JW S

Yes - this horse has been beat - but I didn't quite find what I was looking for in my Topic Search and yes, I probably did not search long enough .... But with this behind me ....


Topic / Background / Question / Thanks

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Topic:
Camera - 5DMk iii
SanDisk brand CF Card Size and Use

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Background:
I will use my existing SanDisk SD cards with a CF card in my newly acquired 5D Mk iii.
I currently own 6 SanDisk 32Gig SD cards that I rotate and reformat regularly.
I shoot RAW and JPG and use the JPG for quick computer reviews or at times to give the Client a SOC copy.
Only on a few occasions has a single 32 Gig card been too small for the job.
I've never had an SD card fail - (knock on wood & tapping my hard head).
I don't use the older cards as much as the last three I purchased, which have faster write speeds.
I rarely shoot video - but with the 5D Mkiii this may change.
The CF card I purchase will be one of several options listed on SanDisk's website for the 5DMkiii

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Question(s):
Is it recommended to shoot JPG on the SD and RAW on the CF or record both on each card? I understand the safety issue of redundancy but does one method record faster than the other? Uploading speed to my computer is not a concern.

If a CF card is faster, does using a slower SD card affect my speed?

If I have been happy with 32 Gig SD cards, is there a need to have a larger CF card?

When recording Video, are both cards used or is the video only recorded to the CF card?

Is the failure rate of a CF card any greater than an SD card?

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Thanks:

Many Thanks to those who respond to this subject. I may not be at my computer when you do, but I will follow up as soon as I can.
Thanks in advance! I really appreciate it!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I can't answer all your questions specifically, but both my 5DIIIs are approach 7-years of ownership. I use 32GB cards in both slots, writing RAW to the CF and S1 'small' JPEGs to the SD. I never actually use the JPEGs images, like maybe 5 ish times I can remember ever. I can get just about 1000 RAW files on the 32GB card. Every 6 months or so I format the SD card, after assuring all RAW images are fully processed and stored in primary and back-up locations.

You'll have to test or see if you can find another answer online, but I think video writes to the CF only when a CF is installed.

I have 8 x 32GB cards as I travel for weeks at a time with limited options to back up data amount represented by 8 x 32GB of images. I've never had a problem with either card type, but I carefully install and remove and always keep in their cases when not actively being used in the camera or a computer. CF cards are more prone to bent pins in the reader than the card failing.

I mostly shoot in the low-speed silent continuous, only for airshows and sports to I change to the high-speed "loud" continuous. The high-speed burst speed is good enough for my needs.

I use only SanDisk Extreme Pro, at about 7-yrs old, 90 MB/s was the old standard. Looking online, they're now only faster. Consider if the 64GB is more cost effective, if buying more.

JW S

thanks so much for your response.... You basically confirmed my suspicions.


, I'm going thru the manual this week and watching YouTube videos as well. The question about where video writes will surely be answered

Thanks

J

Pistnbroke Loc: UK

Get one of the $10 CF to SD adaptors works great and saves all the dual type problems.

RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

It sure does I have a cf card adapter to SD card in my old 7D camera the CF adapter stays in the camera all the time, I just removed the SD and insert into the card reader. Oh yeah before doing the above be sure you power off the camera first.

All my SD/CF cards are SanDisk.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

I use SanDisk 32 GB Extreme Pro cards in my 5d mk III. I have a couple of 16 GB that I use in my "baby" camera. I started purchasing those to use in my 1D Mk IV for the write speed and simply purchased the same for the 5D. I find that its slower shooting doesn't really require that speed, but I do like having all the same cards. I did look into purchasing larger capacity cards, but got talked out of it. Some pros I occasionally travel and shoot with stated that the larger the capacity, the more shots get lost in case of a card failure or loss. I've never had that happen, but it was food for thought.

Sergey

I believe CF slot of 5D Mark III supports UDMA 7 while SD slot doesn't. I haven't tested recording only jpegs to SD but if you use SD card as a backup, i.e. recording the same format/size as on CF it will slow you down when shooting in bursts (given you use UDMA 7 CF card).

I only use SanDisk Extreme Pro and Lexar Pro CF cards and didn't experience card failures, but I don't shoot as much as pro photographers or very active advanced amateurs, so my experience might not be enough to judge.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I still have the first 1GB Compact Disc card that I bought in 2007, and it still works fine. I continue to use it on those occasions that I pull out my Nikon D200. Not sure what cards your camera supports, but I would be surprised if it would not be able to utilize 64GB cards. Speeds somewhere around 90 or 100MB/second should be fine in that camera. Here are some things I've come to think about, based on experience and some store of knowledge:

SD cards by design have a more robust physical interface. There are no pins to bend or break.

CD cards use a parallel interface. This is inherently faster than a serial interface, but modern technology pretty much minimizes the difference.

CD cards are a very mature technology, and not a lot of current devices use them. For this reason, they can be a little bit hard to find, especially in the smaller capacities. They also can be more expensive when you do find them.

For these reasons, I have decided to set up my dual-card cameras with the SD as the primary card. I shoot raw + JPEG, so the raw files go to the SD card. I also generally use an SD card of twice the capacity of the CD card. The capacity balances out pretty close that way. Of course, if you use hour second card to save backup raw images, the two cards will need to be of the same capacity.

There may be reasons that my choices won't work for you. If you shoot lots of bursts and your camera supports the fast CD cards, you may need to use those as your primary card. You will need to pay attention to whether your camera can use SDHC (probably), SDXC (maybe), and later generation SD versions (maybe not). And you may need to make sure that you have the latest firmware installed.

MrT Loc: Gilbert, AZ

Try cameramemoryspeed.com they test camera and cards and provide the best advice.

KillroyII Loc: Middle Georgia

Thank you for the link to cameramemoryspeed.com

JW S

my general reply:
Wow.... Thanks for the responses and the options for consideration!

I will dig into these comments more during normal waking hours!

The CD to SD adaptor option was not expected... I will be looking into that, if nothing more than as an optional emergency backup plan.. ....A 64 Gig card on the SanDisk Extreme Pro is just under $62 /Amazon.... So I won't be ordering a half dozen of those!

Thanks again and I will re read these replies again soon.

stay healthy

J

pbphoto

You've had many full responses to your questions but I don't see any response re speed writing to cards (unless I messed that when 'skimming'). Basically my understanding is that BOTH cards irrespective of individual writing speed, will write at the speed of the slowest card used. Enjoy your 5D3.

RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

MrT Loc: Gilbert, AZ

Welcome.

JW S

Thanks again to all of the responses. I ordered a 64 Gig CF card today - Amazon $61.88.

SanDisk Extreme PRO 64GB Compact Flash Memory Card UDMA 7 Speed Up To 160MB/s - SDCFXPS-064G-X46

I got one opinion (one only) from B&H against using the Adapter ....but it seemed to be more of a personal opinion .... so I may still purchase one simply as a back up option.

I have 6 SD cards and of those, the last two purchased were of the latest "rev" so I will probably use those in conjunction with the Compact Flash Card.

I at this point, I will store the Raw on the CF card and the JPG on the SD. This will extend my shoot capacity to right at 2x of what I could typically do with a single 32G SD card. I will swap over to redundant storage raw only if I have a critical job.

Thanks again for the support and responses!