasn't locked. Read up on this. There are a ton of posts on the subject. And the Kingston 133x card does have issues, but it's with interrupting video with a still capture, and expecting it to continue filming the video (which it doesn't on mine). It works fine with the 266x card. __________________ me@facebook: http://facebook.com/stevemallerphotography

May 21st, 2009, 12:58 PM	#68
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	I am using that exact card (two as a matter of fact) and do not have any such issues. I am using the Nikon lenses, however, which avoid the aperture issue with the Canon lenses. __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

June 11th, 2009, 10:20 AM	#69
Buck Forester Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: California Posts: 230	Which CF cards to get with the 5D II? Okay, I love my EX1, but I'm complimenting it with the 5D Mark II (I also shoot stills and have the original 5D). I need it for an ultra-lightweight option on multi-day backpacking trips and ease of using GND filters. What are the best CF cards to get? I'd prefer specifics rather than 16GB or 32GB, I'd like to hear things more like, "Kingston 32 GB Elite Pro", or "SanDisk 16GB Extreme III 30mb/s (or 45mb/s)", etc. I'm not sure the speed requirements and how each card mfg compares. Shooting landscape stills I never cared about speed because most landscapes stay relatlively still (I had to chase mountain once during an earthquake, but that's about it). Any specific advice would be appreciated as I'm ordering the Mark II as soon as I find out which cards to get. Super gracias.

April 17th, 2009, 10:39 AM	#62
Scott Harris New Boot Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 8	I've used Ultra IIs (10mb/sec) and Extreme IIIs (30mb/sec) and both were sufficient for both photo and video.

May 17th, 2009, 11:13 AM	#66
Robert Esmonde Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 51	Thanks Steve. Whew! that's a relief to know it's a 'feature' and not a bug or a faulty card.

May 21st, 2009, 11:28 AM	#67
Victor Bieganek New Boot Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Minneapolis, USA Posts: 17	I have had some issues with a 133X CF in that it occasionally causes the 5d to 'freeze up" when I am reviewing clips. The only work around is to shut off and remove/reinsert internal battery. The DV files seem intact but its a hassle once the camera is mounted to the tripod.

June 11th, 2009, 11:14 AM	#70
Rick Hill Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: McHenry, Illinois Posts: 55	I just purchased a 5D MII (been lurking here for a very long time - I'm an avid HD video and still photo amateur with some reasonable disposable income for toys). I bought a bunch of the Kingston CompactFlash Elite Pro Memory Cards (8Gb, 16Gb and 32Gb - tested the 8gb first before buying a bunch). They are rated at 133x speed rating and I have had no issues with the Video recording with any of them. They are not as fast as the "SanDisk Extreme III" but IMO, the difference between the two brands has more to do with how fast and how many stills you want to take in continuous mode. I also tried the "Jobo Secure Digital/MultiMedia to Compact Flash Type II Adapter" along with some real cheap (<$10) SD cards (SanDisk 4GB Secure Digital Card) and had terrible luck with video on the 5DMII (at best I could get 1-5 second clips before the buffer overload stops the video capture). I have not tried any better SD cards so I am not sure if it's the SD cards or the adapter. So for my memory card collection I have a bunch of Kingston Elite Pro cards (133x) for video and a bunch of cheap Sandisk SD cards to use for stills (via the Jobo adapter). So far I am happy with this collection. Hope this helps . . .

June 11th, 2009, 11:27 AM	#71
Wayne Avanson Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lancashire UK Posts: 496	I Use SanDisk 16Gb Extreme III and IV, I have two of each and have had no problems. Avey

June 11th, 2009, 11:54 AM	#72
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	My wife & I each have a few TRANSCEND 16 Go 133x cards & have never had any problems.

June 11th, 2009, 04:28 PM	#73
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	I have 2 16's and 2 8's of the Kingston 133x, and no problems. __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

June 11th, 2009, 04:34 PM	#74
Peter Berg Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 31	I have Sandisk Extreme III 8GB and 16GB cards - working without a hitch on both 3 weeks of travelling shooting stills, and hour-long interviews (with changes and restarts of course). I was tempted to get some 32GB cards last week but decided on more 16's - just in case a card dies at some stage. peter berg __________________ ------- peter berg

June 11th, 2009, 07:30 PM	#75
Noah Yuan-Vogel Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 613	I'll second the Transcend 133x . I have a 32GB Transcend 133x and it works great and the price was hard to beat. They seem to have somehow gone up in price since I bought mine, though. The great thing about these is that although they are MLC (cheap) they have more than plenty of write speed for 40Mbps (5MBps) video and a read speed that is significantly higher which helps offloading. robgalbraith clocked these cards as writing at ~12MBps in a 5DMK2 and reading at >40MBps in fast card readers. I would highly recommend checking his charts ( Rob Galbraith DPI: Canon EOS 5D Mark II ) before you buy any CF card. Make sure that the card is listed as having at least 6MBps writes in a 5DMK2, since 40Megabit/sec translates to 5MegaByte/sec. I looked there and found that the 32GB transcend 133x seemed to be the most reasonably priced large capacity CF card that had enough writes speed for video and unusually fast read speeds for offloading.