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CF cards
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Oct 1, 2022 21:15:40   #
Valenta Loc: Top of NZ
 
Are these a thing of the past now?

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Oct 1, 2022 21:23:13   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
Both yes and no. If you have an old DSLR, that could be one of two slots or the only option. If you have a modern technology marvel that is mirrorless, you won't find any that have a CF slot, but versions of the next technologies like XQD, or CFexpress, or just (old) SD.

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Oct 1, 2022 21:39:36   #
Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York
 
CHG_CANON wrote:
Both yes and no. If you have an old DSLR, that could be one of two slots or the only option. If you have a modern technology marvel that is mirrorless, you won't find any that have a CF slot, but versions of the next technologies like XQD, or CFexpress, or just (old) SD.


These CF Cards are reliable and durable for the most part. I have a 5D Mark II and 5D Mark IV. Both use the CF card. The Mark IV has a second slot for a SD card

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Oct 2, 2022 07:47:09   #
tcthome Loc: NJ
 
Valenta wrote:
Are these a thing of the past now?


Haven't seen them being used to much on new model cameras being sold, so yes to your question. If you plan on purchasing a new camera that doesn't use them, don't purchase to many new ones. But they still seem available for purchase if you own something that does use one.

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Oct 2, 2022 08:34:22   #
ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA
 
Recently I found an old CF card in "like new" condition. It's capacity was 5gb (yes gb, not mb). I can't recall what camera I used it with as I no longer have it - I think it was my first digital camera which was a pocket sized Canon or a pocket sized Olympus which came after the Canon. But I do recall being able to shoot all day with it. I tossed it!

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Oct 2, 2022 10:50:43   #
burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC
 
Valenta wrote:
Are these a thing of the past now?


Original CF cards are *practically* obsolete. But CF Express Type A and Type B are the latest high speed, high capacity solutions for high bit rate video recording. The Lumix GH6 has a CF Express Type B slot, for recording up to 1.9 GIGABITS per second! That's ProRes Raw open gate video, suitable for filmmakers, broadcasters, and other high end users to edit quickly, since it is uncompressed. It is a thing of beauty...

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Oct 2, 2022 11:01:06   #
photoman43
 
I still use CF cards with my Nikon D800E, an old model Nikon DSLR. My newer Nikon DSLRs and mirrirless do not accept them.

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Oct 2, 2022 11:02:56   #
Bill_de Loc: US
 
I still have a 4GB Hitachi Microdrive that I used 20 some years ago in a Nikon D1x. Every once in a while I take it out to see if it still shows all my Alaska pictures. Microdrives were a less expensive alternative to Compact Flash cards.

Today I still use CF cards along with XQD cards in a D4s

---

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Mar 28, 2023 07:56:11   #
Architect1776 Loc: In my mind
 
Valenta wrote:
Are these a thing of the past now?


Yes.
Get what you think that you will need now.
They will get harder to find new as it appears all new cameras will not be using that type of card.
Fortunately they seem to last nearly forever.

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Mar 28, 2023 08:44:21   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
Valenta wrote:
Are these a thing of the past now?


Calling Compact Flash cards "a thing of the past" is pretty harsh and not accurate. The D810 and a number of its contemporaries from other makers use these cards, and they provide good performance in those cameras. The D810 still has factory support at Nikon (at least for now), and I'm sure that many of those other camera models do, as well.

Brand new CF cards with good capacities are readily available at my local suppliers, even if my local camera shops don't have them. What is problematic is finding lower capacity cards (16GB and smaller) for older cameras which may not be able to use the higher capacity cards.

What I have found interesting is that the price for XQD cards has increased way beyond what would be expected for a commodity memory product. These have apparently become a specialty niche product because Sony has chosen (or is not able) to enable its cameras for CFExpress cards. Single-channel XQD cards are significantly more expensive than equivalent-capacity dual-channel CFE cards of equal capacity.

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Mar 28, 2023 08:47:17   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
If they stop making DSLRinosaurs that use CF cards and new modern mirrorless marvels don't use these things of the past, well then, very clearly: these are yesterday's storage for yesterday's cameras, aka things of the past.

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Mar 28, 2023 08:58:16   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
My D70 IR camera uses one, but SD cards have become much more popular. There are many types of CF cards available from Amazon and other sellers.

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Mar 28, 2023 10:19:14   #
burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC
 
Valenta wrote:
Are these a thing of the past now?


The very latest cameras with the best video capabilities use CF Express Type B cards. They are a new form factor, not to be confused with the original CF cards from over a decade ago. They are extremely fast, very expensive, but capable of recording 8K video at very high bit rates.

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Mar 28, 2023 10:32:59   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
The future is a better tomorrow.

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Mar 28, 2023 11:07:45   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
CHG_CANON wrote:
If they stop making DSLRinosaurs that use CF cards and new modern mirrorless marvels don't use these things of the past, well then, very clearly: these are yesterday's storage for yesterday's cameras, aka things of the past.


I did a little search and found that CF cards are used in all sorts of current-generation instrumentation, including medical equipment. It also seems to still be one of the preferred memory formats for high-end audio recording equipment and any number of other applications. So I think it is a little bit narrow to call the format yesterdays storage just because camera makers are moving to smaller formats.

My guess is that the Type B format represents a transitory phase as chosen camera memory. Designers, manufacturers, and users have already been spoiled by the much smaller and less expensive form factor of SD and Micro SD cards. Think what they could do with the space freed up...they could add a second processor. Quite frankly, the fact that cameras even still have removable memory cards is something of a Luddite holdover in a world where excellent alternatives for wireless transfer (even via a dock of some sort) have been available for years. Of course, including something like this would risk eliminating at least or 6 lines of discussion around care, feeding, and fixing of memory cards here and elsewhere.

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