CF Compact Flash cards

Sean Parker · October 10th, 2009, 08:22 PM

I was wondering anyone had some advice regarding a good card to get for video without being overkill.

Currently, I have three Lexar Professional 4GB 133x CF cards, and have been fairly satisfied with the results, but since I haven't been able to compare them to anything, I'm not sure if I'm missing out on any quality or motion smoothness. Are these cards "good enough" to the point where I wouldn't be receiving any benefits from upgrading to something pricier? I'd like to go for at least an 8GB or 16GB if so. I don't care too much about download-to-computer speeds, currently they've been fine. Is this the main benefit of having a UDMA card?

Thanks for your enlightenment.

Noah Yuan-Vogel · October 10th, 2009, 09:29 PM

if your camera doesnt give you the little buffer indicator and doesnt drop frames, you arent losing anything in terms of quality. if your cards can write 40mbps video then thats all you need. anything faster will just help you read/copy files from the card in a computer or other device.

i use a 32gb transcend 133x card that works well. it can handle 10-15MBps for writes which is plenty for the camera, but it reads up to 40MBps which is fast for such a cheap card, so it is still very fast to download.

Andree Markefors · October 11th, 2009, 03:04 PM

I also use Transcend cause they used to be the cheapest with sufficient performance, but last time I went to B & H they had a Kingston 32 GB 133x for $79.

That's pretty hard to beat I think?

Sean Parker · October 11th, 2009, 05:27 PM

Certainly sounds like a darn good deal. Thanks for your thoughts.

Raymond Tsang · October 14th, 2009, 11:23 AM

I just loaded up on 32GB Kingston Elites 133x from B&H. I also have a dozen other Elite 133x's and never had a problem with them. They also transfer pretty quick when used with a decent card reader.

Steve Maller · October 15th, 2009, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raymond Tsang

I just loaded up on 32GB Kingston Elites 133x from B&H. I also have a dozen other Elite 133x's and never had a problem with them. They also transfer pretty quick when used with a decent card reader.

Note that these cards will not work in a 1Ds Mark III body. They fail. I've been fighting with Kingston for a replacement for mine (a 16GB). They say they don't support anything bigger than an 8GB in that body. Sigh.

Bill Binder · October 15th, 2009, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raymond Tsang

I just loaded up on 32GB Kingston Elites 133x from B&H. I also have a dozen other Elite 133x's and never had a problem with them. They also transfer pretty quick when used with a decent card reader.

I've also been using these for eight months in my 5D2 without incident.

Ram Purad · April 7th, 2010, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raymond Tsang

I just loaded up on 32GB Kingston Elites 133x from B&H. I also have a dozen other Elite 133x's and never had a problem with them. They also transfer pretty quick when used with a decent card reader.

I also bought this card a while back and been using it without a problem for a while. But lately, I'm getting lots of "buffer fillups" and this cause the recording to pause. Is anyone facing this problem? Its not that fun when it happens during an important event.

Daniel Browning · April 7th, 2010, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ram Purad

I also bought this card a while back and been using it without a problem for a while. But lately, I'm getting lots of "buffer fillups" and this cause the recording to pause. Is anyone facing this problem? Its not that fun when it happens during an important event.

I have the same problem with the Transcend 133X 32GB card I got.

Pedro Martins · April 7th, 2010, 04:39 PM

Hi Ram

I have the same problem, now, using the kingston elite pro with 16 GB. I think it's because of the increase in the data rate with the new firmware update. Are you using the last firmware update?

October 10th, 2009, 08:22 PM	#106
Sean Parker Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 36	Recommended CF Cards? (Lexar 133x) I was wondering anyone had some advice regarding a good card to get for video without being overkill. Currently, I have three Lexar Professional 4GB 133x CF cards, and have been fairly satisfied with the results, but since I haven't been able to compare them to anything, I'm not sure if I'm missing out on any quality or motion smoothness. Are these cards "good enough" to the point where I wouldn't be receiving any benefits from upgrading to something pricier? I'd like to go for at least an 8GB or 16GB if so. I don't care too much about download-to-computer speeds, currently they've been fine. Is this the main benefit of having a UDMA card? Thanks for your enlightenment.

October 10th, 2009, 09:29 PM	#107
Noah Yuan-Vogel Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 613	if your camera doesnt give you the little buffer indicator and doesnt drop frames, you arent losing anything in terms of quality. if your cards can write 40mbps video then thats all you need. anything faster will just help you read/copy files from the card in a computer or other device. i use a 32gb transcend 133x card that works well. it can handle 10-15MBps for writes which is plenty for the camera, but it reads up to 40MBps which is fast for such a cheap card, so it is still very fast to download.

October 11th, 2009, 03:04 PM	#108
Andree Markefors Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Zürich Switzerland Posts: 81	I also use Transcend cause they used to be the cheapest with sufficient performance, but last time I went to B & H they had a Kingston 32 GB 133x for $79. That's pretty hard to beat I think?

October 11th, 2009, 05:27 PM	#109
Sean Parker Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 36	Certainly sounds like a darn good deal. Thanks for your thoughts.

October 14th, 2009, 11:23 AM	#110
Raymond Tsang Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: san francisco, ca Posts: 90	I just loaded up on 32GB Kingston Elites 133x from B&H. I also have a dozen other Elite 133x's and never had a problem with them. They also transfer pretty quick when used with a decent card reader.

April 7th, 2010, 04:39 PM	#115
Pedro Martins Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Lisbon-Portugal Posts: 35	Hi Ram I have the same problem, now, using the kingston elite pro with 16 GB. I think it's because of the increase in the data rate with the new firmware update. Are you using the last firmware update?