Memory and Power Questions

I've jumped on the Coolpix 5000 bandwagon and will soon purchase memory and extra batteries. I've researched these topics and now would appreciate real-world feedback on what I've learned.

Memory: Compact Flash memory comes in a variey of capacities and write speeds. According to literature that I've read a 512 mb card will hold about 200 images at the highest (non RAW) resolution of the camera. Also, according to Nikon tech support, anything faster than a 16x card will not perform faster due to the throughput limitations of the camera itself. I've compared Lexar and Sandisk media and Lexar reports the fastest write rates (up to 40x = 6.0 mb/sec) with 16x being equivalent to about 2.4 mb/sec. Sandisk claims their new Ultra Compact flash card has throughput of 2.4 mb/sec and their standard cards are rated at about 1/2 that speed. I'm leaning towards the purchase of two 512 mb Lexar cards. That will be more expensive than one 1 mb card, but will provide redundancy and each has sufficient capacity for more than a battery's worth of power.

Is it true that I'm wasting money on anything faster than 16x? Any other considerations that I'm missing?

Batteries: The standard battery, the Nikon EN-EL1 is rated at 7.4v 650 mAh. I've been told that is sufficient power to take about 100 images at the highest (non RAW) resolution with the LCD screen on (as it would be in a housing).

Are their any other more powerful alternatives?Is this an accurate estimate of duration?

I hope this information has been helpful. Many thanks for your feedback.

Welcome to wetpixel and to the cp5000 bandwagon.......two good choices

I just received a new Transcend 512 CF card (32x I think ) and its significantly faster than the Viking 512 CF ( ? x ) that I have been using. My write times in FINE resolution went from 8 seconds to 3 seconds. My write times in RAW went from 24 seconds to 16 seconds.

I use Hi-capacity 720 mAh Lenmar batteries and charger. I still change after every dive, but I have completed two dives when I've had to push it. Very fast recharge time - 15-20 minutes or less. I have 4 which will get me through a full day.

Karl

Where do you get those Lenmar batteries??

I dive cold water (BC, Canada), and find that the battery will just get me through one dive (50-65 mins). Towards the end of the dive, the screen will start to go into auto-off mode, and I won't have enough power to review shots topside.

I have found that with warm water, though, the battery lasts significantly longer, with plenty of power after a 45-55 minute dive.

I usually shoot about 75-100 shots on a 192mB card, so plenty of recording time (and you will find you get more shots than the card estimates, a conservative figure).

As for the cards, get the fastest you can afford - you will upgrade someday, and the faster transfer speeds might help with card readers too. I had Sandisk (cheapos mind you) and was not happy. Lexar was a big improvement, though it's not an apples to apples comparison. I went to 12x and saw a significant improvement. I wonder how much better a 16x would perform?

go to adorama.com

search for Lenmar DLNEL1 battery and MSCD05 charger

FYI, I can get 207 images on 512 CF card at FINE resolutioin

Karl

Karl,

I just can't believe my eyes ... second for writing a file on the CF card????

Are you talking about the camera writing the image on the CF card?

Does it really takes 24-16 s for a RAW image to be written to CF? This is amazing.

Of course your camera records the image first in its RAM but stii, as a transfer time I think that's not good.

Does it really take that long or that's how long it takes for you to read the image with a CF reader?

Vlad

Karl,

 

I just can't believe my eyes ... second for writing a file on the CF card????

Are you talking about the camera writing the image on the CF card?

Does it really takes 24-16 s for a RAW image to be written to CF? This is amazing.

Of course your camera records the image first in its RAM but stii, as a transfer time I think that's not good.

 

Does it really take that long or that's how long it takes for you to read the image with a CF reader?

 

Vlad

Lexar (unilaterally) says 1X = 150KB/s, so 16X (a not atypical number) is 2.4MB/s. A fine JPG on a 5 MP camera is (typically, approximately) 2MB, so a second sounds about right for most compact flashes and cameras. RAW is about 15MB, so 6 seconds is the minimum time, without allowing for any camera bottlenecks or processing. From what I understand, speeds higher than 16X have diminishing returns as the camera becomes the rate-determining element for writing to media. Comments

See also: http://www.nikondigital.org/reviews/lexar_..._512mb_card.htm

Vlad, you read it correctly..........that's why I don't shoot in RAW

I time it from the moment I hit the shutter until the camera is ready for another shot.

I would be interested in what other cp5000 users are getting for their write times.

I shoot in full manual - flash off - fresh batteries

Karl

Karl, do you really need the battery charger or will the charger that came with the cp5000 and battery work for charging the 750 also?

