Cheap & reliable CF card

[Michal Balsam]

Hi!

After long wait the XF100 has been shipped to me. I'm upgrading from Sony FX1.
I'm looking for cheap & reliable CF cards, because I need at least 32GB (or 2x16GB). What card have you tested?
I know Canon recomends Sandisk Exteme and Lexar Professional, but maybe DVINFO forum users have tested other cards? I don't need slo-mo. I just need good & reliable 50mbit 422.

[Sam Young]

Stick only with the cards Canon recommends. One person here reported using the cheap Transcend 400x card, only to get a buffer error 10 minutes later from the camcorder. I currently use the USD130 Lexar 400x 32gb CF card, which is working great. Will get some more soon.

I wish I can use cheaper CF cards, but not worth the risk, at all.

[Kevin Nelson]

Hi Michal,

I use the SanDisk 16gb Extreme without incident. BTW, this is a subject that has been beat to death in this forum - just scrub around and you'll find more info than you can imagine on this topic - or - just type in Doug Jensen's name;-)

Also, it has been my experience that Cheap and Reliable are two words that do not belong together, especially in professional applications.

Another thing - invest in the Nexto, you'll be glad you did.

Cheers

[Steve Maller]

Canon have taken an extraordinary step of recommending (and TESTING) specific products for their camera, and I suspect that this is for good reason. A 50mbps data stream can cause problems for a less-than-optimal CF controller design, and could result in disaster in the field. I've bought Sandisk Extreme Pro cards, and hope these let me sleep at night.

I sent the Transcend cards I initially purchased back to Amazon.

[Michal Balsam]

OK, so I'm thinking about gettting Sandisk Extreme.
What do you think about models SDCFX-016G-X46 and SDCFX-032G-X46? Will they work with slo-mo and so on?

[Gerald OConnor]

I just got the xf100...charging it as I write this. I got 2 16gb 600x transcend cards recommended by canon and BH. Anyone on here have these cards and have had issues?

[Sam Young]

You shouldn't, I have a Lexar 400x 32gb card, and it records the entire 79 mins without problems. I haven't tried slow-mo yet, and won't since I do it in post if I want slow-mo.

[Tim Bakland]

Don't settle for cheap on this front. Buy the best and the most recommended.

Don't be a pony; be a horse.

[Sam Young]

Or just be a tiger.

rawwr

[Jim Martin]

We are only recommending the very fast cards....Hoodman 675x or the new Delkin Combat 625x...when we used the Delkin 450x, they choked after 5 minutes. The Canon codec is big......"so don't go small!"

Jim Martin
FilmTools.com

[Martin Campbell]

Canon have approved the 600x Transcend Cards, so hopefully they will do the job.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Martin Campbell

Canon have approved the 600x Transcend Cards, so hopefully they will do the job.

They are approved but with the caveat that they are Not operational when using slow motion modes whereas the Sandisk cards are certified as Fully operational in all modes. Personally I only purchase Sandisk Extreme cards for my XF105 & XF305 as it seems nuts to buy a card that won't work properly if I should choose to use a slow motion mode especially as the Transcend cards aren't even cheaper than the Sandisk Extreme cards!

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Jim Martin

We are only recommending the very fast cards....Hoodman 675x or the new Delkin Combat 625x...when we used the Delkin 450x, they choked after 5 minutes. The Canon codec is big......"so don't go small!"

The Hoodman cards aren't even on Canon's official list of blessed cards while the Delkin CombatFlash are Not operational when using slow motion modes Canon U.S.A. : Professional Imaging Products : XF300

[Martin Campbell]

it's a pretty poor show from Canon. It appears as though the only media that will fully work are Sandisk and some other brand I've not heard of. Is this a specific card problem (or limit to what card can do), or do you think a future firmware will sort this restriction/incompatibility out?

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Friends,

I would like to jump in here.

Axtremex has been trying hard to get their 128 GB CompactFlash card full qualified for use with the Canon XF 300 and XF 305.

This has been very difficult due to the tragedy in Japan.

Axtremex has made changes to their 128 GB card. After these changes the card has been thoroughly tested by a third party in the XF 305. This new version of the card works well in the XF 305, including the Slow and Quick Modes.

I need to emphasize two things:

1. These are new versions of the Axtremex 128 GB cards, the original versions would not work with the XF 300 and XF305.

2. The testing has not been performed by Canon. They are just not in a position to test cards at this time. Thus they will not be listed on the Canon website at this time.

These new cards will be available at www.nanoFlash.net soon.