Re: Memory Cards

Well, this is interesting. I was looking on UniquePhoto.com and they have a 1 gig Lexar card for $289 and a 512 listed for $189. Am I missing something, or would it not be completely worth it to spend about $300 and get one 1 gig card rather than spend about $400 for two 512s?

I am pretty sure either card would work in the Nikon D100, Fuji S2, or the Canon 10D.

This is the 1 gig

http://www.uniquephoto.com/index.php?expan...ail=LRDALX321GB

This is the 512

http://www.uniquephoto.com/index.php?expan...ail=LRDALX40512

Make sure that you get a fast card. Most of the 1GB cards that are now available are fairly slow (e.g. the Sandisk 1GB card that is selling for the low $200s).

On the other hand, may of the fairly inexpensive 512MB cards are very fast.

Check out Rob Galbraith's CF Database:

http://robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007

(looks like the Lexar is a fast card)

I was under the impression that any card with 32x was considered "fast." - Or at least fast enough. Is this incorrect?

Has anyone run a post about which cards people are using and which manufacturers or cards that might be avoided?

Now I am curious about what other people are using but dont remember if anyone has ever asked about this before. I was planning to use Lexar cards.

I believe that speed ratings are fairly accurate, so a 32X card is considered "fast."

It's not going to matter too much unless you are using a digital SLR, anyway. And even the "cheap" ones don't have interfaces that will take full advantage of CF card transfer rates. For example, go to Rob's DB and check out the read/write speeds using a Canon 1D vs a Canon 10D!

I find that I do on occasion fill my 1GB card on a dive. And while I'm not saying I take 100+ award winners, I am keen to get a 2Gb or bigger card in the future.

Anyone using such a card? And do you have any advice? Also they are damn expensive! Are the prices likely to come down in the not to distant f.?

Alex - a (Flash)-card-carrying digital photo convert

Hi Alex and everyone

In Singapore , the CF type II 2.4 gig is going for around USD 260. The 1 gig IBM microdrive is selling about USD 190 brand new, and I am trying to sell my extra piece away to get the 2.4 gig CF. Personally, I don't think it is that expensive as compared to the early days for digital photography and they are definitely cheaper than the prices you get in USA.

More info of the card can be found here : www.gs-magicstor.com

I am new to underwater photography and am in the midst of setting up my S2. Just waiting for the lauch of the new Ikelite housing in Aug. I do not exactly know how well these cards work, but I do know the prices pretty well since i check and double check them

Eric

I find that I do on occasion fill my 1GB card on a dive. And while I'm not saying I take 100+ award winners, I am keen to get a 2Gb or bigger card in the future.

Anyone using such a card? And do you have any advice? Also they are damn expensive! Are the prices likely to come down in the not to distant f.?

Alex - a (Flash)-card-carrying digital photo convert

I bought the Lexar 2GB's. They are expensive but they provide the D100 with 206 RAW shots. That's enough to leave the housing closed for 2 and maybe 3 dives. 3 dives stretches the battery I think. Leaving the housing closed is "priceless".

I'm certain they'll get cheaper.

Don't know if anyone else has talked about this, but I just discovered it and it was very unexpected.

I have been looking at buying a 1G Lexar CF card for my 10D - in particular looking at a card with "Write Acceleration Technology." The WA cards are more expensive of course, but I just discovered the 10D doesn't even SUPPORT the WA functionality!

Someone please let me know if I am off base here - I was planning on buying the card today (alongside a new lens Im buying online), but now I have to re-evaluate my card options. I was planning to buy a 1G and a 512, and am leaning heavily towards Lexar (primarily because the name is respected and the speeds seem a little faster than some of the others, with the exception of Sandisk, which I am just not sure about).

Here is a list of cameras that support WA cards (according to B&H)

Kodak

DCS 14n

DCS 760

DCS 760m

DCS 720x

DCS Pro Back Plus

DCS Pro Back 645

Nikon

D1x

D1h

D100

Sanyo

DSC MZ3

By the way... the unstated point here is that it looks like I will be buying a WA card even though the 10D doesnt really support it... just thought someone here might be able to pitch in some expert advice and maybe save me some bucks :-)

Most cards perform similarly in the 10D. It's just the cards like the Sandisk standard that you should avoid. If you look at Rob Galbraith, it says that most cards benchmark around 1000-1200KB/sec.

Compare that with a camera like the 1D, where the same cards perform from 2000-2900KB/sec. Have to be more careful when choosing for a camera like that!

I found some Lexar 512 ____48x____ for $229 here in Dallas if anyone is interested!

I may just be more impressed with this than anyone else, but finding it at that price made even my toenails happy.

When buying Lexar 32X WA cards make sure you get new dealer stock. The first ones released are likely to give error messages, "CHA" as I recall. I bought a new 1GB 32X card to go with me to Africa recently, and on two occasions I got had corrupt card situations and had to use their image rescue software and Jumpshot to save the files.

I quit using that card for the rest of the trip, and called Lexar tech support when I got home. They asked for the serial number engraved in the card, and when I told them the number they had no problem admitting having had an issue with that run of cards. They gave me a Fed Ex # and return authorization.

So, no problem with Lexar customer support, but sitting in a Land Rover in Botswana photographing a leopard cub is the wrong time to discover a problem with your Compact Flash card.

BTW ... this had been extensively discussed on www.robgalbraith.com, but in regards to the 2GB cards so I thought I'd be safe with the 1GB. But the issue appears to be "write acceleration" rather than capacity.

It is fixed in new cards, so just make sure they came from Lexar after July 2003.

Steve

I have the 32X WA card from Lexar and use it in my D100....its a great card. I am completely happy with it

Hi

I shoot the Lexar 16x 1GB cards in my 10D. I find that the Lexar 16x will clear the buffer faster than the IBM 1GB Microdrives. Now this was shooting birds in flight and in JPG mode. However, last night, I was shooting fireworks and shot in RAW mode and over a 45 minute show and 100 plus shots, I probably ran up the buffer about 4 times.

Stu

hi,

i have a related question. can a microdrive be used at depth for scuba diving, or is the pressure at depth a problem due to the moving parts.

thanks!

The pressure inside the housing should be atmospheric or just a bit more. I use a microdrive and it works fine.

With that said, CF is still more reliable.

Cheers

James

Regarding using a microdrive while scuba diving...

Yes, it works. Recently returned from Palau where I used my S45 with a 1GB microdrive... dove to depths of 100ft, with an average depth of about 70ft. It worked great!

If microdrives are susceptable to pressure then you could have a problem with a plastic bag type housing, which is compressible?

But I doubt that microdrives are affected by pressure. Unlike the user.

Alex

Pressure would only be a problem if there was a pressure diiferential between the inside of the drive and the pressure withing the camera memory slot. I would doubt that the drive would be air tight so this shouldn't be a problem. In an ideal world the drives would be assembled in a vacuum and be air tight. I have dived mine down to 45m without a problem.

Disk heads fly on air, and are only designed to do so in a limited pressure range.

I know that some are not to be operated above 10000' elevation, I think it applies to the microdrive but I'm not sure. I wouldn't be surprised that it can also fail when over pressured. It's not something we have to worry about unless the camera is house in a plastic bag; Hard housings maintain the surface pressure.