Rob I concur on the 1 dive in cold water for the battery. That would include a 5 to 20 minute boat ride with the camera in housing in sleep mode. Also, shooting macro in BC current can be a challenge when utilizing the zoom on the lens. Reduction in the DOF can have you focused on the eyes one second and moved an inch the next due to current. Missed a few shots as a result.

As for RAW time, I shoot totally in RAW and found on my last trip the write time for the Sandisk was twice that of the Microdrive. I did not time it as I was too busy enjoying the many sites underwater.

Lastly who is the dumb a__ at Nikon that thinks to put such a dinky battery in that camera. Sure fine if you want to shoot 36 frames but this is digital. Or, we need a housing that accomodates that AA battery add-on.

Todd,

I think the Nikon charger would work- they are nearly identical...........might not be quite as fast?............

I'm with you about the battery design........AA's are up to 2300 + mAh!..........what's the deal?

Karl

Many thanks for all of the helpful responses. Rob, you make a good point about the card readers, even if the camera won't write faster to the card, if the card reader downloads the images faster to the computer that's a benefit.

Looks like we're stuck with "low power" batteries.

Cheers,

Joshua

I did a test with the EN-EL1 batteries for my CP 5000. I have two batteries, one is rated at 650mAh and the other is 680mAh, both are Nikon brand. I charged them in the Nikon charger (MH-53) to make sure they have a full charge then I ran them through my Maha C777Plus charger/analyzer to see what the rating is for each battery. The 650mAh analyzed at 682mAh and the 680mAh analyzed at 734mAh. Also one thing I've heard is that the Nikon chargers don't do a 100% charge, they do about 95%. So I recharged them in the Nikon charger and when the charger said it was done I put it into the Maha charger. The 650mAh charged another 86mAh and the 680mAh charged an addtional 66mAh (roughly 10%). I am curious if anyone else has analyzed the 800mAh that are out there to see if they really have more juice.

Also, I analyzed the 680mAh battery after letting it sit unused for a month. The battery analyzed out at 792mAh which for all practical purposes is still a full charge. Nice to know!

I'm with you about the battery design........AA's are up to 2300 + mAh!..........what's the deal?

I'm definitely not an expert on this, but it's probably not fair to compare mAH ratings directly for batteries with different voltages ... I would have thought the comparison on the basis of mWH would be at least as relevant?

A little off-topic, but ...

One of the important considerations for me in buying the C5050 rather than the CP5000 was that the C5050 uses AA batteries. I can get about 3 hours out of one set of 4 batteries underwater. Combine that with a large capacity card and I can get 2 longer dives or 3 shorter dives without opening the housing. Wonderful! Of course I don't know how that would go in cold water.

Also I now carry only AA batteries and their chargers, and these get used for everything. Saves a lot of weight and hassle. And if I ever have a problem, it's easy to get (disposable) AA batteries almost anywhere.

-David

I'm with you about the battery design........AA's are up to 2300 + mAh!..........what's the deal?

I'm definitely not an expert on this, but it's probably not fair to compare mAH ratings directly for batteries with different voltages ... I would have thought the comparison on the basis of mWH would be at least as relevant?

 

A little off-topic, but ...

 

One of the important considerations for me in buying the C5050 rather than the CP5000 was that the C5050 uses AA batteries. I can get about 3 hours out of one set of 4 batteries underwater. Combine that with a large capacity card and I can get 2 longer dives or 3 shorter dives without opening the housing. Wonderful! Of course I don't know how that would go in cold water.

 

Also I now carry only AA batteries and their chargers, and these get used for everything. Saves a lot of weight and hassle. And if I ever have a problem, it's easy to get (disposable) AA batteries almost anywhere.

 

-David

The AA battery issue is a big plus to me as well. I personally prefer the 5050 to the 5000 even with its odd user controls.

A set of four AA rechargable batteries provides more than 10 watt-hours of power (at low discharge rates, of course). That's much more than the typical battery in a P&S digital camera. It even compares favorably to custom batteries in smaller strobes like the DS125.

I don't know how the DS125 battery is rated, but 110Ws * 150 cycles = about 5 watt-hours ignoring efficiency. You can see that a AA powered strobe can compete with the DS125 in both power and cycle count and the Inon Z220 does so. It doesn't recharge in 1 second though. If I decided to go with a custom battery-powered strobe I'd want it to offer more power. I'd like to get more than faster cycle times for the size/weight/complexity.

No comparison between AA cells and what is used in the SubStrobe 125. Sub-C cells used are twice the capacity of "AA" ni cads. Nimh cells can provide 2000+ mah but will not provide the heavy current draw required for something like this strobe.